Communications technology provider Qualcomm is feeling the effects of a chip shortage that first hit the auto industry and is spreading across the electronics business.

According to a report from Reuters, the company is struggling to keep up with demand for its processor chips used in smartphones and gadgets.

Demand for Qualcomms chips has soared in the past months as Android phone makers seek to win over customers abandoning phones produced by Huawei due to US sanctions. Qualcomm has found it hard to meet this higher-than-expected demand, in part due to a shortage of some subcomponents used in its chips.

Two Samsung suppliers told Reuters that the smartphone maker is experiencing a shortage of Qualcomms application processors. One said a Qualcomm chip shortage was hitting production of mid- and low-end Samsung models. The other said there was a shortage of Qualcomms new flagship chip, the Snapdragon 888, but did not say whether this was affecting the manufacturing of Samsungs high-end phones.

A Samsung Electronics spokesman declined to comment. A Qualcomm spokesman pointed to public comments by executives on Wednesday in which they reiterated they believe they can hit a fiscal second quarter sales forecast given in February.

Separately, a senior executive at a top contract manufacturer for several major smartphone brands told Reuters it was facing a shortage of a range of components from Qualcomm and would cut handset shipments this year.

Last month, Lu Weibing, a vice president for Chinese handset maker Xiaomi, lamented the chip crunch. Its not a shortage, its an extreme shortage, he wrote on Chinese social network Weibo.

A surge in demand for consumer electronics has driven a global chip shortage that has idled car factories. The shortage has so far centred largely on chips made using older technology rather than the advanced phone processors Qualcomm designs.

We still have our demand basically higher than supply, Qualcomm incoming chief executive Cristiano Amon told investors during the companys annual meeting on Wednesday.

Qualcomms entire line-up of application processors contain power management chips made with older technology by companies including Chinas Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. It is directing supply of these power management chips towards its Snapdragon 888 application processors, but that is hurting supplies of lower-end Qualcomm application processors, sources told Reuters.
A secret Facebook group is being used as a safe space for female Labor staffers to share disturbing allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of male politicians.

The shocking claims range from crude jokes about 'thigh gaps' to sexual assault in a work lift and one politician forcing himself onto a woman despite her attraction to females.

As thousands of people prepare to march across Australia on Monday to protest against sexism, current and former female political staffers have taken to the private Facebook group - warning male MPs they will 'no longer keep their secrets'.

The new reports come after rape allegations rocked Canberra in recent weeks with former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins accusing a male colleague of sexually assaulting her in Parliament House in 2019.

Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter was also accused of raping a woman in 1988 when the pair were teenagers but the accuser has since died by suicide and Mr Porter has vigorously denied the claims.

Female Labor staffers have exposed horrific allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of male colleagues in a secret Facebook group

One woman told the Facebook page seen by news.com.au that a male colleague called her a 'pig dog' when she disagreed with him and told her in front of her staff 'that's why no one wants to f**k you'.

Another woman said a man 40 years her senior 'groped and tried to stick his tongue down my throat in a lift at work', while a third claimed a man made sexual advances towards her, aware she was a lesbian but expecting to be the 'exception'.

'He is a man who says he'd "never f**k a woman without a thigh gap" and asks if I'll show him mine while we sit waiting for a meeting I'm about to run to start in a room full of young men,' another said of her alleged abuser.

A fifth wrote: 'He is a married man who plied a young woman with drinks until she had no idea what was happening.'

'He promised others at the gathering he would get her home safely but before putting her in the cab he had sex with her when she had no ability to consent.

'The next day he texted to demand she take the morning after pill and blamed her for what happened saying she was so drunk that she came onto him. He threatened 'tell no one'.'

Another female staffer said a male colleague punched the wall next to her head when she passed on news he didn't want to hear, calling her a 'f***ing c**t'.

Brittany Higgins (pictured) went public last month with the allegation she was raped by a male colleague inside Defence Minister Linda Reynolds' office in 2019

In another accusation, a senior cabinet minister allegedly would not let a woman out of his office until she asked her Chief of Staff why he calls himself 'p*ssyfingers'.

'After three or four repetitions of the term 'p**syfingers' I tell him in my serious voice that I don't think this is workplace-appropriate language,' she wrote.

'He tells me I'm a sh*t c**t.'

Another woman claimed a married colleague would bombard her with over 50 texts in a night asking her to meet him to have sex.

When she did not respond, he allegedly sent her an aggressive test warning her not to tell anyone he had contacted her.

Other accusations included a married man propositioning a senior female staffer in in his parliamentary office in front of her younger staff and a boss incessantly pressuring his staffer to have sex with him.

The members of the group have warned they are fed-up with sexual harassment from male colleagues.

Former Labor leader Jenny Macklin said she was appalled by the accusations and praised the women for speaking up.

'Today I've read this post about the horrible experiences that so many talented women experienced,' she wrote in the group.

'I truly believe by speaking up we can change this toxic culture.'

'These men need to know that we will no longer keep their secrets. Enough is enough.

Former Labor leader Jenny Macklin (pictured) has commended the women for speaking out

'Some women have already shared their experiences with me and I have added my own to start off what I hope is a discussion that makes you feel loved, valued, seen and heard.'

Ms Macklin said the behaviour is 'not acceptable and it cannot continue', vowing to fight for change within parliament.

'I understand there is a need for very real change. I will work with my former colleagues in the Australian Labor Party to make sure your voices are heard, that you are believed and that we stand up against the men in our party who have done these things,' she added.

'The Government has announced an independent and confidential 24/7 telephone service to support current and former Commonwealth ministerial, parliamentary and electorate office staff, and those who have experienced serious incidents in a Commonwealth Parliamentary workplace.

'I believe you. This is not acceptable and it cannot continue.

Ms Macklin's words of support were echoed by former deputy leader Tanya Plibersek, Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher, Sharon Claydon and Anika Wells, who posted in the group on Sunday.

'We see you and hear you and are truly sorry that you have had these experiences working in the party,' they wrote.

'As parliamentarians, we're committed to making sure that these matters are dealt with seriously and respectfully, if you want to take matters further. We will keep working to change this culture so other women don't have to go through what you have.

Former deputy leader Tanya Plibersek (pictured) said the party is devoted to making sure the issues addressed in the group will be dealt with

'We want to make sure everyone knows where you can access support if you need it and how you can take your disclosures further, if you want to.

'We are speaking to the (Sex Discrimination) Commissioner to ensure participation is safe, victim-centred and trauma informed. We are aware of some concerns about application of FOI to the review and are working to make sure any issues are addressed.

Former health minister Jenny Mikakos also weighed in on the conversation, commending the women for coming forward.

'This is unacceptable and disgusting behaviour wherever it occurs, including in my own party,' she tweeted on Sunday.

'I'm in awe of the women, especially the young ones, coming forward and calling it out. It gives me hope things will change. If it was wrong then, then it's wrong now.

'Do not protect them.'

Thousands of women around the country will take to the streets next week for the Women's March 4 Justice, to demand an end of misogyny and gendered violence.

The protests will take place in Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Darwin and Hobart at 12pm on Monday and in Alice Springs at 1pm.

For confidential crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14

For National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence Counselling Service call 24hr helpline: 1800 RESPECT
Roger Federer on Thursday withdrew from next week's Dubai ATP tournament, claiming "it's best to go back to training" as his comeback from 13 months on the sidelines ended after two matches at the Qatar Open.

The 39-year-old was knocked out of the Doha event by world number 42 Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia, squandering a match point in the deciding set.

"It's been great to be back on the @atptour, loved every minute playing in Doha once again," tweeted the 20-time Grand Slam title winner.

"A big thank you to the best and loyal team that helped me get here. I've decided it's best to go back to training and as a result, I've decided to withdraw from Dubai next week."

Federer underwent two knee surgeries last year and was playing his first tournament since a semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in January 2020.

He had needed three sets to see off Britain's Dan Evans in his first match in Qatar on Wednesday.

Federer has already said he will skip the opening Masters event of the season in Miami later this month.

That would likely mean the Swiss veteran will play again on the European clay court swing which begins in April.

Earlier Thursday, Federer's long-time rival Rafael Nadal, also the holder of 20 majors, said he had turned down a wild card invitation to the Dubai event as he recovers from a back injury.

bur/dj
Mar. 14This story about school funding was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/hechingerreportnewsletter.

SHOSHONI  Annie Good and her co-teacher have made their fifth grade classroom a homey space for their 33 students. The room is in the south wing of the sprawling K-12 education complex in Shoshoni, a town of 649 people.

The $49 million school building, up the road from the abandoned storefronts downtown, can make visitors look twice, said Christopher Konija, Shoshoni's police chief, who is also town clerk and treasurer.

"It's like looking at two different worlds," he said. "To me, the school  what it looks like and what it represents  shows the potential for Shoshoni."

State spends big on K-12

The state-built, modern building is just one brick-and-mortar example of how Wyoming has poured its mineral wealth into its school system ever since the state Supreme Court heard a series of cases  starting in 1980  challenging the equity and adequacy of school funding in Wyoming. In 1995, the court found that legislators were, indeed, responsible for budgeting enough money to fund a "quality" education for all Wyoming children. And though such findings are not uncommon nationally, the result in Wyoming has been to make it the biggest spender per student in the Mountain West and one of the biggest in the United States.

Wyoming's per-pupil expenditure in 2017 was $18,221, compared with the national average of around $13,000, according to Education Week's Quality Counts 2020 report, which adjusts the numbers for regional cost differences. The report gave the state an A in spending and an A-minus in equity, for an overall grade of A-minus (achieved by only one other state, New Jersey). Wyoming's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, too, are consistently higher than the national average and on par with Northeastern education strongholds like New Jersey.

Story continues

But as the state's once-booming coal, oil and gas industries erode, maintaining those funding levels would mean raising taxes in one of the country's most conservative, tax-averse states.

Konija

For years, fossil fuel money has paid for competitive teacher salaries, drawing educators to Wyoming's constellation of small schools. It's part of the reason why Good, the fifth grade teacher at Shoshoni, moved to Wyoming six years ago with her husband and two young daughters. She'd been living and teaching in Arizona, which spends less than half of what Wyoming does per student. She wanted better teaching conditions and pay for herself (her monthly salary nearly doubled when she moved) and a better education for her girls.

"A lot of the schools around us hadn't had art, music or PE for years," Good said of where she had lived in Holbrook, Arizona.

All this makes the current threat to Wyoming's school funding model that much more upsetting for Good and other parents and educators around the state. They've come to rely on benefits like fully funded special education programs, decent teacher pay, well-funded career and technical education programs, and free transportation to and from school on Wyoming's long rural bus routes.

In contrast to the school funding disparities plaguing communities in many other states, Wyoming uses a highly equitable formula to ensure that students in places like Teton County, which boasts acres of pricey mountain real estate, have access to the same opportunities as those in Fremont County, home to Shoshoni, which is one of the poorer counties in the state.

Wyo. "doesn't realize which red it is"

"Wyoming prides itself on being a red state, it just doesn't realize which red it is," said Richard Seder, an education policy consultant who has worked for the state. Using Wyoming's unmatched mineral wealth to offer every student access to the same high-dollar education was "the socialist utopia  to have everything and never have to pay for it."

According to data from the Wyoming Department of Education, as of the 2019-20 school year, about 53% of the revenue in Fremont County School District 24, which consists of only the Shoshoni school, came from local taxes; 43% came from the state. The ConocoPhillips Lost Cabin natural gas plant 30 miles away in Lysite pads the district with more local revenue than many others have. (The adjacent Fremont County School District 25 got 78% of its revenue from the state in the last school year.) During the years Shoshoni was constructing the new school building, the state paid more than half of the district's budget, which is a relatively modest $9 million.

Seder

Figures like that are not uncommon in the nation's least-populated state, which typically serves around 94,000 K-12 students total, or roughly the same student population as Denver. Over the past 20 years, Wyoming, which is the nation's single largest producer of coal, has used approximately $2.5 billion from federal coal-lease bonuses and federal mineral royalties to build more than 70 new schools, like the one in Shoshoni, and improve hundreds more.

"Essentially what Wyoming did was export the cost of its education system to people outside of Wyoming," Seder said. Tying school funding to mineral wealth meant local taxpayers did not think about the amount spent on education in their state in terms of their own pocketbooks.

"Unfortunately, the predictable bust cycles [in the fossil fuel market] have brought the chickens home to roost," he said.

"Coal is not coming back"

Since 2008, which was the peak of production in the Powder River Basin in northeast Wyoming and southeast Montana, where more than 40% of the nation's coal is produced, a drop in market demand has driven a steep decline in Wyoming's primary revenue stream. When including volatile oil and gas revenues, mineral extraction has accounted for anywhere from 50% to almost 70% of Wyoming's general fund over the years.

In 2019, Wyoming produced 277 million short tons of coal, according to the Wyoming State Geological Survey, compared with 466 million short tons in 2008. Reduced energy demands during the COVID-19 pandemic have driven down coal, oil and gas consumption even more. In March 2020, Wyoming had 21 active oil and gas rigs in the state. Now it has five.

In a state where half of the land is managed by the federal government, President Joe Biden's recently announced moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands  92% of natural gas and 51% of oil in Wyoming is produced on federal lands  could make things even tighter for schools, said Jillian Balow, the state schools superintendent. Balow joined education chiefs in North Dakota, Montana, Alaska and Utah last month to ask Biden for an exemption.

"This is a lockdown of an industry that our students in Wyoming really depend on," Balow recently told Fox News' Dana Perino in response to the indefinite pause. The Wyoming Department of Education estimated that oil and gas produced in Wyoming contributes $740 million to public education per year and that federal royalties paid to the state on oil and gas contribute $150 million per year to K-12 funding.

Does Wyo. spend too much on schools?

Eli Bebout, the recently retired former president of the Wyoming State Senate and a 1964 graduate of Shoshoni High School, said it was time to find a new solution for school funding, because "coal is not coming back," and "oil and gas are not looking good, either."

Back when Bebout was in school, traveling for a ballgame was often a reminder of the wealth disparities dotting Wyoming's vast terrain of oil fields and coal mines.

Bebout

"Coal is not coming back," and "oil and gas are not looking good, either."  Eli Bebout, former state legislator

"We'd go to some of those school districts that had a lot of oil production, and there was a clear imbalance in what they were able to provide for their students," he said. "It wasn't just athletics. It was in the band, it was in all kinds of extracurricular activities and in the schools themselves." Classes were larger in those days, too, he remembered.

During his tenure of more than 25 years in the Legislature, Bebout, a Republican, consistently questioned school funding levels, suggesting money does not necessarily enhance performance.

"There was a balance that needed to be obtained," he said. "But instead of finding a balance between the low side and the high side, we all went to the high side."

State Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, who chairs the Senate Education Committee now, shares a similar perspective. He said Wyoming spends "too much in the way of administrators, some of the activities and busing students." He also thinks too much is spent on school facilities.

Scott said he sees taxes as "a necessary evil" and prefers to look first for ways to trim the state's education budget. "We're in the process of seeing how far we can get that way," he said. "After we've done that, then will be the time to look at increasing taxes to pay for what we want in education."

An unquantifiable matter of pride

Bruce Thoren, superintendent of Fremont County School District 24, knows what he wants in education. He wants the plentiful resources he has now, the ones that fuel his small district's 93% graduation rate.

He wants the social worker who teaches lessons about conflict resolution and growth mindset to all 383 students at Shoshoni. He wants the sometimes-expensive interventions needed to help special education students. And he wants those buses, which travel through winding mountain passes and fat slices of desert to allow kids to compete in basketball games, attend FFA conventions or just get to school. In wide-open Wyoming, buses represent academic opportunity.

"Without that opportunity to do what's in the best interest of the kid and what's best going to meet their needs at that time, instead of turning into a productive member of society, they may just be a drain on society," said Thoren, who greeted nearly every student by name on a midmorning stroll down the freshly painted blue and white corridors of the school he considers a second home.

Sitting in his office overlooking the school parking lot, where the Big Horn Rams basketball team had just begun spilling off a bus after a four-hour ride, Thoren said he supports raising a tax to preserve the current school funding system  and to keep Wyoming's small communities like Shoshoni alive.

Until recently, Shoshoni students attended school in a 1930s-era building that had weathered the wear-and-tear of many generations walking through its doors. The building was eventually demolished, and the state built the new 135,724-square-foot school in 2016. A school building as nice as the one the town has now is more than just a place to hold class, Thoren said. It's a matter of pride for the whole community, and for students not least of all.

"You don't see any trash in the parking lot when you pull up" now, he said. "That level of pride wasn't there at the old school."

A wide range of scholarship has explored whether more money for schools directly improves student academic outcomes, but the results are inconclusive, said David Thompson, a professor of education at Kansas State University. Measuring the value of intangible benefits, like students' sense of pride in their school buildings, is even more difficult.

Thoren

Experts do, however, accept the notion that countries that make higher investments in education have greater levels of social stability and economic productivity than those that don't, Thompson said.

"Better-funded schools will most likely have higher test scores and graduation rates," he said. "If you begin to withdraw resources, I think you'll see those numbers go in an unfavorable direction."

Thompson, who co-edited the 2019 book "Funding Public Schools in the United States and Indian Country," describes Wyoming's constitutional mandate to fund an equitable education as "one of the strongest in the nation" and one he wishes other states would replicate.

But Thompson said suggesting replication to policymakers usually gets them "running the other way."

That's because in most other states, sales tax, income tax and property tax make up the "three-legged stool" of school revenue bases. But in Wyoming, energy production revenues have allowed it to avoid relying on taxing residents ... until now.

Schools are key to diversifying industry

Shoshoni Mayor Joel Highsmith has lived through boom and bust in his hometown, which sits at the base of the Wind River Canyon, just off the highway tourists use to get to Yellowstone or Jackson Hole. Back when he attended the old Shoshoni High School between 1967 and 1971, the town was still years away from the uranium bust that hit in the 1980s.

"There was a lot more prosperity" at the time, he said. Shoshoni "was filled with a lot more young people, because there was a lot of work."

These days, the school district is the town's biggest employer. Next in line is a mushroom farm, followed by the only place in town to buy a candy bar: The Fast Lane Inc. convenience store and gas station.

Attracting new businesses to town is one of Highsmith's primary goals as mayor. He's been close a few times. This time last year, California-based pet supply company Laube Co. came to the area looking for a place to build a factory and warehouse. "They were very, very impressed," he said, but the town didn't have a big enough facility to accommodate Laube's timeline.

By the numbers

He's had interest from a few more businesses, but he's worried about which way the school funding fight will go. Owners of a new business will want good schools to send their children to, he said. And they'll want a qualified workforce.

Highsmith hopes the district's technical offerings, including a state-of-the-art welding lab, which was upgraded last year with the help of a $122,000 grant from the state, will help develop that workforce and be a selling point for some of the companies scouting his town.

Austin Sullivan, a ninth grader who's attended Shoshoni since kindergarten, has been spending several hours a week in the lab, rebuilding a motorbike he daydreams about racing through the Bighorn Basin.

"It's actually my dream to become a mechanic," said Austin, who started taking career and technical education courses in seventh grade.

Aldrich

Training future mechanics like Austin, along with young experts in other high-demand and emerging technical fields, is key to the state's future, said Michelle Aldrich, state director of Wyoming's career and technical education programs.

"If we're going to diversify Wyoming's economy and our tax base, we have to attract business and industries that don't rely on the extraction industry," Aldrich said. "In order to do that, we're going to have to have a trained workforce."

"I hope we've learned our lesson not to put all of our eggs in one basket," she said.

By the numbers

Wyoming's "death warrant"

Back in Shoshoni, though, there is really only one egg in the town's basket. It's the school.

"The school could be the deciding factor" in whether or not his plans to revitalize Shoshoni come to pass, Highsmith said. That's why he and Konija, the town police chief, have decided that despite their general desire to keep taxes low, they support raising taxes to save their state's schools.

"Refusing to even talk about it," Konija said, is "essentially signing the death warrant for Wyoming."

Kathryn Palmer is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's education reporter. She can be reached at kpalmer@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter at @kathrynbpalmer.
New Delhi, March 14 : The Congress on Sunday released its second list of candidates for the multi-phase West Bengal polls, with 34 names.

The Congress, which is contesting on 92 seats of the state's 294 in alliance with the Left Front and the ISF, has so far announced 47 candidates.

The Congress list contains candidates for seats that will go to polls from the third to the final phase and includes Mainul Haque from Farakka, Rabin Ray from Tufanganj, Kamlesh Chatterjee from Bharatpur, and Manoj Chakraborty from Baharampur.

The Assembly elections in West Bengal will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 and the results will be declared on May 2.
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Major-General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), on Friday, ended his nationwide tour of Units under his command with a visit to the Volta Region.



It was a days operational visit to the 66th Artillery Regiment during which he took the opportunity to learn at first hand their administrative and logistical constraints.



The COAS who was in the company of Brigadier General M. A. Amoah, General Officer Commanding, Southern Command, visited the Operation Motherland JFT Headquarters after a briefing by the Commanding Officer of the Regiment, Lt. Col. Edward Sarpong Appiah.



The COAS visited the Artillery Training School at Akoefe and inspected uncompleted projects, including bungalows for officers and classroom blocks.



He also viewed ongoing projects at the Volta Barracks before joining a durbar with the troops.



Maj. Gen. Oppong-Peprah assured the Unit of the construction and renovation of some projects of the barracks and the training school.



He also promised to repair the Units fire tender and to provide two vehicles for the artillery training school.



The Unit was praised for its successes in maintaining peace and security in its operational zones and said the High Command continued to support the effective and efficient delivery of its mandate.



Officers were encouraged to remain united, professional, disciplined, as they remained an important part of the army.



The Unit was also briefed on some projects being recently undertaken by the Army High Command to enhance the administration and personnel welfare.

Source: GNA









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A man who pleaded guilty Thursday after he was caught with methamphetamine said he has since found God and is now working to do better in his life.

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A man who pleaded guilty Thursday after he was caught with methamphetamine said he has since found God and is now working to do better in his life.

Wendall Desjarlais pleaded guilty to possession of meth and failing to appear in court in a Sept. 4, 2019, incident.

Federal Crown attorney Daniel Manning said Brandon police were involved in a drug investigation and had a search warrant for a residence on Centennial Boulevard, in the west end of the city.

Officers were conducting surveillance on the house, watching people come and go, when they saw Desjarlais leaving on a bicycle, said Manning.

Police followed him before eventually pulling him over.

Desjarlais told officers he had needles and a "game"  approximately 3.5 grams  of meth in his side pocket, which they found.

The accused then missed court twice, on Sept. 11, 2019, and Feb. 6, 2020, said Manning.

The Crown asked for an 18-month suspended sentence for the drug possession charge followed by supervised probation to help address addiction issues. He also asked for a total of 45 days time served in jail for missing court.

"Obviously, hes got addiction issues and it seems to me missing court and using meth intravenously is a real red flag for an addictions issue," said Manning.

Defence lawyer Kaitlynn Porath said Desjarlais has Indigenous background. His mother died recently, which has been a major struggle.

"Mr. Desjarlais has struggled with substance use pretty much throughout his life. His mother was a great source of support for him, essentially his rock in the community, and with her passing, he struggled with that significantly," she said.

Porath said Desjarlais has completed all the programming he could while in jail. She suggested the same sentence as the Crown.

Speaking to the court, Desjarlais said he has found God while in jail.

"Im going to proceed going to church when released and helping out young youths like myself to get off the street. Im going to do my best," he said.

He said he also wants to reconnect with his family and has turned his life around.

Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said Desjarlais has made good use of his time in jail and needs to work hard to have a positive future.

"Im very concerned to hear you were using meth, especially intravenously  that is a real concern for me. Its a tough drug to shake and get away from  Definitely work really hard to stay away from it when you get back into the community.

She handed him to an 18-month suspended sentence along with supervised probation. She also sentenced him to a total of 45 days time served for missing court.

Desjarlais is still pending on other charges in provincial court

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc talked about a new strategic viewpoint involving eight Gs on the development of the Mekong Delta while chairing a conference in Can Tho city on March 13.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (centre) chairs the conference in Can Tho city on March 13 (Photo: VNA)

On November 17, 2017, the Government issued Resolution 120/NQ-CP on sustainably developing the Mekong Delta in adaptation to climate change, which sets up goals for 2050 and a vision to 2100.

At the conference  the third of its kind on sustainably developing the Mekong Delta in adaptation to climate change, PM Phuc highlighted this region as the agricultural hub of Vietnam, which contributes to 50 percent of the total unhusked rice output, 95 percent of the rice export volume, 65 percent of the aquacultural output, and 70 percent of the fruit production.

He said despite initial encouraging outcomes in the resolution implementation, ministries, sectors, and localities do not be complacent but must be aware that there are a large number of tasks for the time ahead.

Mentioning the 8G viewpoint on the Mekong Deltas development, the PM said the first G is giao thong (traffic), elaborating that resources must be prioritised for developing the traffic system to facilitate travel and economic activities.

The second G is giao duc (education), which he described as the golden key to sustainable development.

Meanwhile, the third is giang (rivers), he noted, adding that development strategies should make use of local rivers to promote agriculture and aquaculture as well as waterway traffic and logistics, and that there should be a study of river-based economic activities.

PM Phuc also pointed out the necessity of gan (connecting), which means connecting central agencies with localities, people with businesses, domestic parties with international organisations, and especially, connecting together the 13 provincial-level localities in the Mekong Delta.

In his remarks, the Government leader also recommended the localities attract giau (rich) and gioi (talented) people who will contribute to local development.

Besides, gia (ageing) is now a challenge to the Mekong Delta, where the speed of population aging is faster than the national average, he added, asking for proactive policies on this issue.

The last G is gioi (gender), PM Phuc went on, underlining the importance of enhancing gender equality, boosting womens access to job opportunities, and brining into play their role.

At the conference, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha reported that after over three years of implementing Resolution 120/NQ-CP, the Mekong Delta has recorded strong changes with improvements in both mindset and action, proactive moves to adapt to climate change, and people enjoying better livelihoods and living standards.

The region has continually posted high economic growth, with an impressive rate of about 7.3 percent in 2018 and 2019, Ha said.

World Bank Country Director for Vietnam Carolyn Turk considered Resolution 120 a breakthrough as it marked the change from passivity in the face of climate change to proactive adaptation to the nature.

This resolution pointed out that climate change, extreme weather, and saltwater intrusion have become the new normal of the Mekong Delta. It also provided the basis for shifting the regions development model, from small-scale and provincial-level development to inter-provincial development, and from short-term and sectoral development to long-term, multi-sectoral, and integrated development, according to Turk.

The Mekong Delta is an illustration of the change in the Vietnamese Governments mindset and approach to development, she said, affirming that the World Bank is ready to mobilise more knowledge and financial sources to help realise the visions and goals of Resolution 120.

The region consists of Can Tho city and the provinces of Long An, Tien Giang, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Ben Tre, An Giang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau.

PM hosts intl development partners on sidelines of Mekong Delta conference

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for international development partners, organisations and sponsors in Can Tho city on March 13 on the sidelines of the third Conference on Climate Resilient and Sustainable Development of Mekong River Delta of Vietnam.

Thanking them for participating in the event, the PM emphasised that their cooperation remains extremely important to Vietnam. Vietnam has studied cases of several deltas in Europe and other parts of the world and looked into models, practices and lessons learned from many countries, he said, it is important to not only boost economic cooperation but also foster experience sharing in climate change response in deltas.

He underscored the significance of resources to the development of the Mekong Delta in the face of severe natural disasters, saying he hopes foreign partner countries and international organisations will work alongside Vietnam to create new resources.

The PM also urged for further expanding partnership in human resources training, foreign direct investment and protection of rivers, particularly downstream areas in Vietnam and regional countries which are vulnerable to actions in upstream areas.

He emphasised the importance of international cooperation in protecting cross-border rivers, saying that he wants to receive opinions and learn from experience of other countries.

Representatives of development partners and organisations, meanwhile, highly appreciated Vietnams efforts to promoting sustainable and climate-resilient development of the Mekong Delta through the issuance of the Government's Resolution 120/NQ-CP in 2017 and its hosting of the conference.

They also demonstrated a strong commitment to cooperating with and supporting Vietnam in this area./.VNA
What Bidens Migrant Monsoon Portends for America

Lawlessness at home and abroad leads to Democratic Party dictatorship

Commentary

On March 10 at the White House podium, Roberta Jacobson, the coordinator for the southern border, echoed President Joe Bidens promise to address the root causes of migration from Central America. She and Biden are doing the opposite, creating a flood of new immigrants that will significantly change the United States.

Bidens policies are pushing migrants from and through the geostrategic country of Guatemala. Its the only land route from South and Central America to the United States and has a porous 595-mile border with Mexico.

Biden said he would restore humanity and American values to our immigration system. The migrants Bidens policies are pushing and pulling to the United States risk murder, rape, and other abuses by Mexican cartels that control movement through the country. On their way to Mexico, and ultimately the United States, migrants travel through murder-ravaged Central America. They contend with gangs descended from militias organized by Fidel Castro to foment violent revolution.

So much for restoring humanity.

Push and Pull

Jacobson has tried to scapegoat coyotes for the crises at the border. However, Biden has induced migrants to take the perilous journey by proposing immediate work and a path to U.S. citizenship. Biden has also ended former President Donald Trumps asylum agreements with Mexico and the Northern Triangle: Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Being unable to return the migrants to Mexico or Central America is creating bedlam at our border.

It will get worse.

Biden is continuing the Obama administration policies he spearheaded in the region as vice president. International socialists and their U.S. partners have long been working in the region to create dictatorships and maintain a robust flow of migrants to the United States.

In 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) came to Guatemala to show her support for the socialist presidential candidate Sandra Torres as well as voice her disapproval of the asylum agreement reached between Trump and Guatemala. Other Democrats, especially Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.), have actively inserted themselves into Guatemalan affairs in support of socialists.

What Would-Be Migrants Hear

I am a U.S. citizen who has lived and done business in Guatemala for nearly 50 years. That includes almost a decade of writing and reporting, even interviewing coyotes who transit illegals into the United States.

Biden is sending a clear message to potential migrants in Central America that now is the time for them to get into the United States.

Castro targeted Guatemala not only for its strategic value but also because it provided a base for U.S. military operations to remove him from power at the Bay of Pigs. After a 36-year unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Guatemalas government and create a socialist dictatorship, the armed Marxist gangs have changed strategy. They now focus on internal subversion and dominate the border region with Mexico. Castro must be smiling from the grave.

As Obamas point man here, Biden abused U.S. power to give the guerrilla successors political wingnow disguised as NGOscontrol of Guatemalas Constitutional Court (CC) and Prosecutor General Office. The CC is Guatemalas last word on judicial matters. Biden is pushing magistrates for the CCs next term, which begins in mid-April. Contrary to Jacobsons words, success would guarantee a higher migrant flow.

Recently, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the deputy secretary in the Obama administration, asked for time to prepare and said migrants should not come yet. Mayorkas is likely concerned about pictures and videos of overrun detention centers, recently renamed Welcome Centers. In time, the Biden regime will be able to immediately process and wave through migrants to waiting Greyhound buses.

Mayorkass and Jacobsons hollow warnings and pleas for delay mean nothing to migrants who have been given a sense of urgency to move now by the administrations policies.

Migrants know that if they get to the United States now they will be on a path to full citizenship and, most importantly, allowed to work legally immediately. The message is clear: prospective migrants can send their children now and use them later as tools to gain citizenship for the parents. If parents wait, conditions might change and the opportunity may be lost.

The passageway is wide open.

The Political Calculation

The new immigrants will not understand that it was the Democrats who have driven them from their homelands and subjected them to cruel Mexican cartels. Democrats will arrange for those immigrants to get the franchise. Grateful to be in the United States, the new immigrants will vote Democratic, more than replacing the votes Democrats will lose from their destructive globalism.

A recent New Yorker column welcomed the Biden policy and the support it enjoys from State Department lifers, U.N. leftists, and European elitists. When this coalition comes together, freedom should sleep with one eye open. The massive caravans will soon pass nearby my home in Guatemala en route to the United States.

Steve Hecht is editor at large of the Impunity Observer in Guatemala.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
It's the big-budget television drama that promises to reveal the real story of Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds in No 10  but every episode will have a disclaimer warning viewers it is fiction.

Last week The Mail on Sunday revealed there are numerous fictitious plot lines in Skys four-part series This Sceptred Isle, as well as invented characters.

The broadcaster confirmed yesterday that viewers will be told at the start of each episode that the series, which is still being filmed, is not entirely based on facts.

Every episode of new drama This Sceptred Isle, starring Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson, will have a disclaimer warning viewers it is fiction

A spokesman said: This Sceptred Isle is a drama based on real world events which is due to air in Autumn 2022.

'The series, based on first-hand testimony, will shine a light on the momentous events of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resilience and fortitude of those on the front line.

Though meticulously researched, every episode will be preceded by an information card highlighting that it is a drama, and that some dialogue and scenes have been created for dramatic purposes.

Despite Skys insistence that the drama is well-sourced, after Left-wing writer Michael Winterbottom recruited Sunday Times political editor Tim Shipman as a consultant, it is littered with inaccuracies.

It is also deeply intrusive in recreating the private life of Ms Symonds, and even features a scene where she is biting the Prime Ministers hand while giving birth.

The show promises to reveal the real story of Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds, played by Ophelia Lovibond (pictured) in No 10

The Sceptred Isle, starring Sir Kenneth Branagh and Ophelia Lovibond as the couple, will claim Boris and Carries relationship is based on jealousy and shows the PM dreaming about ex-partners.

Executives on the programme, which will air on Sky Atlantic next year, also changed the name of the PMs love child after the MoS revealed they would feature her in scenes likely to enrage No 10.

Skys decision to use a disclaimer comes after Netflix refused to do so for its hit series The Crown, about the Royal Family, despite events it portrayed not relating to real life.
Headlines:

- Treasury and Internal Revenue Service officials confirm that $1,400 checks will arrive in bank accounts over the weekend

- Nearly 160 million US households will receive some $400 billion in direct payments of $1,400 per person

- The $1,400 stimulus checks will be sent to individuals earning up to $75,000 and married couples earning up to $150,000

- The first batch of payments are being sent out this weekend, with more batches expected over the coming weeks.

- You can track the status of your payment using the IRS Get My Payment Tool.

- Wells Fargo, Chase and Navy Federal Credit Union have said that customers eligible for stimulus payments may receive them as early as 17 March

- Boosted by stimulus push, dollar reverses fall from earlier in the week and finishes the week strongly

- Economists boost their projections for US growth this year

- Total cost of third stimulus checks estimated at $411 billion, around a quarter of total cost of the bill

- Biden says new stimulus bill will "build an economy that grows from the bottom up"

- US covid-19 cases/deaths: 29.4 million/534,000+ (live updates)

Further related reading:
In 2020, Chris Farleys Harley-Davidson motorcycle was up for auction and two former SNL cast members got into a bidding war over it. While Farleys good friend and movie co-star won the Harley, he ended up selling it to another Saturday Night Live cast member.

Chris Farley with the SNL cast | Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Image

Chris Farleys Harley motorcycle was sold at auction

Farleys brother Tom shared how his famous brother came to get the bike and why he didnt like riding if. Somebody once convinced my brother to buy a Harley because they are cool and made in Wisconsin,' Tom wrote on Facebook. He only rode it a few times around Chicago because it terrified him!

The 1997 Harley-Davidson XLH1200 Sportster 1200 was auctioned online on the site LiveAuctioneers and Farleys Tommy Boy co-star David Spade ended up winning the auction.

There was another SNL actor who lost out during the bidding and really wanted the motorcycle  Tim Meadows.

Tom explained to Patch, He asked if I knew the owner and wanted to buy the bike off of the person. I said we both know the owner, Spade got it.

Spade agreed to sell the motorcycle to Meadows. Either way, the bike was going to end up with a true friend, Tom wrote on Facebook. His whole life Chris always had the very best of friends.

RELATED: David Spade Reveals Why Adam Sandler Casts Friends in So Many of His Movies: It Was a Good Trick

David Spade explained why Tim Meadows ended up with the Harley

On the Feb. 26 episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers, Spade shared more details about the auction for Farleys motorcycle and why he ultimately decided to sell it to Meadows.

Did people know that you were the person who was bidding on it?, Meyers asked.

Initially, Spade said he was interested in buying one of Farleys cars but that didnt materialize and Farleys brother told him about the motorcycle going up for auction.

Oh, that would be cool, Ill put it in my house. My house is a mansion, he joked about wanting to buy the Harley. I go on this auction and Im getting outbid. It gets up, gets up  and I finally win it and then his brother goes, I cant believe you beat Timmy Meadows.

And I go, Is this who I was going up against? You should have just told me, we could have figured it out,' he recalled telling Farleys brother.

I go, Oh, dont tell Tim I got it, hell feel bad. So a minute later, Tim calls me, Hey, he just told me it was you. He goes, Would you sell it to me? Can I get it from you?,' Spade shared.

He goes, I grew up in Chicago with him. I love motorcycles and I go Yeah, OK because he didnt have anything of Chris and I thought hes a Chicago guy and it was from Chicago so I gave it to Timmy and he sent me some of the money, so it was great, the comedian added.

When Meyers questioned, Just some? of the money, Spade clarified, He sent me all of it, but the comedian discovered the Harley cost more than the winning bid because of fees and taxes.

I would hate for [Meadows] to see this and send me money, he joked, adding with a wink, Worst case scenario.
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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.

ALBANY  On a Saturday morning last June, Charlotte Bennett was unexpectedly summoned to the Capitol to "staff" Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo as he worked in his private office. It was during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and the governor was putting in long hours.

According to an attorney for Bennett, who would later level sexual harassment charges against the governor, she was greeted by Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa and Stephanie Benton, the director of the governor's offices  a role in which Benton largely serves as Cuomo's gatekeeper.

"They said, 'Oh, good, you're here,' and brought her into the office suite  and then the two of them left," said Jessica Westerman, Bennett's attorney. "You only get into (that) office if the trooper lets you in."

It was just a day after the 63-year-old governor, in another one-on-one setting with Bennett, had allegedly asked the 25-year-old a series of probing and unsettling questions about her personal life, including whether the fact that she was a sexual assault survivor made intimacy difficult for her. He also asked about her willingness to have an intimate relationship with an older man and told her he was lonely, Bennett said.

Not long after she was alone with Cuomo in the office, he asked her to help him with his iPhone, claiming he was uncertain how to get from his "settings" app to his "notes" app, according to Westerman. The request required Bennett to stand very close to the governor in order to show him how to operate the phone  a device that, by then, the governor had been using for at least several months.

Bennett has said Cuomo did not touch her inappropriately, but made her feel uncomfortable due to the probing questions he had asked a day earlier. Since her claims came to light two weeks ago, Cuomo has said he never made advances toward Ms. Bennett, nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate.

Yet it wasn't the only time that Cuomo may have used the pretext of not being able to operate his iPhone in order to have one of his many young female staffers come close to him.

Late last fall, roughly five months after the encounter with Bennett, Cuomo summoned another female staff member from the Capitol to his Executive Mansion. This time the woman, who is roughly half his age, was directed to his private residence on the second floor.

Again, Cuomo said he could not operate the "notes" app on his iPhone and needed her assistance.

According to a person briefed on the woman's account, she alleges that Cuomo put his arms around her, pulled her close and began groping her, including reaching his hands under her blouse to touch her breasts. She told him to stop and left, the person said.

Senior aides to the governor on Saturday said that Cuomo is notorious for his lack of technical proficiency  and that for years he has sought help from subordinates with his smartphones, computers and software. They also said that Cuomo has an office space on the second floor of the mansion and that staff frequently visit him there to assist with clerical duties.

The woman's allegations that Cuomo groped her at the mansion, first reported by the Times Union last week, have intensified the calls for the governor to resign amid accusations by multiple women that he has engaged in inappropriate behavior, including sexual harassment.

While Cuomo in a statement described the woman's account as "gut-wrenching," he has denied touching any woman "inappropriately." In a Friday briefing, without specifying he was addressing the allegations of the woman who was summoned to his residence four months ago, he disputed her account.

"There is still a question of the truth. I did not do what has been alleged, period," he said. "I wont speculate about peoples possible motives, but I can tell you as former attorney general whos gone through this many times, there are often many motivations for making an allegation. And that is why you need to know the facts before you make a decision."

He has refused to resign and urged the public to wait for the results of an ongoing attorney general's investigation of the allegations  including his office's handling of the formal complaint that Bennett filed last June.

Interviews with multiple people who have worked for Cuomo reveal what they believe has been a pattern in which the governor has infused his staff with attractive young women, many of whom have minimal clerical duties and are often given assignments that require one-on-one encounters with him, including to take "dictation."

Pool/Getty

But the women are not stenographers. Instead, they're often obliged to sit near the governor as he speaks while they record his words on a smartphone or other device. Then they return to their offices or nearby desks and transcribe what he said into letters or memos.

"The dont take shorthand. They record the dictation, record what hes saying, and then go back to the office and they type the letter," a person familiar with the practice said. "Its a human Dictaphone."

The senior aides responded that Cuomo, whose prior administrations were dominated by males, did not dispute the governor's habit of dictating his missives to staff members, but they contend he also has used male employees for that task and that his technological skills are rudimentary.

Westerman, one of the attorneys for Bennett, contends that Cuomo's alleged misconduct has been "enabled" by his most senior aides, many of them women.

"Certainly he surrounded himself with young, pretty women, and I think that the fact that he couldnt perform basic functions like work an iPhone enabled him," she said. "That just sort of creates opportunities for him to blur those work and personal boundaries and for him to invite the young pretty women that he surrounds himself with into his office and his personal space to help him with those basic tasks."

In Bennett's case, Westerman said, the apparent mishandling of her sexual harassment complaint last year underscores that Cuomo's top aides have his interests at stake and may go to great lengths to protect him.

Bennett reported her allegations to Cuomo's chief of staff, Jill DeRosiers. The governor's current acting counsel, Beth Garvey, has said the case was subsequently assigned to Judith Mogul, a special counsel to the governor. Rather than reporting the allegations to the Governor's Office of Employee Relations as required, Mogul resolved it by transferring Bennett to a new job in the Department of Health.

Bennett also was not informed by the attorney of her rights to pursue other avenues, including filing a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the state Division of Human Rights.

In a statement, Garvey said Bennett had "received the transfer she requested to a position in which she had expressed a long-standing interest, and was thoroughly debriefed on the facts which did not include a claim of physical contact or inappropriate sexual conduct. She was consulted regarding the resolution, and expressed satisfaction and appreciation for the way in which it was handled."

But Westerman disputes the assertion by the governor's office that the allegations were handled according to state laws and regulations. She contends that Benton, DeRosiers, DeRosa and other senior members of his staff  including attorneys  share responsibility for the governor's alleged pattern of misconduct and for creating a work environment that routinely put young and attractive women in close encounters with the governor.

As to the alleged enabling by Cuomo's top aides, "Charlottes case is actually a prime example of that: Charlotte reported the harassment of her to his female chief of staff, Jill DeRosiers, and Jill succeeded for some amount of time in sweeping it under the rug," Westerman said. "The governor surrounds himself with people who are loyal to him, people who are going to do whatever they can do  whatever they need to do  to protect him. And thats exactly what happened in Charlottes case."

Richard Azzopardi, a senior advisor to Cuomo, said any assertions that members of the governor's top inner circle fostered his alleged misconduct are misplaced.

"These are some of the most accomplished and dedicated public servants in the state, and they dont deserve to have their names dragged through the mud while they respect the process of the (attorney general's) review," Azzopardi said.

Attorney General Letitia James has characterized her office's examination of the allegations against Cuomo as an "independent investigation," not a "review."

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Bennett said that she had "no problem with what they did, referring to the handling of her complaint by DesRosiers and Mogul, and she added that they had been sympathetic to her.

The people interviewed for this story also acknowledged that Cuomo relies heavily on staff for assistance, especially with technology. He began using an iPhone a little more than a year ago, they said, after more than a decade in which he and his staff carried BlackBerrys. Since Cuomo rarely types or uses email, and instead writes by hand or dictates, that sets up the encounters in which staffers are summoned to type his words or help scan documents and send them to senior staff.

Benton, a longtime aide to Cuomo since he was state attorney general, is often involved with making the work assignments, which might interrupt staffers' plans on nights or weekends. Benton helps keep the governor's schedule, fields his phone calls and monitors his emails since he is known to rarely send electronic communications.

DesRosiers also often assigns subordinates to staff the governor.

One of the former staffers interviewed for this story  who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation  spoke of instances in which young, attractive women were called into meetings with the governor in which they felt they had no reason to be there.



I think he did really support women in that he promoted them, but sometimes you did notice they had like a certain look that he liked," she said. "They were always put together, they always wore Christian Louboutin shoes. It was always a very specific, put-together look.



Hes a man of a certain age, the former aide remarked of the governor.



The same staffer also said that she believed Cuomo arranged to have attractive, younger women seated close to his office.

"Hed want to have them in his line of sight," she said, adding that his most loyal or influential aides were also nearby. "I think that both mattered, but I do think that he liked young women being close to him."

But the governor's senior aides disputed that assertion, noting that the governor cannot see the executive office where many of those employees are seated, even if he stood in his doorway. They said he occasionally walks through that office to greet the staff there but usually takes a different route to his office through the ceremonial Red Room.

In a Medium essay posted in February, Cuomos first public accuser, former aide Lindsey Boylan, included the image of an email that she had received from Benton on Dec. 14, 2016.

In the email, Benton relayed a suggestion from Cuomo: That Boylan should look up images of Lisa Shields  his rumored former girlfriend  because Shields and Benton "could be sisters and Boylan was the better looking sister.

Cuomo began calling Boylan Lisa in front of colleagues, Boylan wrote. She characterized the remarks as "degrading."



A former economic development advisor, Boylan has accused Cuomo of harassing her on several occasions, including giving her an unsolicited kiss on the lips in 2018 at his Manhattan office.

In the Medium, Boylan asserted that he kissed her after a one-on-one briefing with Cuomo regarding economic and infrastructure projects.

As I got up to leave and walk toward an open door, he stepped in front of me and kissed me on the lips. I was in shock, but I kept walking, Boylan wrote. I left past the desk of Stephanie Benton. I was scared she had seen the kiss. The idea that someone might think I held my high-ranking position because of the governors crush on me was more demeaning than the kiss itself.

In a statement two weeks ago, Cuomo denied kissing Boylan.

He characterized his workplace behavior as "playful" and an attempt to "make jokes that I think are funny." He stressed that he "never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to."

blyons@timesunion.com
TAMPA  The Yankees havent ruled out surgery for catcher Robinson Chirinos and his fractured right wrist.

Hes spoken with a specialist, theyre going to confer with another doctor, manager Aaron Boone said after a 7-5 win over the Pirates at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday. Still waiting to decide if its surgery or not. But it could be something that they have to go in and remove surgically.

Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

Pirates pitcher Blake Cederlind hit Chirinos with a pitch in the eighth inning of the Yankees 6-5 win Wednesday.

X-rays and a CT scan revealed the injury the next day.

The Yankees had signed Chirinos to a minor-league deal, giving him a chance to compete for the backup job with Kyle Higashioka and serve as depth. Rob Brantley now figures to be the Yankees third catcher.

The 36-year-old is a nine-year veteran with a lifetime .231 batting average, a .755 OPS and a good defensive reputation. Hes close with ace Gerrit Cole, whom he caught often in Houston in 2019.

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.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.The 36-year-old is a nine-year veteran with a lifetime .231 batting average, a .755 OPS and a good defensive repuation. Hes close with ace Gerrit Cole, whom he caught in Houston in 2019.
1. Roads. The citys roads are a mess. Significant resources are needed to fix them.

2. Public safety. The crime rate is too high. Police pay and resources come first.

3. More city programs. The city must invest more in city programs and services.

4. Comprehensive plan. The city needs to focus on rebuilding and rebranding.

5. Cut city spending. City officials must get serious about trimming the budget.

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They starred on the Nickelodeon series Victorious together from 2010 to 2013.

And Victoria Justice has hit back at theories that her relationship with co-star Ariana Grande, 27, was anything but friendly amid claims the pair feuded during the show.

Speaking on the Barstool Sports' Chicks In The Office podcast, the star, 28, revealed that the two still keep in contact and there was no resentment on set.

Still friends! Victoria Justice (left), 28, has dismissed rumours that she was having a feud with co-star Ariana Grande, 27, during Victorious (pictured together in 2011)

She said: 'All of that drama, whatever, all of that stuff is, it's so silly... Then just people online, like, fanning those flames and making it this huge crazy thing.'

The show, which premiered on March 27 of 2010, revolved around main character Tori Vega - played by Victoria - attending the elite performing arts high school, Hollywood Arts.

Victorious came to an abrupt end in 2013, after just four seasons on Nickelodeon.

Beauty: Speaking on the Barstool Sports' Chicks In The Office podcast, the star, 28, revealed she still keeps in contact with Ariana and there was no resentment on set

The actress heaped praise on her co-star, adding that it's 'frustrating' that people 'pit women against each other'.

She said: 'I love Ariana, and she's killing it right now. And she's been so supportive of me and my music. And you know, we text. It's really cool. So, everything's all good.'

'It is a little frustrating to see how people do love to pit women against each other. But I think at the end of the day, it's all about us like supporting each other and building each other up.'

Supportive: Victoria (left) heaped praise on her co-star, adding that it's 'frustrating' that people 'pit women against each other' (pictured together in 2014)

Last year, the Victorious cast got together via Zoom to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their Teen Nick sitcom.

Ariana, who played Cat Valentine, shared a screenshot of the cast's video chat with her 226million Instagram followers.

While Victoria shared a slew of behind-the-scenes snapshots taken of the baby-faced cast during filming.

Throwback: Victoria shared a slew of behind-the-scenes snapshots taken during filming as the cast got together via Zoom to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their Teen Nick sitcom

A clip from the Zoom call was shared to Victoria's page, which showed the cast thanking fans for their love and support over the years.

The show's creator Dan Schneider lead the all-star reunion, as he boisterously introduced each cast member in the short clip.

He said: 'We were all supposed to get together tonight to celebrate the show's 10-year anniversary, but we couldn't because of [COVID-19].

Longtime pals: Ariana starred alongside Victoria, who portrayed the show's lead, and cast mate Matt Bennett

'Thank you so much for accepting Victorious into your homes and for making us parts of your lives.

'It means so much to us how the fans have accepted us over the last 10 years.'

The trio were also joined by cast mates Leon Thomas III, Matt Bennett, Avan Jogia, Daniella Monet, and Eric Lange.
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Countries around the globe have commenced vaccination of their citizens against the COVID-19 virus which has infected over 120 million people globally.

Meanwhile, there are growing safety concerns about the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, which is important especially to the COVAX arrangement, the UN-backed facility that promises access to vaccines for up to 20 per cent of participating countries population.

About four European countries have suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines citing blood clotting difficulties and a death suspected to be from its usage.

Nigeria took delivery of 3.94 million doses of the vaccines in early March and has since begun administration to prioritised groups.

The Nigerian government, however, said it will not discontinue its use.

Amidst the pandemic, World Kidney Day was commemorated on March 11 to raise awareness on the need for identifying kidney disease as a significant public health problem.

Here is a round-up of some of the health stories which made headlines last week.

Nigeria records 205 new COVID-19 cases, four more deaths

In continuation of a steady run of low figures that began almost three weeks ago, Nigeria on Saturday recorded 205 new COVID-19 infections in 15 states, according to health authorities.

The new figure, one of the lowest since the beginning of this year, raised the total number of infections in the country to 160,537.

This is according to an update published by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Saturday night.

World Kidney Day: 10 signs you could be having Kidney disease

Kidney disease, like many other diseases, is treatable if detected early.

Kidney disease refers to the injury or damage to the kidneys that has usually been on for a long time.

The World Kidney Day is observed on the second Thursday of March each year with the primary objective of spreading awareness around the globe on the need for identifying kidney disease as a significant public health problem.

Another country halts rollout of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines

Another country has suspended the use of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine adding to a growing concern about the vaccine Nigeria received almost four million doses of last Tuesday.

Authorities in Austria on Tuesday said vaccination with the Oxford vaccines in the country was halted as a precaution while investigating the death of one person and the illness of another after taking the shots, according to Reuters.

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Kidney Disease: Late detection, high cost hinder treatment for affected Nigerians

After undergoing dialysis on Thursday at the Garki general hospital in Abuja, Dannuma Tadi, a retired army officer, said he was already thinking of where to get money for the next one.

The cost of each dialysis session is N23,000 at the hospital and Mr Tadi needs at least two treatments each week to keep his system filtered and running.

For many years, doctors were busy treating Mr Tadi for high blood pressure and diabetes without recommending a kidney test for him. This allowed his kidney disease to get to an advanced stage, he said.

HIV treatment still expensive for many Nigerians  Report

About 11.2 per cent of People Living With HIV (PLWHIV) in Nigeria still incur huge out-of-pocket costs for treatment, a new report has shown.

The report titled Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) initiative on COVID-19 and HIV in Nigeria shows that 212,800 PLWHIV in the country make significant out of pocket expenses to access treatment.

The report indicates that distance of treatment centres and out of pocket expenses are major barriers to HIV service accessibility.

Nigeria can achieve universal health coverage by 2030, says NHIS boss

Despite recent challenges towards enrollment of 90 per cent of Nigerians into one form of health insurance or another, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is optimistic that if all factors of implementation work according to details set out in its ten-year strategic plan, it will leapfrog the country into Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by the year 2030.

The Executive Secretary of NHIS, Mohammed Sambo, expressed this optimism in Kaduna, at a two-day management retreat to adopt the ten-year strategic plan document, adding that careful implementation of the roadmap would ultimately bring the country at par with other nations where out-of-pocket expenditure for health had been eliminated.

Nigeria moves to douse anxieties over AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine

Nigerias health authorities Thursday evening through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) moved quickly to douse growing anxiety around the suspension of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, produced in partnership with Oxford.

Early Thursday, four European countries citing blood clotting difficulties and a death suspected to be from the usage of the vaccine, suspended its use.

World Sleep Day: Ten things to do to achieve healthy sleep

The World Sleep Day (WSD) is commemorated on March 11-13 every year to raise awareness about the importance of healthy sleep.

Created and hosted by the World Sleep Society, WSD is dedicated to spreading awareness about all aspects of sleep including the importance of getting good sleep, sleep medicines and social aspects of sleep problems.

With several concerns about the implication of lack of good sleep, the American Psychological Association highlights the following steps as helpful in changing unhealthy habits and improving your sleep.

NAFDAC Destroys N1.4bn Counterfeit, Expired Products

The National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday destroyed substandard, falsified and expired products in the South East and South South geopolitical zones.

The products, worth N1.4 billion, were destroyed at the Anambra Waste Dump in Awka.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, who supervised the exercise, said the destruction was part of the efforts to rid Nigerian market of unwholesome products and engender public confidence.

Health experts call for inclusion of family planning, cancer treatment in Nigerias NHIS

The inclusion of family planning and cancer treatment into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was the topic of discussion when some health experts gathered in Abuja on Wednesday.

The first rationale for family planning is in the interest of the mother and the child to reduce mortality, the President of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), Oladapo Ladipo, said at the two-day strategic advocacy retreat.

Nigeria distributes COVID-19 vaccines to states

The Nigerian government on Monday said it has started distributing the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to various states across the country.

The Executive Director of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, made this known at the weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.
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Health Minister: Georgia is expected to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine this week

By Veronika Malinboym

On March 11, Georgian Minister of Health Ekaterine Tikaridze announced that the country will receive the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines as 43, 200 doses are expected to arrive over the weekend. Tikaridze noted that the first on the list of the recipients of the newly arriving vaccine are high-risk groups, starting from health workers.Georgias Health Minister also reiterated that the country will receive 29,250 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of March. Head of the Center for Infectious Diseases and AIDS Tengiz Tsertsvadze stated that once the initial doses of the vaccines expected to arrive later this month are administered, the rest of the vaccine will be issued gradually. According to Tsertsavadze, by the end of the year, Georgia will have received 3,5 million doses.According to Tikaridze, Georgia is also negotiating with Israel, China, and other partner states "to receive additional doses of a Chinese vaccine, as well as AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines" soon. Georgia has already ordered 100,000 doses of a Chinese vaccine which is currently awaiting approval from the World Health Organization.The AstraZeneca vaccine, which Georgia is about to receive later this week, has been temporarily suspended in Denmark and Iceland, amid alleged reports of blood clotting in some people who have received it.As of the last 24 hours, Georgia reported 395 new cases of COVID-19 infection. 310 people have made a full recovery, while 9 died as a result of the virus. A total of 24, 594 tests have been conducted across Georgia, 9,529 of which were PCR tests, and 15,065 were rapid tests.Since February 26, 2020, the country has registered a total of COVID-19 274,045 cases with 267,421 recoveries and 3,622 deaths. As of today, 2,976 individuals remain infected with the COVID-19 in Georgia.
Students from kindergarten to fifth grade, each within their own workstations in October, attend their respective schools remotely from Tot Spot Too, a child care center in Pittsfield. Concerned with the cost of child care, some Berkshire County lawmakers have backed legislation to increase tax deductions for child care expenses, as well as an effort to establish universal child care in Massachusetts.
1. Roads. The citys roads are a mess. Significant resources are needed to fix them.

2. Public safety. The crime rate is too high. Police pay and resources come first.

3. More city programs. The city must invest more in city programs and services.

4. Comprehensive plan. The city needs to focus on rebuilding and rebranding.

5. Cut city spending. City officials must get serious about trimming the budget.

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About 20 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot as the pace of inoculations in the United States sharply climbs. Here is a look at the vaccines that have been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and where some other vaccine candidates stand.

How many vaccines are authorized in the U.S. now?

Three: from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Pfizers was the first, in December, with Modernas following shortly after; each is given in two shots spaced three to four weeks apart. Johnson & Johnsons vaccine, authorized last month, is given in one dose.

Is the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine widely available?

Not yet. When it was authorized on Feb. 27, Biden administration officials cautioned that supplies would be limited for the first month, with 3.9 million shots initially and 16 million more by the end of March.

Johnson & Johnson pledged last year to deliver 37 million doses by the end of March and a total of 100 million by the end of June, but it is still working on getting production up to that scale. A recent deal with Merck is meant to increase manufacturing and packaging capacity.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 01:06:49|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's State Administration Council on Sunday imposed martial law in the Hlaingthaya and Shwe Pyi Thar townships of Yangon region, state-run media reported quoting its announcement.

The Council authorized the commander of Yangon region to put the martial law into place, the announcement said.

The move came after some factories in the townships were burnt down, according to the report.

In Myanmar a one-year state of emergency was declared on Feb. 1 this year and the state power was handed over to the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, chair of the newly formed State Administration Council.

Protests have been held in the Asian country since early last month, calling for release of the detained leaders. Enditem
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Cuba rejects foreign interference in China's internal affairs, particularly regarding the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has said.

The HKSAR is an inseparable part of China's territory, whose institutionality and legality have been guaranteed thanks to the one-China principle, Rodriguez tweeted Thursday.

China's top legislature Thursday adopted a decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR, unveiling a series of measures that will reform how the region's chief executive and local lawmakers are elected to ensure the financial hub is run by patriots.
News Myanmars Sunday Protest Fatalities Break Record, Total Death Toll Exceeds 130

A grim milestone is passed as Myanmar experiences the bloodiest day yet under the military junta that seized power from the democratically elected government.

Myanmar saw another record-breaking day of protest-related deaths on Sunday as more than 39 anti-regime protesters were killed across the country by security forces, pushing the total death toll since the coup was launched last month to 134.

The last time the Southeast Asian country experienced its bloodiest day was March 3, when 28 people slain by soldiers and police across the country while taking to the streets for their anti-junta activism.

In a series of deadly crackdowns on Sunday on sit-in protests against the regime in Yangons western Hlaing Thar Yar Township, security forces used live rounds, tear gas and stun grenades to attack anti-regime protesters. Security forces opened gunfire from 9:30 a.m. to late evening.

During the crackdowns, 18 protestors were shot dead and several others were wounded, a doctor who cared for the injured at a township hospital said on her Facebook page Sunday evening.

She said that one out of two protesters who were shot in the head is in critical condition.

The death toll is expected to climb higher as some were seriously wounded during the police shooting.

In South Dagon Township in eastern Yangon, three civilians, including a 15-year-old girl, died after being shot in the head and abdomen. According to one of the protesters, police and soldiers began shooting at demonstrators at 6 p.m. and continued to 11 p.m. She said 15 people had been critically wounded. In all, about 50 were wounded in South Dagon.

On Sunday afternoon, a woman was shot dead by security forces in Bago. The womans body was abandoned in a drain by security forces after she was killed.

Security forces also cracked down on an anti-regime protest by the students at Bago on Sunday morning. During the crackdown a young boy was shot dead, while three more people were injured.

In Hpakan, the jade-mining hub in Kahcin State, a 30-year-old man was shot dead and six others were wounded when Myanmars security forces fired live rounds at anti-regime protesters on Sunday morning.

One woman was shot dead and six other people were wounded in Myanmars second biggest city Mandalay when police and soldiers opened fire on anti-regime protesters Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday, Yangon saw the most severe level of crackdown yet. Apart from the 18 killed in Hlaing Tha Yar, 17 other protesters were reportedly killed during police attacks against anti-regime protests in several of Yangons townships including Shwepyithar, North Oakkalapa, South Dagon, Insein, Hlaing, Thingyangyun and North Dagon.

These shooting are totally unacceptable. They are not dispersing the protests. They are just murdering the people with violence, a protester who took part in the anti-regime demonstration in Yangons Hlaingtharyar Township where several protesters were killed, told The Irrawaddy.

In Yangons Tamwe Township, a junior medical student was shot down by security forces from the township police station. Video records showed policemen dragging away the young mans wounded body lying in the pool of blood, while kicking and beating a woman who was trying to save the student. She was taken away by the police. As of Sunday evening, he was still in critical condition, according to close friends.

Anti-regime protests have erupted across Myanmar for more than a month following a coup Feb. 1. Since mid-February, the junta has been intensifying bloody crackdowns against the protesters across the country while claiming that minimum use of force was applied for crowd control.

At Least Nine Protesters Shot Dead in Three Cities in Myanmar

Myanmar Regime Steps Up Violence to Tackle General Strike

Asian Development Bank to Halt Funding for Myanmar Government Projects
In light of the worsening relations between the United States and China, Washington has labeled Chinese tech companies, including Huawei, as national security threats.

"The (US) Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau today released a list of communications equipment and services that have been deemed a threat to national security... The list includes five that produce telecommunications equipment and services that have been found to pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons," the FCC said in a statement on Friday.

President Joe Biden may be continuing his predecessor's hardline stance against China's growing technological dominance. The include Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, along with ZTE, Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Dahua Technology.

"This list is a big step toward renewing trust in our communications networks Americans are relying on our networks more than ever to work, go to school, or access healthcare, and we need to trust that these communications are safe and secure," FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.

"This list provides meaningful guidance that will ensure that as next-generation networks are built across the country, they do not repeat the mistakes of the past or use equipment or services that will pose a threat to U.S. national security or the security and safety of Americans," she added.

According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the designation came atop a number of moves Washington made against Huawei during the Trump administration, including banning US firms from using the company's technology to build wireless networks and placing the company on an entity list that prevents it from procuring US technology without government approval.Last December, Congress approved a US$1.9 billion fund to pay carriers to "rip and replace" Huawei and ZTE equipment from US networks.

The US is also seeking the extradition from Canada of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, on charges relating to wire fraud - a major source of tension between the US and Chinese governments.

At a briefing earlier this month, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the administration was "concerned about the dangers of installing networks with equipment that can be manipulated, disrupted, or even controlled by the People's Republic of China, which as we know, of course, has no regard for human rights or privacy."

5G was also high on the agenda of a multilateral meeting held on Friday between leaders of the US, Japan, India and Australia - an alliance known as the Quad.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry on Friday daid that restrictions on Huawei suppliers show once again that the US is "an unreliable country with zero credibility" adding that Washington "must immediately stop oppressing Chinese firms & treat them in a fair, just & non-discriminatory manner."

Earlier this month, a US official said that the Biden administration is expected to put together a task force to deal with major cyber intrusions that Microsoft said this week were linked to China as relations between the two -- Washington and Beijing -- continue to spiral downwards.

CNN, citing the US official, reported that there are an estimated 30,000 affected customers in the US and 250,000 globally, though those numbers are expected to increase. However, the White House declined to comment on the number of victims affected.

In February, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) warned that the efforts made by the Chinese Communist Party to obtain US health data, particularly DNA, through hacking had stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to The Hill, the agency noted that these efforts had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Chinese biotech group BGI offering COVID-19 testing kits to the majority of countries and establishing 18 testing labs over the past six months alone, allegedly as part of an effort to obtain health data.

The NCSC wrote that US health data was an attractive target for the Chinese government due to the diversity of the population and because of the nation's comparably lax safeguards for personal data.

Under the Trump administration, ties between the two countries had deteriorated over issues such as human rights violations in Xinjiang, encroachment on the special status of Hong Kong, accusations of unfair trade practices by Beijing, lack of transparency concerning the pandemic and China's military aggression in various parts of the world.

(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.)
Zanavi can back up impressive victory

13:45 Limerick - Back Zanavi

Our treble starts at Limerick with Zanavi - who looked super impressive winning by 13 lengths at Fairyhouse recently, and he can follow up under a penalty at 4/5.

He had no problems with the heavy conditions and quickened after travelling supremely well through the race under a hold-up ride. His trainer Denis Hogan was thinking about the Boodles at Cheltenham after. So it's calmer waters today.

He was fragile in a couple of starts for Dermot Weld on the Flat, but he had ability and it's good to see him turned out so quickly after Fairyhouse.

Conflated to bounce back after heavy defeat

14:00 Naas - Back Conflated

Let's go with a fairly short price runner in a small field for the second selection, as Conflated heads the market to win the 14:00 Grade 3 over fences.

As the top-rated runner on 144, he does have a fair bit in hand on the figures, although he has to bounce back after being woefully outclassed in a Grade 1 behind Monkfish. That was over 3m and he was worth a try over that trip, but he reverts back down to 2m4f today.

Soft and heavy ground is still the order of the day in Ireland and the selection acts well on it and should go from the front and can bounce back with a win today.

A winning adventure with Ascot today

15:58 Lingfield - Back Ascot Adventure

Ascot Adventure looked a tidy horse when landing his debut at Cork last summer and was subsequently sold from Andy Slattery to Clive Cox for the princely sum of 150,000gns and makes his first start for the Lambourn trainer.

He looks an ideal sort for Lingfield too as he appears to have plenty of dash, and no one rides "Leafy" better than Adam Kirby.

Cox is operating at 40% over the past two weeks and he goes into the Sportsbook Multiple at 1.804/5.
Local Ireland, the association representing 42 weekly paid-for print and online newspapers around the country, has created a blank print and digital newspaper to illustrate the crisis facing the sector as a result of COVID-19.

The newspaper includes strong editorial messages from the newspaper editors, adverts calling for Government support and a map showing newspapers in every county of Ireland but its 48 pages are mostly empty of stories.

The industry is calling on the Government to match its 5 million funding for local radio with support for local newspapers and is urging a fair share of Government advertising for COVID information campaigns.

President of Local Ireland David Ryan said: The Blank Newspaper shows what will happen if professional, quality journalism is not supported. We have already seen measures being taken for shorter working weeks, lay-offs and redundancies.

There has been a dramatic fall in advertising during the COVID period for publishers, who were already having to deal with the fall-out from the global recession and the mass migration of advertising to tech giants such as Google and Facebook prior to COVID.

Advertising fell an average of 22% in 2020 compared with 2019 and the start of 2021 is, if anything, worse. We provide a unique service to our readers both urban and rural. We are in every county, every town, every estate and every townland, in print and online. Our readers rely on us to give them the detailed local coverage that they cannot get anywhere else."

Executive Director of Local Ireland Bob Hughes said: Local radio stations, which operate in the same market as ourselves, received 2.5 million via a COVID funding scheme last April and have just been given the opportunity to apply to another 2.5 million scheme. We have received no such similar support.



Government needs to come forward with creative solutions to support the industry during the current crisis. Ninety one per cent of our advertising comes from local businesses and many have been devastated by the pandemic, particularly those in the hospitality and tourism sector.

We are also calling on the Government to ensure that local news publishers receive their fair share of advertising around national COVID campaigns.

Our newspapers reach older people and the most vulnerable in society who rely on us for the latest information about changes in COVID restrictions and the roll-out of vaccines.

We need to see a fairer distribution of advertising spend to serve our readers and to support our businesses.
Pierre Gasly seems to have started his fourth season in Formula 1 strongly. In a press conference after Saturday's test in Bahrain, he explained that he was happy with his performance as well as the first impressions of the Honda engine.

"The Honda Power Unit is working really well so far and we havent had any reliability issues which is great," the Frenchman began.

Read more Two days of long runs: Red Bull seem to be on top form

"With only three days of testing  split between two drivers - I knew it would be difficult but considering how many laps weve been able to complete so far Im feeling quite comfortable with the car ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Gasly was also pleased with his own performance on Saturday.

Its been another really positive day for me, with a lot of laps done this afternoon. We managed to complete all the high-fuel running that we wanted to at the start of the session and then some performance runs towards the end, with the softer compound."

Plenty of promise

Gasly admitted that he is stronger in his own right, especially compared to the early start of the 2020 season. As a result, he thinks that 2021 could be another promising year for him.

"I feel really good in the car, especially compared to this time last year, so its really positive for me. There are obviously places we still need to improve upon, but I think were in a good place with one day left of running at this test," Gasly said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a $4.85 million grant to a group looking to create solutions for wastewater treatment issues in Alabamas Black Belt.

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby announced the grant this week, which will go to the Consortium of Alabama Rural Water and Wastewater Management, a group of engineering professors and non-profit organizations that are looking to design wastewater systems to meet the needs of low-income, rural areas of the state.

This is excellent news for everyone involved, Shelby said in a news release. I believe the project will serve an important role in strengthening wastewater treatment to improve the public health and economic development of rural communities in the Black Belt.

Alabamas Black Belt, a swath of rural area sweeping in a crescent across the state south of Tuscaloosa and Montgomery, has multiple factors that make traditional wastewater treatment a challenge.

black belt thumb

Much of the area is too rural for large municipal sewers, and the soil through much of the area is a heavy clay that does not readily absorb water. That soil makes many septic tank systems ineffective and many that have been installed in that area simply dont function well.

Some residents have had to resort to straight-piping waste away from their homes into woods or other open areas because they cant afford the advanced septic systems that are needed in those heavy soils.

Kevin White, an engineering professor at the University of South Alabama and leader of the consortium, said the grant funding will be used to develop plans and designs for smaller, de-centralized wastewater treatment options that will work on Black Belt soils.

This project will help find real wastewater infrastructure solutions for public health improvement, environmental protection, and will hopefully lead to enhanced economic development prospects in this underserved region, White said in a news release.

The consortium also includes personnel from the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Columbia University in New York, the University of North Carolina and the University of California-Irvine, as well as the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Mark Elliott, a civil engineering professor at the University of Alabama, said the idea is to build systems that are sort of a hybrid between traditional septic systems and municipal sewer lines.

Elliott told AL.com in November that homes would be grouped into clusters, with small septic systems at each home to handle solids, and a small PVC pipe to carry liquids to small, modular treatment facilities.

When a [traditional] sewer system gets put in, you need these big sewer mains that are big enough to handle the solids, you need pump stations to maintain the velocity to get the solids all down to the central treatment facility, and you need to maintain a gradient that can keep the velocity in the wastewater, Elliott said. If you take the solids out before you transport the wastewater, you can just use little two-inch pipes.

Elliott said those pipes are just a fraction of the cost of a sewer main, which can cost $1 million per mile just to install.

The new grant will go toward designing construction-ready plans for these hybrid systems in a handful of pilot locations that could be built for a fraction of the cost of full wastewater treatment plants and sewer lines. They will still have to be built though.

This will show proof of concept of what can be accomplished in these communities in a technically proficient and financially sustainable way so more funding and capital can be secured in the future to address this issue on a larger scale, Elliott said.

Columbia World Projects announced that it will match a portion of the federal grant, contributing additional funds to the project.
Former Dublin Lord Mayor Nial Ring has revealed the moment he realised Prince Harry would not last the distance as a member of the royal family.

The Dublin councillor met the Harry and his wife Meghan Markle while the couple were on their honeymoon in Ireland.

Mr Ring revealed he and Harry had spent some time alone after visiting Dublin's Irish Famine memorial.

"It took only a few minutes to walk from the Famine memorial to the CHQ building but it was enough time to have a little bit of a chat," he said.

"We were walking up the Quays and I had done some research on Spencer Dock, just so I wouldn't look like a total moron.

"And I told him that Spencer Dock was named after his great, great, great grandfather Lord Lieutenant Earl Spencer and we had a bit of a laugh about it.

"I told him I came across a picture of Spencer and he had a big red bushy beard."

When Mr Ring said this to Harry, the prince smiled and said he knew where he got his hair colour from.

"Then he made a joke that he would check 'the will' to see if [the city quarter] had been left to him," said Mr Ring.

As the two men continued on their walk, followed by their wives, Mr Ring said Harry became more relaxed.

"He asked me 'How long is this gig for?' The Lord Mayor thing. And I said 'Ah, it's a year'.

"And he said 'Oh. My one's for life' and it was just the way he said it I knew he wasn't cut out for it."

Mr Ring said afterwards he told his wife: 'This guy isn't going to stay the course in his gig.'

Describing the prince's tone of voice, Mr Ring said: "Wistful would be the word for it. It almost had in brackets afterwards 'For f**k sake!' It's as if it was a prison sentence."

Mr Ring tried to cheer him up with an offer of respite down the line: "He had told me he loves a pint and so I said 'Look, when things settle down after the honeymoon if you get away from herself, I'll bring you down to one of the local pubs and we will have a few pints. No one will come near us.' And he said, 'I'd love that.'"

Asked if he had picked up a similar note of discontent from Ms Markle, Mr Ring said: "I don't know how she was. The missus was talking to Meghan.

"I had to speak to him even though to be honest I would have preferred to be talking to the lovely Meghan."

On whether he felt sympathy for Prince Harry, he said: "If you think someone with my background would ever feel sorry for a royal you would hear my relatives spinning up in Glasnevin."

Mr Ring did not watch the Monday broadcast of Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey because, he said, "I was up in me ma's house and would have nil interest."
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration quietly reached out to the North Korean government in February but has not received any response yet, a senior administration official confirmed on Saturday.

The move comes after four years of the Trump administration's tumultuous, hot-and-cold diplomacy with the reclusive nuclear-armed nation.

"To reduce the risks of escalation, we reached out to the North Korean government through several channels starting in mid-February, including in New York," the administration official told USA TODAY. The contacts were first reported by Reuters and CNN.

"To date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang," said the official, who noted that it came after more than a year with no active dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea "despite multiple attempts by the U.S. to engage."

More: Blinken lays out Biden's 8 foreign policy priorities, from COVID-19 to China

Former President Donald Trump began his term by publicly threatening North Korea with "fire and fury" before he pivoted to a splashy diplomatic opening aimed at persuading North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to relinquish his country's nuclear arsenal.

Although Trump met in person with Kim three times, the unprecedented summits never produced a concrete agreement. North Korea continued to build up its nuclear and conventional weapons program during Trump's four years in office.

The Trump administration engaged with North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, with mixed results.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden blasted Trump's meetings with Kim as "photo-ops," calling them a "vanity project" that gave the ruthless dictator undeserved legitimacy with no concessions in return.

The Biden administration is in the midst of a review of U.S. policy toward North Korea, including an evaluation of "all available options to address the increasing threat posed by North Korea to its neighbors and the broader international community," the administration official said Saturday. The review could be done in the coming weeks.

Story continues

On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was headed for Asia on his first diplomatic trip as Biden's chief diplomat. North Korea will be a top item on his agenda as he meets with officials in South Korea and Japan, two key allies in the region.

"Our commitment to seeking a compete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ... has not changed," Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Sung Kim told reporters Friday during a briefing on Blinken's trip.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden administration quietly reaches out to North Korea
The State Bank of Vietnam also proposed to extend the time to make provisions for commercial banks to follow the planned roadmap ending in 2024, which will help to reduce the pressure to increase provision costs and give banks time to handle bad debts.

In fact, the request to amend Circular 01 was done in May last year. However, until the beginning of this year, the State Bank of Vietnam had not made a clear move. It is possible that after the follow-up period, there were seen potential difficulties if there was no supportive solution.

For example, from the State Bank of Vietnam data, the ratio of bad debts and risk assets increased from 3% at the end of 2019 to 4.5% in the third quarter of 2020. By the end of 2020, 25 banks had announced bad debt data with a total debt of nearly VND 87,135 bn, up 4.31% compared to the beginning of the year. Of which, 17 banks had an average increase of 15% to 45% compared to the beginning of the year. This amount of bad debt was not included as potential bad debt in debts that are kept intact, rescheduling the repayment period to support customers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with a structured loan balance of nearly VND 335,000 bn.

However, bad debts are growing day by day, but Circular 01 allows bad debts and potential bad debts to be kept intact, and be covered up to become normal debts. In a way, banks are allowed to sweep them under the rug. In fact, when applying Circular 01, the pressure on banks decreased. The rescheduling of the debt repayment term, keeping the debt group, means that banks only need to set up general risk provisions for restructured debts at 0.75%. Thus, banks reduce the cost of setting up, and retain a portion of the reasonable profit that must be deducted from the cost of risk provision.

The fact that Circular 01 requires banks to conditionally implement business support programs has made data on restructured debts likely to become bad debts that are not specifically disclosed, pushing the pressure to deal with debts in the future.

Banks naturally agree with the provisions of rescheduling of debt structure in the draft amendment of Circular 01. According to some calculations, for every 1% of additional bad debt, the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) will decrease by 40 to 80 basis points. Thus, if the debt structure is not continued, keeping the debt group intact will affect the banks' capital sources. Many economists have pointed out the dangerous point of bad debt from Circular 01, which is that if banks do not closely monitor, State Bank inspectors will not closely control bad debts of banks, and banks will easily fall into a condition of heavy damage due to bad debt. This is the risk for each bank and for the whole banking system.

Up until now, after nearly one year, the actual bad debt data of debts affected by the Covid-19 pandemic are still unknown, after the banking industry applied Circular 01. Thus, these debts have not been fully recognized and appropriated. While for the banking industry, forecasting the risk of increasing bad debts is extremely necessary. Therefore, a majority of opinions agreed to prolong the time to make provisions for banks according to the roadmap ending in 2024, helping the banking system to have conditions to both handle the bad debt problem but still perform the task of supporting the economy.

In contrast, the regulations to maintain the debt group and restructure the debts did not receive a high consensus. There are currently proposals that the banking industry needs to change the real debt group for restructured debts. Thus, although the current bad debt levels of banks are likely to worsen, the level of bad debts will be clearer, so that each bank will be able to find own solution.

Yen Lam
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  More than a hundred people marched through downtown Grand Rapids streets Saturday afternoon chanting, Say her name, Breonna Taylor.

The march marked the anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black emergency medical technician who was shot by Louisville Metro Police on March 13, 2020. She grew up in Grand Rapids, and some family members live in the area.

For cousin Tawanna Gordon, it was a day of grief.

Its overwhelming because we still havent arrived at the place that were ready to accept that shes gone, said Gordon.

The march started on the corner of Ottawa Avenue NE and Monroe Centera street dedicated as Breonna Taylor Way last year. Gordon and cousin Erica Eaves led the group of demonstrators on a one-mile loop through the city.

Todays march is to make sure that people dont forget Breonna Taylor, Gordon said.

Taylors face could be seen throughout the crowddisplayed on sweatshirts and masks. A large sign at the front of the group read Black Lives Matter #Breewayyy.

The group walked up Monroe Center to Division Avenue before turning down Oakes Street SW. They marched past onlookers dining at restaurants on Ionia Avenue SW, headed west on Fulton Street and north on Monroe Avenue.

Marcher KT Brinson said it was important to pay tribute because Taylor was born and raised in Grand Rapids.

Out of everywhere, this should be the main place that shows up the most, he said.

Related: Protesters call for more accountability in fight for racial justice

Family Over Everything (FOE) organized the Grand Rapids event to stand in solidarity with Taylors family. The group was behind a movement that demonstrated on the corner of Pearl Street NW and Monroe Center for more than 100 consecutive days last summer.

Cristian Bartolo with FOE said the march is a reminder that they are still pushing for change.

Were going to reform as much of this system that Grand Rapids has in place, he said.

The peaceful event followed a March 8 rally in which eight people were arrested. Police said they were blocking traffic, and protesters said they were targeted by officers.

FOE obtained permits to demonstrate in the street, and Grand Rapids Police used cruisers to stop traffic.

Demonstrations were held across the country Saturday, including in Detroit, Flint and Ann Arbor.

Taylor became a symbol in a nationwide movement against police brutality and racial injustice. Her family said the march was also about continuing her legacy and holding police officers accountable.

Police shot Taylor while conducting a no-knock warrant in a search for a suspect who didnt live at the apartment. Gordon says her family is working with state lawmakers to draft a bill to ban no-knock warrants and police chokeholds.

Were going to continue this fight every day, Gordon said.

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DEPUTY Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn has issued a statement this Sunday morning regarding the Covid-19 vaccine, AstraZeneca

It reads: "Following new information received from the Norwegian Medicines Agency on Saturday evening, March 13, and following discussions with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recommended that the administration of Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca be temporarily deferred from this morning, Sunday 14th March."

The statement from Dr Glynn continues: "This recommendation has been made following a report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four new reports of serious blood clotting events in adults after vaccination with Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

"It has not been concluded that there is any link between the Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases. However, acting on the precautionary principal, and pending receipt of further information, the NIAC has recommended the temporary deferral of the Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca vaccination programme in Ireland.

The NIAC is due to meet again this morning. A further statement will follow thereafter.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 19:39:23|Editor: huaxia

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The picture taken on March 12, 2021 shows soldiers of the Yemeni government sitting on armored vehicles as they are launching an offensive against the Houthi rebels in Abs district, Hajjah Province, north Yemen. (Photo by Mohammed al-Wafi)



The Yemeni government's military operations in northern Hajjah Province came after the Houthi group last month announced a wide offensive to seize control of the central oil-rich province of Marib, the last northern stronghold of the government.



HAJJAH, Yemen, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni army backed by the Saudi-led coalition forces has begun a large-scale offensive in the frontline of Abs district, southwest of the northern Hajjah province, against the Houthi rebels.

The offensive comes after years of a political and military stalemate during the six years of deadly civil war.

As the tanks were moving and firing, the army soldiers were advancing along an asphalt road towards the southern tip of Abs.

Houthi fighters responded with heavy gunfire and artillery shelling from sandy hills and green farms, showing fierce resistance.

Abs is a few miles away north of the strategic Red Sea province of Hodeidah, which is also under Houthi control.

The civil war erupted in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The picture taken on March 12, 2021 shows soldiers of the Yemeni government sitting on armored vehicles as they are launching an offensive against the Houthi rebels in Abs district, Hajjah Province, north Yemen. (Photo by Mohammed al-Wafi)



The war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, displaced nearly 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

Losing Abs would be a major blow to the Houthi rebels.

"The enemy (Houthi) was preparing to attack the army's positions in the area, but the soldiers were on the lookout," Taha al-Omari, commander of the 105th Brigade of the Fifth Military Region, told Xinhua in the southern frontline of Abs.

"Today, the Fifth Military Region, with its all units, carried out a large offensive, recapturing more than 10 villages in Abs ... and cutting off roads and backup lines of the enemy between this southern frontline and the northern and western frontlines of Abs, as well as cutting off the road linking Mustaba district with Bani Hassan area in Abs to isolate the enemy," he said.

The picture taken on March 12, 2021 shows soldiers of the Yemeni government marching forward as they are launching an offensive against the Houthi rebels in Abs district, Hajjah Province, north Yemen. (Photo by Mohammed al-Wafi)



The villagers have fled the area following military tensions weeks ago to the internally displaced camps in several other areas under government control.

The offensive in the northwestern Hajjah province coincided with another army's large offensive in the central-western province of Taiz, as the army advanced there too, retaking large areas from the Houthis, according to local media reports.

The move came after the Houthi group last month announced a wide offensive to seize control of the central oil-rich province of Marib, the last northern stronghold of the government.

The United Nations has called on the Houthi group to stop its offensive on Marib as the province hosts more than 2 million internally displaced people.

The picture taken on March 12, 2021 shows soldiers of the Yemeni government marching forward as they are launching an offensive against the Houthi rebels in Abs district, Hajjah Province, north Yemen. (Photo by Mohammed al-Wafi)



Dozens of fighters from both sides have been killed since then, according to local media.

The U.S. special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking met with the delegation of the Houthi group in Muscat last month, presenting them with a comprehensive plan for a nationwide cease-fire and an end to the Yemeni civil war.

However, the Houthis has rejected the proposal in a statement, calling it "an empty one that represented the Saudi vision." 
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a TV interview he hoped Singapore would start re-opening its borders by the end of the year as more countries ramp up vaccination drives against Covid-19 infections.

The Southeast Asian island nation has largely banned leisure travel, but has put in place some business and official travel programmes. It is also discussing the mutual recognition of vaccine certificates with other nations.

"I hope if that many countries can have substantial proportions of their populations vaccinated by later this year, we will be able to have the confidence and to have developed the systems to open up our international borders to travel safely again," Lee said in an interview with BBC that aired on Sunday.

Follow DH's coverage on Covid-19 here

"Hopefully by the end of this year or next year, the doors can start to open, if not earlier," he said.

The city-state has brought its Covid-19 situation under control with few new local cases and has been rolling out its vaccination programme, having approved shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

As of March 8, the country of 5.7 million people had administered just over 611,000 doses of vaccines - a much slower pace compared to larger nations. But it has said it plans to vaccinate everyone by year-end.

Lee said few local cases meant the city-state could take the time to persuade its population to take the vaccine. Some are hesitant due to the low risk of infection and concern about possible side effects from rapidly developed vaccines.

Singapore has also received China's Sinovac Biotech vaccine ahead of approval. Lee said Singapore was evaluating the vaccine and will use it if it passes safety and effectiveness standards.

The city-state's small, open economy recorded its worst recession in 2020 due to the pandemic, after being bruised the previous year by trade tensions between the United States and China.
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Two days before the last election, Scott Morrison was asked by 7.30s Leigh Sales what he would do if the election yielded no clear winner in the Parliament. He said the most important fact would be that Mr Shortens campaign to change the direction of Australia would not have succeeded. This meant that Morrison should remain Prime Minister.

No doubt Bill Shorten would have had a different view. But what is more interesting is Morrisons pithy formulation of Labors aim, which echoed Paul Keatings famous dictum on the eve of the 1996 election: When the government changes, the country changes. Morrison was, in essence, offering more of the same.

Illustration: Simon Bosch Credit:

At noon on Monday, the March 4 Justice will begin. The march grew directly from a tweet by academic Janine Hendry, who suggested women gather to link arms, forming a ring around Parliament House, their backs turned on the building and the politicians inside. Four thousand women would be needed. As it happens, the protesters (men are welcome too) wont be circling Parliament, due to restrictions. But, across the country, there will be far more than 4000 of them.

Hendry says she has seen an Australian outpouring of rage. It has not come all at once. So many factors have accumulated over time: the public attention given, finally, to the prevalence of violence against women; the #MeToo movement; the growing awareness of sexism as a pervasive social force; the alleged rape in Parliament House; the accusation against Christian Porter; and the weak responses of the Prime Minister to various issues over several years.
1. Roads. The citys roads are a mess. Significant resources are needed to fix them.

2. Public safety. The crime rate is too high. Police pay and resources come first.

3. More city programs. The city must invest more in city programs and services.

4. Comprehensive plan. The city needs to focus on rebuilding and rebranding.

5. Cut city spending. City officials must get serious about trimming the budget.

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Delivery of the HSE's new national immunisation system to plan for vaccine programmes across the State has been delayed by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Late last year, the health service was finalising the specifications and requirements to go to market for the new system. It was then expected to go through a procurement process by June.

This process is now unlikely to happen until the second half of this year "at the earliest", according to the HSE, because dedicated staff working on the new system have been redeployed to respond to the pandemic.

While Covid-19 vaccinations are a key part of the work done by the National Immunisation Office (NIO) and its systems, it is also responsible for sourcing and distributing other vaccines, as well as developing training and communication materials for the public and health professionals.

An internal HSE report produced last October found the NIO and its systems urgently required additional resources.

This weekend, an HSE spokeswoman told the Sunday Independent delivery of the new national immunisation system has been hit by the Covid-19 response.

"The staff who were working on the specification and were to be assigned to work on the procurement are now working on the vaccine roll-out programme," she added.

"Given the Covid Vaccine Programme, this will now not go to procurement until Q3 2021 at the earliest."

IT systems supporting the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out have been developed since the October report highlighted a need for additional infrastructure to respond to the pandemic, she added.

"The speed of deployment of such a large system is unparalleled in any sector. The system was contracted in December and went live on December 29.

"The core system has been fully functioning since the second week in January, with consent being confirmed on the system."

Elements of this have been updated since.

Meanwhile, the HSE has yet to fill critical public health posts, months after the internal 'Reform of Public Health Medicine in Ireland' report warned of the impact of resource constraints on the pandemic response.

It said 255 permanent public health posted needed to be filled.

When the report was highlighted in the Sunday Independent last December, the HSE said it takes an average of 19 to 23 weeks for its recruitment section to make appointments.

However, in the 23 weeks since the report was brought to the attention of HSE chief clinical officer Colm Henry, many of these posts have not been permanently filled.

A spokeswoman said the HSE has been working on 22 recruitment campaigns since October. More than 1,000 applications have been received for medical, dental, nursing, management and surveillance posts to date. Of these, 400 have been scheduled for interviews.

"We have panels of over 280 people and these are currently going through our job offer and employment processes," she added.

"The pandemic has created a highly competitive recruitment environment in what has historically been a very limited pool of specialised medical professionals. There is ongoing advertising and a candidate engagement strategy in place to aid candidate attraction, including targeted promotion of specialist posts in the British Medical Journal.

"Until the permanent positions are filled through the competitive processes, temporary resourcing has been approved and is under way locally through the use of internal HSE redeployment and rehiring retired specialists in public health medicine. The permanent staff will provide more sustainable and long-term resourcing."

As part of the recruitment plan, 43 permanent roles have been allocated to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre at a cost of more than 3m.

It will also help deliver a National Sero-epidemiology Unit, as called for in the 'Reform of Public Health Medicine in Ireland' report delivered to Mr Henry last October to understand the patterns of outbreaks.
Today host Karl Stefanovic separated from his first wife, Cassandra Thorburn, in mid-2016, after 21 years of marriage.

And almost five years on from their painful split, Cassandra has spoken candidly about her fulfilling new life as a single woman.

The former journalist, 49, told Woman's Day: 'I've got a very robust sense of peace and well-being... There's so much to look forward to, I've never been happier.'

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Fulfilled: Karl Stefanovic's ex-wife, Cassandra Thorburn, has revealed she's 'never been happier' and 'has so much to look forward to' five years after her split from the Today co-host

Cassandra shares three children with Karl: sons Jackson, 21, and River, 14, and daughter Ava Willow, 15.

'I'm grateful for my life and the direction it has taken,' Cassandra told the magazine.

'I've made our new house I bought over a year ago into a warm family home. The next life chapters, personally and professionally, are going to set me up for the next 20 years. I've got a very robust sense of peace and well-being,' she added.

Happiness: 'I've got a very robust sense of peace and well-being,' Cassandra (pictured with Karl in 2012) told Woman's Day

Last year, Cassandra spoke candidly about her love life as a divorced woman.

She revealed at the time she had been dating on and off since splitting from Karl, but wasn't interested in a 'committed relationship'.

Cassandra also said she was focused on getting her children through school and her charity work with Taldumande Youth Services.

'I want to get to know myself first': Last year, Cassandra revealed she had been dating on and off since splitting from Karl, but wasn't interested in a 'committed relationship'

'I've been in a relationship for 20 more years and the last thing I actually want to do is be in a relationship with someone else again. I actually want to get to know myself,' she said.

In August 2018, almost two years after her separation from Karl, Cassandra spoke to The Australian Women's Weekly about her life.

'Last year, I declared that Karl really was dead to me, a man I no longer know, but the children still have their father,' she said at the time.

Second chance at love: Karl married his second wife, shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough, 36, in a lavish ceremony in Mexico in December 2018 (pictured)

'The flip-side of that is I feel like we're dead to his family and almost anyone from our old life. There has been practically no contact. I feel like we've been discarded and disposed of, replaced by a whole new line-up of starters.'

Karl married his second wife, shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough, 36, in a lavish ceremony in Mexico in December 2018.

The pair met at a boat party in Sydney just five months after his split from Cassandra.

They welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Harper, on May 1, 2020.
A lawyer and friend of missing Princess Latifa of Dubai says former president Mary Robinson has vowed to "help in the campaign to free her" and has a "critical and key" role to play.

The captive daughter of Dubai's ruler, who is reportedly being held hostage by her father, was previously described by Mrs Robinson as a "troubled young woman".

The former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was forced to apologise after a photograph of her and the princess went viral in 2018 and re-emerged last month as part of a BBC Panorama broadcast.

Mrs Robinson claims she was "horribly tricked" by the family.

The documentary also showed videos that Latifa had secretly recorded on a phone that had been smuggled in for her, in which she claimed she had been held hostage by her father following a failed escape attempt.

In an interview with the BBC, Mrs Robinson said she had been misled at a lunch in 2018 into believing the princess had bipolar disorder and was traumatised by her escape attempt.

Human rights lawyer David Haigh, a friend of Latifa's, says Mrs Robinson is "one of the few key credible and certainly qualified eyewitnesses to what effectively has now been proven to be Dubai's abuse of Latifa's human rights and their attempts to cover those abuses up".

He says Mrs Robinson is "one of the very few people whose judgment as to Latifa's situation can be trusted".

Almost two decades earlier, an attempt by Latifa's older sister Shamsa to flee the family also ended in capture and imprisonment. In August 2000, about two months after escaping from her father's estate in Surrey, Shamsa was taken from Cambridge and flown back to Dubai by private jet.

In an interview with RTE's Late Late Show this month, Mrs Robinson referred to having spoken to a doctor who had treated Shamsa.

"Mary Robinson's information on Shamsa that she touched on could also be critical for any Cambridgeshire police investigation into the kidnap and her disappearance," says Mr Haigh. "She discusses a doctor in Dubai that misled her by saying that Shamsa and Latifa suffered from bipolar."

The Free Latifa campaign is to report Mrs Robinson's remarks on what the doctor allegedly told her to Cambridgeshire police who have been investigating Shamsa's disappearance. "We are sure they will be interested in any additional evidence as to the fate of Shamsa," Mr Haigh said.

Last night, he confirmed the Free Latifa campaign was in contact with Mrs Robinson.

"Mary Robinson and ourselves are working on parallel tracks towards our shared aim of ensuring safety and securing freedom for Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum in the near future," he said.

Tiina Jauhiainen, also a friend of Latifa's, said the campaign "welcomes the public commitment of Mary Robinson in supporting them in releasing Princess Latifa from her illegal imprisonment".

Mrs Robinson has declined to comment further.
New Delhi:

As part of the disengagement, the Chinese troops have left the disputed area of Dokalam along with bulldozers and removed the tents which they had pitched, according to a top Indian government official.

The official, on the condition of anonymity, said there were about 1700-1800 Chinese troops in the area where they proposed to build a road and all of them have left.

The Indian troops, whose number was in a few hundreds, have also moved out of the stand-off area, the official told PTI tonight, adding it is a demilitarised area now.

The standoff had begun in June when the Indian troops objected to the Chinese building the road there.

The bulldozers have been taken away, tents have been removed and even a flag which they (Chinese) had hoisted there has been removed, the official said.

Earlier, in the morning, the External Affairs Ministry said, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site in Dokalam has been agreed to and is ongoing.

Later, in the evening, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said the process of disengagement had almost been completed under verification, reflecting an end to the nearly two-and-half-month long standoff.

This process has since been almost completed under verification, Kumar said, referring to the disengagement.

An official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the process of resolving the matter started after a brief interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg in July.

Subsequently, the Special Representatives of the two countriesNational Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinas State Councillor Yang Jiechiwere in touch, the official said.

The breakthrough came just days ahead of the BRICS Summit to be held in the Chinese city of Xiamen from September 3-5, which Modi is expected to attend.

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A woman was arrested last week after she allegedly refused to follow a bank's policy to wear a mask and refused to leave, in Galveston, Texas, on March 11, 2021. (Galveston Police Department)

65-Year-Old Woman Arrested for Balking at Texas Banks Mask Policy, Refusing to Leave

A woman was arrested in Texas last week after she allegedly refused to follow a banks policy to wear a mask and wouldnt leave the facility in Galvestona day after the state had lifted its mask mandate.

Police on March 11 obtained an arrest warrant for 65-year-old Terry Wright of Grants Pass, Oregon, after the incident, according to the police department. Officers said she went into the bank at around 12:30 p.m. and allegedly refused to wear a mask, leading the bank manager to call the police.

Officers told Wright she needed to leave the bank if she did not want to wear a face mask as requested by bank management, according to the agency. Police said Wright didnt leave and began to resist officers who attempted to take her into custody.

Body camera footage of the incident was released by the department on March 12.

Maam, Ill say, if that says leave, you have to leave, the officer could be heard telling her off-camera as he approached her.

My moneys in this bank and Im going to take it out, Wright is then heard telling the officer.

Well, then you have to abide by the rules and you have to have a mask on, the officerwho was not namedresponded, adding that businesses have the right to refuse service even if youre not wearing a mask.

Thats why Im taking my money out, she adds.

Awesome, the officer responds. Well, you need to go and get a mask and then take your money out.

After more back-and-forth between the two, the officer tells Wright, Maam, listen, were gonna do this the easy way or the hard way.

What are you gonna do, arrest me? she asks.

Yes, for intruding on premises, the officer responds.

The law says that I do not have to wear a mask, she tells the officer, ostensibly referring to Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts order earlier this month that ended mask-wearing in public.

You do not in public, the officer tells her, but youre not in public.  This is not a public place, this is a private business.

Wright says the officer is taking away her rights. When the officer attempts to take out his handcuffs, Wright then attempts to evade him.

The video then shows the officer struggling with the woman before shes handcuffed, while on the ground.

Wow, not wearing a mask people  This is what they do to [you]! shes later heard saying while the officer takes her out to a police vehicle.

Local reports stated that Wright was taken to the hospital for a foot injury she sustained while being arrested.

Wright, who said shes opposed to wearing a mask, told KTRK that she is traveling around the United States completing items from her bucket list. The woman said she wanted to go in the banks drive-through, but her recreational vehicle would not fit.

Galveston Police Chief Vernon Hale told reporters last week he would rather his officers not be called about mask issues, saying that people who refuse to wear masks could be charged with trespassing if they are asked to cover their faces inside businesses but refuse.

The Galveston Police Department did not respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
For 129 years, Vogue magazine has been the worlds most prestigious style bible. Nina-Sophia Miralles looks back at the moguls, models and eccentric editors that made it a success  even during the Blitz

The first edition of Vogue hit newsstands across America on 17 December 1892, priced at ten cents, with a black-and-white illustration of a debutante on the cover. It was the brainchild of Arthur Baldwin Turnure, a lawyer turned publisher and a member of New York high society.

Arthur dubbed Vogue the magazine written by the smart set, for the smart set. By making it a high-quality society magazine, he appealed to both middle-class readers, who would buy it to see what the rich were up to, and to upper-class readers, who bought it to feed their egos.

Cecil Beaton famously shot a story amid Blitz ruins, 1941

Arthur knew that an office bursting with blue blood was key to creating a certain status for Vogue, but he also realised he needed an editor with vision. Josephine Redding was a formidable journalist with whom he had previously worked and was part of his social circle. She came up with the name Vogue, underlining it in a dictionary, which she showed to Arthur.

In 1906, Arthur died suddenly, and it became apparent that the journal had been making a loss. When Conde Montrose Nast bought it from Arthurs widow in 1909, it was a ramshackle little firm. Nast, a man of proven publishing skill and ambition, slid into the Vogue employees lives as though out of thin air, and they soon nicknamed him the Invisible Man and feared the occasional sudden firings he dished out.

In 1910, in the mid-February issue, he declared his intentions for the magazine, writing: [Vogue] will hereafter present the current notes of fashion, society, music, art, books and drama in two splendid fortnightly numbers.

Marie Harrison, who had been editor since 1901 (and was the sister-in-law of the magazines founder Arthur Baldwin Turnure), remained at the helm for the first five years of Nasts reign. However, he was aware that Vogue was still an enterprise that might sink or swim, and that his next choice of editor would tip the scales. Edna Woolman Chase had started at Vogue as a teenager addressing envelopes. Birdlike, with a frizz of short, grey hair, she abolished the tea wagon wheeled through the office at 4.30pm daily and made it compulsory for staff to wear black stockings with white gloves and hats.

David Bailey snaps his muse (and girlfriend) Jean Shrimpton, 1964

Edna was behind the creation of the catwalk. In 1914, Vogue relied upon the French couturiers for fashion, but the outbreak of war temporarily put a stop to this. Since there was nothing coming from Paris, Edna asked a group of New York designers to create original pieces, then showed them off to society ladies on models, who she trained in the art of the catwalk strut.

The great British spin-off

Brogue, as British Vogue was affectionately known, became official in 1916, providing a welcome antidote to the grim wartime newsreels. Evocative covers referenced the horror of the moment: May 1918 showed a downcast young nurse with a red cross painted on a grey background and the words Les Blesses (casualties) behind her.

Establishing the first official editor of British Vogue is tricky due to records lost or damaged in the war. While Vogue itself lists Elspeth Champcommunal (Champco to friends) as the first editor, with Dorothy Todd as the second, in her autobiography Edna Woolman Chase makes no mention of Champco and treats Dorothy as the first editor. Champco, who was part of literary Londons bohemian Bloomsbury Set, was chosen by Nast for her social connections and also for always having wild rumours swirling around her.

This, however, was nothing compared to Dorothy (or Dody, as she was known), who became editor in 1922. Described as filthy by Cecil Beaton, Dodyhad an illegitimate daughter who she treated as her niece, and became romantically involved with receptionist Madge McHarg, a rail-thin Australian, who she elevated to fashion editor. The Brogue that they produced together for four years was an avant-garde masterpiece. Alongside the usual fashion plates from Paris, Dody and Madge were the first to publish Man Rays Surrealist photographs and Edith Sitwells poetry. But in September 1926, Dody was fired by Nast, who blamed it on a fall in advertising revenue. The following day he sacked Madge, the chief official mistress. Livid, Dody threatened to sue for breach of contract but Nast was not above blackmail and threatened to release damning details of her private life. Though Madge eventually returned as fashion editor in 1932, Dody never recovered.

Delivering glitz in the blitz

The outbreak of the Second World War meant that the then editor of British Vogue Elizabeth Penrose  like all US citizens  was urged to go home. In promoting sub editor Audrey Withers to fill Elizabeths place, they stumbled upon a perfect leader, who was cool-headed and ingenious.

Iconic editor Diana Vreeland was at the helm of US vogue for nine years

On 1 December 1940, Audrey wrote an article in the American edition, titled British Vogue Weathers the Storm. She revealed how staff kept a suitcase ready by their desks for essential documents, which they would flee with when the air-raid signals sounded. Over time Audrey became so complacent that she would stay in her office, popping on her gas mask and letting the shells drop around her, smashing the windows as she kept writing. And fleeing to the basement was no excuse to stop working; after scuttling down the six flights of stairs, secretaries would hammer away on typewriters balanced on their knees and even fashion shoots took place underground.

One of Audreys problems was finding material to put in the magazine. Fashion editors would have to scour the ruins of London for luxury items to photograph  even when John Lewis reopened with almost nothing to sell after being completely gutted.

A new look for a bright future

No fashion collection has marked the beginning of a moment more than Christian Diors debut show in 1947. Dubbed New Look, its waists, which were cinched wasp-thin, and hips, padded out like spreading petals, set the tone for the next ten years and would be a breath of fresh air that washed right through Vogue, triggering other changes. Nast had died of heart failure in 1942 and Edna retired after 56 years at American Vogue. She was succeeded by Jessica Daves, a conscientious worker-bee.

Vogue remained a snobbish place to work in both the US and the UK. Junior staff were drawn from the daughters of the wealthy and salaries were so low they were referred to as pin money. One office joke had a junior confiding, Ill have to get a real job now. Daddy cant afford to send me to Vogue any more.

Jean Shrimpton photographed for British Vogue, 1969

Swinging with the 60s

In 1958, Conde Nast Publications was bought for $5 million by Samuel Irving Si Newhouse Senior. Legend has it that his wife, Mitzi, had said that morning, Darling, dont forget to buy me Vogue today. He misunderstood, acquiring the company when shed just wanted the latest issue.

Newhouses Vogue had bottomless funds, prestige and glamour. Si was the overlord, benefactor, the final word. In this golden era, editors got six-figure salaries, along with cars, chauffeurs and perks that included beauty treatments. Many would later lament they never knew how good they had it; the lifestyle was just on loan. As quickly as Newhouse could extend his largesse, he could withdraw it and the execution chamber of Conde Nast got as much action as the expense accounts.

Shock firing was his signature move. Over the next few decades he would earn himself a reputation for brutal and seemingly random dismissals.

In London, Audrey stayed long enough to witness seismic change as the self-congratulatory status quo turned into the toe-tapping teenage spirit that would later be embodied by Twiggy. By 1960 British Vogue had achieved autonomy from the American edition and no longer had content sent over from the US. This was no small feat  for almost half a century they had been carefully regulated by eagle-eyed seniors in New York.

In 1964 Beatrix Miller began her editorship, helming the magazine until 1984. With her headmistress-like manner, she was not above discarding an entire issue if she was unhappy with it, but she was also motherly and decadent, with her obligatory lunchtime negroni and dinner parties with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Princess Margaret and the McCartneys.

The Swinging 60s arrived like a bolt of lightning. Debutantes and dames in gloves were swapped for baby-faced models such as Jean Shrimpton and Pattie Boyd. Fashion photography was dominated by the working-class dropout David Bailey and Lord Snowdon, the Queens brother-in-law.

A new cohort of designers sprang up: landmark brands such as Mary Quant, Jean Muir and Biba redeemed British style. Geo-patterned tunics and miniskirts, along with go-go boots and hot pants, gave 60s fashion the feel of a childs dressing-up box. It was the Brits first proper attempt at ready-to-wear.

Bailey made his reputation by landing a fashion story for Vogue in New York. Published in 1962 and called Young Idea Goes West, it showed his muse (and girlfriend) Jean Shrimpton slouching through the gritty backstreets of Manhattan. They had been thrilled to journey so far from home; back then it was unheard of for working-class youth to travel anywhere, let alone another continent. Decades later, in an interview, he shrugged off the experience coolly, saying it was so cold the camera stuck in his hands.

Audrey Withers steered Vogue from the blitz to the eve of the swinging 60s

Over in the States, Diana Vreeland reigned supreme at Vogue from 1962. A wanton atmosphere invaded the offices with her appointment. She issued her first orders from the bath and swept into the office at midday. For lunch she had a peanut butter sandwich with half a bowl of melted ice cream, followed by a vitamin injection. She was renowned for her bombastic one-liners, including The bikini is the most important thing since the atom bomb!

Still hot after all these years

In 1971 Diana was succeeded by Grace Mirabella, a pragmatic 40-year-old who was well placed to cater to the New Woman and expanded Vogues remit to include politics, health and wellbeing. Grace was the first to champion people of real merit in US Vogue and was the first American editor to put a black model on the cover.

During her tenure circulation tripled from around 400,000 to 1.3 million. She was, however, made redundant without notice in 1988. Grace saw a news broadcast announcing she was being replaced as editor-in-chief by Anna Wintour.

Inside Conde Nast it was taken for granted that, sooner or later, Wintour would helm American Vogue. The editorship of the British imprint had fallen into her lap when Beatrix retired, and it didnt take Wintour long to abolish its Brogue nickname in her bid to modernise and Americanise. It was a step on what some called her crusade to edit the American edition.

Back in the UK, Alexandra Shulman became editor-in-chief of British Vogue in 1992 and her 25-year tenure was the longest of any editor in the London office  a quarter of the editions life. Like Edna before her there was power and prosperity in longevity. Shulman became a mainstay representative of modern British fashion until, in 2017, she handed over the reins to Vogues first male editor, Edward Enninful. Wintour remains: steering Vogue internationally today  perhaps with one eye on Ednas crown as longest-serving editor in the history of Vogue.

This is an edited extract from Glossy: The Inside Story of Vogue by Nina-Sophia Miralles (Quercus, 20*), which will be published on 18 March. To order a copy for 17.60 until 28 March go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Free UK delivery on orders over 20.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy this morning followed by isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. High 71F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  An empty chair was held high on Sunday across the reservoir bridge in Silver Lake Park  a symbol of the 1,628 empty chairs across Staten Island left behind by people who died from the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Sunday marks one year since the first New York City resident died from the coronavirus.

Every neighborhood of Staten Island has felt the impact of the coronavirus  and the Day of Remembrance ceremony on Sunday was held as a way for people to honor their loved ones who died from the virus, making that loss known, and sending out love to others, Rev. Karen Jackson, co-chair of Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership, told the Advance/SILive.com.

Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Pastor Arthur Mastrolia of St. Clares R.C. Church and Rabbi Michael Howald of Congregation Temple Israel led the procession across the bridge and carried the empty chair.

Other faith leaders, healthcare workers, community leaders, and other borough residents followed suit, scattering white rose petals behind them.

Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

The empty chair represents every Staten Islander who has lost their life to COVID-19. Physically lifting the chair up above our heads on the bridge [and] scattering the flower petals was a way of making that loss seen, honoring those people, recognizing the grief that so many people are grappling with in a really deep way, and giving them our love and our continued promise of support, Jackson said.

And while the procession was a solemn one to remember lives lost, Hina Naveed, a registered nurse and Staten Island resident, urged Staten Islanders to get the vaccine and continue following health and safety measures, like social distancing and mask-wearing.

Monsignor Arthur Mastrolia of St. Clares Church and Rabbi Michael Howald of Congregation Temple Israel led the procession across the bridge, carrying an empty chair that would represent the 1,648 empty chairs of Staten Islanders who succumbed to COVID-19. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

As a nurse, Naveed said the pandemic should not have been this devastating, adding how heartbreaking it was to hold the hands of Staten Islanders who died because their families couldnt be with their loved ones in the hospital.

This pandemic should not have been this devastating. The fact that on Staten Island so many people are still not masking should not be happening, Naveed said. ...So many people thank me for being a health care hero. That means nothing if more peoples lives are at stake, and so I want you all to encourage your neighbors, encourage your families to get vaccinated. Because what I had to see on the frontlines, and what so many nurses like me had to see on the frontlines, we shouldnt have seen. So many families on Staten Island lost their loved ones. We should not repeat that again.

Registered nurse Hina Naveed makes an impassioned plea on behalf of health care workers for all to get vaccinated. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

The memorial was held hours before New York Citys Day of Remembrance online ceremony at 7:45 p.m.

Prior to the procession, speeches, prayers, and words of comfort were shared with the crowd to remember the lives lost. Rabbi Howald recited lyrics from Broadways Rent, explaining how much has happened in the last 525,600 minutes, or a year.

The passage of the year gives us a chance to reflect on all that was lost and to remember every irreplaceable precious life taken in the 525,600 minutes since that pandemic began in our nation. It is all together fitting that we should do so today on the one-year anniversary of the first death by COVID in our city....We give ourselves permission to grieve even though our grief is still not at an end. On this day, when the entire city of New York remembers those we have lost, we especially remember those 1,628 dear ones taken here on Staten Island by COVID-19.

Rev. Karen Jackson speaks to the attendees at the Day of Rememberance memorial Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Jackson continued to emphasize that while coronavirus cases are declining, Staten Islanders are still facing other struggles, like the need for food, inability to pay rent, job loss, and small business closures.

I know the people here. These are the people on the frontlines of serving their community, helping to meet those hunger needs and the needs for financial assistance, but the need to grieve. ...This community-wide memorial was one way that we cared for our community spiritually, and its a way to give ourselves the moral strength and fortitude to continue the work of meeting all the needs resulting from the pandemic, said Jackson.

Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Rev. Mastrolia shared a prayer, remembering the two priests that the Great Kills-based St. Clare Church lost from COVID-19  Msgr. Richard J. Guastella, who was the current pastor of St. Clares at the time of his death in early April, and former pastor Msgr. Joseph Murphy who died in May. Veysel Ucan, executive director of the Turkish Cultural Center, recited the first chapter of the Quran, remembering loved ones lost to the coronavirus.

Marie Noel of St. Clare's R.C. Church led a rendition of Amazing Grace at the day of rememberance for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Prayers were followed by the singing of Amazing Grace led by Marie Noel of St. Clares Church. Teri Caliari then read the Empty Chair poem by Margaret Atwood before the group proceeded over the bridge carrying the empty chair.

The event drew more than a dozen borough residents to the park, while others were able to tune in virtually through Facebook.

Rabbi Michael Howald of Congregation Temple Israel was among the Staten Island's Faith leaders speaking at the Day of Rememberance for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Monsignor Arthur Mastrolia of St. Clares Church reflects in a moment of silence as Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Jennifer Gray Brumskine, from NYC Test and Trace Corps shared her condolances and hope at the Day of Rememberance memorial in Silver Lake Park Sunday. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Veysel Ucan, executive director of the Staten Island Turkish Cultural Center shared an invocation from the Muslim faith, reciting a verse from the first chapter of the Quran. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Teri Caliari shares a reading of an empty chairs poem, symbolizing the 1,648 empty chairs of Staten Islanders who succumbed to COVID-19 over the past year. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Monsignor Arthur Mastrolia of St. Clares Church and Rabbi Michael Howald of Congregation Temple Israel led the procession across the bridge, carrying an empty chair that would represent the 1,648 empty chairs of Staten Islanders who succumbed to COVID-19. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

An empty chair sits at the end of the reservoir bridge in Silver Lake Park as a symbol of the hundreds of empty chairs across Staten Island left behind by people who died from the coronavirus (COVID-19). March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Monsignor Arthur Mastrolia of St. Clares Church spoke as his parish was particularly hit, losing two pastors to COVID-19. "And so we say to Fr. Richard and Monsignor Murphy, from the bottom of our hearts, 'Thank you. We love you. Please continue to enjoy the rewards of heaven until we are all back together again one day." March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Staten Island's Faith leaders, healthcare workers and community workers hold a somber memorial for those impacted by COVID-19 Sunday in Silver Lake Park. March 14, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  As a young boy growing up in Chimayo, Fabian Cordova was taught to take care of his skin.

Its a lesson he values today.

An idea for a cosmetic skin care line has always danced in his head.

Yet, it took a pandemic for the New Mexico native to have the time to create Lust Luxe Cosmetics, as his work as an independent contractor slowed.

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My dream was to be an actor or a model, Cordova says. As that option faded away, I knew I wanted to create a brand. To be part of something and hopefully make a name for myself.

The launch of Lust Luxe Cosmetics is taking place on Wednesday, March 17.

For the first launch, Cordova will offer a body scrub, facial oil, lip glosses and lip balms, as well as other merchandise.

With his second launch, he will introduce body wash and skin creams. The third launch will have eye shadow and highlighter palettes.

Im a skin guru for myself and I thought it would be a really good opportunity to learn more and to care for my skin, he says. And of course, develop something for other people.

Cordova spent years researching and learning about the skin care and cosmetic industry.

He turned to YouTube and various courses to do so.

Its important to know that the human skin is completely different, especially the body and face, he says. I myself love beauty products.

Cordova also was a product tester for the line.

I started to play around with oils during the winter when my feet would get dry, he says. Thats what encouraged me to do the scrub.

For the last two months, Cordovas been on social media building buzz for the luxury brand.

My hand is in every aspect of this line, he says. I create it at home. I applied for my trademark. This is the vision that Ive had for so many years. Being this close to having it out to the world feels like a dream.

Cordova also wants to be inclusive with the line.

The brand is to help elevate your skin, he says. My grandmother always told me to start caring for my skin at a young age. Im 39 now and Ive carried that practice throughout my life. Ive fallen in love with my line and hope people will find joy in it.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged Sunday to do everything in his power to make permanent the American Rescue Plans expansion of the Child Tax Credit to $3,000 per child aged 7 to 17 and $3,600 for every child under 6.

The tax credit was previously $2,000, which parents receive as part of annual tax refunds. But President Joe Bidens recently-signed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill bumped this years credit by at least $1,000 for millions of parents and made the funds available through advance monthly payments of $250 to $300, one of several provisions in the comprehensive package meant to undercut child poverty exacerbated by the pandemic.

Absolutely, Schumer, a New York Democrat, told MSNBC Sunday when asked if hed push to make the proposal permanent. Thats one of the most important things we can do. We can change America if we make them permanent.

Children must be 17 or younger, have a Social Security number and live with the parent for at least six months during the year to be eligible for the payment. This year, the payments will go from July through December, with parents receiving a total of $1,800 for children aged 7 to 17 and $1,920 for younger children. Parents can then claim the rest on their 2021 tax returns.

Look, when a child is born into poverty they dont get adequate nutrition, they dont get adequate health care, they dont get adequate housing, they dont get adequate education, Schumer added. So by the time theyre 18, theyre many steps behind. If we can eradicate child poverty, it will be good for these kids and their families, but (also) for all of America. Ill do everything I can to make it permanent.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said in a news conference with Gov. Phil Murphy Friday that hes talked with the Biden administration and business leaders about making the temporary expansion permanent, The Hill reported.

Ive tried to help coordinate a full court press in America to make the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit changes permanent in the United States of America, so we can join our industrial peers and invest in Americas children, Booker said.

The proposal, which initially came out of the House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, will make parents of 69 million children eligible for the expanded credit, The New York Times reported.

The move comes at a time when the pandemic has left millions unemployed and more children in poverty.

According to the Childrens Defense Fund, nearly one in six American children  almost 12 million  lived in poverty in 2018. While data from Pew Research Center showed that figure dipping over 2019, the economic fallout of the pandemic saw monthly poverty rates increase from 15% to 16.7% between February and September 2020, according to the Columbia University Center on Poverty & Social Policy. Researchers at Columbia estimated in October that the pandemic may have led to an additional 2.5 million children living in poverty since May.

The pandemic is driving families deeper and deeper into poverty, and its devastating, Neal said in a recent statement to MassLive. This money is going to be the difference in a roof over someones head or food on their table. This is how the tax code is supposed to work for those who need it most.

The Child Tax Credit has historically been available for single parents earning $200,000 or less or couples filing jointly who earn $400,000 or less. The updates approved in Bidens package will force the credit to phase out for individuals earning more than $75,000 annually or couples earning more than $150,000 combined. The $200,000 and $400,000 cutoffs remain in place.

Another temporary update is the removal of an earnings floor; in previous years, taxpayers had to earn at least $2,500 to be eligible to receive the credit.

Similar to the stimulus checks in COVID-19 relief packages, most of the child benefit payments will be directly deposited into Americans bank accounts according to their information on file with the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS plans to create an online portal letting families update their income, family and banking information.

On top of the tax credit changes, Bidens plan includes $1,400 checks to most Americans; $350 billion to help state and local governments overcome pandemic-linked budget shortfalls; $130 billion to help schools reopen; more than $50 billion to bolster vaccination and testing efforts; and tens of billions to help small businesses and restaurants hit hard by the pandemic. Supplemental unemployment insurance of $300 weekly, which was set to expire later this month, will be extended until at least September.

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Colombo, Mar 14 (PTI) Indias top diplomat in Colombo held talks with senior Tamil leaders during his visit to the Northern and Eastern Provinces and emphasised that achieving the legitimate aspirations of the minority Tamil community through meaningful devolution within a united Sri Lanka will contribute to peace, inclusive progress and strength of the island nation.

During his three-day visit to the two provinces from March 11 to 13, High Commissioner Gopal Baglay also highlighted Indias long-standing cooperation and commitment to the development of the Northern and Eastern Provinces in accordance with the requirements of the people and priorities set by their elected representatives, the Indian High Commission here said in a statement on Sunday.

Baglay, who held a series of meetings with Tamil party leaders during his visit, recalled commitments of the Sri Lankan Government on the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil community for equality, justice, peace and dignity, it said.

He maintained that achieving them through meaningful devolution within a united Sri Lanka will also contribute to peace, reconciliation, inclusive progress and strength of the country, it added.

During his meetings, the Tamil leaders sought further assistance for infrastructural development, more economic investment and additional projects under grant assistance for development cooperation from India in the Province.

Baglay assured them of continued cooperation from India in these spheres.

His visit came in the backdrop of the Sri Lanka resolution to be moved at the UN Human Rights Council next week.

The resolution accuses Sri Lanka of war crimes with threats to take those responsible to the International Courts and impose targeted sanctions against officials allegedly responsible for human rights violations during the countrys three decade long civil war.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa also had a telephonic conversation on Saturday during which they reviewed topical developments as well as ongoing cooperation between the two countries in bilateral and multilateral forums.

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The two leaders agreed to maintain regular contact between relevant officials, including in the context of the continuing COVID-19 challenges, a Prime Minister's Office statement (PMO) said in New Delhi.

Sri Lankan president's office here did not comment on the call and if India had responded favourably to Colombos support sought at the UNHRC.

Sri Lanka has been hoping that India would stand by it when the UNHRC moves its latest accountability and reconciliation resolution on the island nation this month.

A UN report has called for drastic measures against those allegedly responsible for rights violations during the last phase of the armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The Indian envoy held separate meetings with northern Tamil parties, including the current government ally Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP).

The EPDP thanked India for its consistent position on the implementation of the 13th Amendment that provides for devolution of power to the Tamil community. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th amendment.

The main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the hardline parties TMTK (Tamil People's National Alliance) and Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) were all engaged in talks and they raised issues concerning the Tamil minority and urged increased Indian assistance under development cooperation.

During External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to Sri Lanka in January, India underlined backing for Lanka's reconciliation process and an 'inclusive political outlook' that encourages ethnic harmony.

Jaishankar had met the Tamil leadership and discussed issues pertaining to the development and devolution and the role of provincial councils as part of national reconciliation.

President Rajapaksa told a political gathering this week that the government would opt to conduct the postponed provincial council elections pending ascertaining public view on holding the election.

The elections to the nine councils remain due since late 2019 and were put on hold due to a legal snag over electoral system reform attempted in 2018. PTI CORR PMS ZH
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Brazil on March 12 surpassed India to become the second-worst country hit with the coronavirus pandemic as the South American country reported 85,663 cases and 2,216 deaths due to the virus in the past 24 hours. While the health infrastructure of Brazil is collapsing, the World Health Organisation has raised serious concerns over the rising cases and has said that action needs to be taken now to control the spread.

'P1 variant had several mutations that confer increased transmissibility'

Experts had identified the P1 variant in Brazil and stressed that the number of cases is rising due to this particular variant that emerged around the Amazon rainforest city of Manaus. The virus has been affecting the people who were treated and have been cured after giving the vaccines. The technical lead of WHO, Maria Van Kerkhove on Friday pointed that findings till now showed that the "P1 variant had several mutations that confer increased transmissibility."



Brazil recorded 11,363,380 cases while 275,105 people have succumbed to the virus till date. The latest numbers show that only 3% of the population have received vaccination till date, while Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who earlier denied taking a vaccine himself, is now seeking help from partner countries. The President is also being criticised for not procuring the supply of vaccines on time, as the cases are on the rise.



"Unless serious measures are taken the upward trend now flooding the health system and becoming more than its capacity will result in more deaths," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. It must be recalled that India in January sent 2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Brazil for which President Bolsonaro had thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had tweeted: "Namaskar, Prime Minister @narendramodi - Brazil is honored to have a great partner to overcome a global obstacle. Thank you for helping us with vaccine exports from India to Brazil."


Prime Minister Boris Johnson said only the Tories could stop the SNP winning a majority at Holyrood in May (Hannah Mckay/PA)

The Conservatives are the only party that can cut the SNP down to size in Mays Scottish elections, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted.

With the Nicola Sturgeons party using the Holyrood poll to push for another referendum on Scottish independence, the Prime Minister insisted the focus should instead be on efforts to rebuild the UK following the coronavirus pandemic.

He insisted the UK would defeat Covid-19 in the coming months, with the vaccination programme having roared into life in every corner of this country.

But Mr Johnson, who was addressing the Scottish Conservative conference, added that when the health crisis of the pandemic was over, our job will only be half done.

The Conservative leader insisted the same spirit that had been shown during the pandemic must then be focused onto our economic recovery and building back better for the whole of the UK.

He insisted: We can build back better  but only if we all come together.

Expand Close Boris Johnson hit out at the SNP, led by Nicola Sturgeon, for its obsession with independence. (Jane Barlow/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Boris Johnson hit out at the SNP, led by Nicola Sturgeon, for its obsession with independence. (Jane Barlow/PA)

He hit out at Ms Sturgeons party, saying: The SNP want to divide us, to turn Scotland against itself, at this of all times.

He told the conference: I just find it incredible then that the SNP would choose this moment to again push their campaign for separation.

Just when everything is beginning to reopen again, when we will soon be reunited with our friends and family, the SNP think that this is the time to turn us all against one another.

To start another political fight.

The Prime Minister continued: Perhaps I shouldnt be surprised by this, it is their partys obsession.

Yet surely even they have a sense of priority, of what is important right now?

He comments came less that two months before the next Scottish Parliament elections, which are due to take place on May 6.

The SNP are intent on pushing for a referendum, regardless of the cost to Scotland and the whole of the UK, in that vote, Mr Johnson said.

And he insisted only the Conservatives could stop an SNP majority and their drive towards a second independence referendum.

Expand Close Sir Keir Starmers Labour Party can not be trusted to stand up to the SNP, Boris Johnson said. ( Leon Neal/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sir Keir Starmers Labour Party can not be trusted to stand up to the SNP, Boris Johnson said. ( Leon Neal/PA)

Mr Johnson hit out at the Labour Party, led by Sir Keir Starmer, saying he had to pay for independent marketing advice to tell him that he shouldnt be scared to be seen with the Union flag.

The Prime Minister claimed: Labour are too weak and they frankly cannot be trusted to stand up to the SNP.

They would rather work with the SNP to be seen as anti-Conservative than stand up for the unity of the United Kingdom.

We cannot put the future of our country in Labours hands, not in Edinburgh or in London.

His comments came as he said how the UK Government had plans to get our country moving again and deliver our economic recovery.

Mr Johnson said there was a pent-up tidal wave of opportunity and investment, ready to flow into Scotland to support your recovery from coronavirus.

Speaking about how that will see the UK Government continue to back Scotlands space and satellite sectors, he said they were ensuring that even the final frontier is no limit to the UK Governments ambitions for Scotland.

Mr Johnson said: I want all Scots to share in, to be a part of, and to drive our UK recovery.

It is this great task that we will all need to be focused on, as we emerge from this pandemic.

A collective effort that will require the efforts and strengths of every part of the United Kingdom.

He added: The SNP can see  after the impact of coronavirus  that people want time to renew their lives and to rebuild relationships that have become stretched.

They know that workers are concerned primarily about their jobs and businesses are primarily concerned for their future.

How can the SNP say that a referendum is the priority to them? It is the last thing they need right now.

The Prime Minister continued: Lets not throw away this British spirit that we have seen and go back to the divisions of the past, forgetting our collective sacrifice.

Lets heal from coronavirus and move the whole of the United Kingdom forward.
A decision by top female political leaders to snub the biggest women's march in Australian history has been labelled as 'absolutely devastating' by organisers.

Tens of thousands of women are expected to march across 40 metropolitan areas in Australia from midday on Monday to demand an end to gendered violence, inequality, and misogyny in the workplace.

The march has been dubbed the biggest uprising of women that Australia has ever seen and comes in the wake of rape allegations levelled at Attorney-General Christian Porter, which he denies, and a former Liberal staffer.

Despite claims against parliamentarians, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, opposition leader Jodi McKay and the state and federal ministers for women Bronnie Taylor and Marise Payne will not go to the rallies in Canberra or at Sydney Town Hall.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) will not be attending the historic March 4 Justice on Monday

Pictured: Western Australians rallying for women's right in Perth on Sunday. Demonstrations will be held across the nation on Monday

Organiser Janine Hendry believes the leaders decisions to forfeit the demonstration is akin to saying women's right are not important.

'In light of what's happening, not only in Parliament but other major institutions, when our very own representatives don't want to hear our voice, what does that say about how they really think about women?,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'It's saying we don't matter, and they don't want to hear our voices and that's not OK.'

A petition by protesters, which has more than 22,000 signatures, calls for full investigations of gendered violence and for the full list of 55 recommendations by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner report to be implemented.

NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay will not attend the women's rights event in Sydney on Monday

Liberal candidate for Bass Bridget Archer (pictured) is the only female MP to say she will march alongside Australians

Ms Payne told organisers she will receive the petition 'via correspondence' rather than in person.

A spokeswoman for the minister said she was not invited to join the Sydney rally, but that she is is 'always keen' to meet with women and discuss their concerns.

The only female Liberal politician to confirm attendance is Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer, who was asexually abused as a child, will march alongside Australians in Canberra.

'I have pledged to do more to address violence against women,' she said, according to the publication.

'It is time for change  as a parliamentarian I want women to know  I hear you, I see you, I am listening to you.'

Pictured: Women marching in Perth while holding signs on Sunday at the historic March 4 Justice rally

Ms Hendry rejected a private meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday.

'We have already come to the front door, now it's up to the Government to cross the threshold and come to us,' she wrote on Twitter.

'We will not be meeting behind closed doors.'

Mr Morrison also said on Sunday that he would not be attending the events.

'I won't be going out to the march,' Mr Morrison said.

'I will be happy to meet with a delegation from the group that is coming to Canberra.'

He said the issue of violence against women continues to be a high priority of his government.

Pressed on why he won't attend the march, Mr Morrison said: 'I don't have a habit of going to any marches when I come to Canberra because as prime minister when you are in Canberra it's a very busy day.'

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus will attend the march in Canberra and said the event will be the biggest in Australian history. Pictured: Protesters in Perth

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack is also too busy to attend.

'I've already got commitments that I will meet, and I believe if you make commitments, then you should stick to those,' he told the ABC on Sunday.

KEY DEMANDS OF MARCH 4 JUSTICE ORGANISERS * Investigate gendered violence within parliament * Stand down politicians who perpetrate violence * Implement recommendations of Australian Human Rights Commission's Respect@Work report * Ratify Convention on Eliminating Violence and Harassment in the World of Work * Strengthen Sex Discrimination Act so parliamentarians and judges are held to account for sexual harassment and discrimination * Create code of conduct for federal MPs that includes prevention of gendered violence * Mandate annual gendered violence and sexual harassment training for federal MPs and their staff * Enact federal Gender Equality Act and conduct a national gender equity audit of all parliaments * Lift public funding for gendered violence prevention from one per cent to world's best practice standards of nine to 12 per cent of the federal budget * Ensure all Australian parliaments are gender equal by 2030 Advertisement

'I appreciate that this is an important issue and I understand, part of democracy, that people have their right to march and protest.'

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus will attend the march in Canberra and said the event will be the biggest in Australian history.

'Women are saying 'enough's enough',' Ms McManus told 9 News.

'We've had enough, and these marches, as you can see, are happening right across the country. I think this will be the biggest uprising of women that Australia's seen.'

Michele O'Neil, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, told the network that movement is needed to protect women.

'In workplaces all over the country, women are being harassed, they're being assaulted, and even in some cases raped,' he said.

'And we know the answers to this. The government knows the answers to this. And they just refuse to act. So we're here, with thousands of other women, to make sure the government can't ignore the call to act.'

Labor leader Anthony Albanese will also be attending the event in Canberra.

'I think the issue of women's rights is one that, absolutely, I'm not surprised that it's being campaigned on, he said.

The rallies are being held to protest the 'unacceptable' treatment of women in the workplace and the community and the right of women to feel safe.

They come as the Morrison Government is under a cloud over the alleged rape of a former Liberal staffer by a colleague and rape allegations dating back to 1988 levelled at a federal minister, which he strongly denies.

'Enough is enough. This is a national reckoning,' Fair Agenda executive director Renee Carr said in a statement.

'Women and girls around the country are completely grief-stricken by the federal government's failure to respond to this crisis, and intervene in the systems that enable gendered violence across our communities.'
NEW HAVEN  An animal welfare group, citing alleged abuse and deaths of lab animals at Yale University, including one instance in which a confidential in-depth investigation was conducted, has called for an investigation of the research program by Yale President Peter Salovey.

Michael Budkie, executive director of Ohio-based Stop Animal Exploitation Now!, wrote to Salovey seeking the probe, including with it six reports sent by Yales Office of Research Administration to the National Institutes of Healths Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. Yale spokeswoman Karen Peart confirmed the reports were genuine, said all animal complaints are investigated and cited the importance of animal research, and the universitys compliance with animal care standards and federal and other regulations.

The most extensive report cited by Budkie, dated Oct. 30, 2020, cited inadequate anesthesia, improper storage of controlled drugs, a rat succumbing to dehydration and contaminated sucrose solution, among other alleged lapses.

While the five additional reports, also signed by Pamela S. Caudill, Yale senior associate provost for research administration, mostly involved mice that had died or were dehydrated for lack of water or food, one from Dec. 20, 2019, reported that a female mouse and a litter of seven 2-week-old pups were left without food and one of the baby mice had been cannibalized.

That Caudill letter stated that since the other mice were in good body condition  it is unclear if a day without food would have precipitated cannibalism or if this is an expected occasional observation in large mouse breeding colonies.

Another letter, also dated Dec. 20, 2019, reported that an emaciated mouse with a severe malocclusion  misalignment of the teeth  had been found dead. Budkie wrote that the deformity should have been seen before the mouse had become emaciated. Caudill wrote to OLAW that the incident was used as a teachable moment for the research staff to enable them to identify malocclusions in the future.

However, a four-page report by Yale dated Oct. 30, 2020, described an investigation that brought in the dean of the Yale School of Medicine and the universitys legal counsel. It began with a report from a lab employee on Aug. 6, 2020, followed up the same day by an email from the same employee to the principal investigator, the director of the Office of Animal Research Support and a person from Environmental Health and Safety. Other officials were brought in as well, the letter stated.

In her letter, Caudill wrote, Because of the potentially serious implications not related to animals, the University decided to keep the investigation confidential until completed.

According to her letter, most members of the lab were interviewed and compliance and post-approval monitoring records dating back to 2012 were reviewed. According to Peart, who answered questions through emails, the records were monitored back that far to look at the labs historic compliance history, which was quite good. The focused investigation by Yale was on activities in 2020.

Caudill wrote, Two lab members recalled difficulties in maintaining anesthesia . . . when rodents exhibited movement when they were supposed to be under full anesthesia. . . . Additionally, there was a third, relatively new, member of the lab who had been anesthetizing rodents for cranial implant surgeries with only ketamine, when ketamine and xylazine are required.

Another point raised in Caudills letter was the practice of leaving a safe containing controlled drugs unlocked all day, which she called not appropriate. She said there was no evidence of unauthorized use of the controlled substances, Peart confirmed, also through an email, that there was no evidence of any drugs being removed.

In his letter to Salovey, Budkie wrote, As a result of the significant deviations from approved protocols  improper animal housing, excessive deprivation of water, anesthesia which was so severely botched that animals moved during procedures, and improper handling of controlled substances, this project must be immediately terminated and the staff involved in these abuses must be prohibited from future use of animals. It is simply heinous that all of these failures occurred within only one lab.

Yale, in its resolution plan, cited in the Oct. 30 letter, had the principal investigator review animal housing, surgical procedures, post-operative care plans and more with all animal users in the laboratory; had laboratory members using animals review the rodent food and fluid policy and other care protocols; and modified the rat breeding protocol, the Cahill letter says.

Peart said Yales Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, which reviews research proposals and is responsible for assessing and overseeing of the universitys animal care and use program, did not suspend the project.

Experiments

Budkie said the Animal Welfare Act, overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has a very serious limitation because rats, mice, birds, cold-blooded animals and animals that could be used in agricultural research are excluded.

Yale reports the instances of improper care to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare because it receives grants from the National Institutes of Health. The medical school ranked fourth nationally in NIH grants in 2020, receiving $512 million from the governmental agency, according to the Blue Ridge Institute of Medical Research.

Budkie said while violations of the Animal Welfare Act may carry a fine of $10,000, when it comes to NIH, theres no one that goes in and does an inspection. Theres no one that issues a fine.

In an interview, Budkie said, If we can make the connection between these compliance issues and a specific laboratory and a specific publication, we contact the journal  and call on them to retract the article. The problem, he said, is that another lab wanting to reproduce the experiment might not get the same results because the animals in Yales research were not treated according to the study protocol.

Right now  science, and researchers in particular, are going through a crisis of reproducibility, Budkie said. What theyre finding is that they can do the same study in two different facilities with the same species and strain of animal and get different results.

Peart said there was no concern about whether the experiments could be reproduced.

Things like this are important, even if you dont care about the animals, Budkie said. The vast majority of this experimentation is paid for with federal tax dollars, totaling $16 billion a year. At the same time, were trying to figure out how to pay for health care in this country.

A Jan. 12 article published by Natures Scientific Reports estimated that 111.5 million mice and rats are used each year in research and criticized the lack of oversight by the Animal Welfare Act. The author wrote that the rodents comprise 99.3 percent of animals in research institutions and that, if the percentage of reports of painful procedures undergone by animals covered by the act were applied to rats and mice, then 44.5 million of those animals underwent potentially painful experiments.

An analysis in Science magazine, however, put the number at 10 million to 25 million.

In response to Stop Animal Exploitation Now!s letter, Peart issued a statement saying, To provide transparency and maintain compliance relating to our animal care and use program, the university promptly reports all animal-related issues to OLAW. To encourage reporting of animal-related concerns, Yale operates a hotline and offers other avenues where animal-related concerns can easily (and confidentially) be reported. Those involved in animal research at Yale are committed to reporting any issues.

She said a thorough investigation is performed for all complaints, and appropriate corrective actions are put in place.

Peart said the number of animals in Yales research labs is about 5 percent lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to personnel occupancy restrictions in laboratories and animal facilities.

Yale takes seriously its responsibility for the appropriate care of animals. Our laboratories comply with or exceed all federal regulations and independent accreditation standards, Peart wrote.

Animal research plays a central role in COVID-19 and many other diseases, providing hope for millions of patients and their families, Peart wrote. Accordingly, Yale scientists will sustain their commitment to the appropriate use of animals in research. Our faculty members use animals only when there are no appropriate alternative models for advancing their research.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
By Kim Bo-eun





Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution (LGES) could possibly be considering building production facilities in Spain after Volkswagen said it will manufacture battery cells in the European country.



However, officials from both Korean companies said they had no plans to build battery manufacturing plants there.



Despite the denials, the feasibility for doing so is gathering momentum after the German carmaker's CEO Herbert Diess earlier confirmed plans to assemble battery cells in Spain as part of converting its Martorell factory there into a complete electric vehicle (EV) plant. Volkswagen is holding a "Power Day," March 15, where it is expected to unveil more details about securing EV batteries.



Battery makers here, including SK Innovation (SKI), are exploring the best ways to penetrate the European market following EU initiatives to assist the EV industry. They are currently eyeing sites to base production for their European clients.



Volkswagen owns a Spanish carmaker affiliate, SEAT, which is also a technology partner of Samsung. Spain's first factory for EV batteries is set to be built in affiliation with SEAT.



The carmaker aims to increase the portion of its EVs to 50 percent of production in the U.S. and China by 2030 and 70 percent in Europe by the same year. In order to secure EV batteries, it has signed long-term contracts with LGES, Samsung SDI and China's CATL. The contracts, worth $48 billion, are for the supply of 300 gigawatt-hours worth of batteries. But Volkswagen may need to scale up the volume to meet its targets.



As a means to hedge risks associated with supply, Volkswagen is also seeking to become involved in the production of batteries through partnerships with the Stockholm-based battery maker Northvolt.



It is unclear to date what Volkswagen's Spanish production facility of EV batteries will look like. But expectations in the industry are that it will likely be set up in partnership with an existing battery manufacturer.





An artist's rendering of Samsung SDI's Hungary plant / Courtesy of Samsung SDI
A quick peek at this list from a college scribe suggests that she probably doesn't know that dead people often litter the parks she's recommending for a stroll.



Life is a risk and a good walk is great exercise . . . But as Kansas City matches last year's record breaking pace for homicides, denying the rising level of deadly local violence doesn't make it go away.

So feel free to saunter whilst realizing that not every stranger is a friend in this dirty, little town.



Read more . . .
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Byron Estuardo Arana-Hernandez, an asylum-seeker from El Salvador, had the right to remain silent, but according to court records he just couldnt shut up when he was stopped by Border Patrol agents in January on the state highway between Deming and Hatch in southern New Mexico.

In the back of the maroon Honda Civic 25-year-old Arana was driving were five immigrants who had entered the U.S. illegally, and five more were in a black Chevrolet Silverado following the Honda. The driver of the second vehicle was Aranas mother, Lorena Luz Arana-Hernandez.

She told Border Patrol agents she had just picked up the five men on the side of the road and was giving them a ride. She insisted they were not paying her.

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Then Byron Arana proceeded to rat his mother out and admitted his role in the two-vehicle smuggling caravan.

After being given his Miranda warning, Byron Arana told agents he and his mother had picked up the 10 immigrants they were smuggling near Fabens, Texas, and were driving them to Dallas via Albuquerque for $1,000 each.

He told agents that his mother was going to get half the money  $5,000  and that he had filled her in on all the details of the smuggling operation.

After a second warning that he had the right to remain silent, he explained to Homeland Security agents that he was a major immigrant smuggler who had smuggled more than 800 people across the border and into the United States, earning an estimated $500,000 in the last three years.

Both mother and son had legal immigration documents  including employment authorization cards, informally called green cards. Byron Arana entered the country three years ago as an asylum-seeker. His application is still being processed.

Lorena Arana, 43, is listed as a material witness in another immigrant smuggling case.

Byron Arana has pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

Lorena Arana pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.

Prosecutors conceded she played a minor role in the conspiracy. While no guarantees were made in her plea agreement, she should face a sentence substantially less than 10 years in prison. She also faces deportation.

Cash flow

Byron Aranas activities had not gone unnoticed by federal agents even before the stop on New Mexico 26, according to court records. Federal authorities had been looking into his activities since last summer after his name came up when agents interviewed immigrants in Texas who had entered the United States illegally.

According to court records, agents began doing a financial background investigation into Arana and found lots of money passing through his bank accounts in the Dallas area. A federal grand jury in Dallas issued subpoenas for the bank records that revealed more than $80,000 had passed through one account in just a few months in large cash deposits and withdrawals.

Agents also found he had two Social Security numbers, one attached to the green card in connection with his asylum case, the other of unknown origin.

Despite the amounts reflected in the bank accounts, the two Social Security numbers showed earnings of just $180 during the first quarter of 2018, according to court records. No other income was reported.

After his arrest earlier this year, Homeland Security agents seized his bank accounts but found a little more than $3,000.

Helped Captive

Lorena Arana came to the attention of federal authorities last year when she aided a woman held hostage by another smuggler.

Mario Balcazar pleaded guilty to holding the woman hostage for a week when her common-law husband failed to pay him the $1,500 smuggling fee.

The woman was finally freed when the husband managed to borrow the money. He drove to southern New Mexico where Arana delivered the $1,500 in cash to Balcazar in exchange for the womans release.

The woman, her husband and Lorena Arana were later arrested in Las Cruces by Border Patrol agents who began investigating Balcazar after hearing their story.

All three became material witnesses in the case against Balcazar, who is awaiting sentencing.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect Lorena Luz Arana-Hernandezs role as a material witness in the federal hostage case.
Although Jaguar Classic hasnt let anything slip about the pricing for the E-Type 60 Collection , we can bet each one bears a heavy tag for the honor of reliving the past with help from a few modern amenities, including the XK-sourced 3.8-liter engine.No worries, because the automaker has also prepared other goodies, which are slightly less prohibitive, both in terms of pricing and availability. With help from partners like Bremont and The Glenturret distillery, the brand has also introduced a bespoke watch set and an unique whisky Luxury aviation-themed British watchmaker Bremont also creates timepieces for Jaguar, so it came up with a chronograph and a rally-timer on this special occasion. Meanwhile, the distillery has blended a highland single malt scotch whisky dedicated to evoking the unique spirit of the E-Type.Remember we said these are only slightly less prohibitive? Well, its because both items come in limited amounts. Only 120 Bremont box sets (60 green/60 gray, one for each year and body type of the original launch E-Types) and 265 whisky bottles will be available. The latter number is a direct reference to the horsepower delivered by the E-Types that made the trip to Geneva back in 1961.Pricing and availability are yet another issue. For starters, the Glenturret beverage is the most affordable at 1,500 ($2,088 at the current exchange rates) a bottle, but its only delivered in the United Kingdom. Bremonts watch box set can be had with free delivery to the UK and Europe, but itll set back interested buyers exactly 12,995 ($18,083).
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has returned home after he was discharged from hospital on Monday morning to begin rehabilitation for a spinal injury.

Mr Andrews released a statement on Monday afternoon saying he was pleased to return home after six days in hospital and flagging he would be off work for six weeks.

Its been a long, painful and difficult week. As you know, at around 6.30am last Tuesday, I fell heavily on wooden steps at the front of a rental beach house that our family had been staying at for the long weekend, he said.

I landed flat on my back and hit the steps hard directly below the shoulder blades, fracturing at least five ribs and sustaining an acute compression fracture of the T7 vertebra. I narrowly avoided permanent damage to my spinal cord.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 13)  The surge in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila is pushing the capacity of several major hospitals in the region towards collapse, according to medical authorities.

As of March 13, intensive care units of the Philippine General Hospital, the San Lazaro Hospital, the Philippine Lung Center, and the East Avenue Medical Center were operating at full capacity, the frontliners said.

Bed allocations for COVID-19 cases at PGH and San Lazaro are now 70% and 60% occupied, respectively, hospital executives pointed out.

Earlier this week, the PGH announced that an online appointment is necessary before patients are allowed to have a face-to-face consultation with their physicians.

RELATED: PGH temporarily stops accepting walk-ins, implements other precautions due to rising COVID-19 cases

READ: Hospital admissions due to COVID-19 rising

"Hospitals are getting full with COVID-19 cases. Please protect yourself and your family," PGH spokesperson Dr. Jonas del Rosario said in a Facebook post.

Dr. del Rosario also urged the public to follow health protocols as the country has been reporting an increase in new COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Dennis Ordona, head of COVID department of the East Avenue Medical Center, said that while the hospitals' ICU has always been full, they witnessed "an increase in the trend of COVID cases."

"So what is happening now is we are allocating more beds for COVID patients which were previously allocated for non-COVID patients," Dr. Ordona added.

On Saturday, the Department of Health reported that the Philippines recorded 5,000 new COVID-19 infections for the first time in almost seven months, bringing the total to 616,611 with 9.2% or 56,679 active or currently ill patients.

READ: PH lists 5,000 COVID-19 cases for the first time since August

Dr. Anna Ong-Lim of the Department of Health-technical advisory group late on Friday said that surge should not be solely blamed on the presence of new virus variants, but also on the public's complacency.

"It's hard to say that the major driver is due to the new variants," she told CNN Philippines' News Night.

READ: DOH reports COVID-19 variant unique to PH, first case of Brazil variant

Dr. Ong-Lim noted that while it is true that they have been picking up variants among positive cases that have undergone genome sequencing, the number was "quite low."

"When we look at people going around, we do notice that many people have become quite relaxed in the use of their personal protective equipment, face mask, face shield. I'm sure this is also contributing to our problem," she said.

Dr. Ong-Lim said the spike in COVID-19 cases should serve as a "wake up call for everybody to try to do their best to contribute towards containing this new increase in cases."

CNN Philippines' Crissy Dimatulac contributed to this report.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 10:08:13|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, March, 13 (Xinhua) -- Kenya edged South Sudan 1-0 in an international friendly in Nairobi on Saturday in a winning start to the country's busy international window.

Elvis Rupia notched the winning goal for the Harambee Stars in the 77th minute when he fired home a volley to decide a slow contest played at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The first half was cagey, with both sides failing to force a breakthrough as the teams went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.

After Rupia, who plays for local giants AFC Leopards, netted the opener, the hosts comfortably held off the visitors to clinch a morale-boosting win.

The Stars will play a second friendly against Tanzania at the same venue on Monday before finishing their Cameroon 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Egypt at home and Togo away.

Kenya is virtually out of the running to make the continental showpiece finals that were postponed to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Stars lie third in Group G on three points, five adrift of leaders Egypt and Comoros Islands with two rounds left, and require a monumental collapse from the frontrunners to stand a chance of qualifying. Enditem
President Joe Biden, in his first prime time address as president, said that the violence toward Asian Americans that has spiked since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is un-American and it must stop. The presidents reference to the hate crimes against Asian Americans was welcomed by Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna, among others. (Alex Wong/Getty Images photo)
Government is working to complete the bailout of the asset management industry through the provision of a package for investors of the failed Asset Management Companies (AMCs).



I am happy to announce that, the resolution of the banking industry has been completed.



Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Caretaker Finance Minister, presenting the 2021 Budget in Parliament on Friday, said out of an estimated amount of GH8.5 billion to help pay investors of the failed AMCs, Parliament approved an amount of GH3.1 billion in the 2020 Mid-Year Budget.



At the end of December 2020, Government had provided an amount of GH3.4 billion for the payment of validated claims to investors of 30 AMCs for which liquidation orders were obtained.



This amount was in a combination of a 3-year marketable bond of GH2.5 billion and a 5-year zero coupon bond of GH915 million.



Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said for the Securities and Exchange Commission to fully settle investors of the remaining 17 AMCs, an amount of GH5.5 billion (1.3% of GDP) was required.



For this reason, we have come to this august House once again to seek for your approval to raise an amount of GH5.5 billion in 2021 to complete the asset management industry bailout, including Gold Coast Fund Management Ltd (now Blackshield Capital Management), First Banc Financial Services Limited, Liberty Asset Management, Beige Capital Asset Management Ltd, Ideal Capital Partners Ltd, and Frontline Capital Advisors Ltd.

Source: GNA









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Cyberattacks on government entities are increasing at a rapid rate, but hackers are targeting the smaller entities - state and local governments - specifically. Because of this, government agencies are complying with the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy to help keep their confidential data secure. However, this policy is hefty - 253 pages - and can often lead to confusion or more complexities when adhering to the rules. In this article, well walk you through the basic principles of the CJIS security policy (such as the 13 policy areas), how to best comply with these policies, and solutions for how to best address the various security requirements outlined in the policy.
A man is in hospital with two stab wounds after he and a friend were allegedly attacked by two others after a leaving a pub.

The pair were drinking at the Royal Hotel in Granville, western Sydney, before they decided to leave and were approached outside by the alleged attackers.

Scott Hardman, 33, was rushed to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition with stab wounds to his head.

Scott Hardman, 33, was stabbed twice in the head and was taken to hospital in a stable condition

The area was declared a crime scene as forensics scoured the area for evidence

His friend, who was also attacked, Chris Wilson told 9News they were randomly attacked after they had decided to leave the pub.

'Out of nowhere they walk up and go "let's fight", it was a random attack... and then suddenly they pulled out a weapon,' he said.

'They've hit me twice... and then my mate got stabbed in the head twice.'

The two alleged attackers fled the scene before police had arrived.

The two men say they were drinking at the Royal Hotel in Granville before they were approached by the two attackers outside

A 26-year-old man was arrested on Saturday evening but his alleged accomplice is still on the run.

Acting Inspector Grant Morrissey urged the attacker on the run to hand himself in.

'We have CCTV we have physical evidence and we have witnesses.' he told 9News.

'I encourage the offender to come forward before we have to arrest him'
HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss (WTVA) - One inmate of the Marshall County jail tried to make an escape early Saturday morning.

David Cook with the Marshall County Sheriff's Department says Roshanda Bowens assaulted a female jailer and made her way out of the booking area to the outside of the facility.

A deputy that was preparing to leave the facility chased Bowens and during the pursuit, Bowens gained access to the deputys patrol unit.

While briefly inside the unit, the female rammed the exterior gate and fled on foot. Several deputies and command staff quickly responded to the area and maintained a perimeter. The Desoto County Sheriffs Department canine unit responded to assist, and the inmate was soon spotted.

The inmate was returned to the Marshall County jail and faces numerous felony charges. She was originally in jail in relation to an early morning shooting of a male subject this date.
Large-scale solar power generation is once again a hot issue in Hartford, after the Connecticut Siting Council recently approved a solar project in East Windsor that, when completed, will become the biggest installation in the state.

The Gravel Pit Solar will sit on 485 acres of land that includes former sand and gravel pits and tobacco fields, according to Meaghan Wims, a spokeswoman for D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, the New York-based company behind the project. The project was approved on March 1.

Construction of the solar farm, which is adjacent to a landfill, industrial buildings, other gravel pits and two smaller solar projects, is expected to start as early as next summer, Wims said, with solar panel installations likely to begin in spring 2022. Gravel Pit Solar will begin producing 120 megawatts of power in late 2022.

Gravel Pit Solar has power-purchase agreements with United Illuminating and Eversource Energy, which will buy 20 megawatts of the total amount of electricity the plant will produce, according to Wims.

The project was also selected by Rhode Island officials for renewable energy generation, she said, and has utilities under contract to purchase 50 megawatts. Municipal light and power departments in Rhode Island and Massachusetts will buy the remaining 50 megawatts.

Still, even when its completed, nobody will ever mistake Connecticut for any of the states in the southwestern United States, where acres and acres of solar panels silently soak up the sun.

Depending upon who you talk to, the state is either moving ahead too fast or too slow in permitting solar projects.

The goals that DEEP has set for commercial solar arent any higher than they have been over the past couple years, said Mike Trahan, executive director of the trade group Solar Connecticut. The state handicaps and puts handcuffs on the growth of commercial solar.

But there is clear and persistent opposition to large solar projects. There are a half a dozen pieces of legislation before the legislative committee of Connecticut General Assembly that seek to limit the growth of large-scale solar projects in the state, according to Trahan.

State Rep. Mary Mushinky, D-Wallingford, a member of the legislatures Environment Committee, said Connecticut lawmakers need to send a message to developers of major solar projects.

The developer here goes where the land is flat and the price is cheap, said Mushinsky, who is a long-time champion of the environment.

Germany, Mushinsky said, is country that gets solar right. They have financial disincentives for developing solar on pristine land and incentives for putting panels on parking lot canopies, on buildings and in blighted urban areas, she said. Whats lacking here is that we dont send out any kind of price signals at all to [developers].

Melanie Bachman, executive director of the Connecticut Siting Council, said East Windsor officials were supportive of Gravel Pit Solar because of problems with off-road vehicles on part of the property.

They felt that the fencing the project will have around it will put an end to that problem, Bachman said. The Council is responsible for overseeing the siting of power facilities, transmission lines, hazardous waste facilities and other forms of infrastructure, including telecommunications sites.

When another project by D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments  the 130-acre, 100,000-panel Tobacco Valley Solar project in Simsbury, which started operating in 2019  was proposed more than three years earlier, it was met with plenty of opposition by local residents.

The Tobacco Valley project is now producing about $600,000 a year in additional tax revenue over the full operating life of the solar array.

State Senator Norman Needleman, D-Essex, a co-chairman of the General Assemblys Energy and Technology committee, said there has always been a very dynamic tension between the environmental and agricultural communities over this.

Im always on the fence on this, Needleman said. I think we should always be doing more to promote renewable energy. The problem is our [hilly] topography and woods. Im reluctant to promote the cutting down of trees to build a solar farm.

Mushinsky said Connecticut is a densely-populated state with little open space. We should be very careful how we lay out things, she said.

And in the suburbs, yards filled with solar panels can cause squabbles between neighbors. Karen Zarkades, of Cheshire, said her cousins in Massachusetts live next door to a yard full of panels. Its not a happy situation, she said.

Trahan, the executive director of Solar Connecticut, said the lawmakers fears are short-sighted.

Who is the state of Connecticut to tell a private landowner who they can sell their land to? Trahan said. For a farmer who is facing bankruptcy, why should the state stand in the way if they want to put some or all of their land on the market to a solar developer?

More large solar projects, Trahan said, would help provide Connecticut with a more secure energy future.

We dont have oil like Texas or natural gas like West Virginia, Trahan said. This can help make us energy independent. We dont need a [power] line from Quebec to bring hydropower to us at great expense. We can do it all here.

Some communities, like Wallingford and Cheshire in New Haven County and Bridgeport in Fairfield County, have solar arrays on top of former landfills.

Joel Gordes, a West Hartford-based energy consultant, said having solar energy projects is important because it makes it less likely that foreign terrorists, or anyone else trying to shut down the nations energy sources, will be able to do so.

I am wary of too much wind, because you have transmission line that you need in order to bring it to shore that could be tampered with, Gordes said. Solar can be installed in smaller amounts with arrays all over the state.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
A Norwegian French archaeological mission working at Egypts mountainous south of Al-Agouz Palace on Saturday excavated the remains of a Christian church that existed between the 4th and 7th century AD. The excavators also found ancient monastery walls engraved with Coptic connotations, symbols and orthodox writing from the bible. In an official online update, Egypt's ministry of tourism and antiquities informed that the team of archaeologists discovered 19 rock carved chambers and a church that "maintains its own structure and holds walls with writings in yellow containing religious phrases from the Greek Bible". The finding of the mud-brick building in Bahariya Oasis reveals the nature of monastic life and the style of their settlement in the region during the 5th century, the ministry said.

                          

The Norwegian French Mission discovered Mud brick buildings dating to the 4th & 7th centuries AD in Bahariya Oasis pic.twitter.com/98odX0Mgj4  Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (@TourismandAntiq) March 13, 2021

A number of structures, designed in basalt stone and white bricks, were dug out in at least six areas, head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Archaeology Osama Talaat said. "The mission unearthed several buildings made of basalt, others carved into the bedrock and some made of mud bricks during its third excavation campaign at the Tal Ganoub Qasr al-Agouz site," the ministry further stated. The ruins of the walls discovered were divided into six sectors, which carried religious graffiti with a Christian connotation. Mission head Victor Ghica informed that the archaeologists made similar excavations of 19 structures that were embedded in the bedrock, last year. The findings are crucial for the archaeologists as it helped them understand that the monastic communities had settled in the desert located southwest of the capital Cairo around the 5th century.

A French-Norwegian archaeological mission at the Bahariya Oasis, just south of Qasr al-Aguz, has uncovered a lost settlement made of mud bricks and basalt hidden beneath the sand. The site includes an ancient church with Greek letters on the walls. https://t.co/zbfWvIG5uT pic.twitter.com/rfg5i6nrNs  CairoScene (@CairoScene) March 13, 2021



The Church carried religious inscriptions and biblical passages in Greek, revealing the nature of monastic life in the region, Ghica said in a statement.

Ancient brewery unearthed

Earlier, similarly, American and Egyptian team of archaeologists had unearthed what could be the worlds oldest known beer factory in Egypt. The ancient brewery was unearthed in Abydos, an ancient burial ground located in the desert west of the Nile River. Egypts ministry of tourism and antiquities informed in a statement that Abydos is a burial site of the civilizations earliest kings and is believed to have played an important role in the Egyptians religious lives.
Its a debate that never dies. Reservation, long considered a political hot potato, continues to bring people out on the streets demanding adequate representation and more inclusivity. Irrespective of the judicial contours of the topic, political parties fashion their quota policies to appease vote banks as they gingerly reassemble caste cards in election years.

In the recent past, several groups including the Patidars in Gujarat and Jats across North India, violently agitated for inclusion in the OBC (Other Backward Class) category. More recently in Bengaluru, thousands from across Karnataka belonging to the Panchamasali sect within Lingayats rose in protest, demanding separate reservation.

At the same time, the Supreme Court stayed the Maratha reservation in Maharashtra, as it exceeded the 50% limit set in the Indira Sawhney judgement. The court referred the matter to a five-judge bench since a substantial question of law on the powers of the state government to determine socially and educationally backward communities were involved. Accordingly, the larger bench directed all states to submit their responses.

Read | SC to consider Maratha quota in January, refrains from modifying stay order

So, who is a backward class citizen? The question remains unanswered even decades after Dr B R Ambedkar elaborated on the topic in the Constituent Assembly.

Different communities continue to claim to be backward to corner reservation benefits, and if at all considered, are not satisfied with the quantum of benefits. And regardless of the constitutional underpinnings of the policy, political parties continue to churn out caste-based opinions and extract mileage.

Article 14 of the Constitution commands the State to not deny any person equality before the law and ensure there is equal protection of the law, thereby enunciating the principle of: Equals should be treated equally and unequals unequally.

Similarly, Article 16 was added to ensure equality of opportunities in employment. It also gave power to the State to provide reservation benefits to backward classes who are not adequately represented in State services.

The introduction of Article 16 brought about questions in the Constituent Assembly as to who constitute backward class citizens. What was the need for such a special provision, and if at all required, what should be the quantum of such benefits? Ambedkar, in response, stated that it was agreed in principle that there should be equality of opportunity, without any hindrance; it is also equally important that there should be a provision made for entry of certain communities, which have been outside the administration  due to historical reasons  which has been controlled by one community or a few communities. In the absence of such a provision, the principle of equality of opportunity is destroyed.

Ambedkar said, A backward community is a community which is backward in the opinion of the government.

For more specific answers, we can refer to Article 340 which empowers the President to appoint a commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes, especially socially and educationally backward classes. Furthermore, with respect to the quantum of reservation, there was no specific percentage laid down, but benefits must be confined to a minority of seats.

The concerns raised in the Constituent Assembly seemed to have been settled at that point in time, but for generations to come, those confusions remained.

The Indra Sawhney case

The Supreme Court came to the rescue in the Indra Sawhney case (1993) while upholding the recommendations of the Mandal Commission. The court held that caste can be a base to determine backwardness. But it rejected economic criteria alone as a base for backwardness. The court also set a limit of 50% reservation benefits, but in extreme situations, it can be relaxed.

While thus stood the law, in 2019, the Modi government, in deviation from this judgement, introduced Articles 15(6) and 16(6) to the Constitution, creating an Economically Weaker Sections' (EWSs) category, enabling the State to provide the benefits of 10% reservation based on economic criteria alone. However, the objective behind introducing such a provision seems to be to corner the votes of forwarding communities, which became evident in Karnataka when several Brahmin community members approached Chief Minister Yediyurappa for EWS benefits.

Similarly, dominant caste groups like the Patidars, Gujjars, Jats and Marathas, who, irrespective of being majority land-holding communities, continue to demand reservation due to a perception that economic power is increasingly shifting from rural areas to big corporations.

Political parties capitalise on such apprehensions. For instance, the Devendra Fadnavis government used Maratha reservation in excess of a 50% limit to gain the trust of the community. The Jat community has also been victims of vote bank politics under the UPA as well as NDA governments. The UPA tried to please them by including them in the OBC list, while the National Commission for Backward Class had in fact declared them as not socially backward. The decision came to be struck down by the Supreme court in 2015.

Closer home in Karnataka, Yediyurappa has constituted a three-member high-powered committee to look into the demands of the Panchamasali community, as well as that of Kurubas and Valmikis, while the fact remains that some of them are already enjoying the benefits of reservation.

Read | Panchamasalis quota: Karnataka Govt to reply SC on March 23

Voice of dissatisfaction

The demand for reservation, regardless of how effective it may be in the context of shrinking jobs in the state sector, has become the voice of dissatisfaction with the options available to youth.

Vote bank politics that polarises communities defeats the purpose of inclusive policy. The introduction of reservation as a constitutional provision was to ensure that caste identity withers away by guaranteeing representation of competent members from marginalised communities in State administration. However, over a period of time, the reservation has become part of the grammar of Indian politics and has deviated from the objective of redressing historic discrimination to becoming a way to garner votes. This has led to the entrenching of caste divisions, without redressing real inequality.

Moreover, the emergence of the private sector, where reservation policy does not apply, has led to a downsising of government departments, cutting down the prospects of public employment.

While resources continue to be monopolised and inequality is rampant in administration, the need to increase the 50% cap or expand the benefits to others will only make the caste identity stronger and the hostility bitter.

The tragedy of course is that reservation has not been implemented effectively, yet it remains the calling card of not only those who were discriminated against but of even those communities which were relatively better off.

The government has failed to address the unequal distribution of existing reservation among castes. The demand for internal reservation with groups like the Madigas in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka indicate the failure of the reservation to cater equally to all sections.

The only solution put forward by courts has been to limit the policy by excluding the creamy layer  a socially and economically advanced group among the backward class.

There is a need to expand employment avenues, provide better education facilities for students among Dalit communities and ensure that the State plays a proactive role so that reservation reaches all those who have been denied its benefits. But thats a long way to go, considering the present state of affairs.

(The author is an advocate with the Alternative Law Forum, Bengaluru)
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.

Health officials in Japan have sounded alarm over a new distinct variant of coronavirus found in the country in late February. As per Japans ministry of health, the lethal mutation was discovered in a traveller who arrived at Narita Airport near Tokyo from the Philippines. The traveller, in their 60s, was asymptomatic but tested positive whilst staying in mandatory quarantine. In the aftermath, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases has suggested an enhancement in travel restrictions and border control.

The diagnosis of the new SARS-CoV-2 comes as scientists across the world warn that the new mutant virus could possibly resist vaccine jabs. Since the outbreak, the island nation has reported over 445,585 COVID-19 positive cases with over 8,509 fatalities. As of now, the country has only approved one vaccine candidate- that manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech.

'more resistant to anti-bodies'

The new mutation was officially confirmed by the Japanese health ministry on March 13, following which it immediately raised an alarm.

In a press release, the officials said that the new variant was distinct from the mutations found in the UK, Brazil and South Africa but posed a similar threat. Additionally, the variant is also thought to be more resistant to antibodies which gives defence against COVID-19, similarly to the South African and Brazilian variants. The strain has begun to be detected in the Philippines and has spread to some extent here, authorities wanted.

Japan, which is still reeling with COVID-19 mutation, is scheduled to hold the 2022 Olympic Games. Owing to the present scenario, the country's government recently decided to exclude overseas spectators from attending the marquee event in a bid to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.

As per Japanese media reports, the government and the country's organizing committee of the Summer Games are expected to hold a remote meeting with the International Olympic Committee later this month and apprise it of the move. A final decision will then be taken after the Japanese Government receives a formal nod from the IOC to exclude overseas spectators. "The Japanese government has stated that allowing fans from abroad is not possible amid the Coronavirus concern and the contagious variants reported in several countries", Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Tuesday.
Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan's car was allegedly attacked by a young man late Sunday when the actor-politician was proceeding towards a hotel here after campaigning for the April 6 Assembly polls, a party leader said.

Haasan was not injured in the incident though his vehicle's windscreen was damaged.

MNM leader and retired IPS officer A G Mourya tweeted that his party chief's car windscreen was damaged and the man who "attempted to attack" Haasan was handed over to the police.

Mourya said the party would not be scared by such elements.

His tweet was retweeted by the official Twitter handle of Makkal Needhi Maiam.

Local television channels aired visuals of a young man, said to be the assailant, being taken away by police personnel for allegedly attacking Haasan's car.

Police officials could not be reached immediately for a comment.

The youth, reportedly drunk, was allegedly assaulted by some MNM cadres and members of the public. He was later taken to a hospital by the police.

(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.)
Today, Australians from all walks of life in big cities and tiny country towns are expected to attend scores of March4Justice rallies as they demand action against gendered violence, sexual discrimination and the lack of federal government action on issues affecting women.

There is widespread frustration (indeed, incredulity) among women and after millennia of discrimination and sexual tyranny, despite generations of protests, and notwithstanding decades of legislative and cultural changes to improve womens places in workplaces and the community generally, this government still does not get it.

There is real anger, especially, about the manner in which Prime Minister Scott Morrison has dismissed serious allegations of rape levelled at Attorney-General Christian Porter. And there is anger, too, at Mr Morrisons astonishing admission that he did not recognise the gravity of rape allegations by a former Liberal staffer until his wife prompted him to consider his response if such an outrage were perpetrated on his own daughters.

That speaks to a moral vacuum of sorts at the nations highest level of leadership. But the concerns raised by the March4Justice movement focus on issues beyond Mr Morrisons response and his decision not to hold an independent inquiry into Mr Porters fitness to hold office.

Its fair to ask where the Coalitions female leaders are in all this. As political editor Peter Hartcher noted on Saturday, they are all but invisible as, behind the scenes, they engage privately in fatuous and flippant self-congratulations via a WhatsApp message network.
That option is impeachment  and given the governor's refusal to resign, it must be done now.

Just like with the presidential impeachment process provided for in the U.S. Constitution, it's important for everyone to remember that impeachment in New York state is not automatic removal from office. That step only comes with a conviction at an impeachment trial.

But unlike the federal process, an impeached New York governor is removed from power until the trial is held and a verdict delivered. The lieutenant governor takes over until that happens, and remains in office if the impeached governor is convicted.

In one sense, impeaching this governor accused of misconduct is similar to how almost all other state government employees would be treated. They'd be suspended from the workplace and given a full and fair hearing on the accusations against them before a final determination is made.

The same must happen with Cuomo, especially given his refusal to step down. It would be in the best interests of everyone involved, including New Yorkers who need a functioning state government.
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and their daughter Gabriella protest outside the Iranian Embassy in London on March 8, 2021. (Andrew Boyers/Reuters)

UK-Iranian Aid Worker Appears in Iran Court on Propaganda Charge

DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesBritish-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared in an Iranian court on March 14 to face a charge of making propaganda against the system, one week after she completed a five-year jail sentence, her lawyer said.

Gabriella Ratcliffe, daughter of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, protests outside the Iranian Embassy in London on March 8, 2021. (Andrew Boyers/Reuters)

British foreign minister Dominic Raab said the second trial was unacceptable and called on Iran to let Zaghari-Ratcliffe return to Britain. He said Iran had subjected her to a cruel and disgraceful ordeal.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested in April 2016 and later convicted of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. Her family and the foundation, a charity that operates independently of media firm Thomson Reuters and its news subsidiary Reuters, deny the charge.

The propaganda charge relates to her alleged participation in a rally in front of the Iranian Embassy in London in 2009 and giving an interview to the BBC Persian TV channel at the same time, according to her lawyer, Hojjat Kermani.

After the trial at Irans Revolutionary Court, Kermani said he expected the verdict within the next week.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was fine and calm at the court session, he said. I am very hopeful that she will be acquitted.

The Iranian Judiciary wasnt immediately available for comment.

Open-Ended Detention

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who served out most of her five-year sentence in Tehrans Evin prison, was released last March during the coronavirus pandemic and kept under house arrest.

Iran released Zaghari-Ratcliffe from house arrest on March 7, removing her ankle tag, but immediately summoned her to court again on the other charge.

Her husband Richard, who has set up the Free Nazanin campaign group and lobbied the British government to secure his wifes release, said in a statement that at present, Nazanins future remains uncertain, and her detention effectively open-ended.

The foundation wasnt immediately available for comment on Zaghari-Ratcliffes trial.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in a call with Iranian Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on March 10, said Zaghari-Ratcliffe must be allowed to return home to her family.

Iranian media reported that during the call, Rouhani raised the issue of a historical debt of 400 million pounds ($557 million) which Tehran says Britain owes the Islamic Republic in capital and interest for a 1970s arms deal with the then-Shah of Iran.
Industry webinars hosted by the Kilkenny-based Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) are taking place to explore how Ireland can benefit from a landmark new initiative that will shape the future of Europe.

The New European Bauhaus project by the European Commission is a cultural movement that aims to make Europe carbon neutral by 2050 and to renovate 35 million buildings across the continent by 2030. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described New European Bauhaus as a movement to act as a bridge between the world of science and technology and the world of art and culture. The project seeks to create a European Green Deal aesthetic combining innovative design with sustainability under the motto that the necessary can also be beautiful.

The initiative is currently in its early co-design phase and the European Commission is currently collecting ideas and examples of what New European Bauhaus should look like in practice. New European Bauhaus is a unique process, never before undertaken in the European Union, and it presents a major opportunity for Irish stakeholders to play a central role in shaping the future of the European Union.

To help kickstart the national conversation around New European Bauhaus, DCCI, the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) and the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) are organising three informative sectoral webinars. The first of the webinars, which was attended by representatives from the construction, architecture, environmental and technology sectors, took place last Tuesday. This was followed by a second webinar, gathering representatives from the design, crafts and arts sectors, held last Friday.

The final and third webinar, which will feature representatives from the business and government sectors, will take place this Thursday, March 18.

Design & Crafts Council Ireland, the national agency for the commercial development of Irish designers and makers, described New European Bauhaus as a historic moment for design in Europe. Working closely with its partners in the Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA), the national design and crafts agency is currently assisting its members, the wider design community in Ireland, and any industry stakeholders who are interested in becoming involved with the Europe-wide co-design process to do so.

BEDA Board member and DCCI Interim Chair Andrew Bradley said the initiative represents a huge opportunity for Irelands design sector.

Andrew Bradley added: New European Bauhaus is a landmark initiative that has incredible potential for the design sector in Ireland and across Europe. It is very encouraging to see the European Commission incorporate design and design thinking into its policy process to such a degree. Design will play a central role in shaping Europes future and we look forward to engaging with our partners across the different sectors to explore how Ireland can benefit from the initiative and play a leading role in New European Bauhaus.

DCCI Chief Executive Rosemary Steen said: New European Bauhaus brings together the knowledge and insight from different disciplines, from science and technology, architecture and design, to arts and crafts, very much in the style of the original Bauhaus movement, created in Germany a century ago. The old Bauhaus slogan form follows function however needs to be rethought and adapted to mean form follows our planet, our environment. The New European Bauhaus project aims to implement the necessary European Union plans for a greener and more sustainable Europe while at the same enhancing the aesthetic of this process.
The Bishop of Killaloe appealed to people to take whatever precautions possible to maximise the safety of all (Jacob King/PA)

A Catholic bishop has said gatherings before and after funerals and burials are causing serious health concerns in Ireland during the pandemic.

Priests in the western diocese of Killaloe have expressed fears over the well-being of parishioners.

The number of mourners permitted inside a church is limited to 10.

While being sensitive to the needs of mourners for care and compassion at such a difficult time, many priests have expressed deep concern for the well-being of parishioners gathering in such a manner and I share that concern Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan

Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan said: Whilst it is such a positive and deeply ingrained aspect of our culture in Ireland to gather and offer condolences to the bereaved family, unfortunately due to the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus it is still not safe to do so.

While being sensitive to the needs of mourners for care and compassion at such a difficult time, many priests have expressed deep concern for the well-being of parishioners gathering in such a manner and I share that concern.

The Diocese of Killaloe includes portions of counties Clare, Laois, Limerick, Offaly and Tipperary.

Since the start of the pandemic, at funeral Masses, mourners and families had been understanding and patient about the public health limit of only 10 people permitted to gather for such ceremonies, the senior cleric said.

I earnestly appeal to people to find alternative ways to offer condolences at this time of pandemic, and for the foreseeable future until vaccination has all of us in a better place Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan

He added: Clergy, parish personnel and undertakers have undertaken Trojan work with people in the context of these difficult, stressful and sad circumstances, and I commend them for that.

However, it is in the gatherings of genuine and well-meaning people, before and after the funeral Mass, when such occasions, that raise concern, can occur.

He said that people by and large were wearing masks at these open-air gatherings, but that some chose not to.

I appeal to people to take whatever precautions possible to maximise the safety of all, he said.

I earnestly appeal to people to find alternative ways to offer condolences at this time of pandemic, and for the foreseeable future until vaccination has all of us in a better place.

Perhaps a prayer, a card, a phone call, a letter, a text, a message on social media, lighting a candle at home or in your local church, would be a safer way to offer consolation with a view to offering personal support in the near future.
The de facto parliament of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia has approved a new figure to lead the next government, ending nearly six months of political deadlock and an opposition boycott.

South Ossetia's de facto president, Anatoly Bibilov, issued a decree on March 12 making Gennady Bekoyev the region's prime minister after a majority of lawmakers agreed to his candidacy.

The Moscow-backed breakaway region of Georgia has been in political crisis since the previous government resigned in August in the wake of protests over the death of a 28-year-old man from injuries sustained while in police custody.

The death led some in the opposition to demand Bibilov's resignation.

Opposition lawmakers began boycotting the de facto parliament in September, depriving it of a quorum to approve a new government. That deadlock was resolved on March 12, when 14 boycotting lawmakers attended the session.

In a secret vote, 19 deputies voted for Bekoyev, 11 voted against him, and one deputy abstained.

The 39-year-old Bekoyev was previously de facto deputy prime minister and economic development minister.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Georgia's other breakaway region, Abkhazia, as independent states after Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in August 2008.

Only a handful of other countries, however, have followed the Kremlin's lead, which has kept Russian forces in both regions since.

With reporting by Interfax
New Delhi: The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has informed that the water supply will be hit in several areas in the national capital till Sunday (March 14, 2021) evening.

The water supply has been affected, particularly in East Delhi, due to repair and interconnection work, the DJB informed.

They said, "Several residents of Vikas Kunj, reported major leakages in the GK main which led to water entering the basement of their homes, causing a threat to the building/structure/property. Taking immediate cognisance of the situation, DJB started the repair/interconnection work."

The Delhi Jal Board added, "This repair work has had an adverse impact on the water supply, particularly in East Delhi. This repair work may take a few more hours, after which water supply shall be restored - most likely by today evening. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused."

Several residents of Vikas Kunj, reported major leakages in the G.K.main which led to water entering the basement of their homes, causing a threat to the building/structure/property.

Taking immediate cognisance of the situation, DJB started the repair/interconnection work.  Delhi Jal Board (@DelhiJalBoard) March 14, 2021

According to DJB, these are will be affected -- Laxmi Nagar, Chitra Vihar, East Azad Nagar, Gazipur, Dallupura, Trilokpuri, New Kondli, Shahdara, Mandawali and Patparganj area, Mayur Vihar phase-1&2, Shalimar Park, Vishkarma Park, Pandav Nagar and its adjoining areas.

The affected areas are :-

Laxmi Nagar, chitra vihar, East Azad Nagar, Gazipur, Dallupura, trilokpuri, New kondli, Shadra, mandawali& Patparganj area, Mayur vihar phase-1&2, Shalimar park, Vishkarma park, pandav Nagar, & its adjoining areas.  Delhi Jal Board (@DelhiJalBoard) March 14, 2021

Earlier on March 11, the DJB had issued an advisory for the people that due to the repair work of the pipeline, the water supply will remain affected between 10 am on Friday and 10 am on Saturday.

Press Note pic.twitter.com/Lva1dLAKdt  Delhi Jal Board (@DelhiJalBoard) March 11, 2021

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The biggest loss that Kabeer Biswas, 35, had been facing since co-founding delivery and e-commerce company in 2015, was not being able to follow his passion for reading. But since the outbreak of the pandemic 12 months ago, Biswas has been able to read a lot of books. These include: "No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention", "The Hard Thing About Hard Things", and "Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics", which was recommended to him by an executive at Google, which is an investor in

The goal behind Biswas reading such books is self-improvement and understanding consumer behaviour. Since last year, Biswas has also witnessed a shift in consumer behaviour and a robust level of growth in Dunzos business, as the pandemic accelerated the adoption of e-commerce in 2020. An increasing number of consumers are shopping online with greater frequency.

Under Biswas leadership, has turned the covid crisis into an opportunity. The Bengaluru-based firm doubled its active userbase from 2.7 million to 5.1 million from 2019 to 2020. With a gross merchandise value (GMV) growth of 2X over the past year, Dunzo is now an about $100 million annualized GMV business. The growth in 2020 comes on the back of strong, organic user demand while maintaining gross margin profitability for the overall business. It reduced EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) loss by 68 per cent year-on-year.

Covid has been the largest tailwind event for the overall business, said Kabeer Biswas, chief executive of Dunzo. What (business) we would have thought would take 24 months to execute on actually got done in 6 months.

For the first time, according to Biswas, local merchants realised that there was so much traffic that they can get from a platform such as Dunzo and revamped their operations to cater to the demand. One of the most powerful changes that took place and which helped Dunzo is that merchants understood the importance of e-commerce and digitised their store inventory as well as kept the pricing information live on the platform. Consumers are now able to shop a significantly larger set of products on the platform from particular stores rather than a smaller set of SKUs (stock-keeping unit) that were published before the pandemic.

Customers would earlier use Dunzo for convenience but that changed as a platform for lifeline products that includes daily and weekly essentials being delivered by the firm. It is also delivering medicine which is becoming a major category for the platform.

We did a lot of work over the last six months to understand consumer behaviour and usage, said Biswas.





In the last several months, Dunzo supported over 300 neighbourhoods across 8 cities, delivering essential goods to users within 29 minutes on average. It is focusing on sustainable growth across its fastest-growing cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, and Pune. Its biggest city Bengaluru has become profitable.

The financial aspect of this business has completely changed over the last 12 months, said Biswas.

Indeed, Dunzo saw its revenue from operations grow 35X to Rs 27.5 crore during FY20 from making less than Rs 77 lakh in FY19, according to Entrackr, a new age media platform. But like other e-commerce ventures, so was the loss  more than two times that of the previous year, at Rs 338.4 crore.

But Indias e-commerce market is expected to grow dramatically as a result of the pandemic. The market is forecast to increase by 84 per cent by 2024 to $111 billion, according to a new report by financial technology firm FIS.

Dunzos product and operational model is also changing. It would be working with stores in every neighbourhood and provide them insights about the products that they should be keeping in the store and pricing competitiveness exists for those items. This would help the firm grow much faster. Biswas said because of the shift to e-commerce in 2020, Dunzo is a lot more confident to tap middle of the belly consumers, who are looking for value products rather than convenience.

Indian cities themselves have so many customers, said Biswas. Not everyone in Bengaluru is rich. The urban middle class and poor is a significantly large chunk of our cities, close to 80 per cent of them. We were catering to about 25 per cent of them, but now we would start providing service to about 75 per cent of them in cities where we are present.

To support sustainable growth, one of the major inflection points for Dunzo took place this year in January when it attracted a fresh round of $40 million in capital from new and existing investors. Investors including Google, Lightbox, Evolvence, Hana Financial Investment, LGT Lightstone Aspada, and Alteria participated in this Series E Round. The funding would help it compete with players such as Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon and Flipkart.

Google is closely working with Dunzo for various product areas including making user transactions a lot easier, according to industry sources. People in the know said that Google would be working with Dunzo in large spaces such as search and payments and convert the traffic into actual fulfilment, like doing local transactions. For instance, the ability to search and pay the store and also explore the products there.

The company is also in talks with new and existing investors to raise another funding round of about $50 million to bolster its expansion plans, according to the sources. A business like Dunzo requires cities that are very dense. The firm is planning to roll out its services to about 25 such cities in India from about 8 in the next 18-24 months and has a goal to become profitable in those locations. Dunzo is also looking to go global and tap dense locations such as Singapore, Dhaka and New York and enable 15-minute delivery.

I think the future of everything in this business is about how can we enable cities to be 10-minute cities, said Biswas.

Indeed, the pandemic crisis has led to the need for a re-think of the cities and re-emergence of the concept of the 15-minute city, which was initially proposed by Carlos Moreno of the Sorbonne University in Paris. Here spaces are used nonstop and life is close to hand like. For instance, spaces will adjust to new conditions like an office during the day and a youth club in the evening. Everything can be done in 15 minutes including much faster deliveries.

The success of such concepts would require a lot of technologies including the use of drones. There are regulatory hurdles for flying drones in the country. However, it is expected that trial runs of drone deliveries for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) will be soon be taken up after being given approval by the government. This would enable unmanned aerial flights like drones to cover longer distances. Last year Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had given a nod to food startups including Dunzo, Zomato and Swiggy to start testing beyond BVLOS drones for deliveries.

I dont see how we can live in a world, where we dont have drones, said Biswas. It is something that is bound to happen.

Biswas, who has an engineering degree from the University of Mumbai and an MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, co-founded Dunzo with Ankur Aggarwal, Dalvir Suri, and Mukund Jha in 2015. The company, which started over a small WhatsApp group to fulfil random tasks like laundry pick-ups and drops for a small fee, has evolved into a full-fledged local-commerce firm where it sees tapping the offline businesses as a massive opportunity.

Presently, Biswas is overwhelmed by the key role Dunzo has been playing during the peak of the pandemic. One evening, while accepting a Dunzo delivery at his suburban home, when Biswas asked the delivery partner about how his day had been? the partner told him that was after delivering grocery for a family, people in the building came out on the balcony and saluted him.

It was a jaw-dropping moment for me, said Biswas. When asked, how soon is Dunzo expected to become a unicorn or a start-up valued at more than $1 billion, Biswas was quick to say that he doesnt care at all for such metrics. We dont do this for valuation, we do this for our customers, he said.
A violent criminal linked to a number of jailhouse attacks has been sentenced to more time behind bars following a reckless high-speed chase through Dublin city centre.

Leon Griffin, a pal of jailed Fat Freddie Thompson, has been linked to a number of attacks on inmates while he was serving time for various offences.

Griffin (31) and his younger brother Jamie (26) were involved in a knife attack on Derek 'Del Boy' Hutch in Mountjoy Prison in 2015 in the first major incident behind bars that was linked to the Kinahan-Hutch feud.

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Sources said at the time they believed the brothers were offered 10,000 by the Kinahan Cartel to carry out the attack, which took place months after Del Boy's brother Gary was shot dead in Spain as part of the feud.

Hutch escaped serious injury after prison officers intervened.

The brothers were also linked to a serious attack on Finglas criminal Wayne Bradley in Mountjoy in 2014.

The Griffins were involved in numerous other violent incidents behind bars and on the streets of Dublin, including a vicious hammer attack.

Leon Griffin, of Iveagh Trust Building in Dublin 8, was sentenced this week to another three years behind bars for a high-speed chase in 2019 during which he endangered numerous road users and crashed into a family in another car.

Gardai were alerted to Griffin when he suddenly pulled out of traffic and drove off at speed through red lights on the wrong side of the road in Dublin city centre. Griffin's lawyer claimed in court that he reacted when he saw Garda Gavin Keenan's patrol car as he had a five-year driving ban.

The court heard that during the initial stages of the pursuit Griffin drove onto the wrong side of the road, accelerated hard through a red light and almost collided with oncoming traffic.

Gardai gave chase as Griffin drove recklessly through the city centre causing other motorists to swerve out of his way. He almost collided with a traffic island and broke two sets of red lights at pedestrian crossings.

He then crashed into a car on Thomas Street which was occupied by two adults and three children and the chase only ended when Griffin drove his car into a Dublin city bike stand.

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Griffin and his two passengers then got out and ran off but gardai caught up with Griffin and arrested him.

In court Griffin pleaded guilty to a number of charges of reckless endangerment and criminal damage at locations in the city on February 23, 2019.

His lawyer Keith Spencer told the court that his client is sorry for his actions on the day. He said he had previously had issues with drug addiction but he is now drug-free.

Judge Nolan said that Griffin was driving without insurance and while disqualified and he endangered the lives of people in the area. He noted his record of previous convictions, which includes an offence of careless driving in 2015, and 15 other road traffic offences.

He sentenced Griffin to three years imprisonment and imposed a five-year driving ban.

Meanwhile, his brother Jamie escaped more time behind bars last month after he admitted assaulting a man at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin.

The court heard he had been involved in feuding in 2015 and 2016 but is no longer abusing drugs and had since taken positive steps in his life. He was given a fully suspended 12-month sentence.




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Before every Australian construction site was smothered in high-vis vests, orange traffic cones, and crawling speed limits, most workers could have been mistaken for anyone else.

Striking photos from the 1970s and '80s show construction crews wearing whatever clothes they brought from home - often going shirtless under the hot sun - and scarcely any safety gear.

Far from today's uniformed gangs visible from space in bright yellow vests and hard hats with young female backpackers directing traffic, occupational health and safety appeared to barely followed.

Shots from the building of the Western Distributor in Sydney in the early 1970s showed a worker pouring concrete by gripping a tube while wearing just a pair of gumboots.

A few others had yellow hard hats but many others made do with just bucket hats and jeans or shorts, with some not even wearing shirts.

A photo of the Casula Bridge even showed a man wearing just a very small pair of red shorts and a hat as he walked perilously close to the edge of the unfinished bridge.

Construction projects of the time were dominated by powerful unions like the Builders Labourers Federation, which shut down dozens of projects to protect heritage and locals from greedy developers.

One of the most famous 'green bans' was to protect 19th Century terrace houses on Victoria Road in Potts Point from demolition by developer Frank Theeman to build apartments.

The bitter campaign waged for years and saw resident's association president Arthur King kidnapped, journalist Juanita Nielsen murdered, and the union's NSW branch broken up - but was ultimately successful.

Other photos recently released by Transport for NSW show the opening of the Kings Cross Tunnel on December 15, 1975, which was part of a drastic series of changes in the famous nightclub strip.

Thousands of Sydneysiders showed up to see the first cars roar through the tunnel, and were welcomed by 'hostesses' in summer dresses.

The photos showed the Kingsgate Hotel with the famous Coca-Cola sign, which opened in 1971 and was built on land cleared to build the tunnel.

Later photos show the opening of the Mooney Mooney Creek Bridge in 1986 to great fanfare, where more than 10,000 people walked over the bridge and a ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

The twin cantilever bridge, on the Pacific Highway west of Gosford on the NSW Central Coast, is now known to many locals as the NSW Big Dipper.

The celebrating even included a marriage ceremony on a stage on the bridge in front of the crowd.

A construction crew during a concrete pour on the Western Distributor, which links the western fringe of Sydney City with Rozelle in the inner west. The Distributor, which opened to traffic in stages starting 1972, was intended to be part of the North Western Expressway

A work crew enjoys a break during construction of the Western Distributor, which would link Sydney City to the north western suburbs, ultimately joining the Sydney to Newcastle Expressway. However, due to public protests, these plans were later abandoned and the North Western Expressway never came to be realised

A diver emerges from a pile hole near Pyrmont Bridge in Darling Harbour during the construction of the North Western Freeway, also known as the Western Distributor. Pyrmont Bridge extends over Cockle Bay from Union Street, Pyrmont, to Market Street in the city. The construction consisted of mainly viaduct structures up to 25m high that were cast in place piles, bored to bedrock which were up to 25m below ground level. There were more than 400 piles in this section of the freeway construction, with a few foundations located beyond the original harbour shoreline where rocks were close to the surface. In some locations, buried remains of old wharves and other old structures were encountered. With pile holes filled with water below the surface level, divers were called upon to carry out necessary cleaning and further touching up of the excavated areas. The divers were employed to inspect, clean and seal the sides and bottoms of the sock holes. This cleaning work was carried out using a high pressure water jet to wash down the walls

Paving of a section of the M5 South West Motorway that links Casula and Moorebank in Sydney's south west. Once opened, this road would carry four lanes of freeway traffic between the Hume Highway in Casula to the west and Heathcote Road in Moorebank to the east. It incorporates a bridge over the Georges River, the western end of which can be seen in this image, where concrete is being smoothed over where the bridge rejoins the freeway, just before the Hume

A construction worker wearing just a pair of tiny red shorts and a hat carefully walks over the structural foundations of the Casula Bridge, an extension on the South Western Freeway, over the Georges River in Casula, likely looking east towards Moorebank Avenue. The Casula Bridge is a 290m long, seven span steel trough girder and concrete deck bridge

A Department of Main Roads traffic controller wearing early safety equipment during construction work on the King Georges Road in Wiley Park in the 1970s or '80s

The hostesses of the official opening of the Kings Cross Tunnel, now part of the Cross City Tunnel. Standing left to right are Karen Mason, Jennie Shute and Margo Hulbert, with the Roslyn Street pedestrian footbridge in the background

Crowds gather to watch the first cars emerge from the from the new Kings Cross Tunnel, looking east to the junction of Darlinghurst Road and William Street. The bridges at each end of the tunnel form the portals and carry cross traffic over the through traffic in the tunnel. The two tunnel cells are each 1,134m wide and about 4.9m high

The tunnel as it looks today with the Kingsgate Hotel to the left. Opened to the public in 1971, this hotel operated in various incarnations as the Kingsgate, the Hyatt Kingsgate and the Millennium, before its conversion in 2003 to an apartment complex known as Zenith Residences. The famous Coca-Cola sign still stands at the bottom

Dignitaries and members of the public watch official proceedings during the opening of the Kings Cross Tunnel near the junction of Bayswater Road, Kings Cross Road and William Street. Notable attendees visible in the audience include former Main Roads Commissioner John Alexander Lachlan Shaw, Commissioner Brian Joseph Sexton and former Inspecting Engineer Designer EF Mullin. Behind the pedestrian bridge, the Edgecliff portion of the Eastern Suburbs Railway viaduct is partially visible. To the left of the viaduct, unlit signs advertising Ceylon Tea and the airline Alitalia are mounted on Bayswater Road buildings that still operate as commercial premises today. Behind the footbridge, the tall white tower of Ranelagh Apartments on Darling Point Road can be seen. Also in partial view is the now demolished Whitehall Hotel at 85 to 97 New South Head Road, Rushcutters Bay

An XY Ford Falcon Sydney RSL taxi travels westbound on William Street, near the Victoria Street western portal bridge, during construction work on the Kings Cross Tunnel. Further east, a 387 Sydney bus passes a partially visible advertisement for Air New Zealand, which is mounted to the roof of a former Commonwealth Bank building on the corner of Darlinghurst Road and William Street. To the left of the roadworks, eastbound motorists pass the Kings Cross Hotel, travelling towards the Kingsgate Hotel on Darlinghurst Road

An earlier photo of William Street in Darlinghurst, looking east towards the Kingsgate Hotel during construction work on the Kings Cross Tunnel. Affixed to the base of the hotel is a mural designed by artist Roger Foley, also known as Ellis D Fogg, that is now the site of the landmark Kings Cross Coca Cola billboard. To the right of the construction site, at the junction of Darlinghurst Road and Victoria and William Streets, the Darlinghurst Fire Station is partially visible

An east facing view of William Street, looking towards the junction of Darlinghurst Road and Victoria Street well before construction on the tunnel began. The buildings visible in the background were demolished to make way for the western entrance of the Kings Cross Tunnel. A precursor to the landmark Kings Cross Coca Cola sign can be seen affixed to one of these buildings. This sign was removed during the tunnel's construction and was eventually replaced with the now famous Coca Cola billboard. A building with a neon sign reading Stacks is visible on the corner of Dowling and William Streets. This building once operated as Holden Motor Body Building Limited, also known as Holden House, an automotive workshop and factory dealership. In 1945, the site was bought by William J Stack of Stacks and Company, who renamed the building Stacks Corner. Along William Street, several signs advertising various products and businesses can be seen, including the Tomcat Club, Penfolds Wines, Dunlop, Millers Lager, Peter Stuyvesant cigarettes, and Kings X Barbeque

A south facing view, towards Calga, of crowds attending the official opening of the Mooney Mooney Creek Bridge on December 15, 1986, when more than 10,000 people crossed it. Building this 15km section of freeway required an immense amount and variety of work, with construction taking five years to complete. This section of the freeway eliminated a winding section of highway through Peats Ridge and reduced the journey by 14km

A member from the Salvation Army officiates the wedding of young bride and groom Barbara and Michael during the official opening of the Mooney Mooney Creek Bridge, after they won a Central Coast 2GR radio competition. The bride appears to be reciting her vows before the audience. An unknown Best Man and Maid of Honour observe the official proceedings that take place on a stage at the northern end of the bridge towards Somersby

Newlyweds Barbara and Michael, and their wedding party, celebrate their freeway nuptials with a wedding reception during the opening of the Mooney Mooney Creek Bridge, in the Bridge Observation Area and lookout

Members of the Copacabana Surf Life Saving Club sell a variety of showbags at the opening of the Mooney Mooney Creek Bridge. A unique stamp of Australian culture, throughout the 1980s there was an increase in the addition of comic books to showbags sold throughout the nation at various sports, social and cultural events. Visible showbags on display include Nestle, Milo and Bubble Yum. Behind the stall, an advertisement for Pepsi is partially visible

An aerial view of the bridge today, now known to many locals as the NSW Big Dipper. The twin bridges carry the M1 Pacific Motorway across Mooney Mooney Creek, through Brisbane Water National Park, standing at 16m higher than the deck of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

V Figge, W Rock, J Popouic, T Famey, D Baron and N Prichard stand at the original site of the Wentworth Falls War Memorial. Designed by architect John Burcham Clamp, the monument was originally located at the corner of the Great Western Highway and Station Street with unveiling carried out by Governor Walter Davidson in 1921. In 1984 the monument was relocated to Coronation Park on Station Street where a new commemorative plaque was unveiled by Major General Sir Ivan Dougherty

During relocation efforts of the monument, a Trademark VR Lighting fruit preservation jar, with a paper scroll wedged inside, was uncovered on site

A group of children, mostly girl guides, at the official opening of the Pacific Highway's Bellwood Deviation, which was built to bypass Nambucca Heads, about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane on the NSW Mid North Coast, on December 11, 1980
Thomas E. Rohrer, MD, ASLMS President There is no conference that presents as much high-quality new information on lasers and energy-based devices anywhere in the world.

The 40th Annual Conference of the ASLMS will present the newest and most exciting advances in medical lasers and energy-based devices. Physicians, scientists, nurses, allied health professionals, and industry members will come together to exchange information on their latest discoveries, applications, and research in the field.

The ASLMS 2021 virtual program features the best of the Annual Conference, with new formats and features. Over 40 hours of CME content is blended with non-CME favorites, as well as new industry webinars, demonstrations, and videos. One registration fee provides access to all live sessions on May 15 -16, 2021 as well as on-demand sessions that will be available through July 15, 2021.

ASLMS 2021 is where the worlds leading experts in lasers and energy-based devices will share their most recent advances in both bench science and patient care. Practitioners will learn state-of-the-art techniques, treatments, and tips to employ in their practice. Courses, special sessions, and workshops are all taught by key leaders in our field. Topics include vascular, pigmented lesions, tattoo removal, ablative/non-ablative procedures, skin cancer, women's health, body contouring, laser-assisted drug delivery, scars, combination therapies, and many more. Top tips for laser safety, managing pain, side effects, and complications will also be presented.

During the abstract sessions, authors will present their original cutting-edge research in the field of lasers and energy-based devices for the first time. These sessions are the lifeblood of ASLMS annual meetings and the entire laser and energy-based device field of medicine. Hundreds of clinical and scientific studies will be presented this year and highlight the latest advances and technologies on the market.

The ASLMS is a unique society where clinicians, researchers, and engineers first share and discuss their ideas. Over the years, most major advances in the field of laser and energy-based device treatments were first unveiled at ASLMS annual meetings," Thomas Rohrer, MD, ASLMS President said. "It is the meeting where the information presented gets quoted and referenced at all other meetings the rest of the year.

The 40th anniversary of the ASLMS and its Annual Conference features a wide variety of events and learning opportunities and will be a true celebration of excellence, both past and future. Highlights include the Plenary Session special presentation, 40 Years in 40 Minutes, commemorating the Societys history and highlighting key breakthroughs and luminaries in laser and energy-based medicine. The 6th Annual Celebration of ASLMS Women in Energy-Based Devices (WEBD) theme is 40 Light Years: Illuminating Women in Lasers and Light Devices. The event will celebrate the excellence of women involved in the ASLMS and feature inspiring speakers and panelists.

Other special sessions allow attendees to be the first to hear the latest advances from top leaders in the field. The non-CME Tech Connect session is where experts share their unbiased and unfiltered preferences for specific devices and treatments. Presentations and discussions will include the newest developments in picosecond devices, womens health, body contouring, and scar treatment. During the Cutting Edge session, industry luminaries will share the very latest in the recent offspring of selective cryolysis, expanded application of laser-assisted drug delivery, and laser-based x-ray sources for disease detection and treatment.

Our industry partners have a strong presence in the 2021 program as well. They will showcase their new technologies and applications in the virtual Innovations Center and throughout the program via non-CME industry webinars and white papers.

"There is no conference that presents as much high-quality new information on lasers and energy-based devices anywhere in the world," said Rohrer.

To learn more about ASLMS 2021 and register to attend, visit https://conference.aslms.org/2021/


Shut down! Jennifer Lopez spoke out for the first time since denying she and Alex Rodriguez split, sharing a Tik Tok video on Sunday, March 14.

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The Hustlers star, 51, posted a video featuring several headlines about the alleged split, cutting to a clip of her saying, Youre dumb. Rodriguez, 45, for his part, said he was not single while speaking with TMZ on his way to the gym in Miami on Saturday, March 13.

Jennifer Lopez Addresses Alex Rodriguez Split Rumors After Confirming They're Still Together: 'You're Dumb'

Us Weekly confirmed that Lopez and Rodriguez are still together earlier that same day. The pair released a joint statement to TMZ about the rumors.

All the reports are inaccurate. We are working through some things, the couple said.

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TMZ reported that the issues the duo are facing are not related to a third party. It was previously reported that Lopez and Rodriguez called it quits amid rumors that the athlete had a fling with Southern Charms Madison LeCroy.

Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Whispers of an affair between the South Carolina native and former New York Yankee began swirling after her Southern Charm costar Craig Conover accused her of sleeping with ex-MLB players during part one of the Bravo shows reunion special, which aired in January. LeCroy denied the allegations at the time.

She later told the New York Posts Page Six that she had spoken to Rodriguez, but only via FaceTime. Hes never physically cheated on his fiancee with me, she said in February. [Its] never been physical  never had any kind of anything. Just an acquaintance. The makeup artist added their conversations happened randomly, but not [consistently].

Sources close to Rodriguez told Us he never met the reality star.

According to TMZ, Lopez and Rodriguez are taking some time apart although they are still a couple. Hes currently in Florida while she is working on a film in the Dominican Republic  the same place she and her fiance vacationed days before the split reports surfaced.

Rodriguez shared a lovey-dovey pic of himself and the Grammy Award winner from the trip, calling her perfeccion, or perfection in English.

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They started dating in 2017 and got engaged in 2019. The pair were planning their wedding in early 2020 but they were forced to postpone their nuptials twice amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 21:12:52|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The annual number of construction starts of private homes and apartments in Israel fell by about 3.5 percent in 2020, according to an annual report published Sunday by the state's Central Bureau of Statistics.

According to the data, the construction of 51,605 private housing units has begun in Israel last year, compared with 53,469 in 2019.

In addition, there was a decrease of 8 percent in the constructed housing units, from 52,060 in 2019 to 47,920 last year.

Gad Lior, a senior analyst for Yedioth Ahronoth daily newspaper, told Xinhua that the drop in both figures was due to the coronavirus pandemic and lower demand for apartments.

"Demand has fallen because of the uncertainty regarding the pandemic. It has also not been clear whether government plans for subsidized housing will continue," Lior added. Enditem
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy charged the House Democrats for employing dirty tactics to unseat a GOP Congress member. He cited the Democrats for the attempt to increase their seats.

House Democrats Tries to Steal GOP Seat

McCarthy scoured the attempt by the Democrats last Friday, an attempt to grab a seat to increase the DEMS. He pointed out that it undermined the majority voted GOP congresswoman, who won fair and square.

After the DEMS took power, they have in many instances used their majority in the Senate and House to dominate via partisanship. Already they have used it to push bills in their favor.

On Wednesday, the House Administration Committee denied the appeal of Miller-Meek to dismiss Hart's election results claim. The DEMS said she really won, not the Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who won by 6 close votes. Hart still insisted she is the real winner in Iowa's second congressional district during the 2020 elections, reported the Blaze.

The sitting congresswoman Miller-Meeks wanted to shutdown Hart's persistent claim to end the row. According to McCarthy's allegations, the Administration Committee used their party majority to unseat the sitting GOP member hopefully.

Hart cited that the election result did not include 22 legally cast ballots during the elections, which resulted in defeat. If they were counted, there would have been another result. Under the Federal Contested Election Act, she lodged her protest against the winner.

The House Democrat-dominated Administration Committee's decision is suspect for its alleged motivations to decline the GOP winner's request. Miller-Meeks was confirmed to have legitimately won the election by a recount, and bipartisan canvass in the Iowa elections, noted Iowa City Press-Citizen reported.

 Nancy Pelosi just admitted that her House Democrats could overturn the will of Iowa voters!



I need your help to stop her from stealing our election. Chip in today and help me fight back! #ia02 https://t.co/JnLHaFCzo7  Dr. Miller-Meeks (@millermeeks) March 11, 2021

Also read: Rep. Crenshaw Slams Democrats for Calling ID Laws Suppressive

By all accounts, Hart's claims have been refuted, but the Democrats stand to gain a seat from it. They have ignored a legal win by Miller-Meeks, by casting their alleged motivations in entertaining Hart's claims.

McCarthy was interviewed by the Fox News host Sean Hannity, who said the DEMs were interested in sustaining Hart's questionable claims. This is getting serious when he said the GOP seat is in danger of being stolen by the Democrats. They are allegedly dead set on getting one more seat with their five-seat majority.

McCarthy stressed that Congresswoman Miller-Meeks was the one true winner on election day, and the DEMS lost one too many. She had the most votes in the recount and certified winner already doing her duties. GOP House Minority Leader said that the congresswoman is on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, responsible for changes in the COVID bill for assisting combat veterans, but DEMs shot it down.

He told Hannity that the Democrats failed to sweep the elections and have the slimmest majority with just five seats. They cited the double-faced standard of allowing their candidate to protest; President Donald Trump cannot challenge Biden's dubious poll count.

Miller-Meeks said Hart intends to ignore electoral victory by colluding with House Democrats to violate voters in Iowa. The recent election has seen the GOP accused the DEMs of ignoring the voters too many times.

Related article: Gas Prices Soar Due to Biden Energy Policies, Says Oil CEO

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An occasional adviser who has known Andrew Cuomo for nearly 40 years tells me that the New York governor  after a career of playing hardball, including over-the-line threats  has "no net of good will" to catch him.

The state of play: After a cascade of harassment accusations, his resignation is being demanded by both of the state's U.S. senators (Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand), almost the whole 29-member congressional delegation, and a majority of Democrats in the state legislature.

Two stories on Friday quoted a chorus of former aides about the toxic workplace he created and condoned  where young women were constant targets of unwanted attention and touching.

In New York Magazine, Rebecca Traister writes: "In speaking with 30 women, ... almost all who worked for him commented on the extreme pressure applied by both the governor and his top female aides to dress well and expensively; some were told explicitly by senior staff that they had to wear heels whenever he was around."

"The sheer amount of interpersonal drama, anxiety, and rancor that former Cuomo staffers described was wholly exhausting, like something from 'The Devil Wears Prada.'"

of interpersonal drama, anxiety, and rancor that former Cuomo staffers described was wholly exhausting, like something from 'The Devil Wears Prada.'" "Multiple people told me that they began therapy and antidepressants for the first time in their lives while working for Cuomo."

More than 35 current and former Cuomo employees described his office to the N.Y. Times as "chaotic, unprofessional and toxic, especially for young women."

"Twelve young women said they felt pressured to wear makeup, dresses and heels, because, it was rumored, that was what the governor liked."

said they felt pressured to wear makeup, dresses and heels, because, it was rumored, that was what the governor liked." "Several recalled having to cut short vacations or miss their childrens birthday parties for seemingly minor tasks such as transcribing television interviews with local politicians in other states whom Mr. Cuomo feared could someday become political rivals."

Between the lines: I asked someone who was personally threatened by Cuomo how all this could have stayed secret.

"It was a very insular world," the source explained. "If you weren't part of it, you didn't have much visibility into it  and if you were in it, you kept its secrets."

Go deeper: How Cuomo investigation, impeachment could play out.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 20:38:30|Editor: huaxia

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Suspected militants arrested by Afghan security force members are seen in Jalalabad city, capital of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, March 14, 2021. The personnel of Afghanistan's national intelligence agency have recently captured 19 militants in the country's eastern Nangarhar province, the province's governor said Sunday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The personnel of Afghanistan's national intelligence agency have recently captured 19 militants in the country's eastern Nangarhar province, the province's governor said Sunday.

"The arrestees were captured in provincial capital Jalalabad city, Surkh Rod, Shinwar and Behsud districts within the past seven days," Governor Ziaulhaq Amarkhil told reporters.

The militants included 17 Taliban militants and two militants of the Islamic State (IS) group, he said.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) personnel also seized in their operations weapons and ammunition including suicide bomb vests, pistols, mines and one improvised explosive device, said the governor.

In a separate development, Afghanistan's security forces nabbed three armed members of Taliban in Khan Abad district of northern Kunduz province on Sunday, according to the district's deputy chief Qudratullah Safi.

The official added the militants were captured in an ambush laid by the security forces when they were travelling along a main road in the province, 250 km north of the national capital Kabul.

The militant groups have not yet made comment on the report. Enditem
Britains most senior naval officer last night complained that the British Government had insulted him in a row over intelligence and security.

Admiral Lord West of Spithead, 72, a decorated Falklands veteran, former First Sea Lord and a Security Minister under Gordon Brown, was denounced on the record by the Foreign Office for engaging in disinformation and propaganda and for helping to distract attention from the war crimes of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Lord West believes there are serious doubts about an investigation into the use of poison gas by Syria in Douma in 2018, and that credible complaints of censorship, made by whistleblowers, have been wrongly ignored.

The unprecedented high-level slanging match is the latest and most explosive episode in this simmering scandal over poison gas and censored intelligence first exposed by The Mail on Sunday. The Admirals supposed misdeed was signing an international Statement of Concern over an alleged distortion of intelligence by the UNs chemical weapons watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

A picture released by the French Defence audiovisual communication and production unit showing the launching of a cruise missile from a French military vessel in the Mediterranean sea towards targets in Syria in 2018

Lord West, the last to leave his ship after it was sunk by bombing in the Falklands, is still on the Navys Active List and maintains a close interest in intelligence and security matters. He hit back hard at the Foreign Office statement, saying: It is an insult to accuse those who have concerns about the report as having a desire to whitewash the Assad regime.

He protested that he was most definitely not an apologist for the Damascus despot: I am on record on the floor of the House of Lords as having called Assad a loathsome man and clearly his regime has used chemical weapons at various times but that does not mean we should accept everything the OPCW says as true when there is reason for doubt.

The Admiral is one of a number of distinguished figures demanding a proper inquiry into complaints by experienced OPCW inspectors that a report on an alleged gas attack in Syria in April 2018 was censored to give a false outcome.

The row is highly sensitive because Britain, France and the US bombed Syria after the attack, without waiting for impartial evidence or proof that Assad was to blame. They could face war crimes charges if the bombing turned out not to have been justified. It is deeply inconvenient for the Government that a figure as senior and unimpeachable as Lord West should have broken ranks and questioned the official version.

Lord West told The Mail on Sunday last night: It is crucially important that organisations like the OPCW are squeaky clean. Intelligence has to be pure. You should not try to warp the intelligence to suit you. That is very, very dangerous and wrong.

He fears there may have been pressure on the OPCW to come up with a particular result. Assad is horrible, but the people we are dealing with in Syria are horrible. What sort of regime will they create if we get regime change? There are no good guys in this at all.

Hitting back: Admiral Lord West pictured arriving for a service of thanksgiving for the life and work of Sir Donald Gosling at Westminster Abbey in London

Lord West said he had met a brick wall when he had repeatedly complained about what seemed to be manipulation at some level.

He added: It does seem to me that there is enough evidence to show that the work the OPCW did on Douma was possibly flawed. The whistleblowers  a term I hate, but how else can they be described?  have been ignored. And he made it clear he was prepared to undergo bombardment in a good cause. I know I will get flak, but I have had flak before. Describing the Foreign Office denunciation as an outrageous allegation he insisted: There are very reasonable concerns about what is going on.

The Statement of Concern signed by Lord West was issued in New York by the Courage Foundation, a body dedicated to supporting whistleblowers anxious to tell the truth against official pressure.

It says: OPCW management now stands accused of accepting unsubstantiated or possibly manipulated findings with the most serious geo-political and security implications. Calls by some members of the Executive Council of the OPCW to allow all inspectors to be heard were blocked. It adds: To date, unfortunately, the OPCW senior management has failed to adequately respond to the allegations against it and, despite making statements to the contrary, we understand has never properly allowed the views or concerns of the members of the investigation team to be heard, or even met with most of them.

It has, instead, side-stepped the issue by launching an investigation into a leaked document related to the Douma case and by publicly condemning its most experienced inspectors for speaking out.

Shining a light: Some of Peter Hitchens other reports in the MoS on the 2018 gas attack

They call for a new and impartial inquiry into the dissenting inspectors allegations, urging the setting up of a transparent and neutral forum in which the concerns of all the investigators can be heard as well as ensuring that a fully objective and scientific investigation is completed.

Others signing the statement include Jose Bustani, a Brazilian diplomat who is himself a former chief of the OPCW; Katharine Gun, a vindicated Iraq War whistleblower whose story was told in the recent film Official Secrets; Hans-Christof von Sponeck, a former UN Assistant Secretary General; Alan Steadman, a chemical weapons munitions specialist, former OPCW inspection team leader and United Nations Special Commission inspector; and Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The Foreign Office statement read: The OPCWs fact-finding mission produced an extremely thorough and clearly evidenced report on the incident in Douma on April 7, 2018.

We are confident in the reports conclusion that a toxic chemical, likely chlorine, was used as a weapon and we maintain full confidence in the OPCW. Those who choose to attack the OPCW do so to draw attention from the Assad regimes repeated and unrepentant use of chemical weapons; and to deflect questions on their own failures to abide by the Convention. It is disinformation and propaganda.

The MoS alerted the Foreign Office to the fact that it was attacking a decorated officer, Privy Counsellor and former Minister, but it made no response.

The OPCWs headquarters in The Hague did not respond to requests for comment.
Dehradun, March 14 : Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Naresh Tikait on Sunday asserted that the fight against the three farm laws is now a battle for farmers' self-respect and the protesters will only leave the capital's borders with their honour intact.

Addressing a Mahapanchayat at Doiwala here, Tikait reiterated the demand of withdrawal of the farm laws and appealed the people to "punish" the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the elections for enacting "anti-farmer laws".

"We had supported the government first, voted for it and even appealed peope to vote for it but the government acted against us only. Communalism was spread and the way government portrayed it, we could only see that the other community was at fault," he said.

On the current agitation, he said: "We never thought that the protest will continue for so long. Earlier, the government use to agree to the demands in 5-10 days but it didn't happened this time." "We should call for another 'Bharat Bandh' where women and children should come out of the houses and block the roads," he said.

Highlighting the negatives of the farm laws, he said that now people have started boycotting the BJP.

While Tikait received warm welcome at several spots on his way to Doiwala, some miscreants tried to create ruckus at Badhrabad toll plaza.

Farmers who were present there to welcome Tikait said that the miscreants were not with them and they were trying to malign Tikait's image.

The BKU on February 28 had announced a series of Mahapanchayats, with an aim to intensify their agitation against the contentious farm laws, to be held in March. The Mahapanchayat in Doiwala was a part of this series.
The Lagos State Government has said the Apapa gridlock has eased considerably and urged terminal operators to support the interventions set in place to end the gridlock in Apapa and its environs.

The Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Transportation, Oluwatoyin Fayinka, disclosed this in a statement after an operation review Meeting with terminal operators in the Tin Can Island ports at Apapa.

Mr Fayinka, who doubles as the Chairman, Traffic Management Enforcement Team, declared that the meeting was a continuation of efforts to enlist the support of all the critical stakeholders in the ports at Apapa.

Mr Fayinka noted that traffic in and out of Apapa and its environs has improved drastically, saying If you come in through Eko bridge, Ijora, Sifax or Iganmu, the road is free. The only problem we are having now is from Area B to the Port.

We have actually met with Shippers Council and they told us they are ready.

We have agreed that the next meeting will be to engage the Shippers Council, the truckers, the terminal operators, Nigerian Ports Authority and every other Stakeholder, so we can listen to their challenges.

This is because we will want the Shippers Council to be up and doing in the evacuation of empty containers. It is their responsibility to remove empty containers from blocking the roads, he disclosed.

The Chairman of Apapa Local Government Area, Elijah Adele, charged terminal operators on the need to support the e-call up system.

Mr Adele noted that the time for making excuses is over, saying that everyone must cooperate with the State Government on Apapa gridlock intervention.

The traffic situation has to be drastically reduced so that your businesses can thrive.

When the road is free, the truckers turnover will be high. Traffic causes health, security, environmental and other societal problems. Im begging us, lets make this work, Mr Adele said.

Also at the event, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Central Business District, Sola Giwa, urged the terminal operators to automate their operations and sync up effectively with the Electronic Call Up System (ETO) system designed to sequence and batch trucks coming into the ports.

Mr Giwa also revealed that truckers had expressed frustrations at some of the actions of the Holding Bay operators, adding that 48 hours evacuation would be executed at Tincan just as it was done at Apapa Ports which was effective.

In her response, Vicky Hastrup, Chairman Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), said the existence of Petroleum Tank Farms within Apapa area was the beginning of the traffic woes of the area.

Ms Hastrup asked the state government to engage the federal government and relocate the tank farms as the state was sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

In agreement to the outcome of the meeting, the terminal operators promised the state government that they would not constitute encumbrance to the current intervention set in place to end the traffic gridlock in Apapa and its environs.

Mr Fayinka, however, further advised Tincan Port Operators to blow the whistle on sharp practices being executed by members of staff and other officials connected to the entire process.

(NAN).

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The AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Oxford University, has run into some problems. European countries have suspended use of it over concerns about blood clots, although no evidence has been found of any causal link. Some people in Germany are also declining to receive it because of its lower overall efficacy in clinical trials, compared with other vaccines.
In March 2012, six state senators and Gov. Dannel Malloys criminal justice point person, Michael Lawlor, visited two prisons: Northern Correctional Institution, a supermax prison where the men on death row were incarcerated, and MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, the largest maximum security prison in New England.

The goal: to convince lawmakers on the fence  all Democrats  to vote to repeal the death penalty.

The legislature had already sent a bill to end capital punishment to the governors desk in 2009, but it was vetoed by then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Fast forward three years, however, and the math had changed. Several lawmakers were reconsidering their earlier votes, hesitant to go against the wishes of Dr. William Petit, whose wife and two daughters were murdered at their Cheshire home in 2007.

At every point of every conversation on criminal justice after July 2007, the Cheshire murders were the focal point, Lawlor said in a recent interview. Now an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven, Lawlor also served 12 terms in the General Assembly.

Northern lived up to its reputation during that March tour. Lawmakers saw prisoners locked up 22 hours a day in tiny cement rooms, under guard when they moved outside their cells.

The totality of the living conditions there, the grimness of the living conditions there, the totality of the grimness of the living conditions, had a profound effect, former Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams Jr., told the CT Mirror in 2012.

Then the group went to MacDougall. Natural light poured in through the windows in the facilitys atrium. Because the senators arrived midday, many prisoners were out of their cells.

To get senators to a yes on repeal, a compromise would need to be struck: those originally sentenced to die must remain in conditions more akin to Northern than MacDougall.

One of those Democrats was Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, who was in favor of abolishing the death penalty until she met with Petit, who told her a repeal would make it more difficult for prosecutors to get a death sentence for Joshua Komisarjevsky, one of the two men who killed his wife and daughters. I want to give [Petit] a little ounce of consideration here and thats my reason at this point in time to not support repeal, Prague told The Hartford Courant in 2011. I have to live with myself. I could not for one second cause this family any more stress.

The trip to Northern, however, assuaged Pragues doubts.

I did go to Northern and saw death row and saw how horrible it is there.  Spending life in prison without the possibility of parole on death row, in a situation that is just like death row, is very, very, very, severe punishment, Prague told her colleagues in a Senate floor debate on April 4, 2012, recalling the visit to the Somers prison the previous month. So  and that was our Amendment A.'

That amendment would become 18-10b, a statute that requires the Department of Correction to impose severe conditions of confinement on the former death row inmates. The bill created special circumstances that would ensure the men would not live comfortable lives in prison, even if they were spared lethal injection.

The Cheshire murders factored into every second of the death penalty abolition, said Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, who was serving in the House of Representatives during the 2012 vote to repeal the death penalty. Lawmakers didnt want death row inmates  particularly the Cheshire murderers, Komisarjevsky and his accomplice Steven Hayes  to be able to just roam free in the prisons, he said. They wanted them to have restrictive ways of living and all the things that made people feel better about casting a vote in the affirmative.

It worked. Proponents of ending the death penalty in Connecticut succeeded in 2012, but not until they struck a deal that ensured those on death row would be held in conditions more onerous than the general incarcerated population. Not only did they codify many of the special conditions of confinement for death row inmates, the bill they passed was prospective, meaning capital punishment would not be sought as punishment for future crimes. But lethal injection would remain a distant possibility for the 11 men on death row at the time, until the state Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 2015.

Ive always thought they were the sacrifice so we could all feel better, said Hope Metcalf, researcher and clinical lecturer at Yale Law School and Executive Director of the Orville H. Schell Jr. Center for International Human Rights, of the fewer than a dozen men who remained on death row when capital punishment was repealed. Because now Connecticut no longer has the death penalty.

Malloy signed the bill April 25, 2012, enshrining 18-10b into statute.

I dont think you would have repealed the death penalty if you didnt make that compromise, said Winfield.

All seven of the men formerly on death row who are still locked up in Connecticut on special circumstances are at Northern. Joseph Silva, convicted of murder with special circumstances in 2018, is also subjected to those conditions of confinement. Like the others, he remains at the Somers prison.

Last month, DOC Commissioner Angel Quiros announced Northern will close by July 1. He cited the declining number of people in prisons and jails  a decline hastened since the pandemics onset  and his obligation to the taxpayers of Connecticut as the basis of his decision to shutter the supermax. The closure is symbolic to advocates who see the facility as a monument to a past ethos that the purpose of incarceration is to punish and break people.

Now, with Northerns closure looming, prison officials must decide where to incarcerate the men who had been sentenced to die. Lawmakers, meanwhile, have an opportunity to change the conditions in which they live.

If Richard Reynolds gets his way, they might not have much of a choice.

Sentenced to death only

For the past quarter of a century, Reynolds has been confined alone to a room the size of a parking space, a 12-by-7-foot cell in which he can walk from one end to the other in two and a half steps.

Reynolds was sentenced to death in March 1995 for killing a Waterbury police officer. His sentence was changed to 999 years after the state Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that it was unconstitutional to execute the 11 men who were on death row. Over the next few years Reynolds and most of his peers were re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release. They would still die in prison  but by the passing of time, not by lethal injection.

In an affidavit, Reynolds said that two weeks after the 2015 Supreme Court ruling, prison officials removed the death row signs from the cell doors of those who had previously been sentenced to die. Nothing else changed, he said.

Like the other men held under special circumstances, Reynolds has been locked in his cell for up to 22 hours a day since he was sentenced. He is escorted or monitored if he leaves his cell, which is searched twice a week, and he is transferred to a new cell at least every 90 days. Its been a quarter of a century since he interacted with any incarcerated people other than those originally sentenced to death.

Reynolds filed a lawsuit challenging the conditions of his confinement in 2013, four years before he was resentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Plaintiff was sentenced to death only, Reynolds scrawled in his original 36-page handwritten complaint. Not a sentence of death and psycological (sic) torment and solitary confinement.

U.S. District Court Judge Stefan Underhill, who heard Reynolds complaint after he was resentenced and subject to life on special circumstances status, ruled in August 2019 that the conditions of confinement were unconstitutional. In his 57-page ruling, Underhill observed that the way Reynolds is locked up is more restrictive than any other form of incarceration available within the State of Connecticut prison system.

Now 52, Reynolds likely still has decades of life left in prison.

The state has appealed Underhills ruling, leaving Reynolds case unresolved.

The closure of Northern later this year, however, puts the state at a crossroads, with at least two possible paths forward.

State officials can keep to the status quo and simply hold the former death row cohort at another prison under the same conditions while they wait for a higher court judge to issue a final decision in Reynolds case on whether 18-10b is constitutional. Or, lawmakers can act proactively and pass a law striking 18-10b and change the conditions of confinement for the former death row inmates.

For its part, the DOC said it has not asked lawmakers to make a statutory change. The men will be sent to a similarly secure prison  either MacDougall, Cheshire, Garner or Corrigan  following Northerns closure.

Well be looking for a location thats operationally feasible for our staff to manage them, said Karen Martucci, the agencys director of external affairs. We will just manage them as theyre managed now, at a different location.

The Judiciary Committee has raised a bill in this session that would largely end the practice of solitary confinement. That measures public hearing could be an opportunity for lawmakers and others to reconsider the special circumstances conditions of confinement, said Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport and committee co-chair.

With Northern closing, now is the time to have that conversation, he said.

Just another inmate

In a deposition for Reynolds lawsuit filed with the court in November 2018, former Department of Correction Commissioner Leo Arnone  who also was on the 2012 tour at Northern and MacDougall  said he didnt believe the 18-10b statute made the prison system more secure.

This is punishment, thats why it was built that way, he said of 18-10b. This is the way it was designed, to be a punishment for these specific crimes.

Semple said he anticipated the statute would be found unconstitutional. When he spoke with officials from other states that had abolished the death penalty, they told him they relied on risk assessment formulas and reclassified men formerly on death row accordingly.

Find me another state that has these types of requirements, Semple said of 18-10b. It doesnt exist.

Lawlor agrees.

The real goal was to get rid of the death penalty, and this was the price to pay to get that to happen, in my opinion: putting this language in, knowing full well it may not be enforceable, Lawlor said.

Most of the men formerly on death row likely would be placed under maximum security type of oversight, Semple said, but the DOC lacks the discretion to reclassify the men to a different type of confinement.

In his 2018 deposition, Arnone recounted what happened the last time the state abolished the death penalty. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Furman v. Georgia that placed a moratorium on the death penalty until, four years later, the court ruled capital punishment was constitutional, allowing executions to resume.

Prison officials took the men on death row and released them to the general population, maximum security only, he said.

The landscape changes

In 2009  two years after the Cheshire murders  it wasnt as difficult to sell lawmakers on abolishing the death penalty. There was momentum nationally and within Connecticut for repeal. New Mexico had abolished capital punishment, and legislators in Colorado, Montana and Maryland came close to getting rid of it, as well.

Legislators passed a number of criminal justice reform measures in 2008  changing the rules governing how the Board of Pardons and Paroles functions, mandating the DOC and parole board use a risk assessment tool so they could identify who is high-risk to release, and allowing prosecutors, parole boards and other members of the criminal justice system to share information on cases.

Lawlor said there were several arguments in 2009 for repealing the death penalty, but he remembers the most compelling being that capital punishment in Connecticut was a fraud. Michael Ross was the first person executed since the 1960s, and he spent the last 10 years of his life working with prosecutors so he could get the death penalty, Lawlor said.

It wasnt just all of a sudden people became liberals. It was, It doesnt work, it cant work, and theres no way you can fix it,' said Lawlor.

Over Petits objection, legislators passed the bill and sent it to Rells desk. She vetoed it.

The conditions of confinement language was not in the 2009 bill. Those only were formulated after that visit to the prisons [in March 2012,] where a number of those legislators said, I will only vote to repeal the death penalty if you add some language that makes it clear they wont ever be in general population,' Lawlor said.

Malloy took office in January 2011. During his campaign, Malloy said he would sign a bill repealing the death penalty but as time passed, and the political landscaped morphed, repeal was no longer a sure bet by 2012.

Theres a magic to that kind of thing. But when you do that thing, strangely the magic wears off, Winfield said. And people are now faced with the fact that theyve taken a certain vote and people are reacting to that vote and all of the things that come with it the landscape changed, even though the people didnt really change.

The Cheshire murders began to take up more and more space in the states subconscious. As their trials played out in 2010 and 2011, Hayes and Komisarjevsky seemed to be constantly in the news. While the horrific crime tapped into the primal fears of upper-middle class families who thought they were insulated from random acts of violence, the trials renewed both those fears and public sympathy for Petit.

Hayes was sentenced to death in November 2010. Prosecutors portrayed him as a sadistic, violent man who abused his brother when they were younger, and who threatened suicide as a way to manipulate jurors to spare him from execution.

Jurors spent four days weighing the evidence before determining a death sentence was an appropriate punishment for Komisarjevsky. Superior Court Judge Jon Blue sentenced him to death in 2012, three months before legislators would pass the bill to repeal the death penalty for future crimes.

Petit later ran for office as a Republican. He won a seat representing Plainville in the House of Representatives in the 2016 election, a position he still holds today.

He declined to be interviewed for this story.

Life in special circumstances

Reynolds was transferred from jail to Northern in 1995 shortly after the supermax opened.

I have been locked in a concrete cell alone every day for the past 23 years, Reynolds said in an affidavit in 2018. I can only communicate with my neighbors by shouting through the vent, and even shouting can be hard to hear over the constant noise in the unit.

Despite his status as a special circumstances inmate, Reynolds conditions of incarceration are not unique among prisoners who are held on other restrictive statuses . The DOC will move some of these prisoners to different cells every few months, search inmates cells at least twice per week and lock people up in solitary for long periods until they complete special programming.

In his 2019 ruling on Reynolds case, Underhill said the conditions of confinement for the former death row inmates are unconstitutional because, among other reasons, the legislature retroactively punished these men for their crimes after they had already been sentenced. He issued an order requiring prison officials to give Reynolds more time out of his cell and prohibiting prison officials from segregating him from other prisoners not on the special status.

Underhill also prohibited the state from enforcing 18-10b against any inmate being held in a Connecticut prison.

From the moment the repeal was passed, I felt like it was inexorably leading to this showdown. You cant simultaneously save someones life and then subject them to this kind of torture for the rest of their life, Metcalf said. Think about what thats like as they start to age and one-by one they die off. Its like a nursing home from hell.

Lawmakers options

If the state waits until Reynolds case finishes wending through the courts to make any changes to the ways inmates on special circumstances are confined, lawmakers can act now. Stafstrom, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, noted that the committee has raised the PROTECT Act, which, would largely end solitary confinement for all people in prisons and jails.

Where I stand is, someones risk level should not be based on the crime they committed in society but how they comport themselves within the correctional facility, said Stafstrom, who was not in the legislature 2012 when his colleagues voted to abolish the death penalty.

Winfield, now a state senator representing New Haven and a co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, said he thinks the legislature has little impetus to take up the issue, since the DOC isnt asking for a statutory change, and lawmakers havent been asked to grapple with the constitutionality of the special circumstances conditions of confinement.

I think oftentimes the reason why the court must act is because the legislature is immobilized, Winfield said. Whether we think theres a value to the legislature acting or not, this is one of those situations where ultimately the courts need to act.

Some survivors of crime feel differently. Jessica Pizzano, the director of victim services for Survivors of Homicide, Inc., which provides counseling, support and advocacy for homicide victims loves ones, said many of the people her organization has supported feel that if someone took anothers life and was sentenced to death, they should be treated differently than other people in prison. Pizzano said those families serve a life sentence, too, because of the trauma inflicted upon them.

It helps them to know that, you know, theyre not in these big beautiful places, that theyre in a cold, dark cell, Pizzano said. You know, our families arent necessarily out for blood. But after something thats happened to them, thats so horrible, they like to know that the persons life is not comfortable, and that the punishment is making them realize what they did was a horrible thing.

Even though Hayes and Komisarjevsky are the reason lawmakers created the special circumstances law, they are not subjected to it. Both men were transferred to prisons in Pennsylvania nearly five years ago. As of March 1, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Inmate Locator tool, Komisarjevsky is in a maximum security facility; Hayes is in a medium-security prison.

Because they are no longer in Connecticut, neither is being held under the conditions of confinement that Reynolds and the others must endure.
Luxembourg production company Samsa Films has issued an apology after it received a wave of criticism for including racial stereotypes and poorly-chosen language in its casting announcements.

Samsa Films published a casting call earlier this week for extras and small-part actors to participate in the second season of Capitani, the internationally successful detective series shot and produced in Luxembourg.

Among the roles sought in the advert were "men aged 22 to 55, of African origin, to appear with a handgun", as well as "five men of African origin, aged 16 to 35, to play dealers".

The production company additionally requested candidates matching the description of "a tall, beefy Eastern European man to play a bouncer".

The announcements caused uproar on social media, with many users criticising the company for perpetuating negative racial stereotypes and conveying a racist message in its quest for actors and extras.

Among the voices of dissent was the Luxembourgish antiracist organisation Letz Rise Up, who criticised the production company's wording and said the industry should not be sustaining stereotypes which are the result of structural and systemic discrimination in society.

Samsa Films responded to the criticism with a Twitter post apologising for the "inappropriate terms" used by the agency in charge of casting for the series.
Body of Saw Pyae Naing is placed in a coffin at his home in Mandalay, Burma, on March 14, 2021. (AP Photo)

At Least 4 People Shot Dead in Burma Anti-Coup Protests

YANGON, BurmaAt least four people were shot dead during protests in Burma on Sunday, as security forces continued their violent crackdown against dissent following last months military coup.

Two of the victims were killed in Yangon, the countrys largest city. One of them was shot in the head and another was shot in the abdomen, according to local media covering the demonstrations in Hlaing Thar Yar Township.

A third person died in the northern city of Hpakant when police fired into a crowd of demonstrators, local media reported. A fourth victim, a woman, died after being shot in the head in Mandalay, the countrys second-largest city, as security forces were conducting clearance operations.

Anti-coup protesters carry an injured man following clashes with security in Yangon, Burma, on March 14, 2021. (AP Photo)

In Yangon, video posted on social media showed crowds of people, some wearing hard hats and gas masks, running down a street amid sounds of gunfire. The demonstrators quickly sprayed vapor from fire extinguishers as they retreated.

The use of fire extinguisherscommon now in protests across Burmais intended to smother tear gas and also create a vapor screen that makes it harder for police to pursue or shoot demonstrators.

There were also reports of injuries from live rounds and rubber bullets in other parts of Yangon, including Insein district, where billows of black smoke could be seen after security forces reportedly set roadblocks on fire.

On Saturday, the civilian leader of Burmas government in hiding vowed to continue supporting a revolution to oust the military leaders who seized power in the Feb. 1 coup. Mahn Win Khaing Than, who was named the acting vice president by Burmas ousted lawmakers and is a member of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyis political party, addressed the public for the first time since the coup.

This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close, he said in a video posted on the shadow governments website and social media.

In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades really desired, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together, he said.

He added: We will never give up to an unjust military, but we will carve our future together with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished.

At the end of the message, he flashed the three-finger salute that has become a symbol of resistance to the military rulers.

Anti-coup protesters hold signs that read We dont accept military coup during a march in Mandalay, Burma, on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo)

Also Saturday, security forces again opened fire on demonstrators, killing four in Mandalay, two in Pyay in south-central Burma, and one in Twante, a suburb of Yangon. Details of all seven deaths were posted on multiple social media accounts, with some accompanied by photos of the victims.

The actual death toll is likely to be higher, as police apparently seized some bodies, and some of the victims suffered serious gunshot wounds that doctors and nurses working at makeshift clinics would be hard-pressed to treat. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces, and as a result are boycotted by medical personnel and shunned by protesters.

The independent U.N. human rights expert for Burma, Tom Andrews, said last week that credible reports indicated that at least 70 people had died so far, and cited growing evidence of crimes against humanity by the military.

Other unofficial but carefully compiled tallies put the number of deaths since the coup at around 90.

Saturdays killings did not faze demonstrators in Yangon who crowded a downtown commercial area past the official 8 p.m. curfew to hold a mass candlelight vigil and sing about their cause. The mostly young protesters rallied at an intersection where they usually gather for daytime protests.

After-dark rallies were also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.

The nighttime protests may reflect a more aggressive approach to self-defense that has been advocated by some protesters. Police have been aggressively patrolling residential neighborhoods at night, firing into the air and setting off stun grenades as part of intimidation.

They have also been carrying out targeted raids, taking people from their homes with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, the detainees died in custody within hours of being hauled away.
New Delhi, March 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed people to share their views, ideas and interesting topics from across India for this year's third 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme scheduled for March 28.

March 28th episode with the 75th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' that would begin at 11 a.m. This programme is held on every last Sunday of the month since the Modi government came to power in 2014.

"28th March...this year's third #MannKiBaat and yet another opportunity to highlight interesting topics, and inspiring life journey from across India. Post your views on 'MyGov' or the NaMo App, or record your message," Modi tweeted.

The government, in a message through 'My Gov' website, said your insights may be shared by the Prime Minister with the entire nation.

The phone lines are open from March 5 for sharing of ideas and the last date for closure of these lines is March 25.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks forward to sharing his thoughts on themes and issues that matter to you. He invites you to share your ideas on topics he would address on the 75th episode of the 'Mann Ki Baat'," said the government.

"Send us your suggestions on the themes or issues you want the Prime Minister to speak about in the upcoming "Mann Ki Baat" episode. Share your views in this open forum or alternatively you can also dial the toll-free number 1800-11-7800 and record your message for Modiji in either Hindi or English. Some of the recorded messages may become part of the broadcast." You can also give a missed call on 1922 and follow the link received in SMS to directly give your suggestions to the Prime Minister, it said.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday called upon the state officials to adhere to rule of law and exhibit 'political neutrality' ahead of the Assembly elections.

"Call upon the bureaucracy at the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee government, West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police to adhere to rule of law and exhibit 'political neutrality' so that our democracy flourishes. All must work to ensure peaceful environment that is quintessential for fair elections that is the basis of democracy," tweeted the Governor's office.

Elections in West Bengal will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29.

The tenure of the 16th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal will end on May 30 this year. A total of 7,34,07,832 voters will choose their representative for the 17th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(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.)
All Red States Must Join Gov. DeSantis to Restrain Big Tech

Commentary

By now every person awake, as opposed to woke, knows the dangers of Big Tech.

Through algorithmic manipulation, de-platforming and other noxious off-shoots of the tyrannical cancel culture these companies are changing history, reversing freedoms hard won since the Magna Carta, while having an unconscious numbing effect on our brains that eventually would render us a race of drones.

Something has to be done.

The federal government seems to be able to do no more than hold hearings. Those that might actually want to do something, like Sens. Hawley and Blackburn, are thwarted by the Democrats who, though they pay lip service to privacy concerns, have no real interest in biting the hand that both feeds and promotes them. (It also feeds lots of Republicans.)

The solution, as it does for most things these days, resides with the states, if they can ignore or reject those munificent campaign contributions.

The first steps, as they frequently are these days, have been taken by Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

In mid-February, the governor announced The Transparency in Technology Act to check the growing power and influence of Big Tech, whom he accused of looking more like Big Brother with each passing day.

The proposed legislation includes protections from capricious changes to platform terms of service, requires platforms to tell users why their accounts are suspended or terminated, and requires that algorithmic bias on behalf of a candidate be disclosed as a campaign finance contribution.

That could add up, depending on how you compute it. Moreover, de-platforming a political candidate, in his legislation, would cost the companies $100,000 a day (lunch money for these guys, but still)

Also, Floridians could opt out of content algorithms altogether in the proposal. (Imaginetheyd have to make up their minds themselves about what was important without any help from @jack.)

Makes sense, doesnt it? But why should this only be for Floridians? Why not all of us, at least most of us?

All Red States should be working on similar legislation NOW. (Excuse the faux pas of using upper case but they should have started long ago.)

They should follow the lead of Gov. DeSantis, use his legislation as a template, refine it, add to it, communicate with each other about it, come up with even better versions (quickly, please) but, most of all, enact them. Do it.

Trump won more than half of the fifty states in 2020, even if you dont include Georgia, Arizona and several others that remain iffy.

Thats a lot of states open to enacting similar legislation if their leadership could get it together. But why wait for them? Everyone should be on top of their local politicians to move forward with this.

This is at the very heart of our existences, unless you really want to live in 1984 with Mark Zuckerberg and his successors as your Big Brothers. With very few exceptions, we all use the internet almost as much as we breathe, like it or not. And our children often use it more. Our childrens children, if not before, will have it implanted in their bodies.

Will they be, in any sense, autonomous beings?

Google, Facebook, et al. will have an army of high-priced lawyers the size of India prepared to block this kind of legislation, huffing and puffing they are private companies. (Yes, we know. So was the phone company. They got regulated.) No doubt theyre already doing it. But if they have to deal with attorneys general of a few dozen states, all acting more or less at once, they may have to make some accommodation.

The good news is this is already happening. Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbot announced S.B. 12 which, in Abbots words would prohibit social media companies from censoring Texans based upon a Texans viewpoints.

Arizona and Minnesota, of all places, are also moving on this.

Wheres your state? Get on it. Or, as Mao would put it, Let a hundred flowers bloom, Let a hundred schools of thought contend [on social media, without censorship].

Roger L. Simon is an award-winning novelist, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, co-founder of PJMedia, and now, editor-at-large for The Epoch Times. His most recent books are The GOAT (fiction) and I Know Best: How Moral Narcissism Is Destroying Our Republic, If It Hasnt Already (nonfiction). He can be found on Parler as @rogerlsimon.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Hanjin Transportation Vice President Emily Lee Cho, left, and HYK Partners CEO Hahn Woo-jae



By Park Jae-hyuk



Emily Lee Cho's bid to become an executive director of Hanjin Transportation has hit a barrier, as HYK Partners, the second-largest shareholder of Hanjin Transportation, has succeeded in blocking discussion of her possible appointment during Hanjin Transportation's general shareholders meeting scheduled for March 25.



The private equity firm (PEF) appears to have achieved its goal of separating the logistics firm's ownership and management by preventing the Hanjin Group heiress from tightening her control. Now the activist fund is working toward achieving another goal of adding its own picks to Hanjin Transportation's board of directors.



According to a regulatory filing by Hanjin Transportation, all shareholder proposals made by HYK will be discussed during the company's general shareholders meeting.



The PEF has demanded the logistics firm's management increase the number of board members and give board seats to HYK CEO Han Woo-jae, KDI School of Public Policy and Management professor Park Jin and Hankook Cloud CEO Kim Hyun-kyum.



It also called for another amendment of articles of association to disqualify people from becoming board members, if they were imprisoned or received suspended jail terms within the past 10 years.



The proposals have been interpreted as attempts to block Cho's intervention in management.



Despite Hanjin Transportation's continuous denials, Cho's appointment as executive director was highly expected to take place during this year's shareholders meeting, considering her promotion to vice president late last year.



HYK has condemned Cho's promotion, saying it does not want Hanjin Group owner family members to hit the headlines anymore for their misdeeds committed while meddling with the management of the group's affiliates.



Industry officials say the stricter requirements for directors will be strong enough to pressure Cho, even though the vice president was acquitted of the charge of assaulting a manager of Korean Air's advertising agency by throwing water in the manager's face in 2018.



But still, HYK's chances of defeating Hanjin Transportation's management during the shareholders' meeting are slim.



The largest shareholder of Hanjin Transportation is Hanjin KAL, the holding company of Hanjin Group which is under control of the owner family. Hanjin KAL and its affiliated shareholders own a 27.41 percent stake in Hanjin Transportation, far more than the 9.79 percent stake that HYK holds.



HYK is attempting to fight back with attempts to win over minority shareholders. The PEF proposed a 1,000 won dividend per share, while the management suggested a 600 won dividend per share.



"We are asking shareholders to entrust their voting rights to us, in order to improve the transparency of the company's management and contribute to increasing shareholder benefits," HYK said.



In an apparent response, the management decided to repurchase company shares worth 20 billion won.



"We decided to buy back our shares to overcome the underestimation of our stocks, improve our shareholder value and show the possibility of sustainable growth," the company said.



What is currently being done to improve air quality in Luxembourg, and are there any new measures set to come into play?

In December 2020, the government passed its national air quality action plan. The main goal of the commitment is to reduce pollutant load, which officials hope to achieve with the use of the new traffic concept "2.0".

Elevated CO2 rates, which surpassed the EU recommendations in 2018, lead to the creation of the action plan in the first place. The programme that was subsequently developed proposes a number of measures to combat the environmental issue over the course of the coming years.

For one, the country's bus network is being upgraded in terms of electric vehicles. Secondly, the development of tram lines is supposed to help connect different locations in a more sustainable manner. A major challenge will be to meet the EU standards for diesel emissions.

Read also: 40% of Luxembourgish buses to be electrically operated by 2022

The national action plan builds on raising awareness of the state of the country's air quality, thus incentivising people to research the subject and advocate for improvements.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond, head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), has said there will no doubt be another wave of coronavirus infections in the autumn.

Speaking on Sunday, Sir Ian acknowledged the impact of the wonderful vaccine rollout though cautioned we need to recognise that this is a virus that isnt going to go away.

"And I have no doubt that in the autumn there will be a further wave of infections," he told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One.

The UKs national statistician pointed toward regional variations in terms of how many people have antibodies.

There is a lot of regional variation, so we find 30 per cent of London have antibodies whereas only 16 per cent in the South West, so we need to recognise that as well, he told the programme.

This comes after Professor Chris Whitty, Englands chief medical officer, said he would strongly advise against any rapid easing of coronavirus restrictions.

On Tuesday, Mr Whitty said reopening society is not without risk, warning that the UK will experience another surge of cases in late summer or through autumn and winter.

All the modelling suggests there is going to be a further surge and that will find the people who either have not been vaccinated or where the vaccine has not worked, Mr Whitty said.

Warning against the dangers of lifting restrictions too quickly, the chief medical officer said that even under the most optimistic set of assumptions, a further 30,000 lives could be lost to Covid-19

We hope it doesnt happen soon. It might, for example, happen later in the summer if we open up gradually, or because of the seasonal effect it might happen over the next autumn and winter, Prof Whitty said.

His comments appeared to be a response to some MPs calls to accelerate the governments roadmap out of lockdown, with measures set to be lifted at five-week intervals up to 21 June.

The governments chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, echoed Mr Whittys views, telling MPs: Its all pointing in the right direction, but I think nobody can say with certainty that this is finished. Were certainly not out of the woods yet, even on this wave.
Pune, March 14 : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar on Sunday claimed that barring Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to lose the upcoming Assembly elections in the other three states and a Union Territory.

Addressing the media in his hometown Baramati, Pawar said his assessment was based on the ground level situation and reports emanating from these states and UT.

About West Bengal, Pawar accused the BJP government at the Centre of "grossly abusing its power" to target Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is fighting a single-handed battle for the people of her state.

"The people of West Bengal are self-respecting. If anyone tries to attack the Bengali culture and pride, the whole state will stand up unitedly and retaliate," warned Pawar.

He said in such a scenario, no matter what anybody may claim, he was confident that "Mamata Banerjee will return to power".

In Kerala, Pawar said the NCP is in alliance with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and there is little doubt that they would attain a majority in the coming elections to retain power.

The poll scenario in Tamil Nadu seems to be in favour of the opposition DMK and its chief M.K. Stalin, who would unseat the ruling AIADMK and the people of the state would wholeheartedly support him to take over the reins of the state, Pawar added.

On Assam, the NCP chief said the BJP is already in power there and its comparative position there seems good so far, and hence it would retain power in that northeastern state.

The multi-phased elections for Assam, and West Bengal begin March 27, while Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will vote on April 6. Counting in all five polls will be held on May 2.
Are we making a mess of setting up Irelands online safety commissioner?

Its starting to look like it.

Ireland will now not have one for at least another year, the government says.

Why?

Delays. Administrative procedures. Committees. Codes.

It was supposed to be up and running this year.

But now, Facebook and Google wont be regulated in Ireland under the required EU law for some time to come.

And it may be quite some time.

In a 65-page submission to an Oireachtas committee on the issue last week, Facebook said it looks more likely that it will be 2023 or 2024.

It went through the legislative timetable, pointing out why.

Google, which hasnt spoken about it, privately agrees with the longer timeframe scenario.

TikTok  now also based here  doesnt even want to talk about it.

The governments conviction on adhering to the new timeline of 2022 is pretty watery, too, with a promise that its intended for next year.

The thing is, its not just our online safety commissioner thats at stake.

The Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill is supposed to set Ireland up as Europes watchdog for online video.

Thats because it transposes the EUs Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive. Most of the biggest social platforms base their services here.

And guess what our message to the rest of the EU now is?

Sorry, were not ready  Facebook and Google and TikTok wont be regulated for a few years yet.

Remember: this AVMS directive is already passed by the EU. Were supposed to have introduced it by now.

The lack of awareness at to how this looks to other EU countries is a bit depressing.

European neighbours have been angry at Ireland for years for what they see as a combination of light touch and laissez faire attitudes toward regulating the tech giants. Theyve accused us of deliberately under-resourcing everything from tax to data privacy with just a handful of civil servants to look after enforcement.

This was a chance to show them that we mean business.

Instead, were telling them we cant get it together on the latest important regulation issue.

Sadly, the delays could go even further into the future.

Some bits added by the government to Irish online safety bill look like they might clash with an upcoming EU regulation, the Digital Services Act. Assuming that comes into force before our law does, ours will need to be changed.

Happy days for Facebook and Google, one might think. Now they get another few years of avoiding a meaningful watchdog, right?

I asked Facebook directly about this. The response of its main policy director here, Dualta OBroin, was a little different.

We want to be able to say we're compliant with EU law, he said. And we can't do that at the moment because the Irish regulator hasn't been established and the AVMS hasn't been implemented yet.

But so what? Facebook is used to negative PR. What difference might it make in practice to the platforms if Ireland drags its feet on introducing this law?

Other member states are likely to start to seek to impose their own rules and start to fragment the harmonised approach which is in the AVMS, he said. That is something which is likely to happen. Wed prefer if it didnt but well address it if it happens.

In other words, other EU countries arent going to just sit around and wait for joint Oireachtas committees and code consultation steering groups to examine each others minutes. In a vacuum, countries will start to set their own terms. Theres already a movement across EU governments to chip away at the principle of one-stop-shop regulatory territories.

From the perspective of Facebook and Google (and Twitter and TikTok and the rest), its a lot easier to deal with one regulatory body in Dublin than dozens, from Bucharest to Berlin. This is especially so given the harder attitudes that some EU countries have toward US tech multinationals and US cultural norms (around speech and other things) in general.

So it becomes a little easier to figure out why such a long delay in Ireland setting up its regulatory regime could be a serious headache for the companies that are supposed to be regulated.

But leave aside Facebooks self-interest in all this. What happened to the urgency around this?

Yes, were in a pandemic  but two to four years late for a critical piece of safety regulation?

Ive been reporting on online safety issues for years. Irish politicians of every hue have solemnly sworn that theyre committed to making the internet a safer place through regulation.

But theyre not really that interested in the details. Its still seen as a somewhat technical issue by most politicians Ive spoken to about it. Deep down, many hope it will just fix itself or go away.
World Vision reaches 59 million with aid as charitys COVID-19 response was its largest ever

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As more than a year has passed since the coronavirus pandemic was declared, leading evangelical aid organization World Vision partnered with tens of thousands of faith leaders and communities worldwide to reach 59 million people through relief and virus prevention efforts.

Not long after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, World Vision, an interdenominational aid organization that operates in nearly 100 countries, launched the largest global response in its 70-year history.

Erica Van Deren, a senior program manager on World Visions emergency response team, told The Christian Post that as the world was shutting down, World Vision kept working since that is the purpose God has bestowed on the organization and its staff.

COVID-19 has been our largest both domestic response and international response that weve ever organized as an organization, Van Deren said in an interview. Its been a remarkable amount of work and really just a wonderful opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this really, really challenging time.

World Vision U.S. President and CEO Edgar Sandoval said the response would not have been possible without partnerships of churches and pastors. World Vision partnered with over 124,000 faith leaders through networks already formed from responding to Ebola, HIV/AIDS and Zika virus in the past.

This incredible work could not have been done without our valuable church partners, Sandoval said in a statement. The Church has been a force for good  living outside its four walls and working hand-in-hand with their neighbors to distribute life-saving food, PPE, and other essentials that saved lives.

In the United States alone, World Vision worked with 1,300 churches and donated 3 million boxes of fresh food to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Farmers to Families program. The organization also provided 2.5 million units of personal protective equipment and impacted nearly 500,000 families by providing emergency essentials.

Van Deren said this is the first time the charity has coordinated a response effort in every country it operates worldwide.

Around the world, countries have faced increasing hunger. And the United Nations reported last year that virus-linked hunger led to the deaths of 10,000 more children a month over the first year of the pandemic. The World Food Program has warned that as many as 270 million people could be pushed to the brink of starvation.

We sense that we are rounding the curve here in the U.S., but I think around the world, it will be months or years until many people are going to have the hope of a vaccine, Van Deren said. So, its World Visions job to do all that we can right now to bring hope to this generation of children in this second year. 

Van Deren said World Vision often serves as the bridge between the World Health Organization or the U.N. to actually get the resources to individuals in need.

World Bank predicted the pandemic could add up to 150 million people to the extreme poverty category in 2021. Unemployment has increased, and extreme poverty is on the rise for the first time in 22 years. World Vision statistics also show that child marriage and violence against females are climbing due to the pandemic.

The secondary impacts of the virus on the worlds poorest people  especially children  are deadly and long-lasting, Sandoval shared.

World Vision's efforts reached over 26 million children in the last year.

As we fight to protect people from the virus, we must also protect them from the deadly aftershocks of the pandemic," Sandoval said. "That is where World Vision will be focused. We are fully committed to empowering people living on the margins to fulfill their God-given potential.

A year later, World Vision has transitioned its pandemic response focus to encourage vaccine acceptance around the globe and address the secondary effects of the pandemic.

Plans include increasing assistance to families facing huger, helping to restore families livelihoods and informing communities about vaccines. Van Deren said a large part of World Visions efforts in the next year will be assisting families to build back their lives.

World Vision will continue to utilize partnerships with faith leaders to reach communities and promote vaccinations.

Pastors and faith leaders will continue to play a critical role as the most trusted leaders in their communities, Sandoval said. They are essential to vaccine acceptance and reaching the most vulnerable still suffering the impacts of this deadly pandemic.

Despite the toll the pandemic had, Sandoval said World Vision has hope for the future and the lives that will be saved in the next year.

Today, we remember the millions of precious lives lost to COVID-19  and countless more families suffering the impacts of the pandemic, Sandoval added.

Yet, even as we mourn, we look ahead with hope to the many lives that will be saved with the rollout of the vaccine. Now as we focus on getting the vaccine to as many people as possible here in the United States, we also must not forget people living in some of the poorest countries in the world, each precious in Gods sight. Unless we consider their well-being as important as our own, COVID-19 will remain a threat, here and everywhere.
Bahrain's National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (Covid-19) has stressed on the benefits of vaccines, urging citizens and residents to register for vaccination against the pandemic.

At a press conference to provide an update on the kingdoms Covid-19 response, at the Crown Prince Centre for Training and Medical Research, Bahrain Defence Force Hospital, Lt Col Manaf Al Qahtani, Infectious Disease Consultant & Microbiologist at the BDF Hospital and member of the taskforce, said that vaccines reduce the risk of serious complications associated with Covid-19, including death, and are effective in slowing existing and new variants, a Bahrain News Agency report said.

Reviewing recent data, he explained that 1,102 positive vaccinated contacts were mainly asymptomatic or developed mild symptoms, while 26.7% of 8,414 unvaccinated positive contacts developed severe symptoms with 2 deaths recorded, between January 1 2021 and March 11.

Dr Manaf affirmed that the two groups hospitalization rates varied significantly with only 8% of vaccinated individuals admitted to hospital, while the effectiveness of all anti-virus vaccinations in Bahrain, including against mutated viruses, has been confirmed during of January and February, by following up 8,414 cases out of 14,640 existing cases of contacts who received two doses of vaccination, compared to the same number of those who did not receive the vaccination.

Dr Manaf added that the kingdom has authorised 5 different vaccines, with high safety and efficacy profiles, to accelerate immunization rates and increase availability, noting that comparing efficacy rates among vaccines can be misleading and should not be a basis for decision-making.

Dr. Jameela Al Salman, Consultant of Infectious and Internal Diseases at Salmaniya Medical Complex and member of the National Medical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19), reaffirmed the importance of taking precautions, and carefully disclosing all information relating to contacts to break the chains of infection.

Dr Waleed Khalifa Al Manea, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health and Member of the Covid-19 taskforce, noted that Bahrain is continuing with its mitigation efforts and once again stressed the importance of adhering to precautionary measures, in particular given todays reduction of restrictions on certain activities.

Dr Al Manea acknowledged that Covid-19 vaccines are a pathway to normality and highlighted the National Vaccination Campaigns success in working with manufacturers to make vaccines available for all citizens and residents free of charge, the most recent success being the delivery of 300,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines.

He noted that the kingdoms vaccine uptake plan is evolving, but remains focussed on reaching vulnerable citizens at greatest risk of developing complications from COVID-19, including those over 70 and those with underlying conditions or with a BMI of 25 and above.
Lack of sleep can negatively affect the immune system, mood, blood pressure and increase the risk for diabetes. Nocturia can affect overall health and daytime functioning from lack of sleep. It can lower productivity and may even affect the health of the partner whose sleep is often disrupted as well. Older adults with nocturia who make multiple nocturnal trips to the bathroom are at increased risk of potentially serious falls.

Drinking too much fluid before bed, certain medication, illnesses (like diabetes or heart disease) or reduced bladder capacity could be root causes. Depending on a health care provider's diagnosis and results from tests, there are several ways to treat nocturia. Possible solutions include:

Limit fluid intake at night . Drink plenty of fluids during the day but limit fluids 2-4 hours before going to bed. Limit caffeine and alcohol.

. Drink plenty of fluids during the day but limit fluids 2-4 hours before going to bed. Limit caffeine and alcohol. Manage your use of diuretics. If you must take a diuretic, take these 6 or more hours before sleep. This will help reduce the number of times you urinate at night.

If you must take a diuretic, take these 6 or more hours before sleep. This will help reduce the number of times you urinate at night. Raise your legs or use compression socks. If you have fluid build-up in your legs, it helps to raise them. Using elastic compression stockings may help.

If you have fluid build-up in your legs, it helps to raise them. Using elastic compression stockings may help. Enjoy afternoon naps. When you sleep poorly, a nap can be welcome. Naps can also allow liquids to flow into the bloodstream. However, be careful not to nap too much.

"Many patients who wake up at night to urinate believe it is a normal part of aging. Urinating at night is called nocturia," said Harris M. Nagler, MD, President of the Urology Care Foundation. "Although there are changes that occur with aging, it is important to consult with a Urologist to find the reasons for your nocturia, treat the causes and improve daily life."

For more information on nocturia and to find a urologist near you visit www.urologyhealth.org.

About the Urology Care Foundation: The Urology Care Foundation is the world's leading nonprofit urological health foundation, and the official foundation of the American Urological Association. Partnering with physicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, families and the public, the Foundation supports and improves urologic clinical care by funding research, developing patient education and pursuing philanthropic support. To learn more about the Urology Care Foundation and its programs visit: www.urologyhealth.org.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology and has nearly 23,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

Media Contact:

Teri Arnold

Corporate Communications and Media Relations Manager

Cell: 757-272-7002

[email protected]

SOURCE American Urological Association and Urology Care Foundation

Related Links

http://www.urologyhealth.org


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Companies have been told to install the latest Microsoft Exchange Server updates after earlier this week some 30,000 businesses in the US, and hundreds of thousands elsewhere, were attacked. Photo: Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Security officials in the UK have warned organisations to update their security after hackers used flaws in Microsofts (MSFT) software to gain access to computers around the world.

Companies have been told to install the latest Microsoft Exchange Server updates after earlier this week some 30,000 businesses in the US, and hundreds of thousands elsewhere, were attacked.

A Chinese-sponsored hacker group dubbed Hafnium exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange, leaving behind web shells that allowed cyber criminals to access victims systems remotely. The vulnerabilities go back 10 years, and have been exploited by hackers at least since January.

Officials believe that more than 3,000 UK email servers are still at risk. The National Cyber Security Centre, a part of intelligence agency GCHQ, estimated that 7,000 servers in Britain had been affected by the flaw, and only half of them had been secured.

The presence of a web shell on a server does not guarantee that hackers have managed to steal files. Businesses are able to remove malicious software without any data breach taking place.

However, the agency said it was "vital" that all affected businesses took action to secure their email servers.

READ MORE: Firms warned they 'wouldn't survive' data breach as a third fail to train staff

The NCSC added that it was particularly concerned about small and medium-sized businesses that may not have heard about the issue.

"We are working closely with industry and international partners to understand the scale and impact of UK exposure, but it is vital that all organisations take immediate steps to protect their networks," NCSC's director for operations Paul Chichester said.

"While this work is ongoing, the most important action is to install the latest Microsoft updates."

He added: "Organisations should also be alive to the threat of ransomware and familiarise themselves with our guidance. Any incidents affecting UK organisations should be reported to the NCSC.

WATCH: National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says cyber hack is 'significant'
A knifeman has been shot dead near the Eurostar hub in Paris today after he threatened a mountain bike policeman with a knife.

The drama unfolded at around 11am on Sunday morning in the French capital as the policeman guarded three bikes.

'The officer was standing by the mountain bikes while two of his colleagues attended a domestic incident in a nearby building,' said an investigating source.

'A man began threatening the policeman, and then approached him with a knife, while ignoring warnings.

The drama unfolded at around 11am on Sunday morning in the French capital as the policeman guarded three bikes. Stock picture

'The officer said he had no option but to open fire with his service pistol, and the knifeman was hit three times before dying on the spot,' said the source.

According to local reports the attacker tried to flee the scene after revealing his knife to the officer but the policeman chased after him with his baton.

The attacker then turned and tried to stab the policeman so the officer was forced to shoot him, according to Le Figaro.

As is always the case when a police officer uses his weapon, an investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor's office and entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN).

Neither the dead attacker nor the policeman who killed him have yet been identified.

It follows a series of terrorist incidents across France in which radicalised young men have attacked the forces of law and order and others with knives and other weapons.

But early investigations into today's shooting have not uncovered any evidence of terrorism, said the source.

Paris prosecutors had visited the scene by early afternoon, together with investigators from the Judicial Police.

'Investigations are being entrusted to the IPGN,' said a police spokesman, referring to the General Inspectorate of the National Police in France.

'The exact circumstances of what happened have yet to be established,' said the spokesman, who said the death took place in Rue Boinod, in the 18th district of Paris.

It is close to the main railway lines from which hight speed trains travel to and from cities including London.

Yoann Maras, of the Alliance police union, said it was unlikely to be a terrorist attack, and more likely an incident involving a 'disturbed person'.

The officer was standing by the mountain bikes while two of his colleagues attended a domestic incident in a nearby building. Stock picture

It follows six years of savage Islamist attacks in France, including the beheading of schoolteacher Samuel Paty by a Russian-born terrorist in October last year.

The deadliest single terrorist attack ever in the country came in November 2015 when 130 people were killed in Paris.

Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIS targeted the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music venue, where 90 died.

Earlier in the year, two Paris-born gunmen linked to Al-Qaeda broke into the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, leaving 12 dead and 11 wounded.

In July 2016, 86 people were killed and more than 400 injured when a 19-tonne truck was deliberately driven into crowds on the seafront promenade at Nice, in the South of France.

The terrorist turned out to be a radicalised Tunisian immigrant who was shot dead by police.

During the same month, two Isis terrorists murdered an 86-year-old Catholic priest during a church service in Normandy.

There have been frequent knife attacks on the forces of law and order, leading to the deaths of serving police.

In October 2019, a radicalised computer operative working at the Paris Prefecture in central Paris stabbed four of his colleagues to death.

The attacker  who was also shot dead  turned out to be a Muslim convert who kept extremist Al-Qaeda and Islamic State literature and images on his computer.
(Natural News) The Air Force took the first steps to guard one of its Texas bases against an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. Officials at the Joint Base San Antonio in Lackland issued a request for bids to inspect a facility called the Petroleum, Oil and Lubrication Complex, LiveScience reported.

The inspection is intended to identify any equipment that may be vulnerable to an EMP attack. According to the request, it will be done ahead of a more advanced vulnerability survey, after which officials will upgrade the equipment.

The request came in response to a 2019 executive order that then-President Donald Trump issued for the federal government to strengthen its infrastructure against EMPs. Peter Pry, a defense analyst who consulted on the project, said that the inspection and ensuing upgrades are part of a broader initiative by the Air Force to ramp up its defenses against this type of threat.

Effects of an EMP attack

An EMP is a high-speed burst of electromagnetic energy that is created by the rapid acceleration of charged particles. Some experts claim that an EMP does not pose a threat, but others say it can cause widespread disruption to electricity-dependent societies.

You can use a single weapon to collapse the entire North American power grid, explained Pry, who served on the now-defunct Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from EMP Attack.

Once the electric grid goes down, everything would collapse, Pry said. Everything depends on electricity: telecommunications, transportation, even water.

Reports show that a successful EMP attack on the United States will cause a nationwide blackout that will shut down critical infrastructures for as long as a year. This can lead to the death of many Americans from starvation, disease or the effects of general societal collapse.

Generating natural and man-made EMPs

Natural EMPs are created when the sun unleashes a coronal mass ejection (CME), a powerful stream of charged particles that ripple through space and occasionally toward the direction of Earth.

Normally, the planets magnetic field deflects cosmic rays, but high-energy bursts like CMEs can cause the magnetic field to wobble and generate a powerful EMP. The last time this happened was during the Carrington Event in 1859, where intense solar storms disrupted electrical and telegraph services, on top of spawning super bright auroras that were visible all the way to the tropics.

EMPs can also be deliberately generated using nuclear weapons. If a nuclear weapon were to be detonated high in the atmosphere, according to Pry, the gamma radiation it would emit could strip negatively charged particles from air molecules and accelerate them to near the speed of light.

If these particles interacted with Earths magnetic field, they would generate an intense, fluctuating electric current that, in turn, would create an EMP.

Pry said that discharging a nuclear weapon around 200 miles above the U.S. could generate an EMP that would cover most of North America. While the exploded bits and radiation would likely dissipate before reaching the ground, the EMP would be powerful enough to destroy electronics across the region.

If you were standing on the ground directly beneath the detonation, you wouldnt even hear it go off, Pry said. The EMP would pass harmlessly through your body.

Pry said militaries and terrorist groups are potentially capable of generating small EMPs with a radius of under a mile. The U.S. military, for example, has a prototype cruise missile that carries an EMP generator. Called the Counter-Electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP), the missile can be used to target enemy facilities.

Weve arrived at a place where a single individual can topple the technological pillars of civilization for a major metropolitan area all by himself armed with some device like this, Pry noted.

The technology required to protect against EMPs is similar to what is used to prevent damage from power surges caused by lightning. This include surge protectors, which divert excess voltage into the earth, as well as Faraday cages, which shield devices from electromagnetic radiation.

Learn more about EMPs and how to protect yourself from one at EMP.news.

Sources include:

LiveScience.com

Large.Stanford.edu

NASASpaceFlight.com
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According to MRFR analysis, the Global Neurodiagnostics Market is expected to register a CAGR of 6.88% from 2019 to 2025 and held a value of USD 4,848.48 Million in 2018.

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Neurodiagnostic tests which are also known as neurodiagnostics. records and monitors electrical activities of patients peripheral nerves, spinal cord, and brain. These tests help physicians to confirm or rule out a neurological disorder or other medical condition. The growth of the global neurodiagnostics market is boosted by factors such as rising number of strategic initiatives by key players such as mergers, joint ventures, acquisitions, partnerships, coupled with the advancements in technology across the globe. Furthermore, many non-profit organizations in various countries are working towards creating awareness regarding neurological diseases. For instance, the World Federation of Neurology (WFN), founded in July 2016, is a membership organization focused on raising awareness about the age and neurological conditions and diseases associated with age.

However, the high cost of neurodiagnostic treatment is likely to restrain the market growth to a certain extent in the coming years.

Market players such as GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, Philips Healthcare, and Hitachi, Ltd., currently dominate the global neurodiagnostics market. The key players are involved in product launches and agreements to strengthen their market positions. For instance, in December 2019, GE Healthcare (US), signed USD 100 million technology partnership agreement with AFFIDEA (Ireland). GE Healthcare will install 200+ new equipment in Affideas network of centers across Europe. The deal includes the provision of 60 new MRIs, 50 ultrasound devices, 40 CT scanners and 30 X-rays machines in the next 3 years. It also includes a six-year service contract.

Regional Analysis

The market has been divided, by region, into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The Americas held maximum share in the base year 2018, owing to the high incidence rates of neurological disorders in countries such as US. According to the American Neurological Association, as of 2016, mealy 100 million Americans were affected by at least one of the neurological diseases. The neurodiagnostics market in the Americas has further been branched into North America and Latin America, with the North American market divided into the US and Canada. The European neurodiagnostics market has been categorized as Western Europe and Eastern Europe. The Western European market has further been classified as Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, and the rest of Western Europe. The neurodiagnostics market in Asia-Pacific has been segmented into Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific. The neurodiagnostics market in this region is anticipated to be the fastest-growing during the assessment period due to the increasing awareness about the diagnostic treatments and favorable reimbursement policies. The neurodiagnostics market in the Middle East & Africa has been divided into the Middle East and Africa.

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Segmentation

The Global Neurodiagnostics Market has been segmented based on Product, Condition, and End User.

The market, based on product type, has been divided into diagnostic imaging systems, clinical diagnostic instruments, and reagents & consumables. The diagnostic imaging systems segment held a major share in 2018 owing to the rising number of diagnostic laboratories an imaging centers in the developing as well as developed countries. The reagents & consumables was the fastest-growing segment in 2018 due to high consumption in various routine techniques.

The market, based on diagnostic imaging systems, has been further segment is segmented as, MRI systems, EEG systems, CT scanners, PET scanners, EMG devices, ultrasound imaging systems, MEG devices, angiography systems, and others. The market, based on clinical diagnostic instruments has been further bifurcated into PCR instruments, NGS instruments, sanger sequencers, and others. The market, based on reagents & consumables has been further segmented into media & sera, antibodies, buffers, solvents, enzymes, proteins, & peptides, probes, and other
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 20:20:48|Editor: huaxia

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DUBLIN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The National Immunization Advisory Committee of Ireland (NIAC) has recommended that the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine be temporarily suspended in the country starting from Sunday morning, said a senior Irish public health official.

Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer of the Irish Department of Health, said in a statement issued earlier in the day that the recommendation has been made following a Saturday evening report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency about four new blood clotting events in Norway after the vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, has been suspended in a number of countries across Europe and Asia, including Norway and Denmark, following reports of blood clots in some vaccinated people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the Geneva-based UN health agency "systematically reviews safety signals, and is carefully assessing the current reports on the AstraZeneca vaccine."

Glynn said the NIAC also discussed with the Health Products Regulatory Authority before making the recommendation.

"It has not been concluded that there is any link between the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases," he said, adding that the recommendation was made as a precautionary measure, pending further information.

NIAC is due to meet again on Sunday morning and a further statement will follow thereafter, according to Glynn.

NIAC is an independent expert group that provides advice to the Irish Department of Health on vaccines, immunization and related health matters to inform health policies in Ireland.

So far over 110,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered in Ireland, accounting for about 20 percent of all the doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the country, according to a Sunday report by RTE, Ireland's national radio and television broadcaster.

Apart from the AstraZeneca vaccine, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are also being used in Ireland with Johnson & Johnson's vaccine to be used here soon.

As of March 10, a total of 570,391 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Ireland, according to the latest available figures from the Irish Department of Health.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 263 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 81 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to information released by WHO on March 12. Enditem
A hospital system in western Michigan has launched an investigation after photos posted on Instagram appeared to show doctors posing with fibrous tissue and an organ removed during an operation.

A patient appears to be on an operating room table in the fibrous tissue photo, WOOD-TV reported Saturday.

'Longest one wins! Good work,' was written on the tissue post, according to the television station.

A hospital system in western Michigan has launched an investigation after photos posted on Instagram appeared to show doctors posing with fibrous tissue and an organ removed during an operation

'Longest one wins! Good work,' was written on the tissue post. Members of the group behind the posts described themselves as 35 obstetrics and gynecology residents training at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids

'The other game we play in the OR is guess that weight,' was posted with the organ photo, referencing the operating room. 'It applies to much more than just babies. As always, `Price is Right rules apply so if you go over then you're out!'

Members of the group behind the posts described themselves as 35 obstetrics and gynecology residents training at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids.

The health system, which has more than a dozen hospitals, said it has launched an investigation.

'We were disappointed to learn that surgical images were posted on an Instagram account used by a group of residents and are taking steps to resolve this issue,' Spectrum Health said in a statement to the television station.

'The Instagram account has been closed and a full investigation is underway.'

'The other game we play in the OR is guess that weight,' was posted with the organ photo, referencing the operating room. 'It applies to much more than just babies. As always, `Price is Right rules apply so if you go over then you're out!'

The health system, which has more than a dozen hospitals, said it has launched an investigation. 'We were disappointed to learn that surgical images were posted on an Instagram account used by a group of residents and are taking steps to resolve this issue,' Spectrum Health said in a statement to the television station.

WOOD-TV said it messaged the group with questions Friday afternoon and the Instagram page was taken down a short time later. The page was not officially connected to Spectrum Health.

Caitlin Donovan, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based National Patient Advocate Foundation, said 'health care is not a game to people, its their life.'

'How do you trust someone who does that?' Donovan said. 'You want to make sure as a patient that you trust your provider. You want to make sure they respect you. If you dont think your doctor respects you as a person, then how in the world can you trust them with your life?'
GBP/ZAR Exchange Rate Stumbles in Risk-On Trade

The Pound to South African Rand (GBP/ZAR) exchange rate trended lower this week, as the prevailing risk-on tone saw investors favour risker currencies such as the Rand.

South African Rand (ZAR) Bolstered by Positive Mood and Upbeat GDP

The South African Rand (ZAR) struck higher against the Pound (GBP) and the majority of its other peers this week as improved market sentiment helped to boost the appeal of the high-risk Rand.

This upbeat market mood came mostly in response to retreating US Treasury yields, which dampened demand for the US Dollar (USD) as well as relief that President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion stimulus package had finally been passed by US lawmakers.

Further boosting the Rand was the publication of South Africas latest GDP figures, which printed above expectations with a 6.3% expansion of growth in the last quarter of 2020.

Pound (GBP) Buoyed by Vaccine Optimism

While the Pound (GBP) fell back against the South African Rand (ZAR) this week, Sterling fared much better in broader trade as the currency continued to benefit from the success of the UKs vaccination programme, which has now seen over one third of adults receive at least one jab.

The Pound opened this week on a high, following some positive comments from Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey, in which he appeared upbeat about the UKs economic recovery and noted economic optimism has risen now that people can see light at the end of the tunnel.

However Sterling sentiment wavered a little at points throughout the week, amidst concerns that Boris Johnsons roadmap for easing lockdown measures in England could be altered, after the PM warned that the reopening of schools brings a risk that infections could rise again.

The Pound found its feet again by the end of the week however, following the publication of the UKs latest monthly GDP figures.

Januarys release confirmed that the UK economy contracted as the latest national lockdown was imposed, but at a more modest pace than expected, with growth slumping 2.9% against forecasts from a 4.9% decline.

While the slump was no doubt a concern, GBP investors appeared willing to look past it amidst growing expectations for a solid rebound in growth later in the year.

Paul Dales, chief UK Economist at Capital Economics, commented: Overall, January's lockdown left the economy in a fairly big hole. But the government's easing roadmap has provided the ladder and the vaccinations are providing the willingness to climb out of it

GBP/ZAR Currency Forecast: BoE Rate Decision in the Spotlight

Looking ahead to next weeks session, the main catalyst of movement in the Pound to South African Rand (GBP/ZAR) exchange rate is likely to be the Bank of Englands latest rate decision.

No policy changes are expected from the BoE this month, leaving the focus on the banks forward guidance. This could offer some support to the Pound if the bank is broadly upbeat about the economic outlook in light of the governments reopening roadmap.

Elsewhere, GBP investors are likely to keep a close eye on UK coronavirus statistics, with any signs that infection levels may be tapering off likely to weaken Sterling sentiment for fears it could lead the government to alter its plans.

Meanwhile, the focus for ZAR investors next week will be on South Africas latest retail sales figures, with the Rand potentially facing some headwinds if sales growth is shown to have contracted again in January.

Also influencing the Rand will be publication of South Africas consumer confidence index for the first quarter of 2021. Will a weakening of household sentiment at the start of the year weak ZAR exchange rates?
New Delhi, March 14 : A Delhi Police constable posted in a PCR unit was seriously injured in a road accident in Sector 18 of Dwarka, an official said on Sunday.

According to police, a PCR call regarding an accident near the cremation ground in Sector 18 was received at Dwarka North police station at around 2.30 p.m. on Saturday.

"Constable Arvind (30), a resident of Najafgarh and posted as constable in PCR unit, was on his motorcycle when the accident occurred, got head injuries and is undergoing treatment at Venkateshwar hospital Dwarka," DCP, Dwarka, Santosh Kumar Meena, said.
Israel boasts one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with more than 50% of its population having received both doses of the vaccine. As CNN reports, now it's trying to restore a sense of normalcy by giving those who are fully vaccinated and those who have recovered from Covid-19 a green pass that will grant them access to activities that largely disappeared over the past year as the words "social distancing" and "lockdown" entered the lexicon.

The green pass is authorized by Israel's Ministry of Health. It can be a physical document or downloaded to a person's phone, and will be required for activities like going to the gym, dining inside a restaurant at 75% capacity with a 100 person limit, attending a theater performance with up to 500 people indoors, or even a gathering in an event hall with up to 300 people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has largely staked his campaign in upcoming legislative elections on Israel's aggressive vaccination push, boasted at an event in Tel Aviv on Monday that by early April the country will "emerge" from the coronavirus.

"We're marking five million people vaccinated and the reopening of our economy, which is nearly entirely under the green pass," Netanyahu said. "We're left with just slightly over a million people over the age of 16 [that are yet to be vaccinated]."

The Israeli Ministry of Health says there are currently 36,712 people infected with the virus, with 5,955 total deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

Positive reinforcement

Part of the appeal of the green pass is positive reinforcement, according to government officials. If you want to go to the gym or go out with your friends to dinner and a show indoors, you need the pass.

Professor Ayelet Baram-Tsabari, head of the Applied Science Communication research group at the Technion -- Israel Institute of Technology, told CNN she thinks the green pass will help convince more people to get the vaccine, but that research on public health campaigns shows it's not just about positive incentives.

Instead, the incentives are about the community aspect.

"Giving positive reinforcement is not just helping because you say, 'OK, it is easier for me to go to a concert if I have the green pass.' It's not just that, it's also creating a situation [in which] you look around and see everyone else is doing it -- all your tribe if you want -- is doing it and then you would feel safer doing it," Baram-Tsabari said.

Baram-Tsabari said some Israelis who haven't been vaccinated may not necessarily be opposed to getting inoculated. Instead, they may be hesitant and afraid and want to wait and see what others do.

When it comes to decisions around personal health, she said studies have shown most people can't be expected to judge whether a statement is true or not -- like whether a vaccine is safe, or whether it will help prevent serious illness. Instead, they judge whether they can trust the person delivering the message.

"We usually look around and see what are the sources that tell us to do this, what do people we trust, people we think are right, people we think did the research, what do they do? And if you have many people who [are doing] something, you would feel safer doing it as well," she said.

A side order of worry

The excitement over the green passes is palpable, especially for the country's hard-hit restaurant scene.

According to the regulations, in order to eat inside a restaurant a specially appointed staff member, like a host, must check the patron's green pass or vaccination/recovery certificate, which can be done by scanning the pass's QR or barcode, before they can be seated. Those without the green pass can only be seated outdoors, according to the government regulations.

Restaurateurs told CNN they are thrilled to be reopening but are serving their dishes with a side of trepidation citing confusion over the new green pass procedures as well as fears that a new lockdown will soon see them shuttering their doors once again.

Ethan Padnos, the manager at Jerusalem's Hatch brewery, said that reopening is "a little scary and very exciting," though he said he is still uncomfortable with being required to ask for a customer's vaccination status.

"It feels very invasive for me to ask, it's a personal question a little bit so we'll see how it goes," he said.

There have been some early hiccups.

Padnos said he has had some problems with the app used to scan the passes, and health officials cited by Israeli radio network Kan have warned that they have no good way to police or enforce the authenticity and use of the green passes.

There are also concerns, he said, that the re-opening of the economy could lead to a new spike in infections and another lockdown, especially during the upcoming Passover holiday.

Protesters in Tel Aviv last month complained that the new green pass will separate society into two classes, and that those who can't or won't get the vaccine will be discriminated against, according to the Jerusalem Post.

In response to questions around difficulties around the green pass, The Israeli Health Ministry told Israeli News Channel 12 it will soon be issuing updated passes.

"The vaccination pass in its current form is meant to provide an initial quick response. At the same time, we are looking into implementing a secure barcode that will be internationally accepted," a spokesperson told the outlet.

Chef Assaf Granit, who has several restaurants around the world, said he feels like he's "opening a new restaurant."

"The excitement is crazy. I went out of my house for the first time in seven months with a chef's jacket in my hand so it is super exciting," Granit said as he prepared for the first diners at his Machneyuda restaurant in Jerusalem earlier this week.

"I gotta say we're happy, we're excited and we can't wait to meet the customers again. With that, we feel a lot of pressure and fear that we're going to be in the same situation in a few weeks, so fingers crossed the vaccination will hold and we won't see a rise in the [infection] rate."

But for Granit, anything that could help the restaurant sector in Israel is worth it.

"It's a sensible idea without any other real option," Granit said.
Enacting laws alone will not solve problems of female workers By Jayampathy Jayasinghe View(s): View(s):

Although several laws exist in the country, a holistic view has to be taken before bringing in new laws to address issues pertaining to discrimination of women in the workplace. In some ways new laws can act to the detriment of employed women. The problem today lies in finding pragmatic ways to implement laws that are already in existence, said the Minister of Justice Mohamed Ali Sabry at a panel discussion on Gender Discriminatory Labour Laws in Sri Lanka held at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo this week. The event was organised by the Advocata Institute of Colombo to coincide with the International Womens Day which fell on Monday, March 8.

The Minister said the archaic laws relating to employed women were introduced in the 1950s to safeguard their employment rights but have undergone a complete change today. Rather than proposing new legislation himself, he has assigned that responsibility to the relevant institutions to come out with their expertise and solutions in formulating new guidelines.

When the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) suggested that new laws pertaining to the authority was needed, he asked them to come out with their suggestions and the result was that five new laws have been proposed which is expected to reach the Justice Ministry at the end of the month. We have to strike a balance to fix the problems of women at their workplace by finding solutions to their maternity aspects and other related issues by having a dialogue with the employers concerned. Bringing in rigid laws to deal with the problem can be counter -productive in some ways. He said new laws cannot be done haphazardly but will evolve over a time period that needs to be studied carefully and also by studying parallel legislation from other countries. Former Commissioner of Labour (Women and Childrens Affairs) Ms Madhavie Gunawardena said a question has evolved whether the archaic laws enacted in the 1920s in relation to women can be applied now.

Deputy Head of Legal Research at Verite Research, Ms. Malsirini de Silva said there are over 50 labour laws in Sri Lanka and a large category of labour belongs to the informal sector. However labour laws are not applicable to categories such as domestic servants employed in households as they fall into the informal sector.

Referring to sexual harassment at workplaces, she said women rarely go to police stations to make complaints regarding their ordeal as a criminal case will take 10 years to conclude whereas an appeal court case can take almost 20 years to conclude.

The Census and Statistic data shows that many women folk are employed in the education and the heath sectors but many women do not seek employment in the construction, hospitality and in the tourism sectors as it involves night duty and other related issues. Another insurmountable problem lies when employing young women owing to issues related to maternity benefits etc as employers will have to bear additional costs when women give birth.

Human Resources Business Partner, Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka, Kanishka Paternott said their intention in developing human resources was to create a proper welfare scheme for female workers.
TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is likely to meet U.S. President Joe Biden on April 9, the first foreign leader to meet the president in the White House, Japans Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday.

The two are expected to agree to strengthen the bilateral alliance and their commitment to the freedom of passage in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the Yomiuri reported without citing sources.

Calls to the prime ministers office were not answered. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said on Friday that Suga will make the visit in the first half of April.

Sugas predecessor, Shinzo Abe, was the first foreign leader to meet Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump, soon after he was elected president in 2016.

Biden and Suga joined the leaders of India and Australia in a virtual summit on Friday, vowing the Quad nations would supply up to a billion doses of coronavirus vaccine across Asia by the end of 2022, a message choreographed to counter Chinas growing influence.

A meeting between U.S. and Japanese foreign and defence ministers scheduled for Tuesday in Tokyo will directly criticise China for what Washington and Tokyo call its attempts to alter the status quo in the East China Sea and East Vietnam Sea, the newspaper said.

China has established military outposts on artificial islands it has built in the East Vietnam Sea and Washington has rejected Beijings disputed claims to offshore resources in most of the sea as completely unlawful.
Authors releasing books in the past year have experienced a radically altered literary landscape  perhaps most significantly, they have lost the ability to venture out on the standard book tour, which typically includes a series of readings and talks across the country. While many book lovers yearn for the days of big-name events or cozy chats at indie bookstores, others are enjoying access for the first time. For those who do not live in the major cities and college towns that tend to be destinations for top writers, the pandemic has offered them the ability to experience these events online.

This month a slew of releases  including a much-awaited return from Kazuo Ishiguro, and Sharon Stones account of her life in Hollywood and recovery from a major stroke  are being celebrated with online author conversations. Here are some casual cultural discussions you can attend at home, on the sofa, with a glass of wine if you choose.


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Amber Turner shocked her fellow TOWIE stars when she claimed she was 'going to be a mother soon' while discussing her relationship with Dan Edgar.

The reality star, 27, was preparing Mother's Day bouquets alongside Chloe Meadows and Courtney Green when she made the remark, clarifying that she meant she was getting a dog, in a clip from Sunday's show shared exclusively with MailOnline.

After Courtney explained their task, Amber said: 'Okay, well I'm going to make them for myself because I am going to be a mother soon.'

'I am going to be a mother soon!' TOWIE's Amber Turner shocked her friends when she discussed getting a dog with boyfriend Dan Edgar in a clip from Sunday night's show

Chloe and Courtney were shocked by the statement, asking Amber 'what' she meant as they looked at her expectantly.

Realising what they were thinking, Amber then said: 'No, when Dan buys me a little baby dog.'

Courtney claimed she 'nearly c***ped herself' as Amber claimed once more that she was 'going to be a dog mum'.

Shock: Amber was making Mother's Day bouquets with Chloe Meadows (pictured) and Courtney Green when she said: 'I am going to be a mother soon'

Drama: After Amber clarified she meant she'd be a 'dog mum' soon, Courtney (pictured) claimed she 'nearly c***ped herself' over the surprise

She then asked: 'Amber, honestly, how many times did you facetime Dan since you've been here?'

Clearly smitten with Dan, Amber admitted: 'I miss him! I'm joking. I feel like now we are living together it has been really nice, yea all loved up.

'He actually said the other day, "I was a bit nervous but we actually get on so well and it's actually been really nice and I'm really happy." I was like I" told you, I did tell you it was going to be fine."'

Amber recently spoke of her plans to have a baby with her TOWIE beau, confirming she hopes to have a child with the 30-year-old and said their six month break-up in 2018 strengthened the relationship they are in today.

Gushing: Clearly smitten with Dan, Amber admitted: 'I miss him! I'm joking. I feel like now we are living together it has been really nice, yeah all loved up'

Loved-up: Amber said Dan 'actually said the other day, "I was a bit nervous but we actually get on so well and it's actually been really nice and I'm really happy." I was like I" told you"'

Amber told New! Magazine: 'Us breaking up for six months was the best thing thats ever happened, Dan and I are really happy, were living together now.'

Of the future, she said: 'Dan and I are going to buy a place together. We definitely want to have a baby and get married.'

When the couple split in 2018, Amber was left heartbroken to learn the TOWIE star had a fling with Chloe Sims while the two were filming in Thailand.

But Dan didn't pursue a relationship with Chloe and instead rekindled his flame with Amber.

Future plans: Amber recently spoke of her plans to have a baby with her TOWIE beau, confirming she hopes to have a child with the 30-year-old

Speaking about their time apart, Amber said: 'Sometimes relationships need that break for people to really realise whats important.'

Amber has recently returned to the UK after spending time away in Dubai on a work trip with Dan.

The couple returned before a travel corridor to the United Arab Emirates closed on January 29th.

The Only Way Is Essex returns on Sunday at 9pm on ITVBe and will be available on the ITV Hub.
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The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana will be holding a high-profile virtual forum on 15th March 2021, to commemorate the International Day of Mathematics which highlights the role Mathematics plays in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 agenda of the United Nations.



The 14th of March every year has been set aside to celebrate the beauty and importance of Mathematics and its essential role in human development. The project to have UNESCO proclaim March 14th as the International Day of Mathematics (IDM) was led by the International Mathematical Union (IMU).



The International Day of Mathematics (IDM) celebration expands Pi Day to include the whole spectrum of mathematics. The IDM also seeks to highlight the role of mathematics in organizations, of modern society including economics, finance, health, transport systems, telecommunications etc.. in quest for human well-being. Every year a new theme is announced to spice the celebration, spark creativity and bring light to connections between mathematics and all sorts of fields, concepts and ideas.



Following the successful celebration of the maiden IDM in 2020, AIMS Ghana as a UNESCO Centre of Excellence Category II institute will be leading Ghana in celebrating the second IDM under the theme, Mathematics for a Better World.

Due to restrictions in mass gathering as a result of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, this years celebration will be held online and streamed on AIMS Ghana Social Media pages (YouTube: AIMS Ghana; Facebook @aimsgh) from 2pm to 4pm on Monday 15th March 2021.



The keynote speaker for the celebration is Ghanas Minister of Education, Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum. High-profile dignitaries including Mr. Abdourahamane Diallo , UNESCO Representative to Ghana and Prof. Mohammed Salifu, Director-General of Ghana Tertiary Education Commission will be presenting goodwill messages during the virtual celebration.

Activities to celebrate the 2021 International Day of Mathematic shall include:



 Panel discussion on the theme: Mathematics for a Better World by panelists made up of students from the following programmes: AIMS Regular Master; Master for Mathematical Sciences for Teacher (MMST), Girls in Mathematical Sciences Program (GMSP), Africa Master for Machine Intelligence (AMMI) and an alumnus.



 Poster sessions demonstrating the beauty of mathematics in making the World a Better place by AIMS Research Centre

 Picture quotes from students and alumni



The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) is the first non-profit pan-African Centres of Excellence for postgraduate training, research, teacher training and public engagement in mathematics and the allied sciences. Our mission is to enable Africas brightest students to flourish as independent thinkers, problem solvers and innovators capable of propelling Africas future scientific, industrial, educational and economic self-sufficiency. Founded in 2003, AIMS currently has six centres across Africa; South Africa, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania and Rwanda.



AIMS Ghana is the third node in the AIMS network. Established in 2012 as part of the AIMS Next Einstein Initiative; AIMS Ghana is a partnership between the Government of Ghana and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences- Next Einstein Initiative. AIMS Ghana was also upgraded to a UNESCO Centre of Excellence Category II status in 2018.



The partnership focuses on creating an ecosystem of transformation - one that directly enables the transformation of Ghana and Africa by building human capacity and skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).



AIMS Ghana is building on a solid foundation of excellence, working with government partners; the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and the private sector. The Government of Ghana in agreement with the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); has upgraded AIMS Ghana to a UNESCO Centre of Excellence Category II status.

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.

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A COUPLE who met when they were just 15, in 4th year in secondary school, became Mr and Mrs, in a beautiful civil ceremony.

Rachael and Eoghan Hayes, who are building a home in Ladysbridge, were wed on October 2.

The couple had their wedding in the Killarney Oaks Hotel.

Rachael (nee Farmer) is from Ballincollig, while Eoghan is from Ovens. They met in 4th year in Colaiste Choilm, Ballincollig. They had a few years break in the relationship after school but reunited.

They were engaged in March, 2019, in DisneyWorld Florida, before the famous firework display in front of the Disney Castle.

They had to reduce guests by around 100 due to Covid, but still had a wonderful day with close family and friends.

They were married in the Killarney Oaks Hotel, in a civil ceremony.

The bride got her dress in Cinderellas Closet. Bridal earrings and bracelets were from Rosie & Dott. Hair was by CathyAnne Bridal while make-up was by Christine OConnor. The grooms suit was from Morleys Formal Hire Cork.

The bride, Rachael (nee Farmer) is from Ballincollig.

Due to restrictions, they had to reduce guests by around 100. Rachel said: Looking back now, we feel lucky as we were the last weekend of weddings where we could have 50 guests, it reduced to 25 a few days later and has not gone back up since.

The bride had her mother Josephine, father Robert, sister Ali, niece Ella, aunts and uncles and some close friends. Unfortunately, due to high risk, her brother Chris, who has special needs, and her grandmother Nina Downey couldnt attend.

Unfortunately due to high risk, my brother Chris who has special needs could not attend and my grandmother Nina Downey, which was very difficult and emotional but knowing they were safe gave us some comfort. I spoke with Nina on FaceTime on the day which was lovely, as she got to see me. Plenty of tears were shed but happy tears, the bride said.

Eoghan had his mother Monica, father Tim, sister Eimear and brothers Alan and Conor. His aunts and uncles were there and also some close friends.

Rachael and Eoghan Hayes said everyone bonded over the wedding weekend. Pictures Insight Photography

Maid of honour was the brides sister Ali, bridesmaids were Eimear, Sally and Jean, an Flower Girl was niece Ella. Eoghans best man was his brother Alan, groomsmen were Conor, Frank and Diarmuid.

The couple were engaged at DisneyWorld Florida.

Rachaels talented neighbour, Marie McDermott, did the cake. The band was The Ian Hendrick band. Flowers were by Mary McCarthy, ceremony music was by Liam and Maria Theresa Carroll. Videographer was Sinead Donagh from Under The Apple Tree.

The couples first dance song was to Lady Gaga, Always Remember Us This Way, from the movie A Star Is Born.

The couple said it was great to spend the day with their loved ones, as they hadn't seen each other for a while, due to the pandemic.

As to the most memorable thing of the day:

Just how happy everyone was to be around loved ones having not seen each other all year due to the pandemic. As much stress as the lower numbers caused us in the build up, we think we actually preferred it in the end as it was so intimate and everyone just bonded the whole weekend.
New Delhi, March 14 : For the second consecutive day, India's single-day rise of new Covid-19 cases on Sunday breached the country's highest tally of 2021 so far, while fatalities continue to increase at a worrisome rate.

It recorded 25,320 cases, an increase of 438 cases from Saturday. There were 161 deaths in the last 24 hours, a hike of 21 fatalities from the previous day, the data shared by the Union Health Ministry showed.

The cumulative tally of the cases has risen to 1,13,59,048 while the death toll has reached 1,58,607 in India.

However, 67 per cent of the country's cases were recorded from two states only. Maharashtra has reported 15,602 cases in the last 24 hours whereas Punjab recorded its highest single-day tally of this year with 1,515 new cases of Covid-19.

"We used to record this much infections in October-November when the first wave was on decline in the country," Dr. Rajesh Bhaskar, Nodal officer for Covid-19 in Punjab told IANS.

The infection level in the country is back to last year's December as it has soared to 1.85 from 1.55 per cent in a short interval.

In the last four days, the number of fatalities has also spiked, which earlier was hovering under 100.

The country on Saturday reported 24,882 new cases and 140 deaths. On Friday, it reported 22,885 Covid cases and 117 fatalities.

On Thursday, India had reported 22,854 Covid cases and 126 deaths while on Wednesday, 17,921 cases and 133 deaths were recorded.

As per the Ministry's data, the active caseload has breached the two lakh-mark. It was reported 2,02,022 on Saturday while as many as 2,10,544 cases are presently recorded in the country.

With the discharge of 16,637 patients in a day, a total of 1,09,89,897 persons have been discharged so far.

The rise in the number of Covid cases, which had so far appeared confined to Maharashtra and Punjab, is now beginning to show up in several other states.

States/UTs such as Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh have had very similar growth trajectories in the recent weeks.

Delhi on Saturday reported 419 cases for the third day in a row.

As the number of Covid-19 cases is rising across the country, the Centre has sounded a word of caution for states which are not yet seeing a surge but are at the threshold.

Niti Aayog (health) member V.K. Paul last week said the situation of Maharashtra is worrying as part of the state is going back to strict lockdown. However, he shared his concerns for other states as well.

"Would like to caution Delhi-NCR, Gurugram, part of Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad to some extent. These areas are seeing a slight rise in the number of cases," Paul had said.

The Ministry also informed that 8,34,368 samples were tested on Saturday. The cumulative tests done by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) so far stands at 22,67,03,641 So far, 2,97,38,409 doses of corona vaccine have been administered in the country since the drive began on January 16 after approval for 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin'.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The woman who was pictured being pinned to the floor by police officers at the vigil for Sarah Everard has called for another protest to take place tomorrow.



Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured being held on the floor by police at the vigil, said she attended the gathering in Clapham Common yesterday in support of women who cannot walk down the street by themselves 'because of the fear of men'.

A crowd had assembled at the south London spot to remember 33-year-old marketing executive Ms Everard, but clashes broke out as police surrounded a bandstand covered in flowers left in tribute.

Ms Stevenson, who went viral after she was pictured being held on the ground by officers, said she was arrested 'for standing there, I wasn't doing anything, they threw me to the floor'.

She told the left-wing blog Counterfire: 'I'm 5ft2 and I weigh nothing, and several police were on my back trying to arrest me.

'They arrested me in cuffs, dragged me away, surrounded by like 10 police officers and when we got in the van they said we just need your name and your address and we'll let you go with a fine.'

When asked what demonstrators should do next, she said 'bigger protest'.

Ms Stevenson, who is a Physics student at Royal Holloway, University of London, also called for another gathering to take place at 5pm on March 15 outside Parliament Square in London.

Patsy Stevenson, who went viral after she was pictured being held on the ground by officers, said she was arrested 'for standing there, I wasn't doing anything, they threw me to the floor'

Ms Stevenson, who is a Physics student at Royal Holloway, University of London, also called for another gathering to take place at 5pm on March 15 outside Parliament Square in London

She created a Twitter profile following her arrest saying: 'So I've just gone viral. I've decided to make a twitter again to follow what's going on. All in solidarity.'

Ms Stevenson said she would like to 'have a conversation' with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick.

She said she was still unsure why she had been detained and was contemplating whether to challenge the 200 fine she had received.

Ms Stevenson told LBC: 'I would like to sit down with her and have a conversation. I think dialogue is very important in this case.'

She added: 'We were there to remember Sarah, we all felt deeply saddened and still do that it happened so I brought a candle with me but unfortunately wasn't even able to light it to put it down because the police turned up and barged their way through.'

Ms Stevenson said that she would be attending a demonstration in Parliament Square on Monday afternoon.

'I think the main point of this... is that women don't feel safe, and they don't feel safe walking down a street. And that's the bare minimum we should feel the freedom to do, and I think it's appalling that it's gone on for this long.'

Metropolitan Police officers had grabbed several women, leading them away in handcuffs and the force later said four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches

There has been condemnation of the policing of the vigil, with Home Secretary Priti Patel seeking a full report on events.

She described footage from the vigil as 'upsetting', while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on Commissioner Cressida Dick to 'consider' her leadership of the force.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the scenes were 'unacceptable', tweeting: 'The police have a responsibility to enforce Covid laws but from images I've seen it's clear the response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate.'

Ms Stevenson, who is a Physics student at Royal Holloway, University of London, also called for another gathering to take place at 5pm on March 15 outside Parliament Square in London

Well-wishers light candles around a tree in honour of Sarah Everard on Clapham Common, south London on March 13

There has been condemnation of the policing of the vigil, with Home Secretary Priti Patel seeking a full report on events

In the early hours of Sunday, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said police were put into a position 'where enforcement action was necessary'.

She said: 'Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19.

'Police must act for people's safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe.

'Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items.'

Police constable Wayne Couzens, 48, is charged with kidnapping and murdering Ms Everard, who went missing while walking home from a friend's flat in south London on March 3.
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Linda Lacewell, right, after testifying at a bribery trial in Manhattan on January 24, 2018. Mary Altaffer/AP

Linda Lacewell, a top Cuomo aide, is accused of covering up the number of New York's nursing-home deaths.

Lacewell was previously Cuomo's Chief of Staff and oversaw "ethics and law enforcement matters."

She also taught classes on ethics in government at New York University's School of Law.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

One of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's senior aides who faces allegations involving the nursing-home death toll cover-up previously taught classes on ethics in government, legal news website Law & Crime reported.

Linda Lacewell, the head of New York's Department of Financial Services, is one of the three top aides accused of changing a report to conceal the real number of deaths in the state's nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The New York Times.

Related: Cuomo apologizes amid sexual harassment scandal

The Cuomo administration publicly cited figures that were roughly 50% lower than the real death toll, The Times reported.

Lacewell, who formerly served as Cuomo's Chief of Staff, is one of the officials who is alleged to have directed the removal of COVID-19 deaths from the report, the New York Post reported.

The allegations are at odds with Lacewell's background in ethics. She oversaw "ethics and law enforcement matters" while acting as Cuomo's Chief of Staff, according to her biography on the New York State website.

Lacewell was also a professor of ethics for several years. While serving as an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law, Lacewell taught a class called "Ethics in Government: Investigation and Enforcement."

In response to questions from Law & Crime about Lacewell's involvement in rewriting the report, the website was directed to two statements that assert that the true number of deaths in nursing homes was omitted due to verification issues.

"The out-of-facility data was omitted after Department of Health could not confirm it had been adequately verified," Special Counsel and Senior Advisor to Cuomo, Beth Garvey, said in the statement.

"Task Force Members, knowing the report needed to withstand rigorous public scrutiny were very cautious to not overstate the statistical analysis presented in the report," Garvey added.

Read the original article on Business Insider




By Kim Hyun-bin







POSCO International is set to become the first trading company in Korea to issue ESG bonds, the company said Sunday. ESG stands for environment, social and corporate governance and is increasingly being used as a benchmark determining a company's eligibility for investments.







POSCO International logo

Out of a total 150 billion won in corporate bonds set to be issued by POSCO International, 80 billion will be allocated towards ESG.







The money raised by the ESG bonds will be used to invest in the renewable energy sector, including wind and solar power and biomass.







POSCO International recognized the importance of ESG management early on and has been communicating with its affiliated companies to create more value in that area.







Last March, the company announced its participation in a project called "No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation" (NDPE) as part of its eco-friendly management. Recently, affiliate POSCO SPS started manufacturing vehicle drive motor cores and fuel cell divider plates to help counter climate change and reduce the impact of combustion engines on the environment.







To increase the transparency of its ESG standards, POSCO International has been taking part in the Korea Corporate Governance Service (KCGS) ESG index and received an A+ rating, winning the grand prize awarded to outstanding ESG corporations.







The company also won the top award from the Korea Standards Association (KSA) for best management.







"A successful ESG bond demand forecast, sustainable business structure and future growth potential resulted in positive evaluations from our investors," a POSCO International official said. "To accelerate ESG management, we will come up with specific measures to further solidify our leading company position in the field."






Great Scott Bravo to the fellows of the senate of the University of Sydney for their wise decision to make Mark Scott the new vice-chancellor. Mark and I go back a long way. He was just two years behind me at school  in the form above the outgoing vice-chancellor he replaces, Michael Spence  and then just behind me at Sydney University, before becoming my editor-in-chief at Fairfax, immediately prior to become managing director of the ABC, and then head of the NSW Department of Education. I know, quite the stunning resume, isnt it? Throughout all those professional positions he has prospered through softly spoken decency, hard work, and an ability to manage people to get the best out of him. A passion for education is in his very bones, and his wife, Briony Scott, is the highly regarded principal of Wenona girls school. He was born for the position, and will prosper. Mark Scott is stepping into the top job at the University of Sydney. Credit: Whats going on here? Ummmm, has anyone noticed something odd being played out when it comes to the musical chairs of commercial breakfast television hosts over the last two decades? Every few years there is a major change, as someone leaves and someone new arrives. Look at them: Tracy Grimshaw, Jessica Rowe, Sarah Murdoch, Kelly Connolly, Lisa Wilkinson (thank you, I know), Georgie Gardner, Deb Knight, Ali Langdon, Mel Doyle, Samantha Armytage. Notice anything yet? Yup. All the changes are with the female co-hosts. On average they have been replaced every four years or so. But next to them? We have Karl Stefanovic and David Koch who between them are batting 40 years, not out, with the momentary exception of Stefanovics brief hiatus in the naughty corner before being brought back. Why is it so? I point this out with great respect to Koch and Stefanovic, both of whom I know well. But it is a striking comparison, yes?

As to who will replace Armytage, it is not official yet, but the word on the street (and on the inside) is that it will be offered to Natalie Barr. My two cents worth is that shed sign. She is already a key and valued member of the team, and is adored by the viewing public. Natalie Barr is tipped to be the new Sunrise anchor. Credit:Seven Joke of the Week Father OMalley answers the phone. Hello, is this Father OMalley?

It is!

This is the Australian Taxation Office. Can you help us?

I can!

Do you know a Ted Houlihan?

I do!

Is he a member of your congregation?

He is!

Did he donate $10,000 to the church?

He will! Tweet of the Week When rounding up, Australia is just 4 million vaccinations short of its target of 4 million vaccinations by the end of March. @TheShovel Quotes of the Week

Im not going to take any legalistic moralising from this Liberal government. This is the Liberal government that appointed an independent investigator, Dyson Heydon of all people, to look into 30-year-old allegations about Julia Gillard, her former boyfriend and a kitchen renovation. Now if it is okay for the Liberal government to appoint an independent investigator to look into a kitchen renovation, then surely it is okay for the Liberal government to appoint an independent investigator to look into allegations of rape. - Kristina Keneally to Fran Kelly Australia has raised our grave concerns about the military coup in Myanmar and the escalating violence and rising death toll following the events of February 1. We condemn the use of lethal force or violence against civilians exercising their universal rights, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. - Foreign Minister Marise Payne in a statement announcing thatAustralia has suspended its bilateral Defence Cooperation Program with Myanmars military in the wake of the countrys violent military coup last month. How good does it feel to be a minister in the Morrison government knowing that no matter what questions arise over your conduct your jobs safe? - ABC 7.30 host Leigh Sales, to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. How cruel it is that this country, the cradle of civilisation, should have been afflicted by so barbarous a blow, with ancient places of worship destroyed and many thousands of people  Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others  forcibly displaced or killed. Today, however, we reaffirm our conviction that fraternity is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than hatred, that peace more powerful than war. - Pope Francis speaking to the people during his visit to the ruined Iraqi city of Mosul. Obviously this on face value would be concerning. Let us take it away on notice and provide you with a fulsome answer, and if there is an issue that needs to be resolved, it will be. - NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet telling budget estimates that he cannot explain why state insurer iCare paid a labour hire firm $235 million, including to lease and fit-out premium Sydney Harbour office space at its Kent Street premises. (And yes, I think he misunderstands the meaning of the word fulsome too.)

Theres a convention that when youre the grandchild of the monarch, so when Harrys dad becomes king, automatically Archie and our next baby would become prince or princess, or whatever they were going to be . . . While I was pregnant, they said they want to change the convention for Archie. [Its] not their right to take it away. - The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, to Oprah Winfrey. I dont believe a word she says, Meghan Markle. I wouldnt believe her if she read me a weather report. - UK media creature Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain after the interview. Morgan has since left the show. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. - The Queen about the interview. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Chant has been a familiar face, offering vital health information for our state in addition to years of service to the health sector. Dr Chant is a role model, especially for women, and has absolutely excelled in her chosen field to effect lasting change. - Premier Gladys Berejiklian announcing that NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant, who has overseen the management of the coronavirus pandemic in Australias most populous state, is the NSW Premiers Woman of the Year, the highest honour in the NSW Women of the Year Awards. His life is written in brick and stone and timber and concrete, in the beautiful historic buildings of The Rocks and Millers Point, of Glebe and Woolloomoloo. - David Noonan of the CFMEU remembering Jack Mundey at Mundeys State Memorial Service.
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The herder-farmer dispute has taken on acute and violent dimensions. It has cost too many innocent lives while destroying the property and livelihoods of many others. It has also aggravated ethnic sentiment and political tension. Despite the efforts of some of those in positions of high responsibility and public trust, the crisis has not significantly abated. Sadly, others who should know better have incited matters by tossing about hate-tainted statements that fall dangerously short of the leadership these people claim to provide. We all must get hold of our better selves to treat this matter with the sobriety it requires.

Because of the violence that has ensued and the fretful consequences of such violence if left unabated, we must move in unison but decisively to end the spiral of death and destruction. Only when the violence and the illogic of it are halted can logic and reason prevail. Until the violence is rolled back, we cannot resolve the deep problems that underlie this conflict. We will neither be able to uplift the farmer from his impoverished toil nor move the herder toward the historic transformation which he must make.

Yet, as vital as security is to the resolution of this matter, we must realise security measures alone will not suffice. Enhanced security may be the necessary first step, but it cannot be the only step. Nor do we resolve this by hitching ourselves to emotional, one-dimensional answers. More to the point, those who cast this as exclusively a matter of ethnic confrontation are mistaken. This is no time for reckless chauvinism of any kind, on either side of this dispute. This matter is not ethnic in factual origin or actual causation although in the minds and hearts of too many it has become ethnic in recrimination and impulsive action.

There have been sporadic disputes in the past but this one is more severe. The reasons for the greater violence of this current dispute are myriad. Economic hardship and its resultant dislocation, proliferation of weapons, generalized increase in criminality, and weakening of social institutions all play a role. Desertification, increased severity and length of the dry season, diminution of water resources, impairment of land fertility and population growth also contribute in no small measure. Thus, any durable solution must get at most, if not all, of these issues.

Farmers have a right to farm their land unmolested. Herders have a right to raise their livestock without undue interference. However, when conflict between these groups arises to such an extent, we must set forth clear principles and policies to remove the tension, in order to allow both to proceed toward their stated goals and to live in harmony and according to their respective rights. Just as I cannot go into your house and take your shirt because I do not have one of like colour, no one can destroy the crops of a farmer or seize the cattle of a herder simply because such destruction sates their anger or their selfish, short-term interests. If such a condition were to hold, then all would turn into chaos; all would be in jeopardy of being lost. To destroy the crops or seize the property of the innocent farmer or herder is nothing if not an act of criminality.

Here, I must state two fundamental realities. One has been previously mentioned by me and others as part of the solution. The other reality is hardly discussed.

First, the situation of the herder is becoming untenable. Their nomadic ways fall increasingly in conflict with the dictates of modern society. This way of life is centuries old and steeped in tradition. We can never condone or accept violence as a valid response to any hardship. However, we all must recognise and understand the sense of dislocation caused by the sudden passing of such a longstanding social institution.

I mention their dislocation not to excuse violence and other excesses. I raise it to underscore that we must realise the true complexity of this crisis. What is happening has been terrible, but it is not due to any intrinsic evil in either the herder or the farmer. The calamity now being faced is borne of situational exigencies. It is but the tragic outcome when often desperate, alienated people are left too long unattended and when their understanding of the modern socio-economic and environmental forces affecting the very terms of their existence is incomplete. An ethnically fuelled response will be to vociferously defend the nomadic way believing this tack will somehow protect the herder and cast the speaker as an ethnic champion. However, careless words cannot shield the herder from relentless reality. Such talk will only delude him into believing that he can somehow escape the inevitable. We do both herder and farmer grave injustice by allowing the herder to continue as he is  fighting a losing battle against modernity and climate change. In that fight, desperation causes him to flail and fight the farmer, who too is a victim of these impersonal forces.

Second, to help the herder and leave the farmer unattended is unfair and will only trigger a resentment that tracks already heated ethnic fault lines. The times have also been perilous for the hardscrabble farmer. He needs help to survive and to be more productive in ways that increases national food security. Farm productivity and incomes must be enhanced. Soil enrichment, better irrigation and water retention as well as provision of better rural roads, equipment and access to modern machinery are required to lift him above bare subsistence.

Both innocent and law-abiding farmer and herder need to be recompensed for the losses they have suffered. Both need further assistance to break the current cycle of violence and poverty. In short, the continued progressive reform of many of our rural socio-economic relationships is called for.

Based on these strategic observations, I recommend the federal government convene a meeting of state governors, senior security officials, herder and farmer representatives, along with traditional rulers and religious leaders. The purpose of this meeting would be to hammer out a set of working principles to resolve the crisis.

After this meeting, governors of each state should convene follow-up meetings in their states to refine and add flesh to the universal principles by adjusting them to the particular circumstances of their states. In addition to religious and traditional leaders and local farmer and herder representatives, these meetings shall include the states best security minds along with experts in agriculture (livestock and farming), land use and water management to draw specific plans for their states.

To accomplish this goal, wise policy must include the following elements:

Maintain reasonable and effective law enforcement presence in affected areas. The proposed reform of the Nigerian law enforcement apparatus towards state and community policing can help in this regard. The legislative and administrative measures required to make this a reality should be expedited. In addition to alleviating the present farmer-herder crisis, this reform will also bolster efforts against the banditry, kidnapping and robbery plaguing communities across the country. Governments need to employ new technology and equipment to enhance the information gathering/surveillance and response capabilities of law enforcement.

Help the herders transition to more sedentary but more profitable methods of cattle-rearing. Unoccupied public land can be fenced into grazing areas or ranches and leased to herders on a very low-cost, nominal basis. The leasing is not intended to penalise herders. Rather, the nominal fee is intended to ensure the herders are invested in the project and incentivised (by reason of their investment) to use the land provided. This aspect will also mitigate any resentment over herders being given land for free. Government, in turn, being a responsible lessor, must help with supplemental feed and water in these areas. This will enable herders to better maintain and care for their livestock thus enhancing their incomes. Herders can augment income by becoming suppliers to the leather goods industry. Additionally, herders can also develop a more symbiotic relationship with farmers by, for example, trading animal compost to the farmer in exchange for animal feed.

Assist farmers increase productivity by supporting or providing subvention for their acquisition of fertilisers, equipment and machinery and, also, by establishing commodity boards to guarantee minimum prices for important crops. In the medium to long term, resources must be dedicated to establishing better irrigation and water catchment systems to further improve farm productivity and mitigate the dire impact of flood and drought cycles brought about by extreme climatic conditions.

Establish a permanent panel in each state as a forum for farmers, herders, security officials and senior state officials to discuss their concerns, mitigate contention and identify trouble and douse it before it erupts.

We are a populous nation of diverse ethnic groups. We are a people of potential richness, yet to escape present poverty. We have resources but not wealth. Often, our words speak of hope and fear in the same breath. While we all hope and strive for the best, many fear that there is not enough of what is needed to go around and that they will be left out. In such a situation, harsh competition and contest are fated to occur. In the unfolding of this social dynamic, one group of actors has been pitted against another over dwindling water and fertile ground. The confrontation has resulted in the needless loss of life and destruction of property. If left to itself, this situation may spread and threaten the progress of the nation. It could call into proximate question the utility of the social compact that holds government and governed in positive bond, one to the other. We have a decision to make. Do we attempt the hard things that decency requires of us to right the situation? Or do we allow ourselves to be slave to short term motives that appeal to base instinct that run afoul of the democratic principles upon which this republic is founded and for which so many have already sacrificed so much? In the question itself, lies the answer.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu is National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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Moscow, Mar 12 (UNI) Participants of the international conference on Afghanistan, which Moscow will host on March 18, will discuss ways to contribute to the intra-Afghan peace negotiations in Doha, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov assured that the upcoming Moscow conference was not an alternative to the Doha negotiations.

"A meeting on the Afghan settlement is planned for March 18 in Moscow, at the level of Russian, Chinese, US and Pakistani special representatives. Delegations of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the [Afghan] High Council for National Reconciliation, prominent Afghan politicians, the Taliban movement are also expected to participate, as well as our special guest, Qatar. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will deliver an address to the participants of the meeting ... There are plans to discuss ways to promote the intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha, to reduce violence and to stop the armed conflict in Afghanistan," Zakharova said at a briefing.
ATHENS (Reuters) - A leftist Greek militant, serving several life terms in prison for 11 murders, has decided to end a 66-day hunger strike, his lawyer said on Sunday.

Dimitris Koufodinas, 63, a member of the dismantled November 17 guerrilla group, is being treated in intensive care in hospital near the high-security prison of Domokos in central Greece. He has refused food since Jan. 8, demanding to be transferred to Korydallos prison in Athens.

In a message posted online on Sunday, Koufodinas thanked supporters for their solidarity, a statement his lawyer Ioanna Kourtovik confirmed meant that he was ending his hunger strike.

"He chooses life," Kourtovik told Reuters.

The decision resolves an increasingly sensitive problem for the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose own brother-in-law was killed by Koufodinas.

Sympathizers and civil rights activists, including members of the leftist opposition, have held a series of protests, accusing the government of intransigent and arbitrary treatment of Koufodinas. The government has rejected the criticism, saying it would not yield to blackmail.

Authorities had rejected Koufodinas' request for a transfer citing a recent prison reform and a rise in COVID-19 cases in the region of Korydallos, where he served part of his sentence and where other convicted members of the Marxist group are held.

In his statement, Koufodinas, who suffered kidney failure last week, said protests in support of his strike showed the power of resistance.

"Before the force of these struggles, I declare that I'm among you, in heart and mind," he said.

Over three decades, November 17, named for the date of a 1973 student uprising against the then junta, conducted a campaign of assassinations, targeting U.S. military personnel and foreign diplomats as well as Greek politicians and industrialists.

Its leaders were arrested in 2002, two years before the Athens Olympic Games. In a high profile trial, Koufodinas, nicknamed "Poison Hand" for his cold-blooded killings, was convicted along with 14 others of 23 murders and dozens of bomb attacks, which he never denied.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Homegrown auto major is optimistic that the supply constraint of semiconductors that has impacted its commercial vehicles production will be back to normal by the second half of the next fiscal, according to a senior company official.

The company, which had hiked prices in October and January to offset the impact of rising commodity rates, is looking at taking a similar step in April in the wake of continued increase in steel and other raw material prices.

"In H2 (second half of the ongoing fiscal), we have also seen the semiconductors becoming a major constraint. This is something which has actually affected us in the commercial vehicles (CVs) also," President Commercial Vehicle Business Unit Girish Wagh told PTI.

Stating that the semiconductor supply constraints started from November, he said, "We have seen some impact. Initially, it was on the small commercial vehicles (SCV) and later we have also seen some impact happening in medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCV)."



In terms of actual impact on production, he said it varies from segment to segment with the "highest in SCVs and the least in I&LCV (intermediate and light commercial vehicles), and M&HCV is somewhere in between".

In order to overcome the challenge, the company has taken several steps, including engaging with suppliers, talking to semiconductor manufacturers to get some of the consignments faster or making some changes in the product configuration so that the requirement is reduced, he added.

When asked how long the issue is likely to continue, Wagh said, "As suppliers have indicated to us, the impact should go on gradually reducing. Therefore, from that perspective, I am looking at next (fiscal) year from an optimistic mindset...towards the end of Q2 and beginning of H2, we should be seeing the supply side completely on track but the situation is indeed very very dynamic..."



On commodity price increase, Wagh said it has been "quite significant this year, especially steel".

However, the company has worked on additional cost reduction, as it had done during the pandemic, besides passing on some of the burden to customers.

"There was a price hike in October and there was a price hike in January also. We are now monitoring the situation to see what happens going ahead for the next year...and looking at the current situation, we will also be looking at doing the same in the month of April when we get in the next year," he added.

will overcome the challenge of commodity price increase through a balance of pricing action and accelerating cost reduction, he added.

When asked about the growth prospects for the upcoming fiscal, Wagh said the CV industry is expected to grow over 30 per cent with favourable conditions outweighing negatives such as high fuel prices and uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic, and Tata Motors will look to grow faster than the industry.

"We aim to grow our market share as part of strengthening our leadership position. Therefore, we aim to grow at a rate which is higher than the industry rate next year," 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.)
When the Covid-19 pandemic forced artist Jaleel Campbell to return to Syracuse from his graduate studies, he turned the unexpected homecoming into a series of works that capture the beauty of life in the city where he grew up and the stories of family members who came before him elsewhere.

Campbells first solo exhibition debuted this weekend at the Everson Museum of Art, described by curators as unique blend of visual art, music and activism to celebrate the beauty and joy of everyday Black life and culture.

The illustration Homecoming sets the tone for the series, paying tribute to Juneteenth, a day which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

Campbell took inspiration from a family book that has been passed down generation to generation, beginning with his great-great-great-grandfather Pompey B. Hines and his 17 children.

That illustration just sparked this whole idea of maybe I should revisit my fathers side of the familytheir family history, said Campbell, who rediscovered the book shortly after returning home to Syracuse.

The two figures in the illustration are dressed in clothes that display their current status and success. A dress and a suit, a brooch and a parasol. This is juxtaposed with the cotton dotting the background and the tombstone to their right, which reads, In Memoriam of those whose remains reside across this land. The soil belongs to the ancestors, and is dated 1619-1865.

This image for me takes place after slavery; this is them coming back to their home ground or their familys home ground, coming to pay respects to where they came from, said Campbell. Their family history didnt stop on that plantation; it went off and their descendants were able to do so well for themselves.

Within the context of his own family, Campbell sees himself as doing just that. His great-great-great-grandfatherthe central figure in his family book began life as a former slave and eventually owned land and established a legacy for future generations of the Hines name.

Im carrying the torch from that said Campbell. It was written in the books for me before I was even born that I was going to be great. And Im trying to live up to that.

The rest of the series grew out of the Homecoming illustration, ideas and stories of family and Black history inspiring Campbells work.

Jaleel Campbell stands with his Jalethal dolls in front of a mural at the Everson Museum of Art on Saturday March 13, 2021.

As a storyteller, Campbell is looking to change the narrative for Black people. By using human figures as the subject of his art, he is able to capture glimpses of life and history, to travel through time and uncover the past by telling the stories of those who lived it.

I love creating these different series because it allows me to time travel, in a sense. Ive done work that was based on the Black arts movement of the 60s and 70s; Ive done work that was based off the Harlem Renaissance in the 20s, said Campbell. Now, Im going back further to the late 1800s into the early 1900s. It allows me to time travel and learn about different stories from Black history.

Another illustration in the series, Sundays Best, is centered around Campbells great-great grandparents, Abbie Hines Clanton and Reverend Hartridge Clanton. His great-great-grandmothers story is one that Campbell feels particularly connected to.

Growing and selling vegetables, Abbie Hines was an entrepreneur, a term that can also be applied to Campbell. Despite the time between their stories, this connection demonstrates the kinship that Campbell was looking to represent in the series. Though they never met, they are connected through their shared history; their stories belong to one another.

The exhibition includes more digital illustrations, as well as video works and Campbells signature Jalethal Dolls.

Campbell has worked in digital media for eight years and uses Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create his illustrations. Using these programs to bring his distinct style of geometric shapes and bright colors to life, digital illustrating allows for Campbell to tell Black stories in his own unique way.

His homecoming to Syracuse is not to be overlooked; Campbells upbringing in the area, spending time with family and neighborhood friends, impacted his becoming a creative. He noted that his exposure to the Wescott community in particular played a role in his love for artwork.

Along with spending time on creating various series and pieces, Campbell has spearheaded a number of community projects.

These projects include the Collective Display Art Show, which Campbell hosts annually; his Feel that Funk short film project; and Jalethal Doll making workshops.

His site states, As a Black artist, it is my responsibility to create work that amplifies the black voices rarely seen in mainstream media. Having ACCESS is something that rarely comes to Black folks pursuing art careers on a grand scale. When it does come together just right, magic can happen!

The Jaleel Campbell Art Fund helps to fund these public art programs and can be found at https://www.jaleelcampbell.com/donate/.

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Embracing the winter: CNY plein air artist loves to paint in the snow and the cold

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Police investigating the disappearance of Russell Hill and Carol Clay are closing in on a key witness, who could have been the last person to see the elderly pair alive.

Mr Hill, who was married, had been in a decades-long affair with Ms Clay when they vanished during a camping trip in Victoria's Wonnangatta Valley.

Saturday March 20 will mark one year since the pair were last seen.

Police are hunting the driver of a white dual cab that was in the area where Mr Hill and Ms Clay were camping.

Russell Hill (left) had been friendly with Carol Clay (right) for decades before they had an affair. The pair disappeared almost a year ago

Victorian detectives released a map of an area where a mystery white ute was spotted on the day the campers went missing

The 4WD was the only car seen in the area on March 20.

The vehicle has remained a mystery despite almost 12 months of meticulous checks by detectives.

'It might seem like only a very small possibility that those in the white ute will have information about Russell and Carol's disappearance but we can't afford to leave any stone unturned,' Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper earlier said.

'We cannot leave any ''what ifs'' when it comes to an investigation like this.'

Authorities suspect the 4WD was travelling with a passenger at the time, Nine News reported.

Police have repeated their plea for information in relation to the 4WD - and confirmed the driver could be the last person to have seen the missing campers.

Pictured: The destroyed campsite where Mr Hill and Ms Clay were staying before they disappeared

Carol Gray told those close to her she was going away for a few days and planned to return on March 29 last year

Campers, deer hunters and 4WD owners are known to frequent the Valley area.

Early speculation suggested that Mr Hill and Mrs Clay 'may have witnessed something they shouldn't have'.

It comes after police revealed a drone found in the area didn't belong to the pair.

Mr Hill, 74, left his Drouin home on March 19, 2020 and collected his friend Ms Clay, 73, from her home in Pakenham in his white Toyota LandCruiser.

They travelled through Licola, spending one night at Howitt High Plains before heading into Wonnangatta Valley.

Mr Hill's $2,000 drone was missing from the scorched scene, along with phones, car keys and bank cards. A drone was found in the area recently, but has been confirmed as not Mr Hill's

Mr Hill (pictured) had left his Drouin home on March 19 for a camping trip along the Dargo River in Victoria's northeast and planned to leave the region on March 26

Mr Hill was last heard from on March 20 over HF radio, while Ms Clay had told friends she was heading away and was expecting to return by March 29.

Authorities found the couple's campsite burned to the ground near Mr Hill's car days later, before it was discovered their their sleeping bags, phones, and his drone were also missing.

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.

Russell Hill and Carol Clay were last heard from on March 20, with Mr Hill's wife unaware he was travelling with another woman

The pair went missing in the Wonnangatta Valley, more than 200km north east of Melbourne

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.'

While detectives probed the couple's relationship, it was quickly ruled out as a likely reason for their mysterious disappearance.

There is no problem at the Tavush border, it was false information, the border situation is the same as it was 1 or 2 years ago. The governor of Armenias Tavush Province, Hayk Chobanyan, told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The commander of the 3rd Army Corps ensuring the security of Tavush borders, General Grigori Khachaturov, made a statement demanding PM Nikol Pashinyan's resignation. To the question, "Is there a contradiction between the concerns of the political and military authorities? Do you not see any border issues, whereas high-ranking military officials have serious concerns," Chobanyan responded as follows: "That statement was not new if we consider the [army] General Staffs statement [demanding Pashinyans resignation] under which Mr. Khachaturov also had signed. These statements have nothing to do with the protection of our borders and the specific service of the Armed Forces. There was no announcement in the context you mention."

The governor did not want to comment on the motives of the high-ranking military officials' statements, adding that he did not see any problem in fulfilling the obligations of the 3rd Army Corps. "Moreover, all the work is carried out at a high level. I met with the commander of the 3rd Army Corps in connection with the information agitation these days. I have no concerns in that regard," he added.

When the trilateral statement was published on November 10 last year, there was a mention of Tavush, which was corrected shortly after: it is about the following: "The Aghdam region and the territories controlled by the Armenian side in the Kazakh region will be returned to Azerbaijan by November 20."

Taking into account the current situation in Armenias Syunik Province where, as the government has announced, borders are regulated by "verbal agreement," is there no fear that Tavush may face the same situation? In response to this question, the governor of Tavush noted that they had conducted a study in that period and found out that the source of such information was an Azerbaijani Telegram channel. "This whole channel, which is created on the basis of pro-Azerbaijani statements, is wrong."

At the moment, the governor of Tavush has one concern: Azerbaijan's aspirations. And in order to resist them, Armenia must be strengthened, the level of security must be increased. "Our country, both before and after the war, has one task: to develop and prevent a new defeat. This defeat was a big blow for all of us. The fault of us all in it was that we did not do more than we could during the 25 years. Today we should not criticize each other, destroy our country, but get our country on its feet with mutual trust and support. Today thousands of people do it with their work, all that remains is for the other thousands to do the same. 

And when asked whether the government that led the country to defeat should step down, Hayk Chobanyan responded "Whether to stay in power or not is a political issue. (). I speak from the substantive agenda because it is a thousand times more important today."
This is Peter Hitchenss Mail on Sunday column

Well be sorry when the Monarchy is gone, which it will pretty soon be if we all go on behaving like this. If you want a Monarchy, you need grown-ups, not just to sit on the throne, but to support it.

Sentimental slop wont keep it going, and nor will cheap temporary popularity or glamour. It doesnt matter to me if the King or Queen are ugly or unfashionable.

Personally, I have no wish to know my sovereigns private thoughts or tastes. What would save it would be the realisation that what will come after it will be worse.

For the republicans are waiting, filled with glee and hunger, for that moment. They know that the present Queen is beyond their reach. They cannot pull her down and they will not try.

But afterwards they will do all they can to destroy the Crown.

More than three centuries ago, this nation had an amazing stroke of luck. It invented constitutional monarchy. Based on that marvellous and forgotten charter of liberty, the 1689 Bill of Rights, we created a new type of state that was the wonder and envy of Europe.

We had a monarch who was the object of loyalty and pride, but who could not be an autocrat because the law and Parliament together prevented it. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 had sent our last despot, James II, scurrying off to France.

But what nobody then realised was the other side of the bargain. Politicians, who grew in power as the King grew weaker, were also limited. They could not install themselves in grand robes or glittering uniforms, or be inaugurated amid military parades and the roar of artillery salutes.

They could not review or directly command the troops. They did not have the power of pardon. Nobody was required to be loyal to them personally. In fact, civil servants, police and the military, who serve the law and the Crown rather than the government of the day, were actually required to refuse an unlawful order from them. All the glorious, shiny baubles of state were reserved to a powerless King or Queen.

Well, not quite powerless. Like the King on the chessboard, a Monarch has one great negative power. Nobody else can occupy his space. It was quite plain during the Blair government, stuffed with undercover republicans who claimed to be the political arm of the British people as a whole, that Blair himself would have liked to muscle in on the glamour of Monarchy.

What on earth was he doing, reading the lesson at Princess Dianas funeral? What was the point of his drivel about the Peoples Princess? Why did he pose so often with soldiers? Why was he given standing ovations lasting minutes for his ghastly, saccharine speeches? Guess.

Some Tory premiers have not been immune to this either. It is a disease of all politicians.

To me, the single most striking thing about the Meghan Markle opera last week was when the White House press spokeswoman intervened in it, saying: For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story, that takes courage and thats certainly something the President believes.

Well now, look, lets not be unkind here, but President Biden has had his own problems with one of his sons. I dont recall Buckingham Palace issuing any kind of statement about that, and quite right too. It wouldnt be grown-up to do so.

But one of the things that is wrong with the US is that it has an overmighty President, who has to buy and keep his office by making promises to billionaire donors and pandering to fashions in thought and opinion.

He mixes power and grandeur, and he demands a respect we arent required to give our premiers.

During the mad Iraq war, criticism of President George W. Bush was less savage in the USA than criticism of the Blair creature here. This is because the President is the commander in chief, head of state, the personal figurehead of the nation.

Those who now moan about the rather small cost of our Monarchy never seem to notice the vast price of Air Force One, the ludicrous presidential jet  a planned replacement is expected to cost more than 2.5 billion.

Is the tacky celebrity culture in the USA, even worse and more idiotic than ours, perhaps something to do with the absence of the sobriety and restraint which Monarchy provides?

Canadas very different society seems to suggest that the two are connected. We may complain about some members of the Royal Family, but do they even begin to compare with shameful, embarrassing figures such as Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton who  remember  actually possessed solid and enormous political power? And let us not even start on the French presidency.

In general, if republics are so good, why are so many of them, from North Korea and China to Apartheid South Africa (whose racialist rulers could not wait to kick out the Queen in a whites-only referendum in 1960) dismal places of tyranny and torture? Why are most of the longest-surviving free nations in the world constitutional monarchies?

It is so much easier to join in the teenage yelling about our Monarchys alleged privileges and luxuries, about its supposed snobbery and bigotry, and its stuffiness and slowness to adapt to the times, than it is to say, as I do, that we should learn to respect and hang on to our good fortune.

Why spit on your luck?

The enemies within

The accelerating takeover of our Government by Utopians in pursuit of a New Jerusalem has rotted the whole structure of the state.

As I reveal on Page 41 of todays Mail on Sunday,

https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2021/03/falklands-hero-lord-west-is-insulted-by-the-foreign-office-after-he-casts-doubt-on-uns-sexed-up-assa.html

the Foreign Office, once a stately, thoughtful and reserved department, has now adopted crude propaganda techniques and finds itself insulting Admiral Lord West, a man who has captained a warship under enemy bombardment (he was the last to leave her) and has done the nation much service.

I tried to warn them, but they would do it. Lord West has faced worse things, but usually from the other side.

Terrors scary enough without the monsters

Perhaps I spent too much of my childhood hiding from chores, or from activities that I had been assured would be fun (a word I came to dread, especially at boarding school).

I loved finding a secret corner where I could forget the cares of the day, lost in the pages of Arthur Mees obsolete Childrens Encyclopaedias. These described a thrilling world of courage and adventure, now largely abolished by modernity.

I was enthralled by the mysterious tragedy of Sir John Franklins 1840s expedition in search of the North-West Passage, in the two grimly named ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.

After 60 years, I have now found the intensely moving account: For the rest there were tales told by Eskimos of gaunt men dragging boats from foundered ships, wearily, like grey ghosts across the starving land the men dropped dead as they walked.

So I could not resist the new BBC series, The Terror, which tries to imagine the still mysterious disaster.

It is in some ways very good  the frightening beauty of the ships trapped and lost amid the ice is wonderfully done. But the tragedy would surely be exciting enough without a supernatural monster and large dollops (literally) of blood and guts.

And yet again, despite tremendous efforts to get clothes and hair right, the dialogue is full of modern expressions, and why doesnt anyone know that in the Navy of those times you were never on a ship, always in her? It could be so much better.

If you want to comment on Peter Hitchens, click on Comments and scroll down
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 81F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/13/2021



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Clara Berghaus has slammed Chris Williams ' decision to divorce Paige Banks less than three weeks into their marriage on Season 12 of the Lifetime reality series.Although Chris promised Paige during their honeymoon she'd be the No. 1 priority in his life, Chris suddenly had a change of heart and told Paige that he wanted a divorce and to reconcile with his then-pregnant ex-fiancee, Mercedes Myrick, with whom Chris confessed he was still in love.On Wednesday night's episode of : Unfiltered, Clara and two of her co-stars, Virginia Coombs and Haley Harris , watched back a Season 12 clip in which Chris revealed to his friend, Pastor Dwight, he had asked Paige for a divorce."You currently have a diamond, period. Those are rare," Dwight says in the clip. "Let's just consider Paige. Let's consider her feelings. Let's consider everybody that's involved.""Yeah, with all due respect, I'm really done with the conversation," Chris snaps.Unfiltered host Jamie Otis -- who starred on Season 1 of -- asked Clara for her perspective on that footage."We know Paige is a warrior, an absolute diamond, as [Dwight] said," Clara shared. "It's horrible to see [Chris]' friends can see how amazing she is and he can't."She added, "Yeah, it seems like par for the course, for me."Jamie then asked Clara for her thoughts on Chris wanting a divorce just three weeks into his marriage Paige."Oh goodness, I think it speaks to your character," Clara said. "I think it says that you clearly didn't make the vow that you said you did."Clara expressed sympathy for Chris' loved ones given so many people had been involved and invested in the marriage other than the bride and groom, Paige and Chris."I just personally can't imagine bringing the people in my life into something like this -- saying 'yes' in front of my family and my friends and God -- knowing that he puts God on such a pedestal -- and then three weeks later being like, 'Naw, I'm good,'" Clara explained.Even Haley, who seemed unhappy in her marriage to Jacob Harder and realized she wasn't attracted to her husband during their honeymoon, said she wasn't thinking about divorce at this point in the extreme experiment."We have quite a few problems," Haley acknowledged."But at the end of the day, I think we're committed to seeing this through. So I don't want to say that we're necessarily giving up just yet, but we're still figuring it out."Virginia pointed out that divorce seems like " such a last straw option .""Absolutely," Clara agreed. "Absolutely.""Especially given the situation we're in where we have so many resources," Clara said, referring to experts Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Viviana Coles and Dr. Pepper Schwartz."I don't know, divorce really, really seems like a last [resort]."Chris and Mercedes had been engaged just three months prior to Chris signing up for .Chris -- who repeatedly called Mercedes' pregnancy "devastating" and "disturbing" news when he initially revealed it to Paige and his fellow co-stars -- claimed he and Mercedes had split in May 2020, but he told his buddy and fellow MAFS star Vincent Morales , "That wasn't the last time we had sex, for sure."While Chris seemed set on dumping Paige and trying to win Mercedes back, his storyline with Paige is still playing out on the Lifetime reality series.After a tense conversation with expert Pastor Calvin Roberson in which Chris revealed he wanted to part ways with Paige, Chris allegedly whispered in Paige's ear that his fear was falling in love with her.A confused Paige subsequently met Mercedes face to face in attempt to take some control back in the situation, and Mercedes announced that she had no intention of taking Chris back.Paige was also convinced she was finished with her relationship until Chris called her to meet up at a bar. Chris didn't have any new revelations to share with Paige but confessed he was afraid of "making the wrong decision trying to make the right decision.""I feel like I'm doing the right thing in my mind, raising my baby possibly with the mother of my kid. But I'm married. I signed up to be married," Chris lamented.Chris told the cameras he had rejected everybody, including Paige, because he was trying to focus on the news of his baby. As a result, he admitted to being "negligent in my responsibilities as being a husband."Chris told Paige that she didn't deserve this at all and should never be a man's "option." Chris claimed he would definitely want to be with Paige and treat her right under different circumstances.Chris asked Paige what she wanted, and Paige replied, "I wanted you to give us a chance."Chris therefore suggested they should reset, start over and begin fresh -- and Paige agreed to a clean slate for the both of them.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our newspage!And click here for more updates on former cast members and info on where they are now!
Sig Sauer has an effective killing range of 600 meters against around 400 meters for INSAS

New Delhi: Indian Army's Infantry battalions across the country have started getting the deadly US made advance assault rifles Sig Sauer in a big boost to their capability. According to sources, the Infantry soldiers who were deployed at the LAC and LoC first started getting Sig Sauer rifles.

Now soldiers in other Infantry commands are also getting the rifles. "Atleast two companies in each Infantry battalion are getting Sig Sauer rifles," said sources. Many units are conducting firing practices with the gun.

Till now INSAS (Indian small arms system) rifles manufactured locally by the Ordnance Factories Board was the main weapon of the Indian Army. However, there were many glitches in INSAS rifles. It used to get jammed. The 5.56 mm bullet in many cases didn't kill the terrorist in one shot which was another major drawback.

Sig Sauer bullet is 7.26 mm which is bigger than INSAS. "Sig Sauer is shoot to kill weapon. One bullet for one enemy," said an official. Sig Sauer has an effective killing range of 600 meters against around 400 meters for INSAS. Another advantage is that Sig Sauer can be used by both left and right-handed soldier. It has sights to aim fire. "SiG Sauer fire is very precise and the metal is also very good," said the official.

Earlier, India had signed a contract with a US firm Sig Sauer for 72,400 assault rifles at a cost of around Rs 700 crore. The assault rifle was bought through the fast-track procurement (FTP) route.

In September 2020, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved purchase of second batch of 72,000 SiG Sauer assault rifles from US for frontline for Rs 780 crore. These rifles are used by US forces as well as several other European countries.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  A hotly debated sick leave bill that would allow New Mexico private sector employees to accrue and use about a week and a half of paid leave per year moved to the brink of final approval Sunday.

A Senate committee voted 6-3 along party lines to send the measure to the full Senate, with Democrats voting in favor of the bill and Republicans in opposition.

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Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, said after Sundays vote by the Senate Taxation, Business and Transportation Committee that she was optimistic the bill would be approved by the Senate before the 60-day legislative session ends Saturday.

I think this could be a phenomenal moment for workers in the state, Chandler told the Journal.

The paid sick leave bill, House Bill 20, has generated fierce debate at the Roundhouse after a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on workers and businesses alike.

Critics of the bill have argued it would impose another financial burden on businesses whose sales have plummeted during the pandemic, but backers described their concerns as overblown at a time when many businesses are getting state and federal financial aid.

I feel confident this will not be the detriment its been represented as today, Sen. Carrie Hamblen, D-Las Cruces, said during Sundays hearing.

The mandatory paid leave bill has moved forward in the Senate after backers agreed to postpone its implementation date from this summer to July 2022.

That concession was due partly to concerns raised by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who suggested recently that it might not be the right time for lawmakers to pass bills imposing new requirements on businesses.

However, the Democratic governor said on social media after Sundays committee vote that she would sign the revised legislation.

And Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley, a Lujan Grisham appointee, testified that the later effective date would give both businesses and the state agency charged with enforcing the law more time to prepare.

No one should have to go to work sick, McCamley said. Thats really, really bad for them, and its bad for their friends and their community.

Specifically, the legislation would allow workers to take up to 64 hours of accrued leave per year  and even more during public health emergencies. Employees could start accruing leave once the bill takes effect or when they start a new job, whichever is later.

Although about 12 other states already have paid sick leave laws on their books, many of them exempt small businesses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The proposal under consideration at the Capitol would not exempt smaller employers, although it would, in its current form, allow employers that already offer paid leave programs to qualify under the law as long as they meet its minimum terms.

Business groups have described the proposal as one of the most far-reaching paid leave bills in the country, while also saying their offers to help craft a statewide paid leave policy that would be less harmful to employers have largely been rebuffed.

Other critics pointed out the bill would not apply to public sector employers, just those who work in the private sector.

Were basically giving the government a waiver, Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, said during Sundays hearing.

But supporters countered by saying that most, if not all, New Mexico state, county and municipal employees already have access to paid sick leave.

The Sunday debate also focused on whether the bill would apply to workers such as babysitters and high schoolers who mow lawns. Backers maintained such individuals would be excluded as independent contractors unless they are employed by a business.

They also argued that a statewide paid sick leave law would lead to a healthier and more productive workforce because workers would not feel compelled to work when sick, or leave an ailing family member alone to ensure they get a paycheck.

Bernalillo County has also adopted a paid time off ordinance, although it applies only to unincorporated parts of the county and is not as generous to employees as the proposed statewide law.

Albuquerque city councilors have put off a local debate over paid sick leave to see what action lawmakers take during this years session.
Railway operators in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Kansai region are moving up the departure times of their last trains beginning Saturday.

The companies say they are responding to falling numbers of passengers traveling late at night due to the pandemic, and that the measure will also provide better working conditions for maintenance staff.

In the Tokyo metropolitan area, East Japan Railway says the last trains on 18 lines, including the Yamanote and Chuo lines, will leave earlier.

Tokyo Metro, Seibu Railway, Tobu Railway, Keio Corporation, Odakyu Railway, Tokyu Corporation and Sagami Railway will also move up the departure times of their last trains beginning Saturday, while Keikyu Corporation and Keisei Electric Railway will start on March 27th.

In the Kansai region, West Japan Railway says the last trains on 12 lines will leave earlier, and Hankyu Railway and Hanshin Electric Railway say they will also make similar timetable changes.

This will be the first time in about half a century that the departure times of last trains will be brought forward.
In the wake of controversy surrounding Pepe Le Pew's removal from Warner Bros' Space Jam sequel, social media users are calling for the cancellation of another popular television character: Miss Piggy.

Users have taken to Twitter to sarcastically  and maybe even seriously  protest Miss Piggy's character, who they say is eerily similar to the Looney Tunes skunk.

The push comes after New York Times opinion columnist Charles M. Blow argued, in a piece about the removal of six Dr. Seuss books, that Pepe Le Pew "normalized rape culture." Blow also contended that Speedy Gonzales, another Looney Tunes character, had friends who "helped popularize the corrosive stereotype of the drunk and lethargic Mexicans."

Related: How Brands Deal With Online Haters, Trolls, and Cancel Culture

Following the publication of Blow's article, the Hollywood Reporter revealed on Monday that Pepe Le Pew  a French skunk introduced to audiences in 1945 and known for making aggressive sexual advances  would be scrubbed from Space Jam 2. The outlet additionally reported that Warner Bros. has no plans to bring the character back, much to the dismay of creator Chuck Jones' family.

That same day, several Twitter users claimed that The Muppets' Miss Piggy should also be cancelled for her abusive treatment of Kermit the Frog.

"Ok! I'm holding Miss Piggy accountable since we're going down this route," one person wrote. "[Excessive] violence towards guests and a variety of Muppets PLUS various examples of sexual harassment toward Kermit the frog."

Ok! I'm holding Miss Piggy accountable since we're going down this route. Exessive violence towards guests and a variety of Muppets PLUS various examples of sexual harassment toward Kermit the frog.  DESPOP (Des Taylor) (@DESPOPART) March 9, 2021

"What about Miss Piggy?" a user asked Blow on Twitter. "She does the same to Kermit just about, but from the female point of view. We need to get rid of Miss Piggy as well. We need to cancel all cartoons from back in the day cause they all don't fit in today's society. We are all screwed up from watching these."

What about Miss Piggy? She does the same to Kermit just about, but from the female point of view. We need to get rid of Miss Piggy as well. We need to cancel all cartoons from back in the day cause they all dont fit in todays society. We are all screwed up from watching these  NOLA_P (@nolapivon) March 7, 2021

Other users suggested other characters that should be canceled, including Clifford the Big Red Dog.

"Clifford used steroids to grow and profited off of his illegal drug use," one person joked.

Clifford used steroids to grow and profited off of his illegal drug use. #CancelACartoonCharacter pic.twitter.com/t3dB4IZX9z  duck named soph (@MissMegaduck) March 8, 2021

There are no updates yet as to whether Walt Disney, which owns The Muppets, plans to, in fact, cancel Miss Piggy.

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A Brisbane COVID-19 quarantine hotel has been placed into lockdown as a precaution after a doctor confirmed to be infected with the virus treated a person who had been staying there.

Health Minister Yvette DAth said on Sunday morning the Hotel Grand Chancellor will be locked down, with no new hotel quarantine guests to be allowed in, as health authorities investigate potential transmission within the hotel.

Health authorities are investigating a possible link between the patient who stayed at the hotel and another hotel guest housed on the same floor who is also infected.

Ms DAth said the first case was the person brought into the hospital on March 9; case two was the doctor who was infected by that person; and case three was the person in hotel quarantine on the same floor.
Islamabad, March 14 : Pakistan has sent a batch of Covid-19-related relief goods to Iraq to help the latter's fight against the pandemic, the Foreign Ministry here said in a statement.

"The first plane-load was dispatched today in presence of the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ambassador of Iraq to Pakistan," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued on Saturday as saying The next two consignments of relief goods are expected to be sent in the coming week, the Ministry confirmed.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is a global challenge, which can only be contained with international solidarity and cooperation.

"The government and people of Pakistan stand by their Iraqi brethren in this difficult time," the statement added.

The Ministry said Pakistan and Iraq have multifaceted relationship, marked by regular high-level exchanges and growing cooperation in diverse fields.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 81F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Nearly two years after the brutal killing of her police officer husband Andrew, Lissie Harper is still blindsided by grief  and unrelenting anger about the lenient sentences given to the men who took his life. Now its fuelling her determination to seek justice

Evening time is when Lissie Harper misses her husband Andrew most. In their cosy cottage in South Oxfordshire, on the banks of the River Thames, shes surrounded by memories of their life together. But, as night falls, she feels Andrews absence even more.

We loved lighting a fire, cooking a nice meal and cuddling up to watch a film together. In the day I can keep busy and distract myself with work, or spending time with my family who are in my bubble. But alone in the evening, in this house that we bought together, his absence feels so profound, says 30-year-old Lissie. I dream of him, and in my dreams hes just as he was, life is as it used to be and none of this has happened. Then I wake up and hes not here.

After Andrew died, I stayed with my parents for a while and did wonder how Id feel living here again. But Ive found that alongside the sadness of missing him is a deep feeling of comfort because here is where I feel closest to him.

In August 2019, Andrew Harper, a 28-year-old police constable, was killed while on duty, dragged for more than a mile to his death by a speeding getaway car after an attempted robbery.

His body, found lying in the road by his colleagues, was so maimed and battered that he was no longer recognisable.

The shocking juxtaposition of the brutality of his death and the fact he had, just weeks before, married his childhood sweetheart Lissie, grabbed the nations attention: the sight of his bride dressed in black delivering the eulogy at his funeral unforgettably heartbreaking.

Nineteen months may have passed since his death, but for Lissie it may as well be yesterday that she was woken from her sleep at 3am by a police officer at the door, so raw is her grief still.

I went to bed that night a new wife and woke up a widow. I had no idea, closing my eyes to go to sleep, that by morning my life would have changed in the most terrible way, says Lissie. Id barely unpacked from our mini-honeymoon to Cornwall and the house was still full of wedding paraphernalia. We were both looking forward to our proper honeymoon to the Maldives the following month. After that we were planning to move house, then start a family. A few weeks before Andrews death I was the happiest Id ever been, and felt such a sense of gratitude. Its almost as if we were too happy, too lucky she says, her voice faltering.

Lissie and Andrew On their wedding day, 18 July 2019. He was killed four weeks later

Lissie last saw Andrew the morning of his death as he headed to work, and they spoke for the final time around 10pm by phone. He should have been home hours before but had stayed late, which was very typical of Andrew, he was so devoted to his work. We had a really normal chat, I told him Id managed to sell a doughnut wall which wed had made for our wedding. I said I was going to bed and would see him in the morning, then we hung up. I just assumed in a few hours hed climb into bed next to me. Of course, Andrew never returned home. Instead, one of his colleagues had to break the devastating news to Lissie that he had died, and in the most horrific circumstances.

Attempting to stop thieves who were trying to steal a quad bike, Andrew accidentally stepped with both feet into the loop of a tow rope, attached to their car. Lassoed as they sped off, he was dragged along country lanes in Berkshire, before eventually coming loose.

At first, in a state of deep shock, I assumed hed died in an accident on the way home. When the officer told me ten people had been arrested, I was so confused and distraught. I couldnt breathe and felt physically sick with shock that someone had taken Andrews life, says Lissie.

She learned the details of exactly what had happened to Andrew over the coming days and weeks.

To begin with, I didnt want to know everything, it was just too much to take in on top of the shock and pain that he was dead. But as the news went public, I would stumble on snippets of it, or overhear a conversation and so, eventually, I had to know. With every detail I learned, I felt sick.

I can never forget. Ill never not know what the final moments of his beautiful life were like. The brutality he suffered is forever a part of losing him, and that is so hard for me.

Ill never know if my grief would have been different had he died in a tragic accident, but I do know I wouldnt feel this anger that never leaves me, about what was done to him and what Ive had to endure.

Endure is an appropriate description for what Lissie had to face after Andrews death. In July 2020, three teenagers from a local travellers camp  Henry Long, 19, Albert Bowers, 18, and Jessie Cole, 18  were, to widespread shock, cleared of murder at the Old Bailey but convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to between 13 and 16 years. An attempt by the Attorney General to increase their sentences failed after it was rejected by the Court of Appeal last December.

After summoning the strength to face her husbands killers in court  an experience she describes as gruelling  Lissie had faith that the judicial system, which Andrew had served all his adult life, would deliver justice.

Instead, she described the verdict and sentence as an abominable injustice and says it has only served to compound her suffering, particularly the knowledge that his killers could be released after serving just half their sentences.

I vividly remember feeling so let down when the verdict was read out, absolutely crushed on Andrews behalf. Nothing was going to bring him back, but to be left with this sickening feeling of injustice, that the right thing didnt happen, its very hard to cope with. I couldnt accept it; I still dont.

So determined is Lissie to right the wrongs she feels have been committed that, rather than retreat in devastation from the public eye, shes thrown herself into campaigning for Harpers Law which would mean an automatic life sentence for anyone who kills a police officer or other on-duty emergency services worker.

Its Andrews legacy, a way to create something good from his death, she says, radiating a steely resolve as she speaks. His funeral should have been the last thing I did for him as his wife. Instead its this. And he would want me to do this, he would completely support what Im asking for.

He literally put his life on the line to protect others, and made the ultimate sacrifice, and I dont want another family to feel the way I do  that their loved one wasnt worthy, in death, of the protection of justice.

More than ever in the past year, during the pandemic, there has been such appreciation and celebration of front-line workers like Andrew. Yet where was the recognition from the court for what he did, and what was done to him the night he died?

Lissie outside the Royal Courts of Justice in 2020 to appeal the sentences of Andrews killers

A couple since they were 16, after meeting at school, Lissie says Andrews death was so much more than the loss of a spouse, and also a hammer blow to her own sense of identity.

We grew up together. Our relationship was a huge influence on the adults we both became, and for 12 years I was part of Lissie and Andrew.

When we were 18, he moved in with my family, we went travelling together, then we bought our first home. Every part of my adult life, and the person I am today, he played a part in shaping. He was to be the father of my children and the man I grew old with.

Since he died, Ive had to figure out who am I without Andrew? Who is this woman, living alone for the first time in her life? Its something Ive reflected on a lot, and truthfully, I still dont know. I believe, like grief, that uncertainty about my own identity is a continuous aspect of being a widow. It changes, you get used to it, but its always going to be there.

Ask Lissie about her favourite memories of her life with Andrew and her eyes sparkle. There are so many. Big ones like our round-the-world trip in our 20s, then simple moments like walking by the river together, and eating pizza on the floor of our house the night we moved in because we didnt have a table and chairs.

Unsurprisingly, one of Lissies most cherished memories of her life with Andrew is their wedding day in July 2019, at Ardington House, a Georgian manor in South Oxfordshire. The couple, Lissie in lace and Andrew in a navy three-piece suit, exchanged their vows at an outdoor temple in the grounds in front of 50 guests; a day Lissie remembers as absolutely perfect. Yet despite their wedding photos, which mercifully they were able to choose together before Andrews death, being on display in her home, shes yet to watch the professional video of the day.

I cant bring myself to watch it without him, she admits. To hear his voice again, and watch us together as we were I really dont know how it would affect me, what emotions it would unleash. And right now, Im not ready to find out. Im glad I have it, and one day I will watch, but its too soon.

Like many widows, Lissie feels the weight of expectation that at some point she should move on with her life.

Theres still a misconception that time heals but thats not how it works. Time has passed but Im still living with the same pain I felt the moment I found out Andrew was dead, and I know I will never reach a point where I stop grieving for him. This isnt an illness; Im not going to get better one day.

Most people have been so kind and sensitive with what they say, but I have had a few youre young, youll meet someone else comments, and that does make me cross, because its such a deeply personal thing to pass comment on, when or if someone whos widowed has a new relationship.

What I know is that right now I still feel married to Andrew: I wear the wedding ring he gave me, I am his wife. I cant imagine feeling differently.

Along with support from family and friends, Lissie has found solace in new friendships with other widows, after meeting through the charity WAY (Widowed And Young). There are certain things you just cant understand unless youve lived this experience, and that solidarity and empathy has really helped me. I can confide in them about emotions Ive experienced that someone else might struggle to grasp. Like the guilt I felt when I sorted through some of Andrews belongings, worrying it was too soon, or struggling to do DIY and feeling angry that Andrew isnt here to help me.

Despite still feeling deeply connected to Andrew and her life with him, Lissie is, she says, beginning also to look to the future.

The police Guard of Honour at Andrews funeral, Christ Church cathedral, Oxford

Life does carry on, and my way of coping is to get up every morning and keep going. Recently Ive started to wonder what my future holds for me. One thing Im very sure about is that I want to find joy in life again. Andrew was one of those people who grabbed life with both hands, and I know hed want me to do the same, to do more than just exist.

First and foremost in Lissies future plans is seeing Harpers Law become a legal reality. I think Andrew would be surprised by all the public speaking Ive done around it, meeting with politicians and talking to the press. Ive gained a sense of fearlessness since his death, because when youve faced your worst nightmare, and hit rock bottom, nothing can ever be as bad as that.

He did always know I was stubborn, though, and in his name Im standing up to say I dont accept this  we must place a value on the lives of the people who protect us. I believe hed be proud of what Im trying to do, and that gives me comfort.

No matter what Lissies future holds, her memories of Andrew and their life together will accompany her.

Whatever path I take, I know hell be there. Im not a religious person but I believe theres an energy thats still with me. All the love we had, its still here.

You can find out more about Harpers Law at harperslaw.co.uk and sign the petition backing Lissies campaign at change.org/harperslaw
New Delhi, March 14 : A man was killed while two others seriously injured in three separate shooting incidents in north east Delhi within a span of 48 hours.

A 47-year-old man was shot dead by a gunman in north east Delhi's Khajoori Khas on Saturday night. The deceased has been identified as Sohrab Ansari, and the police suspected personal enmity behind the cause of the murder.

The incident was reported at around 8.40 p.m. on Saturday when the deceased was at his shop located in D- Block, Gali No.2, Shree Ram Colony of Khajoori Khas where he was shot by some unknown person .

"On inquiry into the incident, it has primarily emerged that personal animosity, at Delhi or at his native place Sultan Ganj, Bihar, may be the reason for the incident. Case has been registered under appropriate sections of law and investigation is in progress," said Sanjay Kumar Sain, DCP North East.

In another incident reported from Jafrabad on Saturday evening a 42-year-old man was shot in Brahampuri road at his Mother Dairy shop. Injured person Manoj Sharma has been shifted to the GTB hospital.

"At about 4.20 p.m., information was received in Jafrabad police station from the JPC hospital about a gunshot injury caused to Manoj Sharma, who owns a Mother dairy shop located at B55 on Brahmpuri road and the incident took place at his shop. Injured person has been shifted to GTB hospital, said the police.

"In the incidents of Jafrabad and Khajoori, accused have been identified and police teams are working to arrest them," the officer added.

Another incident of firing was reported from Jafrabad area on Friday. A man was injured when the assailants opened fire at him. According to the police the dispute was about the repairing work of a bike.

"In this incident of Jafrabad both the accused, Suhail and Gazi, have been identified and arrested," the officer added.
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The dashing new Opel Crossland has arrived in Opel Dealerships across Ireland. Crisp and compact on the outside, spacious and versatile on the inside, the new Crossland is the first in the range to adopt the Opel brands unmistakeable new Vizor front face signature.

A replacement to the popular predecessor Crossland X, which has won legions of fans Europe-wide, the newly restyled Opel Crossland gains extra comfort and technology equipment and features an improved chassis. It retails in Ireland from 22,395, plus dealer delivery related charges.

James Brooks, managing director at Leeson Motors, Irish importer of Opel, said: The new Crossland of course retains all the key ingredients the Crossland X predecessor model had, that made it such a success for Irish buyers. Comfortable, practical, spacious, keenly priced and powered by efficient engines, our new Crossland model now brings to market the stand-out, new Opel front style signature and a smart new rear finish. Many more comfort and safety features have been added, to offer a really attractive package for drivers looking for the perfect compact family crossover with SUV looks.

He continued: The arrival of the all-new Crossland heralds the start of a complete rejuvenation of the Opel model line-up in 2021. We look forward to 2021 with confidence, on the foot of a strong January performance, with the excellent new Crossland now in our stable, and in anticipation of all-new Mokka, an electrified Zafira-e Life, our first all-electric light commercial vehicle, the new Vivaro-e, just crowned International Van of the Year 2021, and many more new model unveilings to follow this year.

Available in seven different body colours and in SC, SRI and a range-topping Elite trim, the new Crossland is powered by a choice of a 1.2 83bhp stop start petrol (134g CO2 WLTP) 5-speed manual, a 1.2 130bhp turbo stop start petrol (138g CO2 WLTP) 6-speed automatic, a 1.5 110bhp turbo stop start diesel (120g CO2 WLTP) and a 1.5 120bhp turbo stop start diesel (131g CO2 WLTP).

The new Crossland features the all-new Opel Vizor front face, which extends in one single sweep across the front of the vehicle, integrating both the grille and headlights, punctuated proudly in the centre with the Opel brands legendary lightning-flash emblem. A hallmark signature of all new Opel models to come, the front Vizor face is married to an equally strong rear visual identity featuring a new, high gloss black tailgate panel housing the Opel logo and book-ended with stylish rear lights.

With prices starting from 22,395 plus dealer delivery related charges, standard equipment from level one SC includes hill start assist, cruise control with speed limiter, lane departure warning, enhanced traffic sign recognition, six airbags, leather steering wheel, manual air conditioning, rain sensing windscreen, automatic lights, 7 touchscreen with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, DAB radio, USB connectivity and 12-volt socket.

Sporty trim

The sporty SRI trim, from 23,895 plus delivery, is packed with features over the SC trim, to include park assist front and rear, rear view camera, AGR drivers seat, 8-way driver seat adjustment with driver seat cushion extension and lumbar support, ambient white LED cabin lighting, drivers armrest, half-leather effect upholstery trim, a painted two-tone roof, tinted rear privacy windows, silver skid plates, 16 alloy wheels and LED front fog lamps.

The range topping Elite trim, from 25,395 plus delivery, is the ultimate in luxury. Standard equipment over the SRI trim, includes leather upholstery, AGR drivers seat and passenger seat, eight-way passenger seat adjustment with seat cushion extension and lumbar support, heated front seats, heated leather steering wheel, electronic dual zone climate control, an upgraded central console with lidded storage, sliding split folding rear seats with armrest, a 3.52 colour driver instrument display, a rear 12-volt socket and 16 alloy wheel upgrade.

The new Crossland has now arrived at Opel dealerships. Contact Fitzpatricks Opel in Naas on 045 875800.
As research into genetic causes of disease began to grow, Le Bonheur Pediatrician-in- Chief Jon McCullers, MD, knew it was time to start building a pediatric DNA biorepository. So in 2015, Le Bonheur's Children's Foundation Research Institute (CFRI) created the Biorepository and Integrative Genomics (BIG) Initiative and began collecting DNA samples from hospitalized children at Le Bonheur with the consent of their parents. "We knew then that changes in genes impact health and cause disease.

We began collecting DNA samples in the hope that at some point we would be able to sequence the DNA and use it for research," said McCullers. Five years and more than 10,000 DNA samples later, this dream is becoming a reality. Le Bonheur and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) recently signed an agreement with a leading biotechnology company to obtain genetic information from 25,000 DNA samples in the next five years with the option to increase that number to 100,000.

This partnership is a step forward to support research to better understand the genetic contributions to disease and the ultimate goal of precision medicine. Precision medicine uses genetic and other important health information to either correct or reduce the effects of genetic abnormalities or to understand which therapies will be most effective. Research into this field requires a diverse team -- physicians who understand the most important medical questions, researchers who know how to analyze the DNA to answer those questions and laboratories with the capability to generate the data on a large scale and help develop new medical therapies.

Genetic data from the biorepository will provide the foundation for research that can change the way we practice medicine to provide more precise therapies." Chester Brown, MD, Genetics Chief

Le Bonheur's biorepository is one of only a handful in the country devoted to pediatrics. In addition, Memphis' pediatric population provides a unique opportunity to focus on minority health issues and disparities. Forty-five percent of the biorepository samples are from African-American children -- a unique feature compared to other pediatric biorepositories in the country. BIG collects leftover samples that would otherwise be thrown out from Le Bonheur patients in the inpatient, outpatient and Emergency Department settings. Appropriate consent is obtained and education provided for parents and caregivers to understand how their child's sample will be used to contribute to the future of medicine.

While all samples are de-identified for research purposes, each sample connects to the patient's electronic medical record (EMR) through a secured process. This includes a longitudinal health record of every patient, so researchers know a child's health conditions, but not who they are. This sample can be traced back to a patient in the event that any beneficial therapies are discovered that pertain to that individual. But the pediatric biorepository is just the beginning for DNA sequencing and research at Le Bonheur.

"The second phase of our biorepository is to go statewide and get to 100,000 individual samples as a part of the University of Tennessee 100,000 genomes project," said McCullers. In addition, Le Bonheur is partnering with a local adult hospital, Regional One Health, to start an adult biorepository that will be housed at Le Bonheur. "DNA sequencing will give us insight into diseases that are not just a one gene model but have effects from multiple genes," said Brown. "Our ultimate goal is to provide higher quality care for our patients tailored to the individual."
When Comal Independent School District trustees voted last week to make masks optional, they undermined every person there who wants to continue science-based precautions against a pandemic.

A parent of a first grader told the San Antonio Express-News she was blindsided by the last-minute email the night before the change, saying the decision came from a place of cowardice.

Steve Stanford, Comal ISD spokesman, said most students attending school in person Wednesday morning were wearing masks  we wonder how long that will last. He said parents seemed to be evenly split between wanting masks to be required and wanting a choice in the matter. No surprise there, which is why the district should have opted for safety.

The virus that has turned our world upside down, plagued our country and stolen the lives of more than 529,400 Americans and 46,000 Texans is not gone. With a total of 689 COVID student cases and 208 staff cases reported in Comal ISD, the pandemic hasnt ended there, either.

We get it. Were exhausted, and we, too, want to remove our masks and get back to normal  but doing so would defy medical recommendations. Its not the right time.

Americans are painfully divided along partisan lines on how seriously to take COVID-19 and the suggested medical restrictions and precautions. Comal ISD is ruby-red. In the 2016 presidential election, 73 percent voted to re-elect Donald Trump; in 2018, 75 percent voted for Gov. Greg Abbott.

The Pew Research Center recently reported Democrats are 27 percentage points more likely than Republicans to say they plan to get, or have already received, the vaccine (83 percent to 56 percent).

But the virus is nonpartisan, and we should expect elected officials, including school trustees, to be leading lights. Why not Comal ISD?

Spanning 589 square miles, Comal ISD encompasses all of Comal County and portions of Bexar, Guadalupe, Hays and Kendall counties. Its one of the states fastest-growing school districts; last year 2,940 staff members served more than 25,000 students in 31 schools.

District 1 trustee Tim Hennessee, one of two board members who voted Tuesday against changing the mask policy, said 75 percent of staff in the six schools in his district asked to stay the course and keep the mask requirement. The district is not listening to its administrators. You know, the people entrusted with managing entire campuses and protecting children and staff in an extraordinarily challenging time.

In a letter to families Tuesday night, David Drastata, Comal ISD board president, explained that although the districts safety protocols have been effective at mitigating coronavirus spread, the board wanted to allow parents to decide whether their children would wear masks at school.

This follows Gov. Greg Abbotts decision to ignore Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, opening all Texas businesses and lifting the statewide mask mandate. This is the kind of confusion Abbott has invited by acting prematurely.

Drastata strongly recommended mask-wearing for everyones protection. For those who choose to wear masks and attend Comal ISD, we hope thats enough to keep them safe, even when they may be exposed to COVID-19.

The district reminded students, 81 percent of whom are attending in person, that they can switch to remote learning at any time. Thats not a fair solution; remote learning isnt an effective way of learning for many students, as the increasing failure rates and mental health concerns indicate.

Teachers and other staff members, many of whom may not have been able to get the vaccine, have no choice  they are teaching students, mask or not, COVID-free or COVID-positive.

Other local school districts have not gone this route, making Comal ISD an outlier.

Comal ISD touts itself as a district anchored by family values, neighborhood schools and safe environments.

Trustees should update that sentence.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 13, 2021 / New to The Street upgraded to the 10 AM timeslot on NEWSMAX T.V.

Jane King hosts the show which brings the innovators behind the companies. The show number 157 since 2010 aims to help Public, Private and Blockchain Companies by following their progress in a detailed series format to educate the public.

The show will feature HEALIXA (EMOR) with Ian Parker the people first digital solutions for Healthtech.

Solar Integrated Roofing with CEO David Massey who's taking the country by storm combining solar and roofing. David talks about the recent acquisition of Cornerstone Construction headed by well-known industry professional Hunter Ballew and touches on the up listing goals for Solar Integrated.

Solar Integrated will be doing updated interviews with their partners and division heads each month as they expand through California, Phoenix, Dallas, and beyond. Additional dates on NEWSMAX, Fox, and the entire FMW Broadcasting platform coming shortly.

NativeCoin The etherium based crypto currency built to modernize the Native American casino and help the over 500 tribes across the U.S.

About Emerald Organic Products

Emerald Organic Products Inc. has recently changed its name to Healixa Inc. in the State of Nevada. Filings have been made to reflect the name change on the OTC ticker board.

About Healixa Inc.

Healixa is a technology company with assets in both health tech and fintech. Healixa marries code and care to create exceptional experiences in health tech. The Company's people-first approach is designed to humanize care via purpose-driven ethical engineering practices, deploying simple solutions for complex global challenges.

Healixa offers value-based tech solutions to enterprise partner channels across a broad range of industries including employer benefits, travel, pharma, logistics, and more.

About NATIVECOIN

NativeCoin is a digital currency running on the Ethereum blockchain network and is specially made for Native American Tribes and their businesses. This Native American Sovereign Cryptocurrency is made to be used by Tribal casinos and other enterprises in the United States and around the world.

Story continues

About Cornerstone Construction

Cornerstone Construction, a licensed roofing contractor, has served thousands of clients throughout South Carolina and neighboring states since 2017 with quality solutions for residential and commercial roofing and solar. Roofing services include expert inspection, installation, repair, and replacement services as well as gutters, windows, siding and decking. The company designs and installs traditional solar and solar shingles that integrate seamlessly into any new or existing roofing system. For more information on Cornerstone Construction please visit: https://cornerstoneconstruction.org.

About Solar Integrated Roofing Corp.

Solar Integrated Roofing Corporation, is an integrated, single-source solar power and roofing systems installation company specializing in commercial and residential properties in the Southern California market. The Company's broad array of solutions include sales and installation of solar energy systems, battery backup and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to roofing, HVAC and related electrical contracting work. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.solarintegratedroofing.com.

About FMW Media

FMW Media operates one of the longest-running U.S and International sponsored and Syndicated Nielsen Rated programming T.V. brands "New to the Street," and its blockchain show "Exploring The Block." Since 2009, these brands run biographical interview segment shows across major U.S. Television networks. The TV platforms reach over 540 million homes both in the US and international markets. FMW recently added Newsmax to its broadcasting platform with its first show broadcasted Sunday, December 27th. The NEWSMAX New to The Street show is syndicated on Sundays at 10 AM EST. FMW is also one of the nation's largest buyers of linear Television long and short form.

https://www.newsmaxtv.com/Shows/New-to-the-Street

https://www.newtothestreet.com/

FMW Media Contact:

Bryan Johnson

+1 (631) 766-7462

Bryan@NewToTheStreet.com

SOURCE: FMW Media Works Corp





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Imagine a bar for all the thugs who were banned by every other bar.

Now imagine Texas Republicans setting up an information booth there.

Thats essentially what the state party has done on the hate-spewing website Gab, and Gov. Greg Abbott finally had enough.

Flanked by local Republican state Reps. Craig Goldman and Phil King, Abbott declared in a Twitter video Wednesday that anti-Semitic platforms like Gab have no place in Texas.

Officially, Abbott was backing a King bill for an advisory council to combat anti-Semitism.

But the governor also took the occasion to single out Gab, basically an online graffiti wall for garbage spewed by anti-Semites, the alt-right, QAnon obsessives, white supremacists  anyone banned from other websites.

Since Jan. 23, two weeks after the U.S. Capitol riot, Gab has also included content posted by the Republican Party of Texas.

As you might expect, neither the Pennsylvania-based operators of Gab nor state party Chairman Allen West of Garland took Abbotts comments well.

Andrew Torba, who founded Gab in 2015 as a 25-year-old social media whiz, wrote online that Abbotts comments were despicable and false, but he allowed that unpopular viewpoints may be found on the site.

That is his exact target market.

Torba founded Gab on the mantra, Hate speech is free speech.

Wests state party office fired back with a social media post saying the party will fight censorship and The 1st Amendment still shines brightly in the Lone Star State.

Mainly, that shows Wests office has not read the First Amendment.

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It only prevents the government itself from limiting speech.

It does not say anything about whether Republicans should post on a commercial website that markets hatred and hostility in the guise of promoting free speech.

Abbotts comments came after party Vice Chair Cat Parks of Hamilton County spoke out last week, writing that she found anti-Semitic and racist comments on the partys posts and this was a common theme on Gab.

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Gab is not a viable or healthy outlet for RPT to share our message of opportunity, liberty and personal empowerment, she wrote

King and Goldman said they joined Abbotts video to oppose anti-Semitism.

I didnt even know who Gab was until the governor mentioned it, said Goldman, R-Fort Worth.

Kings bill commissions a state study on anti-Semitism and sets up education programs.

American Jews face a higher percentage of attacks and hate crimes than any other faith group, King, R-Weatherford, wrote in a text message.

Thats what my bill is about  trying to address this growing area of crime and religious persecution.

Abbott made it mean much more.
No Ukrainian Army casualties were recorded over the period under review.

Russia-led forces mounted 10 attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday, March 13, 2021.

In particular, enemy troops used 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, rifles to attack Ukrainian positions near the village of Pisky, the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) Headquarters said in a morning update on Facebook on March 14, 2021.

Read alsoEscalation in Donbas: Ukraine reports one KIA, one WIA on March 12

They also used grenade launchers and rifles near the village of Vodiane in the Pryazovia area (the north coast of the Sea of Azov). In the same sector, an enemy UAV dropped two VOG-17 explosive projectiles over Ukrainian positions.

Moreover, Russia-led forces opened fire at Ukrainian positions near the village of Pivdenne, using large-caliber machine guns and anti-tank grenade launchers.

Ukrainian JFO units had to fire back.

From 00:00 to 07:00 Kyiv time on March 14, enemy troops violated the ceasefire in Donbas three times. Hot spots were the villages of Pisky, Katerynivka, and Opytne.

No Ukrainian Army casualties have been reported.

Ukrainian members of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) of the ceasefire in Donbas also reported about gross violations by Russia-led forces in the occupied districts.

In particular, Russia-controlled armed formations committed acts of provocation, using proscribed weapons to artificially exacerbate the situation near the villages of Pisky and Vodiane, Donetsk region, so that then to groundlessly accuse Ukrainian military units of shelling civilian infrastructure outside the Russia-occupied city of Donetsk.

Other related news reports

Reporting by UNIAN
She recently revealed her family often help her choose her risque outfits and branded herself the 'Naked Chef'.

And Amanda Holden proved there's no stopping her from being comfortable in her own skin as she posed up a storm for an outdoor shoot with YOU Magazine.

The Britain's Got Talent judge, 50, turned up the heat as she put on a leggy display in a shirt-inspired bodysuit, teamed with thigh-high stiletto boots.

Legs for days: Amanda Holden proved there's no stopping her from being comfortable in her own skin as she posed up a storm for an outdoor shoot with YOU Magazine

Highlighting her slender frame, the presenter's ensemble was complete with a structured collar, while she left the garment partially unbuttoned.

The broadcaster ensured focus remained on her incredible outfit as she opted for minimal accessories.

Bouncy curls framed her youthful-looking face, while glamorous make-up accentuated her naturally stunning features.

The former actress later switched into a baggy shirt and black cowboy-style footwear as she strolled across a park.

Working it: The Britain's Got Talent judge, 50, turned up the heat as she put on a leggy display in a shirt-inspired bodysuit, teamed with thigh-high stiletto boots

Wow-factor: Highlighting her slender frame, the presenter's ensemble was complete with a structured collar, while she left the garment unbuttoned

Chic: The former actress later switched into a baggy shirt and black cowboy-style footwear as she strolled across a park

Radiant: Bouncy curls framed her youthful-looking face, while glamorous make-up accentuated her naturally stunning features

Less is more: The broadcaster ensured focus remained on her incredible outfit as she opted for minimal accessories

Earlier in the day, the musician uploaded a stunning snap of herself posing alongside her daughters Alexa, 15, and Hollie, nine, to mark Mother's Day.

The media personality wrote in an accompanying caption: 'Happy Mothers Day! So grateful for my two gorgeous girls who woke me up with a coffee and marmalade on toast this morning.

'Thinking of those of you who have lost a mum or the hope of being one and sending my love.' (sic)

The TV star has been keeping busy in recent months as she continues to host Heart Breakfast and recently released her debut studio album, Songs from My Heart.

'So grateful': Earlier in the day, the musician uploaded a stunning snap of herself posing alongside her daughters Alexa, 15, and Hollie, nine, to mark Mother's Day

Amanda celebrated her milestone 50th birthday last month, and thanked her husband Chris Hughes and their children for making her day special.

The blonde beauty wrote on Instagram: 'How did this happen! Half a century... time flies! Thank you for all your kind & loving messages today. My husband Chris and my gorgeous girls have spoiled me rotten and it's still going.

'My friends have sent the most hilarious messages & presents and made this day extra special.' (sic)

The media personality and the record producer tied the knot at St Margarets Church in Somerset back in December 2008.
Sharron Newtons calling to be a nurse became more than a 50-year career but is instead an outpouring of love and voluntarism that she has shared both around the world and at home.

Newton, 70, grew up living across the globe, thanks to her fathers career in the U.S. Air Force. She attended high schools in Virginia, Spain and Italy, and graduated from the high school in Rome. But she first blended a love for health care and volunteering as a teenage candy striper, and she has been living out that passion ever since.

I learned early that you meet such wonderful people who do volunteer work. They are people from all walks of life, and they are just the most caring and wonderful people ever, she said.

Newton said she feels blessed to get to do what fills my heart, and that means helping others feel cared for.

The way she has helped care for others includes working at Shriners Hospital for Children, helping to develop nursing criteria for hospice care, assisting with surgeries in third-world countries, teaching amputees how to ski, and most recently, coming out of retirement to deliver COVID-19 vaccines.

Sharron and Bill Newton, her husband of 48 years, moved to Slidell from the San Francisco area. She said Bills job in the insurance industry moved them around almost as much as when she was a child. But in the 1970s, she was a student of Louisiana State University nursing school, and so she and Bill, a New Orleans native, were thrilled in 2004 to move back to the state upon Bills retirement where they could be among old friends and family.

As a Rotarian in California, Newton said the first thing she did when she arrived in Slidell was to quickly join the Rotary Club of Slidell Northshore.

Then, within the year, Hurricane Katrina struck, devastating the community Newton was just beginning to know and love. The Newtons rolled up their sleeves and jumped into volunteer efforts, where they have been going strong ever since.

Newton has been chairwoman of the Slidell Heritage Festival; is a past president of Inner Wheel, a womens service organization started as an auxiliary to Rotary International; works with Habit For Humanity East St. Tammany and heads the Relentless Rosies for the Womens Build. She is a member of the board of the East St. Tammany Rainbow Child Care Center; has been part of Community Christian Concern and PEO, a womens organization that offers financial support to women in education. She is now the 2020-2021 president of the Rotary Club of Slidell Northshore.

Newton said she loves lending a hand to a variety of community projects. But she said she is perhaps most proud of the work she has done with hospice care and Rotaplast International.

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A hospice nurse for 15 years, Newton said she saw firsthand the need to work with terminally ill patients and their families. Using the Richard Murphy House in Hammond as a guide, she helped develop Hospice House in Slidell to offer free care for terminally ill patients.

Much of hospice is teaching family and giving them support so they know how to care for their loved ones. But Hospice House is for those by themselves, who dont have anyone to care for them, Newton said. The love from hospice care is very near and dear to my heart.

Rotaplast International, which receives support from Rotary Clubs internationally, launched in San Francisco in 1996. Its mission is to perform charitable reconstructive surgeries with a particular focus on cleft lips and palates and burn deformities. Each year, the nonprofit completes dozens of mission trips, performing anywhere from 100 to 130 operations.

Newton has traveled to India, Africa, the Philippines, Guatemala and throughout South America for these medical missions. Each trip, she said, has been life-changing.

When I come home, people ask oh how was your trip. I say do you really want to know? Because I could talk on and on about them. I learn so much every time. Its a gift. 

Newton was on a Rotaplast mission trip in February 2020 when she first heard of the novel coronavirus that would hold the world captive just days after she returned. I was on the last trip to go out, she said.

She said the miracle of the Rotaplast mission is not just to perform the much-needed surgeries for those who otherwise would be unable to have them, but that it is an opportunity for Americans to let other people know that we are just like them. We work hand in hand with hospitals and families, she said. It is a PR program for the world.

Newton said she believes everyone has something to offer everyone else.

Im blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of people's lives, to help families. From Hospice to Rotaplast to Rotary and Habitat, where I can help those who would not be able to afford housing, she said. But we all have a responsibility to help others. You dont need a lot of money to be a giver.
Photo/Xinhua

HONG KONG, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Saturday expressed strong opposition to statements issued by a very few western countries that openly meddled with Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs, and said any interference is doomed to be futile.

The spokesperson of the office said the western statements, smearing the National People's Congress (NPC)'s decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR, came as a flagrant breach of international law and basic norms governing international relations.

The decision was adopted with an overwhelming majority at the NPC shows the determination and confidence of all Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, to staunchly uphold national sovereignty, security and development interests and maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, the spokesperson said.

The decision is a vital step to close the loopholes in the existing system, put into effect the fundamental principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," improve the institutional framework of "one country, two systems," and protect political stability and the security of the body of power in the HKSAR, the spokesperson said.

It is a sure way to promote the gradual, orderly and steady development of a democratic system suited to Hong Kong's reality and with Hong Kong characteristics, enhance the efficacy of the HKSAR government's administration, and serve Hong Kong's overall interests and people's well-being, the spokesperson said, stressing that it has solid political and legal foundation and is of indisputable authority.

The spokesperson emphasized that the key issue is not whether democracy and freedoms should be upheld, but about a battle against those trying to grab power and commit subversion and infiltration.

A very few western countries, however, have made unwarranted remarks about Hong Kong affairs on the pretext of democracy and freedoms, which distorted the truth and applied double standards in a bid to endorse anti-China troublemakers in Hong Kong, the spokesperson said.

It only lays bare their ulterior motive to wish Hong Kong ill and use Hong Kong as a pawn to hold back China's development at large, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson reiterated that Hong Kong is part of China, and that improving the electoral system of the HKSAR is China's internal affairs.

China is firmly committed to fully and faithfully implementing the "one country, two systems" policy, and to opposing any external interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs as a whole, the spokesperson said, urging external forces to abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop meddling with Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs as a whole.
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London: Mothers Day in Britain was always going to be different this year, but Prince William and Princess Catherine made sure one tradition remained a constant.

Every year, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis make cards to pay tribute to their Granny Diana and to say how much she is missed. Mothers Day is celebrated on March 14 in Britain.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with their three children Prince George (left), Princess Charlotte (right) and Prince Louis. Credit:Matt Porteous/Kensington Palace/Getty

After the week the royal family have endured following the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs interview with Oprah Winfrey, the childrens messages took on an added poignancy.

In a message on the Kensington Palace Instagram page, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the first time made public the homemade cards and their messages to Diana, Princess of Wales.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  A lawmaker has slammed a letter from the Department of the Interior and Local Government that directs its regional officers to identify and submit names of people who are supposed members of left- leaning groups.

Bayan Muna Representative Ferdinand Gaite says the letter dated March 10 was an act of "harassment and intimidation" and that it adds to the group's suspicion that a "hitlist" was being made that he said could lead to "more killings."

"This is yet another evidence of blatant terrorist-tagging of legitimate people's organizations, and an unwarranted act of harassment and intimidation. Sabi wala daw redtagging? Ito, napakalinaw na redtagging ito [They said there was no redtagging. This is clear redtagging]. Following the leak of the letter to the Clerk of Court in Calbayog, this new letter from a DILG high official bolsters our suspicion that government forces are in the process of accomplishing a hitlist which would be followed by more brazen attacks, by more killings, as we have seen in the Calabarzon Bloody Sunday," said Gaite in a statement Sunday.

The DILG letter signed by Alexander Macario, Assistant Secretary for Public Safety and Security, said regional directors and the regional secretary of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao were to initiate an investigation and validate "definite members" of the Confederation for Unity Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees.

Gaite was a former president of COURAGE, an organization made up of workers' unions from the public sector.

The lawmaker also cited the action by the intelligence chief of the Calbayog City police who requested a list of lawyers representing individuals from an alleged "communist terrorist group."

In a March 12 letter that went viral, Police Lieutenant Fernando Calabria Jr. asked the Office of the Clerk of Court in Calbayog for the names of legal counsels of "CTG personalities." He said he made the request in compliance with "higher PNP offices..

Philippine National Police officer in charge Guillermo Eleazar denied the claim, and Calabria was relieved.

"Malinaw na malawakan itong crude intelligence gathering na ginagawa ngayon at malamang ay sumulat rin ang iba pang mga opisyal ng pulisya sa iba pang mga korte para manghingi ng impormasyon. Other agencies are probably doing the same too, in a coordinated operation against progressive organizations that is most likely being done under the order of the NTF-ELCAC," Gaite said.

[Translation: It is clear how widespread this crude intelligence gathering is and it's likely other police oficials have written to courts to get more information. Other agencies are probably doing the same too, in a coordinated operation against progressive organizations that is most likely being done under the order of the NTF-ELCAC.]

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers also released a statement regarding the letter, denouncing the DILG memo and asking that counter-insurgency funds be directed to education instead.

"The memo flagrantly tramples on teachers and education workers' constitutionally protected freedom to associate, and makes us open targets of worse state attacks," said the statement by ACT.

ACT demanded the recall of the letter and that an investigation be launched on those behind it.

The DILG has not given a statement on the issue.
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.
Cotonou, Benin (PANA)  The 53rd Conference of African ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic development will be held from 17 to 23 March in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on the theme Africas sustainable industrialization and diversification at the digital area in a context of Covid-19, organizers told PANA on Sunday in Cotonou
A senior officer working in the Vijayawada region said they have been sending salary bill details to the Hyderabad head office as well as AP government officials concerned but payments are not forthcoming. Representational image/DC

KURNOOL: Dr B.R. Ambedkar Open University staff and academic councillors, including contract employees, have not been paid their salaries for the past 13 months. Surprisingly, the reason being given is a technical glitch in updating their bank details.

Open universitys officer on special duty Velaga Joshi says only recently, details of contract employees were updated and they were paid their salaries.

Headquarters of the university is in Hyderabad. Its accounts amounting to about Rs. 300 crore are yet to be divided between the two states. We are planning to take legal recourse in this regard, Joshi stated.

Around 72 study centres and 13 regional coordination centres of the open university are functioning in Andhra Pradesh with funding from the state government. There are 456 staff, including 29 regular employees, working at these centres. At least 20,000 students have enrolled themselves for different under and postgraduate courses. They are being taught by more than 800 teaching staff. There are also councillors for the various courses.

A senior officer working in the Vijayawada region said they have been sending salary bill details to the Hyderabad head office as well as AP government officials concerned. But payments are not forthcoming. Another employee belonging to Kurnool district complained that even regular employees are not getting their salaries. Due to funds crunch, books and study materials are also not being distributed in sufficient quantities to students.

Velaga Joshi, however, said the issue could be resolved soon after approval from the state government.
Kathy Hilton recently signed on to join the ranks of reality stardom along with her famous family members.

And the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star had quite the posse to help her ring in another trip around the sun.

She celebrated her 62nd birthday Friday night with sister Kyle Richards and some of their RHOBH costars on the patio at upscale Chinese restaurant Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills.

Birthday girl: Kathy Hilton celebrated her 62nd birthday Friday night with sister Kyle Richards and some of their RHOBH costars on the patio at upscale Chinese restaurant Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills

Gang's all here: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star had quite the posse to help her ring in another trip around the sun (L-R: Lisa Rinna, Dorit Kemsley, Kathy Hilton and Crystal Kung Minkoff)

The 62-year-old donned a little black dress, layered with a black blazer, which featured a colorful floral beaded design.

She hugged it out with little sister Kyle, 52, who kept warm in a fuchsia faux fur coat, layered over a black top and black leather pants.

Kathy also posed for some group photos with her new Bravo fam, including fellow RHOBH newbie Crystal Kung Minkoff, 35.

She and Crystal recently joined the cast of the reality series in its 11th season, which is currently filming.

Little black dress: The 62-year-old donned a little black dress, layered with a black blazer, which featured a colorful floral beaded design

Pretty in pink: She hugged it out with little sister Kyle, 52, who kept warm in a fuchsia faux fur coat, layered over a black top and black leather pants

New to the family: Kathy also posed for some group photos with her new Bravo fam, including fellow RHOBH newbie Crystal Kung Minkoff, 35 (L-R: Lisa, Crystal, Dorit, Erika Jayne and Faye Resnick)

Special guests: They were joined by Lisa Rinna, 57, Dorit Kemsley, 44, and Erika Jayne, 49, as well as frequent guest star Faye Resnick, 63

They were joined by Lisa Rinna, 57, Dorit Kemsley, 44, and Erika Jayne, 49, as well as frequent guest star Faye Resnick, 63.

Lisa kept cozy in a black chunky knit turtleneck with matching leather pants and a black faux fur coat.

Dorit also opted for an all-black look in a turtleneck with skintight leggings, which she layered with a puffer jacket.

Erika put on a stunning display in a floor-length black lace jacket, which was trimmed in black feathers.

The birthday girl's daughter Nicky Hilton Rothschild, 37, also made an appearance, sporting a sleeveless dress with a striped design, over a black turtleneck and matching leggings.

Back in black: Lisa kept cozy in a black chunky knit turtleneck with matching leather pants and a black faux fur coat

Bundled up: Dorit also opted for an all-black look in a turtleneck with skintight leggings, which she layered with a puffer jacket. Guests took home giant decorated fortune cookies

Mama's girl: The birthday girl's daughter Nicky Hilton Rothschild, 37, also made an appearance, sporting a sleeveless dress with a striped design, over a black turtleneck and matching leggings

Hostess with the mostest: The exclusive al fresco gathering was hosted by Tina Craig, Cade Hudson and Bling Empire star Christine Chiu, 38 (L-R: Nicky, Ursula Nesbitt, Christine Chiu and Kyle)

Dazzling display: Christine dazzled in a white ruched boatneck top with padded shoulders and cutouts on the sides, paired with a black skirt

The exclusive al fresco gathering was hosted by Tina Craig, Cade Hudson and Bling Empire star Christine Chiu, 38.

Christine dazzled in a white ruched boatneck top with padded shoulders and cutouts on the sides, paired with a black skirt.

The guest list also included Nancy Davis, Alexa Dell, Ursula Nesbitt, Linda Collins and Tessa Hilton.

Kathy and her friends sat at tables decorated with candles and towering pink floral arrangements, and they took home giant decorated fortune cookies.

RSVPs: The guest list also included Nancy Davis, Alexa Dell, Ursula Nesbitt, Linda Collins and Tessa Hilton
New Delhi, March 14 : Google announced via Twitter that Terraria game will officially release on Stadia on March 18.

"Get ready to unleash your imagination! The world will be your canvas when Terraria arrives March 18 on #Stadia," the company said in a tweet.

Having launched in 2011, Terraria is considered as one of the best sandbox titles of all time. It's set in a 2D world where players can build, mine, explore and discover different loot.

Terraria is one of the most successful and most popular indie games of all-time with over half a million user reviews on Steam alone.

It's sold 30 million copies across all of its platforms as of April 2020.

Meanwhile, Google has added new games led by PixelJunk Raiders, AVICII Invector and PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle to Stadia this month for Stadia Pro members.

Last year, Terraria received its final update with "Journey's End" which added Master Mode, new enemies and bosses like the Empress of Light and Journey Mode.

Google has announced that around 400 new games are on the way for its Stadia Cloud game streaming service.

In a recent interview with MobileSyrup, Jack Buser, Stadia Director of Games, said most of these games would be arriving in 2021 and beyond.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 18:12:39|Editor: huaxia

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-- Over the last eight years, China's final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living below the subsistence level declared poverty-free.

-- To ensure that those who have been lifted out of poverty will not be snapped back into impoverishment, China will implement strategies including rural vitalization in an all-around manner during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, safeguarding the sound development of modern agriculture and increasing income for farmers.

by Xinhua writers Zhu Xiao, Sun Xiaoyu, Yao Yulin

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- On a drizzly fresh morning, Lu Panfeng, 45, was inspecting and recording the conditions of wheat in the city of Huai'an, east China's Jiangsu Province. Once utterly obscure, he was awarded as a national role model for efforts in poverty alleviation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last month.

During the past eight years, as the Party chief of Fengnian village in Huai'an, once a poverty-stricken village, Lu has worked out a busy schedule to lead his villagers out of abject deprivation by developing local agricultural collectives and distinctive industries.

In 2020, the collective incomes of the village notched up 1 million yuan (about 153,000 U.S. dollars), quadrupling that of two years ago.

Over the last eight years, China's final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living below the subsistence level declared poverty-free. The country then met the poverty eradication target set out in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade ahead of schedule.

To ensure that those who have been lifted out of poverty will not be snapped back into impoverishment, China will implement strategies including rural vitalization in an all-around manner during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, safeguarding the sound development of modern agriculture and increasing income for farmers.

Aerial photo taken on May 11, 2020 shows residential houses built for farmers in Lyuliang Township of Jinhu County, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

REVAMPING INDUSTRIES

Graduated from the Shanghai-based Tongji University, Fan Yajun worked in sales and promotion in a pharmaceutical enterprise before she chose to become a tech-savvy farmer in the city of Jurong.

Jurong, a county-level city under the administration of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu, is well-known for its strawberries.

Born in the city next to Jurong, Fan was familiar with and interested in strawberry-growing. She decided to establish the Jiangsu Esperanza Eco-Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd., helping local farmers cultivate seedlings and standardize planting strawberries and pitaya.

Different from the traditional planting patterns, Fan introduced the industrialization path to develop the value chain and supply chain of strawberries, which mainly includes breeding, marketing, processing and agro-tourism. Her company also cooperated with some research institutions to develop tens of new varieties of strawberries.

"We can produce about 3 million plants of strawberries every year, generating an annual income of over 1 million yuan," said Fan.

Over the past eight years, China has built 1,290 innovation and entrepreneurial platforms in its rural backwaters and about 289,800 sci-tech experts have been sent to those areas since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in 2012.

Many in rural China are also jumping on the livestreaming bandwagon to expand the sales channels for their produce.

As a migrant worker in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Liang Guanhua came back to his hometown Haiqi Village in the city of Lianyungang, Jiangsu. Liang now serves as a livestreaming host to sell seafood.

"I earn more money now and a growing number of youngsters are heading back home for living," Liang said.

Home to more than 1,100 households, Haiqi sees over one-fourth of its residents occupied in the e-commerce sector now. Thanks to the new business model, the annual seafood sales in the village can reach around 2 billion yuan, according to Li Jiashi, Party chief of the village.

To achieve rural vitalization, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs vowed to focus on four key tasks. Among these tasks, more will be done to improve rural industries, including the agricultural product processing industry, all for more job opportunities in rural China.

Ye Yuzhu introduces tea to the audience via livestreaming at the tea market in Songyang County of Lishui City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

UPGRADING TOURISM

Being at the northernmost tip of China and over 130 km away from urban districts, Beihong Village is tucked away in mountains in the city of Mohe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The village suffers from minus 40 degrees Celsius during its extremely long winter, which often lasts from November to the end of April. The harsh weather causes poor harvest, cutting the main income source for the villagers and making their hometown one of the poorest in Heilongjiang as late as in 2014.

The village has 146 households and 366 residents. With Russia visible directly across the Heilongjiang River in its north, at least a quarter of its villagers have Russian blood and can be recognized by their blueish eyes, large noses and curly hair.

Approved as a Russian ethnic village by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission in 2008, the village has maintained the elaborate layout of its original, preserving over 100 Russian-style houses built with logs and strips. Wandering around the village, travelers can soon get away from the bustling urban life and find their inner peace.

The sleepy village's road to tourism boom largely relies on poverty alleviation programs launched over the years.

In 2011, the village was connected to the State Grid. Previously, electricity was almost a luxury. The residents could only rely on the diesel generator for about three hours of electricity supply a night.

In the next few years, new roads were built and the Internet was made accessible for the place. Now, the aurora that can be seen around the Summer Solstice, extreme coldness as well as the village's northernmost location have become a big draw for tourists.

Zhang Fushun, a local villager, still recalled a bitterly cold afternoon in 2010, when two female tourists were trying hard for an inn to stop over but there was none of such thing in the village.

The warm-hearted Zhang thus invited them to his house, asking his wife to cook some meals. To his surprise, the two were quite hesitant to eat the rural dishes because they were reluctant to use the outdoor toilet.

"I will not forget the despair shown in their faces when leaving the village," Zhang said. In the following years, he renovated his house and his priority was to build an indoor bathroom. Zhang became one of the first to operate a family inn.

Currently, 72 family inns and four supermarkets are run by the locals. It is calculated that more than 200 people out of the 366 villagers are directly involved in the tourism industry. In 2018, all impoverished households in the village escaped penury.

An employee works at a modern agricultural industrial park in Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

TURBOCHARGING CONSTRUCTION

Peng Rui, a 41-year-old university lecturer in Jiangsu's city of Suzhou, spends most of his spare time in Shushan Village as a designer in rural planning.

In 2012, the village committee invited the teaching staff in Suzhou University of Science and Technology to engage in village planning and Peng was among them.

The village with over 400 households has its specialties of tea, pears and red bayberries. "I felt like Shushan has so many good natural resources, just a pearl covered in dust," Peng said.

In the first four years, the village mainly focused on beautifying the environment, including redesign and renovate the houses, and build infrastructures like gas pipelines and hot springs.

"Villagers were invited to visit our design and most of them were impressed and volunteered to have a try," Peng said.

In 2016, Peng envisioned a cluster of startups and opened a center that attracted over 60 startups in rural and cultural creative industries. Via the platform, Peng and his team have organized multiple activities including various conferences and tourism festivals. They have also built a recording studio and invited musicians and bands to hold shows and opened two public libraries at the foot of the mountains, enhancing the cultural experience for the locals and tourists.

"Where there is scenery, there is new economy," he said. Shushan is now like a magnet that has attracted two coffee shops, 13 homestays and even a five-star international hotel chain. Villagers at Shushan sold 55 million yuan worth of agricultural products in 2020. Their per capita income exceeded 45,000 yuan.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China will make efforts to advance rural construction to improve rural residents' living standards and satisfy their need of building a beautiful countryside, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

According to the action plan for rural construction, China will set targets for better rural public infrastructure and basic public services, stronger rural consumption and faster integrated urban-rural development within counties.

(Video reporters: Zhu Xiao, Lin Kai, Li Guangzheng, Li Yuze; Video editor: Peng Ying)
Cressida Dick has been embroiled in a string of controversies during her 38-year career at the Met.

In July 2005 she was in overall charge of the operation which saw electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, shot dead on a Tube train in south London.

Mr de Menezes, a Brazilian working in the capital, was blasted in the head seven times by police at Stockwell station after being followed by officers from his home nearby.

Cressida Dick has been embroiled in a string of controversies during her 38-year career at the Met

Later inquiries heard he appeared to match the description of suspects whose bombs failed to detonate on the transport system the previous day.

Their attempted attack followed the 7/7 atrocity which killed 52 people on Tubes and a bus in London earlier that month.

Dame Cressida was cleared of all blame by later inquiries, but Mr de Menezes family expressed serious concerns when she was appointed Met Commissioner in 2017.

The top policewoman, 60, told the Mail in 2018: It was an appalling thing  an innocent man killed by police. Me in charge. Awful for the family and I was properly held to account. We learned every lesson that was to be learned.

My job was to stand up and be counted, tell the truth and carry on. If police officers fell to pieces or resigned when operations didnt go well, it wouldnt send out a good message.

In 2014 Dame Cressida sanctioned the creation of Operation Midland  the Mets investigation into spurious VIP child sex abuse allegations.

Innocent men, including the late Lord Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, were pursued by the force.

in 2019 the Met under Dame Cressidas leadership was widely criticised for its light-touch policing of Extinction Rebellion protests

The Mets star witness Nick was later revealed to be serial liar Carl Beech.

In 2017 Dame Cressida was criticised for her choice of words after she said the victims of the London Bridge terror attack demonstrated Londons diversity.

The officer added: We believe, of course, that thats what makes our city so great. Its a place where the vast majority of time its incredibly integrated and that diversity gives us strength.

Critics said the remarks were ill-considered.

In 2019 the Met under Dame Cressidas leadership was widely criticised for its light-touch policing of Extinction Rebellion protests.

The environmental demonstrators were allowed to blockade key areas of the capital for days, including Westminster Bridge and Oxford Circus.
The young girl who first spotted the walrus thought to have drifted to Ireland from the Arctic has come up with names for the creature  depending on whether it turns out to be male or female.

The giant walrus the size of a dairy bull landed on the rocks in Valentia Island in an extremely rare appearance of the North Pole species in Ireland.

Local man Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann spotted it breaching out of the water as they walked along Glanleam Beach on the Kerry island on Sunday morning.

A video taken by Mr Houlihan shows the walrus climbing ashore.

It is believed the Arctic creature could have fallen asleep on an iceberg before being carried across the Atlantic ocean to Kerry.

Mr Houlihan said Muireann was the first to spot the giant creature on their stroll.

Muireann is the David Attenborough of Valencia Island, Mr Houlihan said.

Hes huge, hes about the size of a bull or a cow.

Myself and my daughter were out walking on the beach down near the lighthouse, he said. He breached out of the water onto the rocks and gave us a bit of a show.

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I thought it was a seal at first and then we saw the tusks. He kind of jumped up on the rocks. He was massive. He was about the size of a bull or a cow, pretty similar in size, hes big, big.

He was right beside us, less than 50 metres away from us. He went off again for a while and he came back and went back to the rocks.

He was sitting on the rock now kind of posing, at one stage there he threw up a fin and it looked like he was giving us all the birdie.

Speaking on RTE Radio Ones Morning Ireland, Mr Houlihan added: I hadnt seen anything like it before, in Ireland anyway. Ive never seen one. I spent my younger years fishing with my father and Ive never seen anything like it in Irish water anyway.

He went to check if the walrus was still there this morning, saying: I went down early this morning and theres no sign of him, so I hope hes eating scallop and getting ready for his journey back.

His daughter has also set out two possible names for the walrus. If its a girl she wants it Isabelle, and if its a boy she wants it Cian, Mr Houlihan said.

The director of Dingle Oceanworld, Kevin Flannery, said it is an amazing sight.

Its incredible. This is the first confirmed sighting of a walrus. Its a one-off as far as Im concerned.

I havent seen it before, maybe others might have thought they saw one before but this is a definite confirmation of one.

The leading marine biologist has his own theory on how he ended up in Kerry.

Hes from the Arctic. Id say what happened is he fell asleep on an iceberg and drifted off and then he was gone too far, out into the mid-Atlantic or somewhere like that down off Greenland possibly, Mr Flannery said.

He would be pretty tired and pretty hungry at this stage.

That is usually what happens to them is that they fall asleep on an iceberg and then get carried off from the Arctic.

He urged the public to give the walrus some peace to recuperate from his mammoth journey.

Hes on the rocks asleep. Im asking for people to leave him rest until he goes back.

Ive seen pictures of him sent to me by Seanie Murphy, the ex (coxswain) of the lifeboat, and Ive confirmed he is a walrus, not a seal with a toothache.

Mr Houlihan, who grew up on the island, said the walrus was shivering on the rocks before he left him yesterday.

I dont know if he is well," he said.

Mr Flannery said the walruss tusks are used for digging out clams on the ground.

Hopefully hell get a few scallops around Valentia.

But at this point, he wants to rest. Hes come from the North Pole, possibly off Greenland.

He could also be island-hopping and went to Iceland and on to Shetland but thats unlikely. Id say he came in out of the Atlantic. Its thousands of miles away.

If he regains his strength hopefully hell make his way back up.

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Was it a warning sign when the studio brought in Joss Whedon for rewrites?

It was a bit of a red flag. They were like, We think punching up the humor and doing some more fun stuff will be great. I was like, Hmm, Im happy to shoot a scene if you guys have a good idea. We kicked around a bunch of different writers and they had come in with Joss. Hes a talented writer, no two ways about it. But I really didnt see the point. And then when I was like, Im done, I cant do this, I feel like they were volunteering Joss as the de facto finisher.

You left Justice League of your own volition?

Absolutely. The decision to leave was 100 percent mine. I knew the fight that I was in for with them. And my family needed me, and I needed them. I was in a struggle at home, and then to go to my place of work and be in a second struggle there seemed like an outrageous thing to do to myself and my loved ones.

Did you worry about the long-term ramifications your departure might have for your standing with Warner Bros. or your career?

For sure. And the truth is, I was in such a place of desperation, I didnt care. You know what? Good riddance to Justice League. I was like, Guys, really? Youre going to give me a hard time? Lets go. Ill fight you right now. [Laughs.] I was not in the mood for that kind of thing. I felt like we had done a great job, and the movie was done, even the two-hour-and-20-minute version that the studio had knocked me down to.

How did you end up with a directors cut of the film?

Almost every movie Ive ever made has a directors cut. When I said, OK, Im done, I [told] one of the editors I worked with [Carlos Castillon]: Put it together as best you can, and give it to me. A bunch of my inner-circle buddies who worked on the movie always talked about, Oh, maybe we just drop a thumb drive somewhere and let a fan [he makes air quotes] find it. And I was like, thats funny but I think its better if it just lives as this thing that no one will ever see. Ive lost my appetite for the fight.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Bagbin has asked member of the House to be guided by their conscience and integrity in their exercise of the power over the public purse.



He reiterated that it required fair knowledge about financial issues, and urged the legislators to learn from capacity building programmes and use the knowledge to make meaningful and effective contributions in their deliberative functions on financial issues.



Speaker Bagbin made the call when he opened a two-day 2021 post-budget workshop for Members of Parliament in Ho, the Volta Regional Capital to equip the legislators with knowledge to make effective contributions in the debate on the 2021 budget and economic policy of the Government of Ghana, presented to the nation, through Parliament by caretaker Finance Minister, Osei-Kyei-Mensah Bonsu last Friday.



I would urge members to engage in thought-provoking deliberations and take home lessons from the workshop that can enrich debate and discussions of the budget at plenary.



 Honourable members, at the end of the day after all have been said and done, it is left to your conscience and integrity to do what is right and in the interest of the country and our people, the Speaker said.



The workshop on the budget theme: Economic Revitalization through Completion, Consolidation and Continuity.



Topics to be discussed include; policy underpinnings of the 2021 budget-General Analysis, Overview of the 2021 budget-Macro Economic and Fiscal Management and what to consider in analyzing the 2021 Sector Budget.



Other topics are Employment Generation and Public Sector Wages  the 2021 budget, Decentralisation of the 2021 budget and Composite Budgeting, the Health Sector, COVID and post-COVID Management  the 2021 budget, the Agricultural Sector and the 2021 budget, Revenue Mobilisation, and Education and the 2021 budget.



Mr Bagbin noted that decision making by Parliament in respect to budget approval should be evidence-informed with readily available accurate data and information that members and the House can rely on in its deliberations.



He however observed that access to such data and information to enable the House to take informed decision on the budget is limited.



Also the time available for the House to debate such matters was short, in addition to constraints posed by constitutional, legal and institutional weaknesses.



International best practice recommends that a minimum of three to four months is required for the approval of a budget by the legislature, if that approval is to base on meaningful analysis and scrutiny, the Speaker said, adding that the budget should be tabled sufficiently in advance of the fiscal year to which it relates, to enable the legislature to make decision on the matter.



The Speaker reminded the legislators that the scrutiny of the budget should make Ghana stronger and better positioned to face the challenges that confront the nation and its people.



Speaker Bagbin reminded the House that the scrutiny of the budget also reflected the moral values that each member had.



So honourable members do not think that we are here only to understand and give direction on members: the debate on the budget will also signal the values that MPs stand for, what we cherish and the direction we want Ghana to pursue.



The Speaker said the activity of debating and approving of the budget and financial policy proposals to the President, was crucial to the health, well-being and quality of life of the country and its people.



To that end, Parliament had to also employ and put into use all its functions, skills and tools of deliberation, representation, law-making, financial scrutiny, and priority setting.



The Speaker put the blame of the lack of, or misuse of and misapplication of public funds equally at the doorstep of both the President and Parliament, stressing the need that the House would ensure discipline in the management of the public purse.



It is therefore unfortunate for members to sometimes to be seeing to rather act as gag dogs of the President, and not watchdogs of the people during budget debate on the floor of Parliament and on the airwaves.



To this respect one needs not emphasis the importance of post-budget workshop to Parliament and parliamentarians, Mr Bagbin said, adding It is my expectation that this will equip you with the necessary understanding and tools to adequately discharge your responsibilities of ascertaining the extent to which the budget addresses the numerous problems of constituents, and reflect the collective interest needs and aspirations of the citizenry as a whole before voting to approve it.

Source: GNA









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Former girlfriends of the prime suspect in the murder of Suzy Lamplugh are still under police protection, more than three decades after he was jailed for other crimes, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Convicted rapist and killer John Cannan, who investigators named as the only suspect for the unsolved murder of the estate agent, will be eligible for parole next year.

He is currently serving three life terms for the 1987 murder of factory manager Shirley Banks in Bristol, the attempted kidnapping a night earlier of Julia Holman and the rape of a woman the previous year.

But terrified ex-partners who helped put Cannan away want him kept behind bars indefinitely amid fears he will hunt them down in revenge if he is released.

REVENGE FEARS: Previously unseen photograph of Suzy, right, with siblings Lizzie, left, Richard and Tamsin

Ms Lamplugh, 25, vanished in July 1986, just days after Cannan was released from a bail hostel next to Wormwood Scrubs prison  four miles from where she was last seen in Fulham, West London.

He had spent five years behind bars after raping a shop worker at knifepoint and threatening to stab her two-year-old son.

One of his former girlfriends  herself a victim of a sex attack by Cannan  revealed he had called her up out of the blue around the time that Suzy vanished.

I was shocked to the core, she said. In the five years while he had been in prison I had changed my name, got married, found a new job and moved to a different part of the country.

He asked to see me. He said, Ive changed while I was in prison. Im a new man. Ive been out three months and Im going straight. I refused to see him.

I immediately called the police and they told me, Hes not been out three months, hes been out three days. Ive no idea how he found me, and so quickly.

Pictured: Convicted rapist and killer John Cannan, who investigators named as the only suspect for the unsolved murder of the estate agent, will be eligible for parole next year. He may be free soon

The woman said police had installed a panic alarm in her home, adding: Im really scared to think he is so close to being released again. He is still capable of inflicting terrible damage. The thought of what he might do keeps me awake at night.

Fears over Cannans release come as a TV documentary tonight revisits the case of Ms Lamplugh. Her body has never been found, but she was declared dead in 1993.

Detectives believe Cannan, now 67, killed Ms Lamplugh but prosecutors say there is insufficient evidence to charge him, Officers who reinvestigated the case in the early 2000s concluded Cannan may have tried to woo her, then murdered her when she rejected his advances.

Ms Lamplugh, 25, (pictured) vanished in July 1986, just days after Cannan was released from a bail hostel next to Wormwood Scrubs prison  four miles from where she was last seen in Fulham, West London

Ms Lamplugh was meeting a client called Mr Kipper on the day she disappeared. Police discovered that Cannan was nicknamed Kipper by residents at his bail hostel because of his fondness for wearing 1960s-style kipper ties and habit of sleeping frequently during the day.

Retired Met detective Jim Dickie, who led the second police probe into Suzys case, said: Any woman who rejects him, he responds in a really violent and threatening way so there is a real issue about seeking revenge on his ex-girlfriends, partners and even his victims.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, set up by her family in her memory, operates a National Stalking Helpline 0808 802 0300.

The Suzy Lamplugh Mystery premieres tonight at 9pm on Sky Crime and Now TV.
Inspector Sudarshan Panthee, 31, and Sub-Inspector Birendra Singh Johari, 40, last month did something not many police officers in Nepal have managed to do. Panthee and Johari received the Asia Environmental Enforcement Award from the United Nations for their role in arresting notorious wildlife smuggler Kunjok Chhiring Lama in June 2020.

This is great for us and for these two, says the CIB Chief, DIG Sahakul Bahadur Thapa, adding the UN independently awarding Nepali police is good for the body as it will inspire the younger generation of policemen.

Kunjok had been on Interpols most-wanted list for a long time. The police were desperate to catch him, but they had no leads.

The 2005 case

But, in 2005, when the Nepal Army, in Syaphrubesi-9 of Rasuwa, confiscated five pieces of tiger hide, 36 pieces of leopard hide, 113 kgs of tiger bones, and 238 otter hides, the police got a sniff at catching Kunjok. This was the largest confiscation that Nepals security force had done, and its importance would be found 10 years later.

Back then, Langtang National Park did not have a skilled investigation team to examine the case, which is why a team of officers from Chitwan National Park led by assistant warden Diwakar Chapagain went to Rasuwa to probe into it.

As four people had been arrested with the wildlife goods, Pillar 4, the wildlife section of the CIB, had already shown interest and had started to collect information.

Kunjok Lamas name was always common in most wildlife smuggling cases.

Chapagains team was assured that four more people were involved in the crime. According to Johari, they were Kunjok Lama, Nitub Lama, Dandum Lama and Pema Lama. Out of these four names, Kunjoks name would often be heard whenever there was a case of wildlife smuggling. But, no one had information about who he was or his whereabouts.

The national park officials, when they found out about Kunjoks involvement, reached out to the CIB asking our cooperation, recalls Johari. With that, almost Pillar 4 of the bureau started to look for Kunjok.

Panthee says that even Interpol was interested in Kunjok as his name came because it was investigating the infamous Bawaria Poaching Network.

The 2016 meeting

When tigers started to die in the India-Nepal border area, Interpol, in 2016, held a security meeting at Bardiya National Park calling officials from both countries as it found that products of these dead animals were being trafficked to Tibet., says Panthee.

In that meeting, all parties involved shared the information they had. This, Panthee says, helped them during their investigation as Interpol gave them a detailed report about Kunjok.

As the police were investigating the case, in 2016, they were informed about one Kunjok Lama being arrested in Banke for smuggling four kilograms of pangolin scales. As the names matched, police were hopeful that it was the same Kunjok Lama that they were looking for.

But, it was not the man they were looking for. After that, the police started to look for other Kunjok Lamas around Nepal. They arrested one from Bouddha.

But, as the police did not have proof that he was the Kunjok Lama they were looking for as with multiple Kunjok Lamas in Nepal, the police had to release him after taking his statement where he had written his phone number as well.

Johari says he enjoys investigating cases. Photo: Bikash Shrestha

One number changed everything

Even though chiefs at Pillar 4 were changing on a regular basis, everyones plan included capturing Kunjok. However, his whereabouts were unknown.

But, in 2019, Johari, when going through old notes, found something from 2005 that many had overlooked. He was reading the statements of those captured by the National Park Official in Rasuwa. Two of them had given the park officials Kunjoks description, but most importantly, they had also given his phone number.

He then decided to track the number and go through its call details from the day in 2005.

We were talking to Nepal Telecom about giving us data when we found out something interesting, says Panthee.

The number that the smugglers had given in 2005 matched with the Kunjok Lama who had been arrested from Bouddha and had been released due to the lack of evidence against him.

But, the police wanted to make sure that they had everything they needed against Kunjok. When they were looking at if the number was still active, they found it had been active in 2012. The sim card was bought in 2001 and was active until 2005 after which it had been inactive until a few years ago.

That made police feel that they had let Kunjok Lama escape their grasp.

Panthee started his police career in 2014. Photo: Bikash Shrestha

Not easy yet

With what we had, we had to investigate him. But, it was not easy due to a few laws, says Panthee.

According to the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973, the police had to submit Kunjok to the Department of National Park within 24 hours of the arrest.

That made us cautious as he could get away again citing the lack of evidence, which is why we started to gather evidence tying him to the 2005 crime, Panthee says.

Police went through this call detail record and started to investigate people that Kunjok had called from his number. They also went through Kunjoks banking record, which almost proved that he was the smuggler whom they along with Interpol were looking for.

We knew where he lived, but we wanted to catch him in the act, says Johari. We did a recce and on the day that we were going to arrest him, we called his number. The person whom we had arrested before answered the phone. When we asked him who he was, he told us that he was Kunjok Lama.

Upon further questioning, the police say Kunjok admitted to being the infamous wildlife smuggler. But, he did not go down easily. In a bid to escape, he filed a habeas corpus writ petition at the court. The court, however, after going to the polices report about his arrest, denied the order and Kunjok now faces a long time in prison for smuggling wildlife in Nepal, China and India.

His arrest has given the CIB and Nepal Police further leads about wildlife smuggling in the country as they are now looking for more involved in the case, says Pathi.

But, for him, this remains a monumental achievement as he had never imagined that he would have received this award in less than a decade working for Nepal Police.
An Alabama lawmaker is recovering at home following his release from a hospital where he was taken after being carried off the House floor on a stretcher.

State Rep. Will Dismukes, a Republican from Prattville, was transported to a hospital Thursday after experiencing shortness of breath and chest pains.

I feel great, he told The Montgomery Advertiser in a phone interview on the trip back to Prattville on Friday. I had a case of AFib (atrial fibrillation) that they were able to address and handle with no major or permanent damage. I still have some tests to take in the next week or so. Im going to do what my cardiologist tells me to do and plan to be back when the session returns on Tuesday.

Dismukes, who is in his early 30s, said his heart was out of rhythm. He survived a stroke in 2012 when he was attending Faulkner University.

He told the newspaper hes grateful for the support of those who reached out over the past two days.

I just want to thank everyone for their prayers and words of encouragement to me and my family, he said. It is very much appreciated and made a difficult time easier.

Dismukes political journey has not come without controversy.

He resigned as a pastor at an Autauga County church in July after photos posted to social media sites showed him giving the invocation for a celebration event held for Nathan Bedford Forrest, a leader in the Confederate Army and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The event occurred as Troy native and longtime Georgia Congressman John Lewis was being remembered in Selma before being given the honor of lying in state at the Alabama Capitol.

Dismukes later said he was surprised by the controversy, which drew the ire of members of his own party, and said he didnt make the connection between Lewis and the Forrest event.

In August, Dismukes was arrested on a felony theft charge, accused of stealing money from his former employer over the course of two years. That case is pending.

Dismukes has maintained his innocence and refused to resign his seat in the Legislature after calls for his resignation.
Andhra Pradesh sets new record by concluding assembly budget session in one day

No objection to use of 'Krishnapatnam medicine': Andhra Pradesh govt

Andhra Pradesh municipal election results: Ruling YSR Cong sweeps to victory

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Mar 14: In a landslide of unprecedented scale that is now being described as ''Jagan Wash'', the ruling YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday swept the elections to the urban local bodies, literally burying the main opposition Telugu Desam in 75 municipalities and 11 municipal corporations.

The humiliation for the TDP was such that it could cross the double digit in only five ULBs while other opposition parties BJP and JSP made little gains.

The Congress was nowhere in the picture.

The YSRC attributed the resounding victory to the faith people reposed in the leadership of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who "lives up to his promises" and implemented a welfare agenda in the last 22 months.

The ruling party also claimed the verdict was an endorsement of the government''s decision to have three different capitals for the state.

TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, in a tweet, told his party rank and file there was "nothing to be disappointed" with the results.

"We fought well despite rowdyism, threats, intimidation, abuse of power and inducements," he claimed.

Sadly for the TDP, it failed to make a mark in either Vijayawada or Guntur municipal corporations, which form part of the current capital region Amaravati, where people have been opposing the capital trifurcation plan.

It did relatively better in Visakhapatnam, which the government wanted to make the Executive Capital, but it would be the YSRC that would be ruling the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation.

The TDP has hopes of capturing only one municipality, Tadipatri in Anantapuramu district, with the backing of ally CPI and an independent.

It will be the YSRC''s rule in 74 other municipalities across the three regions of the state.

In Mydukuru in Kadapa district, the TDP won 12, the YSRC 11 wards and the Jana Sena one in the 24-member council but ex-officio votes (of legislators) would tilt the balance in the ruling partys favour, helping it to bag the chairmans post.

Eleven out of the 12 municipal corporations have also fallen in the YSRCs kitty.

Counting of votes in Eluru Municipal Corporation has not been taken up because of an order of the High Court.

According to the latest information revealed by sources in the State Election Commission, the YSRC bagged 1,754 out of the 2,122 wards in 75 municipalities.

The TDP won 270, BJP eight, Jana Sena 19, Independents and others 71.

Detailed results of municipal corporations were yet to come in as counting was continuing in some of them, the sources said.

In the last elections to the ULBs held in 2014, the TDP had won five out of seven municipal corporations and the YSRC two.

Of the 92 municipalities, TDP bagged 70, YSRC 18, Congress and CPI one each and others two.
ALBANY Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has consistently been seen as a champion of womens rights.

He signed into law some of the toughest sexual harassment legislation in the country; he passed a womens agenda which included a host of changes to policies that previously left women behind; and he created a steering committee to bring together women from various industries to work toward increasing opportunities for women.

But after six women have come forward to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment or misconduct, including one staffer who claims he groped her, those who worked on these efforts are left grappling with the effect the governor's alleged behavior will have on the future of sexual harassment rules, enforcement of those rules and workplace culture.

The allegations "send a signal to the world that the work is not done  we are not even close to being done, said Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, D-Bronx, the sponsor of the sexual harassment legislation passed in 2019. Even though we can pass the strongest laws in the country to prevent or stop or hold accountable those who are sexually harassing those in their office, to shift the culture is even harder.

Biaggi, a former Cuomo administration attorney who has clashed with the governor frequently, was elected to the state Senate in 2018.

The Sexual Harassment Working Group (SHWG), which consists of eight former New York State Legislature staffers who experienced sexual harassment at those jobs, helped create and pass the 2019 legislation. The law eliminated the severe or pervasive standard for behavior that could be reported, a change that lowered the threshold for filing a harassment complaint.

Cuomo signed the bill into law after a public hearing where members of the group shared their experiences of being harassed in their jobs.

People in society have been outed in society as having abused women with impunity for a long period of time, Cuomo said at the hearing in 2019. High-level government officials, high-level media officials, high-level corporate officials  10, 20, 30 years of abuse people got away with. There comes a moment in time where society says enough is enough. I believe we are at that moment. I believe we have exposed the truth to a point where people are now ready to act.

Some state legislators and members of the SHWG feel the governor was not thoroughly involved in the process of advancing this legislation and signed the bill only because of public pressure. But others believe his work on womens issues is genuine, despite the recent allegations.

Putting aside the claims of harassment, what we have seen with our own eyes is bad enough and serious enough to show that (Cuomo) does not take these things seriously, said Rita Pasarell, a co-founder of the SHWG, about the governors attempts to initially control the investigation into his alleged misconduct and his refusal to resign despite a chorus of calls from fellow Democrats.

Elias Farah, another member of the SHWG, worries about the example Cuomos response sets for New Yorkers who are being trained according to the policies the governor signed into law.

You are seeing somebody who is signing these laws and talking about these things and now not following them himself  that is very troubling, Farah said.  ... And it is troubling for victims who might want to come forward, if the person they see signing this bill is the person that was their abuser.

There is a normalization that goes on if the governor is allowed to conduct himself that way, and then workers everywhere are seeing what is going on and thinking their comfort at work doesnt matter, Pasarell said.

When the governor is repeatedly saying, I didnt touch anyone inappropriately,' workers hear that and think, Oh well, I have had a ton of bad comments from my boss but I wasnt touched, so that is not sexual harassment.' But that is not true, Pasarell said. You dont need to be touched for it to be sexual harassment.

I think it is extremely damaging, the way he is trying to personally defend himself, Pasarell added.

The SHWG has joined nearly all of the Democrats in New Yorks congressional delegation, U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and many other organizations in calling for the governors resignation.

It has become untenable for the governor to remain in office, the New York branch of the National Organization of Women wrote in a statement. Regardless of whether the governor heeds calls to resign, NOW-NY and its members are adamant that a full and thorough investigation goes forward.

State Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, noted that the governors bills on womens equality already existed before Cuomo put his stamp on them.

He took each of these legislative bills, watered them down, so that in theory they wouldnt be hard to pass, threw them together in one group and said, Here is the solution for women,' Krueger said. It wasnt a solution for women, because women dont fit in a nice little package of 10 bills ever anyway.

For example, Krueger feels that the 2013 Reproductive Health Act, which codified in state law the protections for abortion rights put in place by the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, was watered down and the governors 2015 Enough is Enough bill to combat sexual assault on college campuses could have had stronger protections for student victims.

Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, feels differently. There is so much more training about what consensual sex is now at the college level, Fahy said. The governor was a leader in a lot of those efforts. Fahy last week called for Cuomo to step down, at least temporarily.

The governors office did not respond to a request for comment.

There are currently a host of new bills on the SHWGs 2021 agenda.

Those interviewed for this story are split on what the recent allegations against the governor will mean for future progress.

I dont think much about how he was essentially marketing himself as a leader on the sexual harassment law, Pasarell said. It is kind of common for people who are harassing their own staff (to be) also marketing themselves as pioneers.

It is not helpful to anyone if he just passes better laws just to hide his potential misdoings, Pasarell added.

I dont really assume he will have too much longer in office to be working on anything, Krueger said. I do think that his alleged behavior now  with significant numbers of people, and I believe there will be more coming forward  would make it tougher for him to be taken seriously on any issues involving unequal treatment of women, sexual harassment, etc.

Others are more hopeful.

We are in a better position now to enact even tougher measures that will hopefully prevent sexual harassment in any workplace in New York, including in the halls of government, Sen. John C. Liu, D-Queens, said. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes events to catalyze movement of bills.  I think the courageous and powerful testimonials by these women will only strengthen the passage of pending bills.

Similarly, Fahy believes these allegations are bringing more awareness to the issue and will make change for the better. Sometimes it does take horrific incidents like this, she said.

These recent allegations are yet another reminder, if not a wake-up call, that with these issues you have to be continually vigilant and continually out there raising awareness, Fahy said.
California ethnic studies proposal teaches kids white Christians are evil, chant to Aztec gods

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The California Department of Education is set to vote on a new ethnic studies curriculum aimed at the decolonization of American society and includes lessons teaching students to chant to Aztec gods.

If approved, what is being called the "Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum" will be implemented statewide in the Golden states primary and secondary public schools, which serve approximately 6 million students in some 10,000 schools, according to investigative journalist Christopher Rufo who wrote about the issue in City-Journal.

The co-chair of the curriculum, R. Tolteka Cuauhtin, developed much of the material cited throughout the proposed lessons in which Christians, specifically those of European ancestry, are viewed as the source of evil to be resisted and overthrown.

White Christians are guilty of theocide against indigenous tribes, the killing of their deities and replacing them with the Christian faith, Cuauhtin argues in a chart.



White settlers thus established a regime of coloniality, dehumanization, and genocide, Rufo wrote of the curriculum materials in a corresponding Twitter thread Wednesday, adding that what is billed as the solution to this is to name, speak to, resist, and transform the hegemonic Eurocentric neocolonial condition in a posture of transformational resistance."

The ultimate goal, according to Cuauhtin, is to engineer a "countergenocide" against whites.

The lessons also include an official ethnics studies community chant, and it's recommended that teachers lead students in indigenous songs, chants, and affirmations, including the In Lak Ech Affirmation, which is a direct appeal to Aztec gods.

In that affirmation students are led to chant to an Aztec god named Tezkatlipoka, asking it for power to be warriors for social justice.

Aztecs traditionally worshiped this god through such practices as human sacrifice and cannibalism. The students are also taught to chant to other Aztec deities in pursuit of healing epistemologies and a revolutionary spirit, including Huitzilopochtli, the patron god of the Aztec empires capital city, a god of war and human sacrifice.

The chants have a clear implication: the displacement of the Christian [G]od, which is said to be an extension of white supremacist oppression, and the restoration of the indigenous gods to their rightful place in the social justice cosmology. It is, in a philosophical sense, a revenge of the gods, Rufo explained.

The religious element of the ethnic studies curriculum, with direct appeals to Aztec gods, is almost certainly a violation of the First Amendments Establishment Clause. Public schools are prohibited from leading state-sanctioned Christian prayers; they would presumably be similarly prohibited from leading state-sanctioned chants to the Aztec god of human sacrifice.

Dr. Richard Land, the executive editor for The Christian Post, noted in his weekly column: "This is all so comprehensively evil and destructive it is hard to know where to begin criticism of this dangerous, divisive, retrograde cultural vandalism. The idea that a tax-supported public school system would, or could, be used to unleash this vicious cultural and spiritual poison into our young peoples consciousness is both extremely offensive and quite possibly illegal."

Writing in the New York Times Tuesday, columnist Bret Stephens said the state was advancing ideological groupthink and noted that ethnic studies is not so much an academic discipline but a recruiting arm for radical ideologues.



Yet because of how it is labeled and framed, its sinister nature stays hidden. That would be fine if it appeared in the pages of, say, [left-wing magazine] The Nation. It would be fine, too, if students were exposed to critical race theory the way they might be exposed to Marxist philosophy or some other ideology  as a subject to be examined, not a lens through which to do the examining, Stephens opined.

The former is education. The latter is indoctrination. The ethnic studies curriculum conceals the difference, Stephens added.


Aliyah Key spent countless hours reading to her toddler daughter and son, teaching them colors, numbers and the alphabet to prepare them for kindergarten, her stepmom said.

Key was a stellar student who graduated early from Harding High in Charlotte when she was just 17, Taka Morris said, and she wanted her children to likewise succeed.

A charismatic daddys girl, Key became instant family with everyone she met, Morris said.

Aliyah Sherril Key was 24 when she died on Feb. 20 in a wrong-way wreck in the Interstate 77 toll lanes, leaving her family, friends and police wondering still why it happened.

She made everyone feel like they were the most important person in the world, Morris recalled.

Aliyah Sherril Key was 24 when she died on Feb. 20 in a wrong-way wreck with a Charlotte Area Transit System bus in the Interstate 77 toll lanes, leaving her family, friends and police wondering still why it happened.

Out with friends

Morris, who lives in Fort Mill, said family members know only that her stepdaughter was out with friends earlier on the night she died.

We believe she was going back home, because she was scheduled to work the next day, Morris said.

Key worked from home as a customer service rep for a call center, Morris said. She handled calls mainly from Bank of America clients for the Tennessee-based call center.

A wrong-way driver died after hitting a CATS bus in the Interstate 77 toll lanes in north Charlotte early Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, CATS officials said.

Key drove nearly 4 miles in the wrong direction on two interstates before a CATS bus hit and killed her just before 2 a.m. near the Sunset Road exit, State Highway Patrol Trooper Ray Pierce said.

She entered I-277 at the very well lit South Boulevard ramp and drove the entire I-277 loop the wrong way before entering the toll lanes in the wrong direction despite bold red Wrong Way signs, the trooper said.

Desolate interstates

No one called 911, Pierce said, because no one else was likely on the highways at that hour, he said. A 10 p.m. statewide COVID-19 curfew was in effect, keeping most all drivers off the road at that hour. It would have been pretty desolate, he said.

Pre-pandemic, many drivers would have been on the highways and most certainly would have called 911, Pierce said.

Story continues

Drivers who enter a ramp or highway the wrong way quickly realize the error when they see that all of the signs are backwards, Pierce said.

Such drivers quickly pull to the side of the ramp and make a U-turn when traffic is clear, he said.

The only time they dont is when theyre impaired, according to the trooper.

Rash of wrong-way drivers

About 3 1/2 years ago, troopers investigated the deaths of four wrong-way drivers in separate crashes on I-485, Pierce said.

Three of the drivers were impaired by alcohol or another drug, according to the trooper. The fourth was a man in his 80s who was cognitively impaired, Pierce said.

As of Thursday, the State Highway Patrol hadnt received toxicology reports from a state lab that would show Keys blood-alcohol content, according to Pierce.

We just dont know, Taka Morris said.. It might have been a combination of just being distracted  we know she didnt have her phone with her, she had accidentally left it wherever she was  trying to find the phone, possibly being under the influence, and being tired. It was 2 oclock in the morning.

Aliyah Key with her son, Eli, and daughter Bella

Loving individual

This is what she is certain about her stepdaughter, Morris said: Aliyah was a very loving individual. Nobody who ever met her did not fall in love with her. So many people have reached out to tell us.

Morris started a GoFundMe drive for her stepdaughters children, Eli, 3, and Bella, 2.

To honor Aliyahs memory, we would like to establish a 529 Savings Plan for each child to use for future educational expenses, Morris wrote on the fundraising page. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation.

As of 9:30 p.m. Saturday, $4,514 had been raised toward the $10,000 goal.

Donate to Eli and Bella for their future, Morris said. Thats what Aliyah would have wanted.
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In the era of Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things, safety is one of the greatest areas that can benefit from the increased connectivity that drives the world.

Integrated systems today are capable of using smart technology to remotely monitor work-sites, incorporating solutions such as maintenance and incident management to create a holistic approach to governing the safety aspects of practically any industry scenario, from oil and gas to transit and beyond. And, should an incident occur, smart monitoring systems enable rapid assessment and response to ensure the fastest possible resolution, with minimum impact, says Alastair Snell, Sales Engineer, Marchwood Integrated.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a transformative tool for the workplace, with connected devices and smart sensors boosting productivity, safety and security throughout business processes - from people down to factory floors, and everything in between. The information gathered by these smart devices is transmitted near instantly to computer servers in health and safety departments, or in data centres, where it is sorted and analysed. The servers will then instruct or inform responsible personnel respond to the event. This will enable them to operate with more efficiency, effectiveness, and, of course, more safely, says Snell.

"Imagine the benefits of having a warehouse that can do more than just alert you to a fire situation when the alarms are triggered; with smart technology, the system can monitor the status of fire system valves, both for alarm and tamper, it provides a full breakdown of the lead-up to the incident using the latest data, allows you to monitor the situation as it happens, and provides a response to ensure everything is dealt with accordingly."

A new system designed by Marchwood Integrated, called the Marchwood Integrated Monitoring System (MIMS) can do all of that. MIMS is the first of its kind to take the connected potential of IoT and transform it into a comprehensive solution for industries to have complete visibility on their work site, from anywhere, at any time, thereby delivering a higher level of fire safety than ever before, says Snell.

"For anyone who has either operated or been part of a work site, or who has been involved in the response management of a work site incident, the value of such a system is immediately obvious; it offers both the control and reassurance that are required, should something go wrong.

"Designed to be a failsafe system, MIMS gives users the ability to remotely monitor everything from planning, predictive maintenance, planned maintenance, to assessment, to response, by delivering real-time information around the clock. This breakthrough solution also provides users with the capacity to connect with remote team members immediately, to ensure everyone involved is kept up to speed as the incident and its resolution progresses. And, as a liability-limiting feature, AIMS creates a virtual papertrail that cannot be tampered with, thereby generating a solid record that can be used post-incident for investigative or insurance purposes," he says.

Technology of this kind is easily customisable, too - just one more advantage that so many Industry 4.0 innovations come with. Because it can be customised, MIMS is easily scalable and can be configured to meet the needs of any industrial work site, in almost any industrial sector. As an example of scalability, MIMS uses the innovative SNAP operating system, which is a wireless, self-healing mesh network that both collects and transmits information that is critical to any installation or site. This information is gathered from in the region of up to 5,000 nodes or remote devices, which can be as simple as switch units, or any 4-20 mA input from a pressure, flow, level, gas or any other transducer with a 4-20mA output.

MIMS makes all of this possible with the use of host servers and smart phone based apps. By installing smart, connected devices that are capable of constantly reporting on any and all interactions, you not only get the benefit of full visibility and management, but increased efficiency as well. Connected devices remove the need for human checks, thereby eliminating the potential for human error and allowing manpower resources to be diverted elsewhere.

To go one step further with the MIMS solution, Marchwood Integrated recently added a Fire Panel Interface, as part of a Factory Mutual approved system (FM 3010) to introduce increased control and communication between user and connected devices. The Fire Panel Interface serves as a wireless bridge between a fire alarm panel and remote devices such as Sprinkler Flow switches, Tamper switches, Pressure switches and any other simple switch input. The benefit of this is that all mechanical fire protection items can be brother together either on an existing or new fire alarm panel, and all alarms can be managed from one place, thereby saving time and money on installation costs. It's a flexible piece of tech, too; the Fire Panel Interface connects to the fire alarm panel using the fire alarm manufacturers standard input modules for two different types of alarm - Trouble, and Supervisory inputs. Should an event be triggered in the field, then the Fire Panel Interface operates the appropriate input module.

With the sort of trailblazing thinking that Marchwood Integrated is known for, and the breakthrough technologies that are driving change throughout the industry as IoT takes an increasingly strong hold on things, it was only a matter of time before a first-of-its-kind system like MIMS was introduced to the market. MIMS doesn't just provide users with better management of their systems - it redefines fire equipment monitoring, predictive maintenance and incident management.
An Irish health chief has called for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be suspended following reports of serious post-jab blood clots in Norway and the death of a teacher in Italy.

Irish authorities have been pushing the pharmaceutical giant to speed up its vaccine supplies to the Republic, where cases per million exceeded the UK's figures during the peak of the January wave.

But now, deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said Ireland will act on a 'precautionary principle' and pause the AstraZeneca rollout following reports of 'serious blood clotting events'.

Norwegian health authorities say that three healthcare workers who had the AstraZeneca jab were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets.

In a statement to Irish media, AstraZeneca said analysis of safety data looking at 17 million doses of the vaccine administered has shown no evidence of an increased risk of the conditions concerned.

It follows similar moves across Europe to suspend the use of the Oxford-developed jab over concerns of links to blood-clotting.

Authorities in Denmark, Norway and Iceland have suspended the use of the vaccine, while Austria stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca shots last week while investigating a death from coagulation disorders.

Today, health bosses in the Italian region of Piedmont banned the use of a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a teacher died following his jab yesterday.

The region had initially suspended all AstraZeneca vaccines to identify and isolate the batch from which the jab administered to the teacher, and has since banned its use.

A government statement did not specify what batch had been banned nor did it say how the teacher died. Italian newspapers reported it was batch ABV5811.

It comes as more than 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have now been administered across the UK without reports of any severe reactions.

Today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, 58, received his first dose of the Oxford jab at the Francis Crick Institute in his Holborn and St Pancras constituency.

In a short statement he said: 'The success of the roll-out by the NHS shows why it's one of our country's greatest institutions. The vaccine is safe, effective and I urge everyone to take it when its their turn.'

Out of the millions of jabs already given, fewer than 50 cases of blood-related issues have been reported post-vaccine, with no confirmed causal link.

Italy has joined other European countries in suspending batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine following the death of a teach in Piedmont region. Pictured: Today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, 58, received his first dose of the Oxford jab at the Francis Crick Institute in his Holborn and St Pancras constituency

Use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine should be suspended following reports of serious post-jab blood clots in Norway, Ireland's deputy medical chief said. Pictured: Daily confirmed Covid cases per million people in Ireland and the UK

It comes as more than 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have now been administered across the UK without reports of any serious reactions

Norway halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine (file image) on Thursday, following a similar move by Denmark. Iceland later followed suit

Health bosses in the Italian region of Piedmont today banned the use of a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a teacher died following his jab yesterday

The European Medicines Agency has said there is no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view that was echoed by the World Health Organisation on Friday. AstraZeneca also said it had found no evidence of increased risk of deep-vein thrombosis.

Aifa, Italy's medicine authority, responded to reports on Piedmont's ban by confirming that no link had been established between the vaccine and subsequent 'serious adverse events'.

Norwegian health authorities confirmed that three healthcare workers who had the AstraZeneca jab were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets.

Dr Glynn said: 'This recommendation has been made following a report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four new reports of serious blood clotting events in adults after vaccination with Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.

'It has not been concluded that there is any link between the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases.

'However, acting on the precautionary principle, and pending receipt of further information, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recommended the temporary deferral of the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca vaccination programme in Ireland.'

Norway halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, following a similar move by Denmark. Iceland later followed suit.

All three individuals in hospital in Norway for conditions including blood clots were under the age of 50. The Government were notified on Saturday.

Senior doctor at the Norwegian Medicines Agency Sigurd Hortemo told a news conference this week: 'We do not know if the cases are linked to the vaccine.'

Irish authorities have been pushing the pharmaceutical giant to speed up its jab supplies to the Republic after Boris Johnson made it clear that Britain would not send its vaccines to Ireland until people in the UK have had the jab. Pictured: A patient receiving a vaccine in Dublin

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said Ireland will act on a 'precautionary principle' and pause the AstraZeneca rollout following reports of 'serious blood clotting events' in Norway

Norwegian health authorities confirmed that three healthcare workers who had the AstraZeneca jab (file image) were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets

What deaths have been linked to the Oxford- AstraZeneca jab - and have they been proven? So far, more than 11 million doses of the Oxford jab have been administered in the UK alone, with countless more distributed worldwide. Out of the millions of vaccines already given, fewer than 50 reported blood-related issues post-vaccine, with no confirmed causal link to the jab. AstraZeneca, the World Health Organization and EU regulators have all rejected the blood clot fears. But even so, Ireland today joined Denmark, Norway and Iceland in temporarily halting all AstraZeneca vaccinations following reports of 'serious blood clotting events' in Norway. Norwegian health authorities of Saturday confirmed that three healthcare workers who had the AstraZeneca jab were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets. All three individuals in hospital in Norway for conditions including blood clots were under the age of 50. The Government were notified on Saturday. Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency reported one person in Austria was diagnosed with blood clots and died 10 days after vaccination - but it stressed there is 'currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions'. A further patient was admitted to hospital in Austria with pulmonary embolism - a blockage in the arteries in the lungs - after being vaccinated, while one death involving a blood clot was reported in Denmark. A 50-year-old man is also thought to have died in Italy from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), while there has been an unconfirmed report of another death in the country. Italy also followed Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Lithuania in banning jabs from one particular batch of one million AstraZeneca vaccines, which was sent to 17 countries, after reports that a 49-year-old nurse died soon after getting one of the jabs. And today, US boxer Marvin Hagler, died aged 66, after he reportedly suffered side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine. What vaccine he received has not been confirmed and the link between his death and a jab has not been proven. Advertisement

The European medicine regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), would investigate the three incidents, Hortemo said.

Medical Director at the Norwegian Medicines Agency Steinar Madsen said: 'They have very unusual symptoms: bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets.

'They are quite sick [...] We take this very seriously.'

Meanwhile, the EMA reported one person in Austria was diagnosed with blood clots and died 10 days after vaccination - but it stressed there is 'currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions'.

A further patient was admitted to hospital in Austria with pulmonary embolism - a blockage in the arteries in the lungs - after being vaccinated, while one death involving a blood clot was reported in Denmark.

A 50-year-old man is also thought to have died in Italy from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), while there has been an unconfirmed report of another death in the country.

Italy also followed Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Lithuania in banning jabs from one particular batch of one million AstraZeneca vaccines, which was sent to 17 countries, after reports that a 49-year-old nurse died soon after getting one of the jabs.

Earlier this week, EU regulators confirmed they are looking into 30 cases of blood clots among nearly five million people who have had a dose of the vaccine.

Ireland's governing coalition has been under fire over the speed of its vaccination response.

Around 600,000 doses of vaccine - across all manufacturers - have so far been delivered.

That includes the most elderly, those in nursing homes and healthcare workers.

A statement from Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) said: 'To date, the HPRA has received a small number of reports associated with blood clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

'However, it has not received any reports of the nature of those described by the Norwegian Medicines Agency.

'We will continue to monitor national reports very closely and continue to encourage the reporting of any suspected side-effect following vaccination with a Covid-19 vaccine.'

It said there is currently no indication that vaccination was the cause of these events and there may be alternative unrelated explanations for their occurrence.

The authority added: 'However, the safety of the public is of the utmost importance, and it is essential that reports of potential safety concerns, even if very rare, are rigorously and swiftly investigated so that the public can be reassured and if required, appropriate action can be taken.'

The EMA are looking into 30 cases of blood clots among nearly five million people who have had a dose of the vaccine.

Britain's latest Covid wave is continuing to shrink as a further 52 people died after testing positive for Covid-19 today - down 37 per cent on last week

And today's case total has dropped too, with a further 4,618 people testing positive. The figure marks an 11 per cent drop on the 5,177 positive tests recorded on this day last week

Anti-vaxxers hijack Marvin Hagler's death after Tommy Hearns said boxing icon was 'fighting the after effects of the vaccine' Anti-vaxxers have hijacked Marvin Hagler's death after Tommy Hearns said the boxing icon was 'fighting the after effects of the vaccine' despite his family making no mention of COVID and his son saying he was suffering from chest pains. Hearns made the unverified claim Saturday following the boxer's death aged just 66, prompting conspiracy theorists to use the tragedy to promote their theories that the jab is dangerous. Hagler's death was confirmed by a statement on his website, which read: 'We are very sad to report that Marvelous Marvin Hagler died on March 13 of natural causes near his home in New Hampshire. He was a champion until the end. His family asks for privacy at this time of sorrow.' Meanwhile, his wife, Kay G. Hagler, wrote on Facebook: 'I am sorry to make a very sad announcement. Today unfortunately my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly at his home here in New Hampshire. Our family requests that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.' Undisputed boxing champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler has passed away at the age of 66 Earlier on Saturday, his friend, former professional boxer Thomas Hearns wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of Hagler: 'A real true warrior Pray for the king and his family.. he's in ICU fighting the after effects of the vaccine! He'll be just fine but we could use the positive energy and Prayer for his Full Recovery!' Earlier on Saturday, former professional boxer Thomas Hearns - who was knocked out by Hagler during their famous bout in 1985 - wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of his old opponent: 'A real true warrior Pray for the king and his family.. he's in ICU fighting the after effects of the vaccine! He'll be just fine but we could use the positive energy and Prayer for his Full Recovery!' Following his death, Hearns shared: 'Allow us to have our peace. Our love and respect to Marvin and his family, this is not an anti vaccine campaign... it's outrageous to have that in mind during the passing of a King, Legend, Father, Husband and so much more.' The American boxer - born in Newark, New Jersey - dominated the sport's middleweight scene, which he was champion of between 1980 and 1987. He was also named as the Fighter of the Decade for the 1980s by Boxing Illustrated magazine and won the Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year award twice. Advertisement

A thorough analysis of all relevant reports will be performed, including those newly notified from Norway, authorities said.

The preliminary assessment of similar events published by the EMA on 11 March found the number of blood clotting in vaccinated people was no higher than the number seen in the general population.

And AstraZeneca said an analysis of its safety data covering reported cases from over 17 million vaccine doses given had shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia - having low levels of platelets.

'In fact, the reported numbers of these types of events for Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca are not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population,' a company spokeswoman said.

Such trends or patterns were also not observed during clinical trials for the vaccine, she added.

Around 600,000 doses of vaccine - across all manufacturers - have so far been delivered.

That includes the most elderly, those in nursing homes and healthcare workers.

AstraZeneca was approved for use early in the UK. Northern Ireland has made proportionately faster progress than the Republic in reaching the most vulnerable.

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin held 'positive' discussions with AstraZeneca chief executive officer Pascal Soriot on Friday evening.

He has expressed frustration at the failure of the company to meet delivery schedules for inoculations.

Ireland's Minister of State for Mental Health and Older people has said Ireland 'is still on track' to have all over-70s vaccinated by mid-May with the supplies they have received to date, despite disruption from AstraZeneca.

Earlier this week, AstraZeneca dismissed concerns that its Covid-19 vaccine is linked to blood clots - joining the WHO, No 10 and EU regulators in rejecting the fears that have led several European countries to suspend their use of the jab.

The pharma giant said its analysis of more than 10million records showed there was 'no evidence of an increased risk' in any age group or any batch of doses, after Austria and others black-listed a particular shipment over fears of side-effects.

'In fact, the observed number of these types of events are significantly lower in those vaccinated than would be expected among the general population,' the firm said.

Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg have suspended one batch of doses after a 49-year-old nurse died soon after getting one of the jabs.

But AstraZeneca's findings match those of the EU safety panel which says there is 'no indication' the nurse's death was caused by side-effects from the vaccine and found that the batch in question is 'unlikely' to be defective.

Despite Austria's concerns, chancellor Sebastian Kurz sought to rally support for the AstraZeneca shot today by saying that he himself would be injected with it.

Kurz, one of the world's youngest leaders at 34, said he would take the jab in order to 'show that I trust this vaccine' which has become an unloved choice in Europe after top officials feuded with AstraZeneca and questioned the shot's effectiveness.

Germany and France are pressing ahead with AstraZeneca jabs, rejecting the blood clot fears, after Downing Street yesterday urged Britons to keep taking the shots.

WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris also weighed in by telling reporters: 'Yes, we should continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine. There is no indication to not use it.'

'AstraZeneca is an excellent vaccine, as are the other vaccines that are being used,' she said at a briefing in Geneva.

No 10 has insisted the jab is safe and that Britons should continue to take it, pointing to the success the vaccination programme is having.

The PM's office said: 'We've been clear that it's both safe and effective, and when people are asked to come forward and take it, they should do so in confidence.'

'And in fact you're starting to see the results of the vaccine programme in terms of the (lower) number of cases we're seeing across the country, the number of deaths, number of hospitalisations.'
Iran is looking to Russia and China for diplomatic support amid President Joe Biden's push to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, plus Washington, D.C.'s refusal to lift sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump that have choked the Iranian economy. As Newsweek writes, Russia and Chinaboth JCPOA signatoriesbacked Tehran through Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign, offering Iran export lifelines and diplomatic support. Since Biden has come into office, Moscow and Beijing have demanded his "unconditional" return to the JCPOA.

The U.S. and Iran are stuck in a negotiating stalemate. Iran says it will not scale back its nuclear program in line with the JCPOA until all Trump-era sanctions are lifted. But Biden has ruled out easing the measures until Tehran walks back its expanded nuclear activities.

As the two sides wait for the other to blink, Iran is fortifying ties with Russia and China, both of which are competing with the U.S. for influence and business across the world. For all three, undermining the U.S. and its democratic allies has value.

Reuters reported Friday, for example, that the three nations are among a group of 16 nationsalso including North Korea, Syria and Cubapushing to form a coalition at the United Nations to push back against unilateral use of force or sanctions, a thinly-veiled effort to weaken U.S. foreign policy.

With few reliable allies, closer ties with Moscow and Beijing would be a diplomatic boon for Tehran, and its struggling economy would benefit from the wealth both nations could bring. Indeed, Iran is increasingly pivoting east to take advantage of China's riches, and is set to be a significant stop on Beijing's mammoth Belt and Road initiative.

Iran's Foreign Ministry released a statement Friday celebrating the 20th anniversary of a cooperation treaty between Tehran and Moscow and urging closer cooperation still, the Tasnim News Agency reported.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran regards the Russian Federation as a powerful neighboring country and its friend on the basis of 'mutual cooperation and respect,'" the statement read, adding Iran is "willing to further enhance its relations" with President Vladimir Putin's regime "in all fields."

"The cooperation between the two countries for the fulfilment of common interests has gone beyond the level of bilateral relations, has entered the area of contributing to the regional and international security, and has become stronger more than ever," the Foreign Ministry said.

Ties with Russia helped Iran secure access to the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, while Tehran continues development on its own indigenous treatments. Iran was among the first countries to be ravaged by the virus last year, and has repeatedly accused the U.S. of hampering its anti-viral efforts through ever-tighter sanctions.

Iranian and Russian officials also met last month to hold talks on the International North-South Transport Corridor, a trade project connecting India and Russia via Iran, Azerbaijan and other nations.

Russia offers a useful U.S. counterweight, but only the U.S. rivals China's economic clout. Indeed, it was Chinese imports that helped Iran survive Trump's sanctions campaign, offering a vital lifeline to the country's lucrative oil exports.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said last month he hopes to soon finalize a 25-year economic cooperation plan with China. The agreement "is not far away," Zarif said, with the deal set to hand Beijing a valuable strategic foothold in the Middle East and West Asia.

Iran, Russia and China are also expanding military cooperation with joint drills, for example the combined Russian-Iranian naval exercises in the Indian Ocean held last month. Tehran is also likely to expand arms purchases from both Moscow and Beijing thanks to the lapse of the United Nations arms embargo on the country imposed as part of the JCPOA.

Closer cooperation with Russia and China plays into the Iranian framing of the U.S. as an empire in terminal decline, increasingly unable to subjugate foreign nations. President Hassan Rouhani said last month that the U.S. "is truly declining, and this has distressed and stunned some of their allies in the region."
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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.
Sundar Pichai-run Google has launched a scathing attack on Microsoft, accusing the Satya Nadella-run enterprise of willing to break the way the open web works in an effort to undercut a rival.

The attack came as Microsoft President Brad Smith, who on Friday issued a testimony for the House Committee on the Judiciary looking into antitrust and commercial aspects of competition for a free and diverse press, and slammed Google for hampering the growth of news organisations.

"News organisations have ad inventory to sell, but they can no longer sell directly to those who want to place ads," Smith said in a statement.

"Instead, for all practical purposes, they must use Google`s tools, operate on Google`s ad exchanges, contribute data to Google`s operations, and pay Google money. All this impacts the ability of news organisations to benefit economically even from advertising on their own sites," Smith noted.

Kent Walker, Google`s head of global affairs, hit back late on Friday, saying this latest attack marks a return to Microsoft`s long-time practices.

"It's no coincidence that Microsoft's newfound interest in attacking us comes on the heels of the SolarWinds attack and at a moment when they`ve allowed tens of thousands of their customers to be actively hacked via major Microsoft vulnerabilities," Walker said in a statement.

"They are now making self-serving claims and are even willing to break the way the open web works in an effort to undercut a rival. And their claims about our business and how we work with news publishers are just plain wrong," he added.

Google and Microsoft are at odds over whether publishers should have more control over a digital ad industry dominated by the search giant and Facebook.

In January, Google threatened to remove its search engine from Australia in response to the News Media Bargaining Code that would force the company to pay news publishers for their content.

Australia passed the law last month and Microsoft are out in full support of the law, slamming both Google and Facebook.

Walker said that Microsoft is the second-largest company in the US but "their track record is spotty".

"They have paid out a much smaller amount to the news industry than we have. And given the chance to support or fund their own journalists, Microsoft replaced them with AI bots," he argued.

"Microsoft`s attempts at distraction aside, we`ll continue to collaborate with news organisations and policymakers around the world to enable a strong future for journalism".

On Friday, a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing focused on the way Google and Facebook distribute news, and a new bill introduced earlier this week has already found Republican support. It's one of the biggest legislative threats to tech that`s come out of the years-long antitrust debate, and much of its political force comes from the precarious state of local journalism.

"The crisis in American journalism has become a real crisis in our democracy and civic life," Cicilline said in his opening remarks Friday.

The fight between two tech giants came as the US is debating a new bill, introduced earlier this week, that would allow news organisations to collectively negotiate with platforms like Facebook and Google the terms in which their content is distributed online.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 00:13:08|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, March 14 (Xinhua) -- A total of seven government soldiers were killed in a missile attack launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz on Sunday, a military official told Xinhua.

"The Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at an abandoned school used by the government forces in Taiz's western countryside," said the local official who asked to remain anonymous.

The source said that the missile struck a gathering of the government forces inside the school, leaving at least seven soldiers killed and more than 18 others injured.

He noted that the attack caused damage to the abandoned facility and destroyed weapons belonging to the government forces.

Local authorities frequently accuse the Houthis of launching random shelling against the residential neighborhoods controlled by the government in Taiz.

The Yemeni government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have been locked in clashes with the Iran-allied Houthi rebels in the north, east and west of Taiz since April 2015.

Yemen has been mired into a civil war since late 2014, when Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa. Enditem
ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi forces fired a missile on Sunday at a school in the Taiz region where pro-government forces are stationed, killing 15 soldiers, as well as three children who were nearby, two residents and military sources said.

The residents told Reuters the children - two brothers and their relative - were in the area when the missile struck the school in Kadha district in the west of Taiz governorate.

Two military sources said 15 soldiers were killed. They said the school had previously been used by Houthi forces and was taken over after pro-government fighters seized Kadha last week.

A Houthi official did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fighting has recently escalated in the disputed Taiz in southwestern Yemen between fighters loyal to the internationally recognised government and the Houthi movement which ousted it from power in the capital Sanaa in 2014.

The clashes in Taiz and Marib in the north come as the United States and the United Nations intensify efforts for a ceasefire between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis to revive U.N.-sponsored peace talks stalled since late 2018.

The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 against the Houthis but the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people, has been in a military stalemate for years. Taiz has remained effectively under siege.

The U.S. envoy to Yemen said on Friday that a "sound plan" for a nationwide truce had been before Houthi leadership for "a number of days" but that it appeared the group was prioritising its military offensive in Marib, the government's last stronghold.

Military sources told Reuters fighting in Marib had eased on Sunday.

The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system and foreign aggression. The Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition say the Houthis are backed by Riyadh's rival Iran.

(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Edmund Blair)
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Kim Kardashian has been focused on her children, amid her divorce from Kanye West.

And the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star might have just earned the title of coolest mom ever.

She teased her role in Paw Patrol: The Movie as she appeared Saturday on the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, introducing a sneak peek of the animated film with co-stars Tyler Perry, Yara Shahidi and Marsai Martin.

Leading lady: Kim Kardashian teased her role in Paw Patrol: The Movie as she appeared Saturday on the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, introducing a sneak peek of the animated film with co-stars Tyler Perry, Yara Shahidi and Marsai Martin

The 40-year-old lends her voice to a new character in the movie, which has been written specifically for her, as do most of the star-studded cast.

She appeared from home, as she gushed: 'We had such a great time working on this movie. My kids can barely believe it when I said I was going to be in it.'

Perry chimed in: 'That's right, all of us were starstruck to work with the pups. Can you believe it? We're in a movie with the pups. Wait 'til my son sees me.'

'I'm in the movie with the pups! Kim's in the movie with the pups! Yara's in the movie with the pups! So great, it's so great,' he added, as Shahidi said: 'There's so going to be so much fun, action and adventure.'

Star-studded cameo: The 40-year-old lends her voice to a new character in the movie, which has been written specifically for her, as do most of the star-studded cast

Cool mom: She appeared from home, as she gushed: 'We had such a great time working on this movie. My kids can barely believe it when I said I was going to be in it'

Puppy love: Perry chimed in: 'That's right, all of us were starstruck to work with the pups. Can you believe it? We're in a movie with the pups. Wait 'til my son sees me'

Kim first announced the role back in October, writing on Twitter: 'I'm officially cool mom now to my kids! Paw Patrol We're On A Roll!!!'

She shares daughters North, seven, Chicago, three, sons Saint, five, and Psalm, one with estranged husband Kanye West, 43, whom she married in May of 2014.

The SKIMS mogul filed for divorce last month from Kanye, following months of speculation about their split, and the pair has reportedly stopped talking to each other.

Co-parents: Kim shares daughters North, seven, Chicago, three, sons Saint, five, and Psalm, one with estranged husband Kanye West, 43, whom she married in May of 2014

Calling it quits: The SKIMS mogul filed for divorce last month from Kanye, following months of speculation about their split, and the pair has reportedly stopped talking to each other (pictured in November, 2019)

A source recently told Page Six: 'Even before Kim filed for divorce, Kanye changed his numbers and said, "You can contact me through my security."'

But the couple's lack of communication hasn't had a negative impact on how they adjust to their co-parenting schedule.

The insider added: 'Despite this, she trusts him around the kids. He loves them and is seeing a lot of them. She leaves the house and he arrives and hangs out with the kids. They have an army of nannies so the transition is easy.'
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 04:47:39|Editor: huaxia

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TUNIS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Health Ministry on Sunday reported 577 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in the country to 241,834.

The death toll from the virus rose by 30 to 8,389, the ministry said in a statement.

The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients reached 1,071, including 284 in intensive care units, while the total number of recoveries reached 207,686, it added.

A total of 1,034,981 lab tests have been carried out in Tunisia so far, said the ministry.

"Twenty-four hours after the start of the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Tunisia, 743 health personnel received the vaccine," Tunisian Minister of Health Faouzi Mehdi said during his statement broadcasted on state television Wataniya1.

"All health personnel, whether in the public or private sector, will have the vaccination by the end of March," he added.

"Our goal is to administer vaccines to 3 million Tunisians by June 2021," Mehdi said.

The national vaccination campaign officially started on Saturday in 25 regional centers across the country. Enditem
Oman Airports has welcomed the first Air Arabia Egypt flight from Cairo, marking the start of direct flights by the airline which will operate two weekly flights between Cairo International Airport and Muscat International Airport.



Air Arabia Egypt will operate its flight line between Cairo and Muscat, departing from Cairo International Airport at 2:45 pm Cairo time and arriving at Muscat International Airport at 6:35 pm Muscat time.



Samer Ahmed Al Nabhani, Chief Commercial Operations at Oman Airports, said that these weekly flights between Muscat and Cairo will cater to the aspirations of travellers wishing to visit the two countries, whether from Oman or Egypt, including those who wish to get to East Asia by transiting through Muscat, due to the connecting lines between Muscat International Airport and other airports in Asia via direct flights.



Muscat International Airport has also recently made great strides in the areas of health and safety as a result of adhering strict precautionary travel procedures within the current crisis and in line with the national efforts and response plans around Covid-19.  TradeArabia News Service
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The New York Times

Whoever wins the race to become the next Manhattan district attorney will take over one of the most contentious, highest-profile criminal investigations in the offices history: the inquiry into former President Donald Trump and his business. Two of the leading candidates in the Democratic primary field, Alvin Bragg and Tali Farhadian Weinstein, have had past contacts with Trumps administration  dealings that could become an issue if one of them becomes district attorney. Sign up for The Morni
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The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has come up with a new scheme, which allows any tourist vehicle operator to apply for an All India Tourist Authorization/Permit" through online mode.

This will be issued after the submission of relevant documents and fees deposited, within 30 days. The new set of rules, which are known as, All India Tourist Vehicles Authorization and Permit Rules, 2021" will be applicable from April 1, 2021.

The move is aimed at promoting tourism across all states in the country and it will also help in growing the revenue of state governments. The rules come at a time when the Ministry is in pursuit of providing seamless movement to tourist passenger vehicles.

The scheme will also help in the consolidation of a central database and provide an overall sense of tourist movements and lead to insights about the further scope of improvement.
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Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 47 Colleges In Illinois for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 203 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 203 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 47 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-illinois/

2021 Colleges In Illinois featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Augustana College

Aurora University

Bradley University

Chicago State University

Concordia University, Chicago

DePaul University

Dominican University

Eastern Illinois University

Elmhurst University

Eureka College

Governors State University

Greenville University

Illinois College

Illinois Eastern Community College

Illinois Institute of Technology

Illinois State University

Illinois Wesleyan University

Judson University

Knox College

Lake Forest College

Lewis University

Lincoln Christian University

Loyola University Chicago

McKendree University

Methodist College

Millikin University

Monmouth College

Moody Bible Institute

National Louis University

North Central College

Northern Illinois University

Northwestern University

Olivet Nazarene University

Principia College

Quincy University

Roosevelt University

Rush University

Saint Augustine College

Southern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

University of Chicago

University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University Of Illinois, Springfield

University of Saint Francis

Western Illinois University

Wheaton College

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines is on track with its COVID-19 inoculation drive, the head of the government's vaccine strategy said on Sunday, addressing criticisms the rollout has been slow as worries grow about a surge in new cases.

The Department of Health reported 4,899 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, a day after recording the largest single-day increase in more than six months with 5,000 additional infections.

The latest tally brought the country's total confirmed cases to 621,498, among the highest in Asia, with the reported death toll increasing by 63 to 12,829.

Carlito Galvez, who is in charge of the government's vaccine procurement programme, said almost 90% of the more than 1 million doses that arrived so far had been deployed nationwide.

"(The government) is on track in implementing its immunisation programme and optimistic that it would be able to achieve its target of inoculating about 70% of the country's population within this year," Galvez said in a statement.

The country's vaccination drive started on March 1 with 600,000 Sinovac shots donated by China. The Philippines also received an initial 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine through the COVAX facility.

The total volume is just a small fraction of the 161 million doses the government plans to acquire to inoculate 50 million to 70 million Filipinos this year.

With limited supply, only frontline medical staff and healthcare workers are being given shots at the moment.

The rise in cases has prompted mayors in Metro Manila to reimpose localised lockdowns and nighttime curfews for two weeks beginning on Monday.

In Quezon City, the capital region's most populous city, additional restrictions will be enforced including a liquor ban and the closure of gyms, spas and internet cafes.

(Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by David Clarke)
Preparing At Dodge Ridge View Photo

The Winter Storm Warning issued for the Sierra Nevada above 3,000 feet, will expire at 5 PM this afternoon.

The potential for minor snow accumulations remains as low as 1,500 to 2000 feet. However, most of the impactful accumulating snowfall remains above 3,000 feet.

According to the National Weather Service, additional snow accumulations above 4,000 feet will range from three inches to half-a-foot.

The winds will continue to gust as high as fifty mph over the higher locations.

Moderate to heavy snow is falling at times. Travel in the Sierra Nevada is very difficult. Plan on travel delays and slick, snow covered roads, some of which may become impassable or closed. Roads that remain open will require tire chains. Slow down and use caution while traveling.

A Winter Storm Warning means there will be snow covered roads and limited visibilities. Travel is not recommended while the Warning is in effect. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.
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Elon Musk has launched another 60 Starlink satellites into the Earth's orbit as part of his plan to create a new global superfast Internet system.

Video showed a Falcon 9 rocket taking off at 6.01am Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center, with the satellites located in its nose cone, prompting Musk to tweet, 'Fly my pretties, fly.'

The early morning launch, which is the 22nd dedicated to sending Starlink satellites into the Earth's lower orbit, took place in fair conditions, with moderate cloud cover.

It comes after another 60 satellites left Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, as Starlink expands its broadband service from the US to parts of the United Kingdom, Germany and New Zealand.

A photo showing the Falcon 9 rocket taking off at 6.01am Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center, with the satellites located in its nose cone

The early morning launch, which is the 22nd dedicated to sending Starlink satellites into the Earth's lower orbit, took place in fair conditions, with moderate cloud cover

It comes after another 60 satellites left Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, as Starlink expands its broadband service from the US to parts of the United Kingdom, Germany and New Zealand, ClickOrlando reported

Starlink kits can be pre-ordered for $499 and include a router, power supply, cables and a small satellite dish, nicknamed 'dishy' by some customers.

The Starlink satellites are each about the size of a table, and can beam data across the globe at the speed of light.

The project has already received positive feedback, with customers trying out the service in the UK reporting huge jumps in speed.

A Starlink kit  consisting of a Starlink dish Wi-Fi router, power supply, cables and mounting tripod  comes through the post, but it's 'available to a limited number of users per coverage area'.

Starlink greeted Sunday's launch with a tweet

Early testers claim to have achieved download speeds of up to 215 megabits per second (Mbps), making common activities like streaming possible from multiple devices at the same time.

In contrast, some users say their traditional broadband would often lag between 0.5 and 1Mbps, only capable of basic tasks such as email.

Starlink doesn't come cheap however  a Starlink user has to pay 439 for the hardware kit and an extra monthly cost of 89.

This compares with an average monthly UK broadband price of 27.39 from cable-based providers, according to comparison website Cable.

The arc of the rocket as it takes off from Kennedy Space Center. Starlink kits can be pre-ordered for $499 and include a router, power supply, cables and a small satellite dish, nicknamed 'dishy' by some customers

The rocket heading into the night sky. The goal of the project is to beam superfast internet into homes from space

Starlink is now delivering its initial beta service internationally, and will continue expansion to 'near global coverage of the populated world' in 2021.

Musk said on Tuesday that he expects Starlink's speed to double to around 300Mbps and coverage for 'most of Earth' by the end of the year, followed by 'all' in 2022.

The firm aims to have deployed 1,440 of the 260 kg (570 pound) spacecraft to provide near-global service by late 2021 or 2022.

The last load of 60 satellites to be sent into space were launched only last week.

SpaceX has now launched 1,145 Starlink satellites in total, although about 60 have been decommissioned and deorbited.

During the current beta test, users can expect to see data speeds vary from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s and latency from 20ms to 40ms in most locations over the coming months.

Musk has previously said the venture could give three billion people who currently do not have access to the internet a cheap way of getting online

His company filed plans with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch 4,425 satellites into orbit above the Earth - three times as many that are currently in operation

Starlink already has 'over 10,000 users' worldwide for its beta service, according to Musk, who wants to have tens of thousands of his satellites in space eventually, enabling a seamless connection for all users.

SpaceX has also been approved by the US's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch more than 12,000 Starlink satellites in total.

There are some drawbacks for users, however  as well as the hefty cost, there are planned outages due to the limited number of satellites and the fact that Starlink is still in early testing.

The Starlink website reads: 'There will also be brief periods of no connectivity at all.

'As we launch more satellites, install more ground stations and improve our networking software, data speed, latency and uptime will improve dramatically.'

However, those who have suffered with sluggish internet say it is a price worth paying.
US astronauts Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins have now returned to the (ISS) after completing a for technical and maintenance tasks, said.

According to CNN, the spacewalk, which assisted with continued upgrades to the orbiting laboratory, began at 8:14 a.m. ET and ended at 3:01 p.m. ET, lasting for six hours and 47 minutes. Glover and Hopkins arrived on the space station in November as part of the NASA-SpaceX Crew-1 mission. This will be Glover's fourth and the fifth for Hopkins.

The occured around the one-year anniversary of many Americans going into quarantine. Hopkins and Glover addressed the timing in a video released by on Friday.

"We're there for each other," Glover said as quoted by CNN. "From 250 miles up, I see us united as a people. And as we wait for the vaccines to be rolled out and administered, we're going to be patient and do what's right. Crew-1 named our Dragon capsule Resilience in part to honor all of you and the amazing tenacity that you've shown over the past year while overcoming obstacle after obstacle. Keep it up and take care of each other."

"Yes, it's been one tough year," Hopkins added. "But together we can make sure there's a brighter year ahead."

It was the fifth spacewalk of 2021 and the 237th spacewalk overall in support of the space station, CNN reported further.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, has been able to safely continue launching astronauts to the space station, including the historic Crew-1 mission that carried Glover and Hopkins, as well as NASA astronaut Shannon Walker and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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A list of some Canadian universities and their fall plans for students.

Canadian universities to return to in-person classes this fall A list of some Canadian universities and their fall plans for students.

Canadian universities to return to in-person classes this fall A list of some Canadian universities and their fall plans for students.

Canadian universities to return to in-person classes this fall A list of some Canadian universities and their fall plans for students. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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With promises that Canadians will be vaccinated by the end of September this year, post-secondary institutions are more confident that it will be safe to return to in-person classes for the fall semester.

The return to in-person learning activities depends partially on the public health authority, as well as each institutions administration. At this point, those universities that have officially announced fall returns have also said they will monitor the threat of coronavirus, and act accordingly to keep students and staff safe.

Under the current travel restrictions, international students are allowed to come to Canada as long as they are going to an institution with a COVID-19 readiness plan. Canadas travel restrictions are expected to be updated for U.S. residents later this month, and in mid April for the rest of the world.

A November 2020 Statistics Canada report shows that roughly two-thirds of new international student enrolments at Canadian post-secondaries in the 2018-19 school year were at universities. Here is a look at some of the Canadian universities that have plans to welcome students back to campus, and some that plan to make their official announcements soon

Learn about Canadas immigration system

British Columbia

On March 8, B.C.s health minister advised post-secondaries in the province to prepare for a full return to on-campus activities. Following this announcement, many B.C. universities announced plans to return to in-person classes, but keeping student and staff health and safety at the forefront of their planning.

University of British Columbia confirmed that they are planning to return to in-person classes and increased in-person research in the fall. The UBC is also working to accommodate quarantine arrangements for international students, if it is required, and options for on-site immunization.

The University of Victoria is also planning for a full return to in-person classes in September. The following institutions also expressed plans to allow in-person classes: Vancouver Island University, Thompson Rivers University, Simon Fraser University, the University of Northern British Columbia, Capilano University and Trinity Western University.

Alberta

The University of Alberta plans to welcome more students and staff back to campus this fall, relying on a blended model of in-person and remote learning.

A spokesperson from the University of Calgary told CIC News: The University of Calgary has not made a decision on the delivery method (face-to face or online) for classes in the Fall 2021 semester. This decision will be made in April 2021 and will then be communicated to students and the campus community.

The University of Lethbridge is planning for a significant return to campus this fall, but says it is likely some health directives pertaining to the use of masks and physical distancing will remain in place.

Saskatchewan

The University of Saskatchewan is planning to bring back some level of in-person instruction this fall. The universitys president, Peter Stoicheff, said that due to the uncertainties around the vaccine roll-out it is too early to say what will be offered on campus. However he expects a full return to in-person classes for the winter 2022 semester.

Manitoba

The University of Brandon has not released any details on returning to in-person instruction. The universitys registrar, Andrea McDaniel, said in a media release, Our intention is to announce a course of action for Fall 2021 that we can commit to, without needing to backtrack or pivot midway through the term.

The University of Manitoba is planning to allow classes with a maximum of 20 students to return to in-person instruction. Lab classes will be limited to no more than 25 students. Larger classes will continue to operate remotely.

Ontairo

The University of Toronto is aiming to allow in-person instruction and supports for students in the fall. Faculty, staff, and librarians are expected to return to campus. Students can do research on campus, with certain safety measures.

Brock University is planning to offer as many courses on campus as possible, including labs and other experiential learning, graduate seminars and undergraduate classes, according to a media release.

The University of Ottawa expects to provide a full on-campus experience, offering more courses in person or in hybrid formats. The university will equip classrooms with technology that will allow for simultaneous in-person and video conferencing teaching, CBC reports.

Western University is planning to return to face-to-face instruction, and offer more on-campus activities.

The University of Windsor is also planning a measured return to face-to-face programming and on-campus activities in fall 2021.

Quebec

Quebec has previously announced that universities and CEGEPs could gradually return to in-person instruction one day a week. Physical distancing measures must be respected both in and out of class, and that students and staff must wear government-issued face masks at all times.

McGill University is expecting to return to in-person classes in September. Some courses will continue to incorporate online teaching, but the university says students and staff should prepare to return to more regular rhythms of on-campus activity.

Concordia University is planning for an announcement about the fall term in May, but is considering offering a mix of in-person and online classes, Global reports.

New Brunswick

St. Thomas University is planning to offer both online and in-person classes for fall 2021. The university will make a final announcement between May and June.

Nova Scotia

Acadia University is expecting a full return to campus this fall. Staff and students are asked to begin preparing for in-person learning. Some courses may start the term in a virtual or hybrid format and will move to fully in-person classes later in the term.

Dalhousie University expects that class-size restriction may keep larger lecture classes online. In a media release, the university says it hopes to offer in-person learning activities of less than 100 people, such as tutorials, labs, and small-to-medium-sized classes.

Prince Edward Island

The University of Prince Edward Island is expected to return to a more normal teaching and learning environment this fall, CBC reports.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Memorial University is already resuming in-person research work, after reversing its decision to fully return to in-person work this past February. A spokesperson told CIC News that the university expects to make an announcement soon on whether or not it will return to in-person classes this fall.

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At 10.15 on the night of June 9, 1979, flames engulfed the ghost train at Luna Park. Six children and one adult were killed.

Nearly 30 years later in 2007, award-winning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont revealed claims that Australias most notorious crime figure Abe Saffron was behind the deadly fire at the popular fun park on the shores of Sydney Harbour.

Luna Park ghost train fire, 1979. Credit:Dallas Smith / Fairfax Media

Over three stories, her investigation spoke exclusively with Saffrons niece as well as families of the victims for their reaction to the claims.

She also obtained files gathered by a Sydney artist Martin Sharp, who had collected an extensive collection of documents.
Minister for Women Marise Payne will snub the historic Womens March 4 Justice on Parliament House on Monday, telling organisers she will receive their petition via correspondence rather than in person.

Labor education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek and Greens co-deputy leader Larissa Waters will jointly receive the petition from organisers  who invited Senator Payne to do the same  but the most senior woman in the Morrison government has turned down the invitation.

Marise Payne speaking at the Future Women Leadership Summit on March 9. Credit:Mark Broome/Future Women

The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age has been told that, as of 5pm on Saturday, just one Coalition MP had indicated they would attend the March 4 Justice in Canberra, which is expected to attract thousands of people.

Organisers of the event would not confirm the identity of that MP when approached for comment but The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age has been told it is first-term Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer. Ms Archer did not respond to requests for comment.
Liz today

Two years ago, Liz Wilde wrote a heart-wrenching piece in YOU describing her quest to find out more about her late birth mother. A week later she received an email from a stranger in America

Exactly two years ago, I wrote an article for this magazine about my mother Valerie, who had been forced to give me up for adoption in 1963  and the heartbreak she had experienced. I never dreamt it could lead to a new connection to her.

By the time I wrote my article, I had resigned myself to never knowing more than the basic facts about this crucial time in my mothers life. Yet, one week after publication, a lady called Lyn emailed me from America to say she had been very moved by my article  and that she had been in the same mother-and-baby home at the same time as my mother. Valerie was not alone. At least half a million women lost their children in the same way in the UK during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, due to the stigma of being unmarried mothers.

At the age of six, my adoptive mother sat me on her knee and gently explained how my first mother had been unable to keep me. From that moment on, I secretly dreamt of meeting the woman who had given me life. When I was 18 I began the lengthy and frustrating search, and after many delays and setbacks (this was pre-internet), I traced my natural family 11 years later. I was too late. My mother had died tragically young at 52 of heart failure, only four years earlier.

Deprived of my longed-for reunion, I was naturally greedy for anything my mothers family could tell me about her life. But when it came to the subject of my adoption, I hit a wall of silence. My grandmother who had supported the adoption was understandably reluctant to revisit her decision, and would cry whenever I attempted a question. My uncle Roger  my mothers younger brother  and his wife Pat never knew what happened to me. We just didnt ask, he told me. I wish Id been more sympathetic, but we all had a stiff upper lip in those days.

Her story in YOU in March 2019 rang bells for one reader from the US

I approached the Royal Voluntary Service who ran Brent House, the mother-and-baby home in Streatham, South London, where my mother stayed while she waited to give birth to me. The archivist sent me some official information, but all records kept by the home had been destroyed. I placed adverts along with my mothers photo in several mature magazines hoping someone might recognise her, but no one responded. I posted on adoption social media groups and spoke to a mother who had also been forced to give her child away, but I had no idea if her experience matched my mothers own ordeal.

When Lyn got in touch, my heart leapt. I was at Brent House at the same time as your mother, she told me. If you would like to hear about that period of time I have complete recall. Still, after so many disappointments, I was wary. Was she simply referring to a similar time in history, or had she actually met my mother? Over the phone two days later, Lyns words tumbled out of her at such a speed I could hardly keep pace. It felt like she had been waiting a lifetime to tell her story.

Winning a scholarship to Londons Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) as an innocent 16-year-old from Leeds, Lyn resisted when her first boyfriend Rory* attempted to seduce her. I want to be a virgin when I meet my husband, she told him. You have, he replied, and she believed him. When her mother discovered Lyns pregnancy, she refused to let her keep the baby. I can understand why she was so disappointed, Lyn reasoned. We were poor and my career was my mothers only chance to better herself.

Lyn entered Brent House aged 17, six weeks before her daughter was born. It was spartan, with a strict regime like a workhouse, she recalls. We were there to be punished. Girls in the last weeks of their pregnancy mopped floors twice a day, and crept into the depths of the old building at night to stoke the boiler.

I remembered you because of your name, Dominique, Lyn said suddenly. I froze. I babysat you in the nursery when your mother needed to go out. (Liz was the name given to me by my adoptive parents  all adoptive babies are given new names.)

Lyn and I agreed that the chance of us connecting after almost 58 years is nothing short of astounding. Feeling homesick (and needing to practise using her new iPad), Lyn had started reading British newspapers and magazines. She would usually avoid articles about adoption, but seeing my birth name instantly drew her back to that time. You were named after the song we all sang along to on the radio, Lyn continued, and she began singing the catchy refrain

Liz at three months old. This is likely to be the picture sent to her birth mother Valerie along with paperwork to complete the adoption

Domi-nique, nique, nique. I had always been puzzled why my mother had given me a French name, and now I knew. The song by The Singing Nun had been a huge hit at the time of my birth. I would play it endlessly in the weeks to come.

The origin of my name was just the beginning of what Lyn was able to tell me. Her stay at Brent House not only overlapped my mothers (although sadly Lyn only remembers me, not Valerie). She had also suffered the same trauma of handing over her daughter to strangers at the National Children Adoption Association (NCAA) in Knightsbridge, London. As we talked over the coming months, it felt like I was hearing my own mothers account of giving me up, almost as if I was speaking to her myself.

Nobody ever said I could keep my child, Lyn told me. No one told me I could claim financial support. They just wanted my baby. As her daughter Katies* adoption date grew nearer (a legal minimum of six weeks from birth), Lyn remembers sobbing constantly. I couldnt bear to hear Katie cry. It felt like she knew, Lyn recalled. The sound of a baby crying fills her with panic to this day. Girls werent allowed to take their babies out of the home in case they absconded, or worse: We were demented, the lot of us, Lyn told me.

The day of Katies adoption is etched on Lyns memory. Giving up your baby was like going to your death. The worst fear you can imagine, and such terrible guilt at leaving the person you love the most. Faced with travelling to the NCAA by bus, another girl paid for the taxi to Knightsbridge. I had an icy cold feeling when I walked up the steps.

I was finally aware that there would be no reprieve. Nobody was going to rush in and say that the baby I loved with a passion, by the man I loved with a passion, was to stay with me and live happily ever after.

Lyn arrived back at Brent House hysterical. I dont remember much, other than standing in the foyer screaming and being calmed down. Her friend Penny* came to collect her, to take her to stay with her mother for a few days. You had to leave the same day, Lyn remembers. They didnt want you upsetting the other girls.

Initially Liz was wary about speaking to the stranger who had contacted her

Growing up, I knew nothing of the cruel adoption practices of that time, and would privately question how my own mother could give me up. At 40 I eventually gained full access to my adoption records and read a letter from my mother detailing her torment at being parted from me. Here at last was the story behind that torment. The truth no one had wanted  or been able  to tell me.

Lyn returned home and continued to cry every day. She asked her mother for permission to marry Rory  you couldnt marry without your parents consent in those days until you were 21  and reclaim Katie, but her mother replied, Id rather stick my head in the oven. Around this time, Lyn received a photo of Katie in a high chair. Every mother was sent a picture of their baby at three months before they signed the final paperwork, she told me. The photo on the opposite page is the only one I have of me as a three-month-old child, and surely the one Valerie received. The thought of her staring at it breaks my heart. My mother ripped mine up, Lyn added.

Graduating from Rada, Lyn went on tour with Rory and conceived their second daughter Melanie, who was born in 1965.

I was able to keep her because I was working and could pay my own way, Lyn remembers. She and Rory married briefly but he was only 21 and already sleeping with someone else. One day he left the flat they shared and phoned Lyns mother.

I cant do this, he told her. You need to come and get her.

So what do I know about the story of my birth parents? Valerie had been living in Benidorm when she met my father, Mariano, who was married but separated. Although he had no hope of securing a divorce in 1960s Spain, they were still together when she travelled back to London to hide her pregnancy. Just after my birth, he wrote to her: I have little to say as you do not write. No one has been able to tell me why my mother never spoke to him again, and instead pleaded for her parents permission to keep me. I asked Lyn. It all came down to money in those days, she explained. Your grandparents obviously couldnt foot the bill. Your mother suffered so much, there must have been a very good reason she didnt want to be with your father.

After my adoption, my adoptive family told me my mother had suffered a breakdown and was prescribed Valium. An unhappy marriage followed, ending in a restraining order, granted after neighbours called the police. She was never the same after she gave you up, my grandmother told me on a rare night of candour, tears streaming down her face.

In 1990, Lyn was found by Katie, who was then 26 years old. They had a fractious relationship, culminating in a bitter verbal attack by Katie three years later. I can understand her feelings of hatred and loss, Lyn reflected. I married her father and had Melanie less than a year after giving her up.

They are no longer in contact. Lyn welcomed my lack of bitterness. I was moved by your understanding and love for your mother, she told me. I think about Katie every day and have never stopped loving her or feeling guilty that she couldnt be with me and her sister.

Lyn, now living in the US, was at the same mother- and-baby home as Lizs mum Valerie

Before speaking to me, Lyn had never discussed what happened to her in detail with anyone. I was made to feel so much shame for bringing a child into the world outside the proper order, Lyn observed. We both found our conversations very cathartic. After my mothers initial disclosure, my adoption was never mentioned, and I grew up believing it was my shameful secret. We had both stayed silent for too long.

Our experience of adoption has also left a shared legacy. We have both worked hard to make ourselves emotionally strong, keeping any vulnerability well hidden. Underneath, our sense of loss has stayed with us a lifetime.

Melanie moved to Austin, Texas for work in 1992, and Lyn followed the next year. She is keen to come back home once Covid is over. I want to meet the tiny baby I remember as Dominique, she told me. I very much look forward to meeting my first babysitter, too.

If there is an afterlife, I hope your mother sees us and is happy, Lyn told me. She would be so proud of her little baby.

Liz shares more of her adoption experience at lizwilde.co.uk. Do you have a similar story to tell? Wed love to hear from you. Contact us at you.features@mailonsunday.co.uk

*Some names have been changed.
A New Zealand woman who was booted out of Australia after breaking into a home and being caught with drugs has slammed comments likening her deportation to 'taking out the trash'.

Mother-of-two Taryn O'Dowd was one of a handful of convicted criminals dubbed the 501 deportees who were last month flown back across the Tasman, never to return to Australia.

The 41-year-old had lived in Australia since she was nine but said her life recently 'imploded' when she was forced to flee a violent partner, the New Zealand Herald reported.

She was jailed for three months after breaking into a vacant holiday home while escaping the violence and within a year she had another conviction recorded against her after being caught with 10g of methamphetamine.

New Zealand national Taryn O'Dowd (pictured) was deported from Australia last month after being convicted of two crimes

O'Dowd admitted she made 'some poor choices' but did not believe she was a risk to the community, adding she deserved a second chance having already 'served my time' in prison.

'I believe I'm intrinsically a good person. I have hurt myself and my family but I don't think I was ever a risk to the community,' she said.

'Anybody else in the same circumstance, who did what I did and went to jail, they get to go out and live their life and go back to their families.'

She said she was shocked to discover she was being deported and unsuccessfully tried to appeal the decision, believing non-citizens convicted of crimes who have spent the majority of their lives in Australia should not have their visas cancelled.

'I just thought, "they are not going to tear a mother away from her children",' O'Dowd said.

Under Australia's Migration Act, a non-citizen who 'is or may be a risk to the health, safety or good order of the Australian community' or is 'not of good character' can have their visa cancelled and be deported under section 501.

More than 1,000 New Zealanders have been deported from Australia since 2014. Pictured, a female convicted criminal being escorted to a plane so she could be sent back to New Zealand

O'Dowd (pictured) admitted she made 'some poor choices' in recent years but did not believe she was a risk to the community and needed to be deported

The other New Zealand nationals O'Dowd was deported alongside were convicted of serious crimes including murder, sexual assault and drug trafficking.

O'Dowd said the deportees feel like 'the rejects of society not wanted by anyone' and told how 'one of my family have reached out to me' since arriving back in New Zealand.

She said the most difficult part of returning to New Zealand was being separated from her 12-year-old daughter, eight-year-old son and her mother.

Home affairs minister Peter Dutton, who featured in a television news reporter about the deportation, said it was 'serious offenders' leaving Australian shores.

'Our country's safer for having deported them,' he said, before also adding it was a form of 'taking the trash out, so we can then make Australia a safer place'.

But O'Dowd said people should not 'be so quick to judge' about her situation and claimed she 'came out of prison a better person than when I went in'.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured left with her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison) has been a fierce critic of Australia's deportation policy

Australia's Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) said the nation is 'safer' for having deported convicted criminals

New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern has previously criticised the deportation policy, which she claims sends back Kiwis who have little or no links to her country.

More than 1,000 New Zealanders have been deported from Australia since 2014 when changes were made to the Migration Act.

Drug offences, assault and child sex offences are the most common charges that result in deportation.

The law means even if an individual is an Australian permanent resident, and has lived and worked in the country for decades, they can still be deported.

New Zealanders are thought to be the largest group to have had their visas cancelled and that are binge held in Australian immigration detention centres.
2020 saw a sharp drop in reported air safety violations due to reduction in flights and curbs on breath analyser tests.

Around 250 aviation employees failed breath analyser tests in 2018 and 2019 and the cases declined to 92 in 2020. Similarly, there were zero cases of allowing unauthorised entry into cockpit and violation of cockpit and cabin discipline, the ministry said in its response to the Lok Sabha last week.

Domestic air travel was suspended for two months during the nationwide lockdown. Air travel resumed in calibrated manner on May 25 with restrictions on capacity. As a result, the number of flights halved and the number of passengers fell 56 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

Along with reduction in flights, last year also saw restrictions on the use of breath analysers. A pre-flight test is done to ensure that staff are not under the influence of alcohol. While pilots and cabin crew have been subject to pre-flight examination from earlier, a breath analyser test was introduced for ground staff, aircraft engineers and air traffic controllers from September 2019.

Breath analyser tests were halted last March on directions of court orders. Testing resumed in September after the Delhi High Court modified its order. However, the number of tests for pilots and cabin crew were capped at ten per cent for and only recently increased to 25 per cent.

Director General of Arun Kumar said strict regulatory oversight has helped in making skies safer.  We have been relentless in our endeavours to institute a strict system of accountability and it seems to have done the trick. We will continue with our efforts and shall ensure that coming years are safer and better for aviation safety.





The regulator has been carrying out audits, surveillance and spot checks of airlines and airports. Deficiencies are brought to the notice of the operator and action is taken in case of non-compliance. All airlines are in compliance of regulations, the ministry said in its response. It added there were no reports of violation of engine emission norms or air pollution by the airlines.

Aviation experts disagree. Surveillance and spot checks are done to prevent serious incidents and accidents but last year 21 perople died in an Air India Express crash in Kozhikode, they pointed out.

Aviation safety has not at all improved. There is inadequate safety oversight. Many posts of flight operation inspectors are still vacant. Airport Authority of India (AAI)-run airports continue to be deficient in safety matters. Yet AAI does not face strict action for non-compliance. We will not be able to prevent accidents unless we address these issues, said Shakti Lumba, former vice president of operations, IndiGo.

The government appointed Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau did not even release a preliminary investigation report about the Kozhikode crash. That says a lot about aviation safety, he added.
The Lord of the Rings alum Orlando Bloom took a stroll with his six-month-old daughter Daisy and 10-year-old son Flynn while on vacation in Hawaii last Friday.

The 44-year-old SAG Award winner showcased his bulging biceps and buff legs in a black tank top and shorts as he shielded his precious princess from the rain.

Orlando was not wearing a face mask to protect himself and others from the coronavirus pandemic, which has only claimed the lives of 447 Hawaiians.

Bonding: The Lord of the Rings alum Orlando Bloom took a stroll with his six-month-old daughter Daisy and 10-year-old son Flynn while on vacation in Hawaii last Friday

Umbrella holder: The 44-year-old SAG Award winner showcased his bulging biceps and buff legs in a black tank top and shorts as he shielded his precious princess from the rain

Daisy is Bloom's daughter from his on/off five-year romance with 13-time Grammy nominee Katy Perry, and he desperately wants her first word to be 'daddy.'

'I'm constantly talking to her, chanting to her, singing - now I sing anything with "Daddy" in it, just because I want her to say "Dad" before she says anything else,' the Canterbury-born Englishman gushed on the February 26th episode of The Graham Norton Show.

'I'm like, "Daddy loves his, Daddy loves his!" She'll be like, "Mom is going to be much better at this than you. S** off!" Actually, she sort of has said a bit of "Da-dad, da-dad." Everytime I come up she's very excited to see me.'

'All dressed up to Zoom': Daisy is Orlando's daughter from his on/off five-year romance with 13-time Grammy nominee Katy Perry (R, pictured March 7), and he desperately wants her first word to be 'daddy'

Bloom gushed on the February 26th episode of The Graham Norton Show: 'I'm constantly talking to her, chanting to her, singing - now I sing anything with "Daddy" in it, just because I want her to say "Dad" before she says anything else'

Father-of-two: Meanwhile, Flynn (L, pictured in 2019) is the Canterbury-born Englishman's only child from his three-year marriage to Miranda Kerr, which ended in 2013

Meanwhile, Flynn is Orlando's only child from his three-year marriage to Miranda Kerr, which ended in 2013.

The 36-year-old pop diva currently co-judges the (pre-taped) 19th season of singing competition American Idol, which airs Sundays on ABC.

The Outpost action star and his fiancee of two years recently bought a $14.2M mansion in Montecito for their growing family and five dogs.

'Auditions, Part 5': The 36-year-old pop diva currently co-judges the (pre-taped) 19th season of singing competition American Idol, which airs Sundays on ABC

'Only in theaters!' Beginning April 1, the Alamo Drafthouse will screen a Q&A with Orlando, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, and moderator Stephen Colbert after screenings of The Two Towers

Filming wrapped in August! It's still unclear when Amazon Prime Video will debut the second season of Carnival Row, which Bloom executive produces and stars as Burgue Constabulary inspector Rycroft Philostrate (pictured on set in 2019)

Beginning April 1, the Alamo Drafthouse will debut a Q&A with Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, and moderator Stephen Colbert after screenings of The Two Towers.

Director Peter Jackson remastered his Oscar-winning trilogy - celebrating its 20th anniversary - with brand new 4K versions.

It's still unclear when Amazon Prime Video will debut the second season of Carnival Row, which Orlando executive produces and stars as Burgue Constabulary inspector Rycroft Philostrate.
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San Francisco:

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan on Monday welcomed their second daughter named August to the world with a post.

As they did with after the birth of their first daughter, Maxima, in late 2015, the couple wrote the girl a letter, but this one spoke of reveling in the wonder of childhood instead of visions of a better world on the horizon. You only get to be a child once, so dont spend it worrying too much about the future, said the letter signed by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan.

Youve got us for that, and well do everything we possibly can to make sure the world is a better place for you and all children in your generation.

A Zuckerberg Chan Initiative established by the couple has pledged billions of dollars to improving life for their childrens generation with goals such as eliminating disease. The Facebook co-founder is among billionaires who have vowed to donate most of their wealth to charitable causes. With all the advances in science and technology, your generation should live dramatically better lives than ours, and we have a responsibility to do our part to make that happen, the couple wrote, referring back to a letter written to their first daughter after her birth.

But rather than write about growing up, we want to talk about childhood. The world can be a serious place. Thats why its important to make time to go outside and play. And, like many parents, they expressed hope their new baby would sleep soundly and take frequent naps.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
What will the Saints do in the 2021 NFL draft? That will be dictated by what happens in free agency, which is set to kick off in just a few days. The Saints have been preparing for this by making a series of salary cap cuts and restructured contracts, answering some questions while raising new ones and creating new holes to fill on the depth chart.

Heres how they can get better. Ive limited my pool of players to the draft prospects reported to have met with New Orleans already, which makes this more difficult but maybe more informative in reflecting how teams actually work during the draft. Still, its far from perfect, and at the end of the day nothing more than halfway-educated guesses. So dont take it too seriously. Lets begin:

Round 1, Pick 28

Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II, participates in the school's Pro Day football workout for NFL scouts Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in Evanston, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

I got a couple of trade offers here from the mock draft machines A.I.; first a move up to No. 14 in exchange for Nos. 28, 60, and my sixth rounder, 216, which I declined. And then a call to move up to No. 25 from No. 28, costing only next years fifth rounder. I also had an opportunity to move down to No. 40, adding fourth- and sixth-round picks along the way, or backing down to No. 47 while recouping No. 97 and a 2022 seventh rounder. I declined each offer in the interest of seeing whos available at 28, but those might give an idea of what trading up or down could cost on draft day. The best players available in our first-round cloud: Kansas linebacker Zaven Collins, Northwestern corner Greg Newsome, and Washington defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike. Theres a sizable gap between Onwuzurike and the first two. I like Collins better as a prospect, but given the Saints needs we probably need to make Newsome the pick. After cutting Janoris Jenkins, their only cornerbacks under contract are Marshon Lattimore, Patrick Robinson, Grant Haley, and Keith Washington. The Pick: CB Greg Newsome, Northwestern. Hes just as athletically gifted as Lattimore coming out of college, having comfortably timed in the 4.3s at his pro day 40 yard dash. He meets the size threshold at 6-foot-0 and 192 pounds. Youd like to see greater college experience from him, having only appeared in 17 games with the Wildcats, but Lattimore suited up just 16 times with the Buckeyes. Get him in the building and let Kris Richard get to work coaching him.

Story continues

Round 2, Pick 60

North Carolina State's Alim McNeill (29) sacks North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell (7) for a loss during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

There were a few other trade offers here, but nothing that would have brought in significant picks (at least nothing greater than an additional fifth rounder). Onwuzurike was picked ahead of any potential trade partners anyway, but I just missed out on Purdue receiver Rondale Moore. The best players available on our board: Florida State corner Asante Samuel Jr. and North Carolina State nose tackle Alim McNeill. Missouri safety Joshuah Bledsoe and Wake Forest/Georgia quarterback Jamie Newman are in the next tier. We shouldnt draft corners back to back with other needs remaining, especially in the middle of the defense. I really like McNeill. Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen left N.C. State before McNeill arrived on campus, but you have to think he has an inside track on how to get the most out of him. After cutting Malcom Brown and with Sheldon Rankins headed for free agency, the Saints have plenty of snaps to go around at defensive tackle. The Pick: NT Alim McNeill, North Carolina State. Hes a big body at 6-foot-2 and 320 pounds with strength to reset the line of scrimmage and enough juice to pressure the pocket. I compare him to disruptive nose tackles like Vita Vea, which might be wishful thinking. But isnt that kind of the point in doing a mock draft anyway? Start him out in a two-down role next to David Onyemata, and if he shows the chops to get after quarterbacks early on, give him some opportunities on third down.

Round 3, Pick 98 (compensatory)

Missouri safety Joshuah Bledsoe celebrates during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Its a long, long wait from 60 to 98. I have a tough time seeing the Saints staying put here on draft day. I didnt get any trade offers to move up that I was comfortable with but theyve often made moves in this range (see: Zack Baun, Adam Trautman, and Alvin Kamara). Newman was still on the board, but so was Bledsoe. Theres a big gap between the two of them and the next tier, which includes cornerbacks Thomas Graham Jr. (Oregon) and Trill Williams (Syracuse). Last time I picked Newman here. This time Ill go with Bledsoe. The Saints have franchise tagged Marcus Williams which keeps him around another year, and while theres hope he signs a long-term extension that isnt guaranteed, so more depth is nice. New Orleans played a ton of dime personnel last year with D.J. Swearinger and P.J. Williams on the field, who Bledsoe should be able to replace while preparing to replace Malcolm Jenkins in a year or two. The Pick: S Joshuah Bledsoe, Missouri. Hes got good size for the position at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, though he may have to bulk up depending on the long-term vision for him (C.J. Gardner-Johnson plays at 210). He lined up all over the Tigers defense and was fearless in mixing it up at the line of scrimmage. Hes also eager to help on special teams which is vital for a fourth safety like him.

Round 3, Pick 105 (compensatory)

Notre Dame defensive lineman Adetokunbo Ogundeji (91) jogs off the field during the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

None of the players in our cloud got picked between my two picks, so I could select Newman here. Or I could continue loading up the secondary with some of the cornerbacks ranked high on our board. But weve got bigger fish to fry than adding another corner with our last top-100-ish pick, and in this scenario Ill assume Jameis Winston re-signs to battle with Taysom Hill, leaving little opportunity for a rookie quarterback. So lets keep going down the board. Notre Dame edge rusher Adetokunbo Ogundeji is available, and so are two field-stretching receivers: Josh Imatorbhebhe (Illinois) and Ihmir Smith-Marsette (Iowa). All three share similar grades at this point, so well add another pass rusher and hope one of the receivers falls to our fourth round pick. The Pick: DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Notre Dame. Very similar to Trey Hendrickson when he came out of Florida Atlantic, Ogundeji fits the Saints prototype from a height/weight/speed profile at 6-foot-4 and 256 pounds and long 35-inch arms and has a lot of learning to do in the pros. Like Hendrickson, it could take a few years before he breaks out. But with Hendrickson expected to bounce in free agency, Ogundeji can play right away as a backup behind Cam Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and third-year pro Carl Granderson.

Round 4, Pick 133

Sep 21, 2019; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe (9) catches a pass for a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

So heres a unique problem: both of the receivers I was watching are still on the board. The Saints have plenty of pass catchers under contract but they could really use someone with more straight-line speed than Michael Thomas (4.57 seconds in the 40 yard dash), TreQuan Smith (4.49), Marquez Callaway (4.55), Juwan Johnson (4.58) and LilJordan Humphrey (4.47); Deonte Harris (4.35) is the only one on the roster with real juice in the open field. How do these two prospects compare? Imatorbhebhe timed a 4.49 coming out of high school, when he was a 6-foot-2, 203-pound USC commit (he transferred to Illinois after Sam Darnold went pro, and now weighs in at 216). Smith-Marsette is also wildly athletic but at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, with a visible second gear in his game tape, but he doesnt have a 40 time on record ahead of Iowas pro day. Smith-Marsette is more of a factor in the return game and should be an asset as a blocker (like most Iowa prospects, regardless of position). Maybe flip a coin? The Pick: WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois. There arent many athletes like him, and he brings a rare blend of speed and size that the Saints dont currently enjoy (to say nothing of his viral 47-inch vertical jump back in 2015). He averaged over 19 yards per catch in 2019 before taking a slight step back in 2020. He can be the new Devery Henderson, maybe.

Round 6, Pick 216

Iowa tight end Shaun Beyer during an NCAA football game against Iowa State on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth)

This might be a sleepy part of the afternoon for Saints fans, but you never know. Last year they traded all of their late-round picks to get Trautman, before sneaking into the end of the draft in a last-second trade for Tommy Stevens. So here are the best available prospects at, for now, our final draft pick: Iowa tight end Shaun Beyer, Oregon corner Deommodore Lenoir, Louisville running back Javian Hawkins, Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey, and San Diego State safety Darren Hall. Well rule the defensive backs out, out of principle. And the running back; that position is settled after re-signing Ty Montgomery and Dwayne Washington. So if its down to a tight end or a quarterback, who do you choose? Beyer was a blocker almost exclusively with just 18 career catches, but hes a good athlete with a diverse resume in track and field events, basketball, and wrestling. Theres an argument he can develop into the next Josh Hill. Ramsey isnt a spectacular athlete and doesnt have an elite arm, but hes competent enough to get the job done and led Northwestern to some big wins last year. If Winston re-signs, what does he add to the mix with Hill and Trevor Siemian? The Pick: TE Shaun Beyer, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have been a tight ends factory, and Beyer has real potential even if he didnt put together a nine-minute highlight reel of acrobatic catches. Hill was valued for so long because he could execute blocks out of every personnel package. It should take the rookie time to pick up the offense and all of those different roles, but you can do worse this late in the draft. Maybe Ramsey is available as an undrafted free agent.

Reviewing our draft

Round 1, Pick 28: CB Greg Newsome, Northwestern

Round 2, Pick 60: NT Alim McNeill, North Carolina State

Round 3: Traded last year for LB Zack Baun

Round 3, Pick 98 (compensatory): S Joshuah Bledsoe, Missouri

Round 3, Pick 105 (compensatory): DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Notre Dame

Round 4, Pick 133: WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois

Round 5: Traded last year for LB Kwon Alexander

Round 6: Traded last year for QB/TE Tommy Stevens

Round 6, Pick 216 (compensatory): TE Shaun Beyer, Iowa

Round 7: Forfeited for COVID-19 protocol violations

All in all I feel good about this. The secondary is much more talented, we've added some speed on offense. There's youth and athleticism in the defensive line. I'd like to add a good quarterback prospect but with Winston (fingers crossed) and Hill in the fold, that's probably not as high a priority. Without more picks, it'll be tough to check off every need on our to-do list. But that's why the draft happens after free agency, where the Saints should be as busy as ever despite the salary cap challenges.

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The Majority and the Minority leaders in Parliament on Sunday reignited discussions on the completion of projects that were left uncompleted in previous regimes.



The two leaders said some development projects started by previous governments but abandoned by successive was a thorny issue which has costed the nation fortunes and suggested how that could be solved to benefit all.



At the beginning of a two-day post-2021 budget workshop for MPs underway in Ho, the Volta Regional Capital, the two leaders though from opposing political camps, expressed the need for a national conversation on how to continue projects that were not completed by previous governments.



The workshop on the theme: Economic Revitalization through Completion, Consolidation, and Continuity, would allow the Members of Parliament (MPs) to share thoughts with experts on key aspects of the 2021 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana and its policy intent.



The Budget Statement was presented to the nation through the Parliament of Ghana by the caretaker Finance Minister, who is also the Majority Leader in Parliament on Friday, March 12, 2021, and the workshop is expected to create an opportunity for the MPs to discuss the key points for promoting national development.



It will also provide the MPs with the knowledge to make meaningful contributions to the debate on the 2021 Budget Statement by Parliament which begins on Tuesday, March 2021.



Mr Haruna Iddrisu who is also MP for Tamale South Constituency, concerning some legal provisions reminded the gathering of a national policy decision to complete standing projects.



He suggested that they should include projects by previous governments inherited by opposing political parties.



He suggested that projects should not be initiated if there was not enough monetary provision on resource allocation from the start to completion.



No projects should come up unless it is supported by adequate monetary and material provisions, the Minority Leader said and suggested that sanctions should be applied to government officials who start a project but did not see through their completion.



Responding, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu attributed part of the problem of not completing previous projects to the intervention of foot-soldiers.



According to the Majority Leader, successive governments from opposing parties found it difficult to continue with development projects when foot-soldiers intervene and put pressure on current governments not to continue with projects from previous governments as they explained that their parties would not be credited for starting such projects.



To avoid this, successive opposing governments from other parties might not want as he put it to be led into the part of unrighteousness.



Every party, he implied, would therefore want to initiate its projects which might not be completed in its term of office.



Deputy Majority Leader and MP for Effutu, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin entreated the participants to make contributions on the Budget Statement to make it pass the litmus test to ensure that it is transparent, accountable, and responsive to national goals.

Source: GNA









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Featured Video
Tear gas and fire extinguisher gas surround demonstrators as they run away from police during a protest against the military in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, March 8, 2021. Photo by Reuters.

Experts are calling for greater international engagement with the ongoing Myanmar junta-people standoff, saying the resultant socio-economic disruption will inflict long term damage.

Nicholas Coppel, former Australian ambassador to Myanmar, said the people of Myanmar as well as the military seem to be very firm in their respective positions and there is no conversation between the two. The situation might get worse the longer it remains unresolved. The situation has been continuing for six weeks now; and there's no resolution in sight.

"In terms of the future, we can see that the situation in Myanmar is very much like a standoff, and that will continue for quite some time until there is a possible change in personalities in the military brass or something like that," Coppel told VnExpress International.

Myanmar is experiencing political instability after its army seized power and detained government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership last month. More than 70 people have been killed in widespread protests against the militarys seizure of power.

Mahn Win Khaing Than, an acting vice-president appointed by representatives of Myanmars ousted lawmakers, the Committee for Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, addressed the public via Facebook, saying, "This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close." He is in hiding along with most senior officials from the ruling National League for Democracy Party, Reuters reported.

Coppel said it was difficult to predict what will happen next as the situation remains in flux. He welcomed the statement issued by the President of the United Nations Security Council on Myanmar, saying it showed that the council was deeply concerned about the developments in the country.

"The democratic processes (mentioned in the statement) include elections, even though they didn't use that word," he said.
Moscow: Police in Moscow detained about 200 people participating in a forum of independent members of municipal councils on Saturday, an action that came amid a multi-pronged crackdown on dissent by Russian authorities.

Police showed up at the gathering shortly after it opened at a Moscow hotel, saying all those present would be detained for taking part in an event organised by an undesirable organisation. A police officer leading the raid said the detained individuals would be taken to police precincts and charged with administrative violations.

One of the opposition supporters detained by police in Moscow on Saturday, March 13/ Credit:AP

Moscow police said in a statement that they moved to stop the meeting because it violated coronavirus restrictions since many participants failed to wear masks. They said about 200 participants were detained, some of them allegedly members of an unspecified undesirable organisation.

OVD-Info, an independent group monitoring arrests and political repression, posted a list of more than 180 people who were detained. They included Ilya Yashin, an opposition politician who leads one of Moscows municipal districts; former Yekaterinburg mayor Yevgeny Roizman; and Moscow municipal council member Yulia Galyamina.

TRINIDAD and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation (UTC) executive director, Nigel Edwards, says the changes the 39-year-old financial institution is undergoing at this time are transformational.

The UTC is now in the middle of a three-year cycle of strategic changes that will culminate in 2023 and beyond, he said.
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
Ireland temporarily suspended AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine "out of an abundance of caution" on Sunday, citing reports from the Norwegian Medicines Agency regarding a cluster of serious blood clotting in some recipients there.

Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, its health authorities said on Saturday.

Ireland's National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) recommended the temporary deferral pending the receipt of more information from European regulators in the coming days.

Authorities in Denmark, Norway and Iceland have suspended the use of the vaccine over clotting issues, while Austria stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca shots last week while investigating a death from coagulation disorders.

EMA has said there is no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view that was echoed by the World Health Organisation on Friday. AstraZeneca also said it had found no evidence of increased risk of deep-vein thrombosis.

Irish authorities received some reports of clotting similar to those seen in Europe last week but nothing as serious as the cases in Norway, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn said.

Glynn said the fact that the Norwegian cases related to a cluster of four unusual clotting events involving the brain in 30 to 40 year-olds raised the higher level of concern.

He said that one of the reasons Ireland acted now was that it was due to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to people of a similar age with serious underlying conditions next week.

"It may be nothing, we may be overreacting and I sincerely hope that in a week's time that we will have been accused of being overly-cautious," Glynn told national broadcaster RTE.

"Hopefully we will have data to reassure us in a few short days and we will be back up and running with this."

AstraZeneca vaccinations make up 20% of the 590,000 shots administered among Ireland's 4.9 million population, mainly to healthcare workers after its use was not initially recommended for those over 70 and the firm supplied far fewer vaccines to the European Union than agreed.

There have been 4,534 Covid-19-related deaths in Ireland. The number of cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days fell to 155 from a high of over 1,500 in January, although officials are concerned over a slight rise in new cases in recent days.

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill also raised concerns over the suspension of AstraZeneca elsewhere. The region's assistant director of public health, Stephen Bergin, said the vaccine's rollout will continue.

Like the rest of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland is much further ahead in its programme and has inoculated more than 40% of the adult population, relying heavily on AstraZeneca's vaccine.

Microsoft snapping up Sega is the rumor that will never go away, but it now seems that Konami could also be in the sights of the parent company of the Xbox Game Studios. Microsoft could do with a boost in Japan as recent sales figures reported 10 Xbox One consoles sold compared to 78,134 Nintendo Switch units.

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Theres no denying when it comes to making acquisitions Microsoft and its Xbox Game Studios are not shy about aiming high. The recent purchase of ZeniMax Media, the company that owns id Software and Bethesda Softworks, for a whopping US$7.5 billion proves that Microsoft is actively and aggressively seeking to enhance its company portfolio and its vital Xbox brand. A popular tech commenter has indicated that the next companies that are being lined up for potential takeovers are the Japanese gaming stalwarts Sega and Konami.

Microsoft and Sega have been linked for decades and the acquisition of the latter by the former has been rumored for many a year. It would make sense for Xbox Game Studios to obtain Segas specialist knowledge and experience in the console area, and the Tokyo-based firm has certainly struggled over the last years in comparison to its Sega Genesis/Mega Drive heyday. Konami has also been thrown into the mix again, and the company would bring along valuable gaming IPs like Silent Hill and Metal Gear with any acquisition.

As usual, the believability of the rumors settles on just how important or not the Japanese market is for Microsoft/Xbox. Recent sales figures for the country are pretty dire for the Redmond company: 1,508 units of the Xbox Series X and S and just 10 Xbox One consoles sold for the week ending February 27. In comparison, for that same week 3,249 PS4 consoles were snapped up, Japanese gamers bought 33,792 PS5 machines, and 78,134 Nintendo Switch devices were purchased.

Acquiring Konami and Sega would not only make Xbox a stronger brand in Japan, but it would also appeal to the millions of fans of the two companies in other areas of the world who happen to own an Xbox console. Both Microsoft head Satya Nadella and Xbox chief Phil Spencer have made it clear that the acquisition of established game developers is the right direction to take, so maybe there will be some further studio expansion coming in 2021.

Check for Xbox Series X stock on Amazon
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un delivers his closing remarks during the first short course for chief secretaries of city and county party committees of the country's ruling Workers Party of Korea, held March 6, in this photo released by the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency the following day. KCNA-Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



North Korea watchers said it is not yet the right time for North Korea to accept Washington's calls for talks, while U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has yet to draw up its North Korea policy.



According to a Reuters report, Saturday (local time), which cited a senior White House official, Washington has been reaching out to Pyongyang for behind-the-scenes diplomatic talks since mid-February but the reclusive regime has remained unresponsive.



The report came days before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will travel to Tokyo and Seoul for talks with their Japanese and South Korean counterparts, through which Washington is expected to draw up its North Korea policy.






Before ending the news conference, Brown warned that the department was on pace to exceed the 79 Chicago police officers who were fired upon in the line of duty last year. Thirteen officers have been fired upon this year; the sergeant is the first to be hit by a bullet.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
Mobility in Sri Lanka: Beyond the import ban By Sheran Fernando Feature View(s): View(s):

Prior to the import ban, Sri Lanka was importing around US$ 1.5 billion worth of motor vehicles annually. The expenditure on petroleum imports (for motor vehicles) was $2.9 billion in 2018. Our travel speed within the city of Colombo was estimated by the University of Moratuwa as 8 kmh. Our air quality was classified as hazardous.

Everyone living in Colombo will recall how much cleaner and greener Colombo was during the lockdown. Even now, the impact of the pandemic, the closure of schools and less people travelling to work has resulted in much lower levels of congestion. Pre-pandemic it was estimated that 1 million people travelled daily into the city of Colombo.

Import ban

There has been a lot of negative publicity against the vehicle import ban. Sri Lankas trading partners are objecting against it. Vehicle importers are crying for the recommencement of imports. They argue that the vehicle import ban is creating a devastating impact on the automotive industry and not having a significant impact on the fast depreciating Sri Lankan exchange rate.

Segments of the industry are arguing for the commencement of locally assembled motor vehicles. On this topic, I am presenting three areas for the readers consideration:

1. Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles are old technology. Many leading nations in the world have announced that they will be banning ICE from 2025. In this context, should Sri Lanka be encouraging the assembly of ICE vehicles, or should we be considering the assembly of Electric Vehicles (EVs)?

2. If we are considering the assembly of ICE vehicles, do we have a large enough domestic market for this exercise to be efficient and viable? Consider that Malaysia with a population of 29 million and a per capita GDP of $29,000 struggles to produce and sell 100,000 cars per year. Malaysian manufacturer, Proton, has been making losses for the past decade. Sri Lanka has a population of 22 million and a per capita income of under $4,000.

3. What is the nature of the local value addition that can be added? Apart from tyres, and batteries, are there any significant components that could be manufactured locally?

The assembly of EVs can be viable at smaller annual production volumes, as an EV has less than 20 moving parts. Over 60 per cent of the cost of an EV is its battery. The Lithium Ion battery of an EV can be assembled locally. Inputs such as graphene are locally available. We also have abundant solar resources to charge these batteries. Hence, the assembly of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) is an area that Sri Lanka could explore, and this would then make EV assembly in Sri Lanka viable.

Shared mobility in Sri Lanka

A case study by the Harvard Business School entitled The Future of Mobility  Economic, Environmental and Social Implications by George Serafeim and David Freiberg (Case Study 9-118-008) states that a shared mobility vehicle replaces between 9  32 privately-owned vehicles. Shared mobility had already taken off in Colombo, prior to the pandemic. We experienced the efficiency of shared mobility, with the reduction in travel prices through ride hailing apps and ride sharing platforms. Over time, assuming the progressive decline of the pandemic, shared mobility is expected to grow rapidly. The rate of growth can be increased by discouraging commuters driving into the city through the provision of parking at the city entry points and the levying of a city entry tariff. Limiting parking within the city is another lever that can be used to move mobility from privately-owned to shared.

Lifting the ban

Sri Lanka is facing global pressure to lift the vehicle import ban. The three strategies below could help the Government lift the import ban, and still influence the expenditure of vehicle imports, target pollution, congestion and the high expenditure on fuel (for transport).

The first strategy is the implementation of the Singapore Certificate of Entitlement (COE) model in Sri Lanka. The Certificate of Entitlement or COE is the quota licence received from a successful winning bid in an open bid uniform price auction which grants the legal right of the holder to register, own and use a vehicle in Singapore for a period of 10 years. When demand is high, the cost of a COE can exceed the value of the car itself.

The tried, tested and proven COE model will give the Government the ability to influence the total number of vehicle imports in each vehicle category. This will allow the Government to limit the expenditure of foreign exchange on vehicle imports. Market demand will determine the monetary value of the COE. The system of COE can be a strong yet transparent revenue earner for the Government.

The second strategy would be for the Government to only permit the import of EVs as vehicles for personal mobility, under HS Code 8703. Given the size of Sri Lanka, an EV has adequate range to cover the distances required by most commuters. Given the abundance of solar resource, charging can be powered by the sun. A charging network will be inexpensive to compile. Thus, converting our vehicle park to EVs will bring a reduction in our fuel import bill over time. This strategy can be phased in, by initially allowing ICEs at a high duty point so the duty is both a deterrent and also a source of income for the Government. The phased strategy will also give time for the charging infrastructure to evolve.

For larger commercial vehicles such as lorries and buses (imported under HS Codes 8702 and 8704) the compliance to EU6 emission standard should be made mandatory. This will have a significant impact on reducing the level of environmental pollution through exhaust gas pollution.

The third strategy has already been mentioned and that is the assembly of EVs and BESSs in Sri Lanka.

Conclusion

The mobility eco system is facing disruption. The vehicle import ban has given the Sri Lankan Government an opportunity to pause, and evaluate a future strategy that can be of long term economic benefit to the country. A strategy that promotes shared mobility, the use of EVs and EU6 compliant vehicles will significantly reduce pollution, congestion and the import cost of fuel in Sri Lanka. These strategies will also position Sri Lanka so that they can adopt Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared (ACES) mobility solutions in a timely manner. This will leap-frog Sri Lankan mobility from outdated to current or even futuristic.

Many automotive manufacturers are converting their fleets to Electric. Jaguar Land Rover has just announced that Jaguar will be all electric by 2025. The players in the automotive industry need not lament at their economic fate, due to the ban on motor vehicle imports. Instead, they could actively explore the blue ocean of ACES, and make Sri Lanka a global leader in this sphere.

(The writer a Co-Founder of Innosolve Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd, a start-up dedicated to introducing sustainable mobility solutions in Sri Lanka).
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - Police are investigating after a body was recovered Saturday afternoon from an Ottawa County river.

The Ottawa County Sheriffs Office dispatched personnel shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, March 13 to the 6300 block of Leonard Street in Polkton Township for reports of a body found in the nearby Grand River.

Divers were able to recover the body, which they then took to Holland Community Hospital for an autopsy, per an Ottawa County Sheriffs Office news release.

Police have not yet identified the victim.

The Ottawa County Sheriffs Office will release additional information after the autopsy is completed, the release states.

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Postal services provider TTPost yesterday shut its branches in Port of Spain and San Fernando after dozens of people rushed to collect senior citizen pension and public assistance grants and would not adhere to physical distancing rules.

Eventually, police were called to disperse the crowds.

Several elderly people at the St Vincent Street branch in Port of Spain complained about not being able to collect their pension cheques because other unruly ones refused to socially distance and abide by the law amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stella Griffith, 68, of Diego Martin, said she was adhering to rules of social distancing, but there were other people who came for their public assistance and disability grants and were refusing to listen.
Motorbike drivers huddle in the shade of the Cat Lai Bridge in Thu Duc City as they wait for the traffic light to turn green.

For a week now, the average temperature in HCMC has risen to 36 degrees Celsius, but the urbanized concrete jungle pushes the mercury even higher to 38 degrees Celsius and beyond.
New Delhi, March 14 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda will be on a one-day visit to poll-bound Assam on Monday where he will address three public rallies.

In a statement, the BJP said that Nadda will reach Lilabari Airport in Assam on Monday afternoon and address a public rally at MV Field, Dhakuakhana.

"From MV Field, he will reach IB Field, Jamugurihat Sootea to address another rally. In the evening, he will address the third rally at HS Field in Borbhagiya," the statement said.

Later in the evening he will hold of the party workers at Sunitpur district party office near Tezpur Airport.
Natalie Portman wants her children to defy gender stereotypes.

The actress, 39, shares Aleph, nine, and four-year-old Amalia with husband Benjamin Millepied, and has released a book titled Natalie Portman's Fables.

The book was inspired by the way she used to change pronouns in the fairytales she told, because she was tired of how they didn't reflect the world.

Re-write! Natalie Portman wants her children to defy gender stereotypes

She told HELLO! magazine: 'I found myself changing the pronouns in many of their books because so many of them had overwhelmingly male characters, disproportionate to reality.

'All books and movies should be reflective of the world, rather than have this kind of skewed gender assignment.

'Boys need to see that women have a multitude of opportunities open to them, to consider what they think and feel, and how they experience the world.

'[In films and books] women don't just need to be bad-a** warriors or fierce and confident. We also need characters who have self doubt, who make mistakes, because we all mess up, we're human.'

Tome: The Black Swan star has released a book titled Natalie Portman's Fables

Natalie insisted just praising women isn't helpful either. She added: 'So many people say things like "Women are stronger and better leaders" and think they're making a feminist statement.

'But it's limiting for a woman, for anyone, to be put on a pedestal!'

Referencing the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Black Swan star added: 'A pedestal is just another kind of cage.'

When it came to the language of the book, Natalie knew exactly what would make kids laugh.

'I wrote it for [my children]. They were the first readers of my work, so I got to test it out on them and see how to keep their attention,' she explained.

Natalie and her family have been living in Sydney, and the star recently enrolled her children in an exclusive private school.

Blending in with the locals in recent months, the Black Swan actress has managed to slip around almost unnoticed while enjoying the city's stunning beaches and picturesque harbour.
Like many people, restaurateur Suzette Megyeri was scared a year ago at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scared of the unknown. Scared of what would happen to her restaurants. Scared of what the restaurants' 75 employees would face.

Megyeri and her husband, Kevin, operate Bambino's Urban Pizzeria and the Skirted Heifer hamburger restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs, while their son, also named Kevin, owns the Skirted Heifer on the city's northeast side.

On March 16, as a means of stopping the spread of the coronavirus, the state of Colorado ordered all restaurants to temporarily cease dining room service  the lifeblood of any eatery  the next day. The closures lasted just over two months, though restaurants were allowed to continue takeout, curbside and delivery service.

"My mind was just full of chaos," Megyeri said. "Everyone, all of our employees were super scared. We were scared. We didn't know what doing business during a pandemic looked like. We literally took it day by day. And everyday we were just trying to solve a series of dilemmas. It was rough. It was super rough."

"I had the feeling of the unknown. And being super scared."

As a successful restaurant owner for 40 years, Megyeri said she missed the people  the loyal customers who dined daily at their businesses.

"That was the hardest part, is not having customers sit at our tables," she said. "I just remembered putting the chairs up on the tables, going, 'oh my gosh, this is so ugly. How can we make this work better? What are we going to do with all these tables and chairs?' I missed our customers being able to sit in our dining room."

But once the pandemic ends, Megyeri said she hopes to return to a more normal state of business.

For one, that probably means no more masks, which are tricky for restaurant workers to wear on the job.

"I don't work on crew as much as I used to, and I'll be down at the restaurants, we'll all have our masks on, and I'll be fiddling with my mask and just super uncomfortable," Megyeri said. "Our crew, they never complained about it. Ever. They didn't even talk about the masks. It's amazing how resilient people are and how they just get used to things."

And, in a post-pandemic world, Megyeri said she once again hopes to be able to embrace friends and customers.

"The hugging," Megyeri said. "That's been really, really tricky for me. I can't wait until we can get back to the hugs. But I don't know if that's ever going to happen again. I just don't know what this (post-pandemic world) looks like. ... I hope things get back to normal, but I just don't know. I just don't know what this looks like."  Rich Laden

  

As executive director of Manitou Art Center, Natalie Johnson had to quickly make decisions that affected the lives and livelihoods of the nonprofit organizations artists, members, staff and guests when the pandemic began to take root.

I can remember trying to figure out when, why and how to close the MAC in March, she says. There was nothing in my last fifteen years of managing businesses and nonprofits to prepare me for this.

The scariest part? Waiving all rental and membership income for the MAC for three months with no plan to make up for that loss of income. Fortunately, the situation has worked out, says Johnson.

It took several months for the pandemic to become personal and world-changing for Johnson. Around May or June she knew a month-long lockdown wouldnt be the answer, as she watched friends and family members get sick with the virus and knew others who died.

Not being able to see her Illinois-based grandmother on her 99th birthday earlier this year has been one of the hardest losses to overcome: Missing her birthday was more difficult than missing Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family."

But in the wake of losing so much, Johnson, like so many others, has developed new ways to fill her days: meditation, a return to reading philosophy, sewing, taking baths. She's also learned to prioritize her mental and physical health, and has grown accustomed to mask-wearing, which might continue in her daily life when she has a cold or travels on a plane.

Johnson is optimistic people will emerge from the pandemic with a new appreciation for the small things. And she hopes seeing the impact of the virus on marginalized communities and the inequities of our society will stay at the forefront of our minds.

Sure, she's missed things, like a regular outing with friends, but whats maybe more interesting to her than what we missed this past year is what we didnt miss.

Before COVID-19, how many things did we commit to and do without thinking whether we enjoyed them or not? And then COVID-19 hit and gave us a minute to assess and say I didnt miss these things at all.  Jennifer Mulson

  

Postponing the biggest convention held in Colorado Springs and shifting his staff to remote work are most vivid memories from the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic for Tom Zelibor, CEO of the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation.

Zelibor had to pull the plug on the meeting, which annually brings more than 13,000 people to Colorado Springs, and send the nonprofit's staff of 70 home hours later on March 13, 2020. The event is so critical to Colorado Springs, The Broadmoor built a new exhibition hall to house it.

"What stands out is how quickly our staff mobilized to respond to deliver educational programming to students, teachers and parents. Literally, the first day we were all remote, members of our education team opened their laptops, connected with one another from their homes and started putting together lesson plans, videos and live demonstrations for all ages to keep learning and engagement happening," Zelibor said. "The same happened with our other staff members who proceeded to connect with all of our our symposium attendees, exhibitors and presenters from around the world to address their questions after we postponed the program."

Zelibor said he misses the people that attend the symposium as well as the students and other visitors to the foundation's Discovery Center and its exhibits. The nonprofit moved much of its programming online and on television through a variety of platforms, some of which will continue after the pandemic is history.

"When you bring people from around the world together like we do with the Space Symposium, you feed off of the energy, the back and forth you have with them, as well as the diversity of thought and experiences they bring to the table," Zelibor said. "The same goes for not having the in-person field trips and visits in our Discovery Center. Not having students, teachers and parents in our building and seeing their energy grow as they experience what we offer is another thing we've missed."

Zelibor said the online, virtual and other platforms allow the foundation to "keep information and conversations going year-round, and not just one week out of the year when the symposium occurs."  Wayne Heilman

  

Chef Eric Brenner, owner of Red Gravy, said the moment he realized everything would change was when a news camera crew asked him to come out to the dining room to comment on the pending changes.

As I was interviewing with them, the official word came to us that we had to close our doors and switch to curbside and delivery only. It was strange getting the news live on camera, Brenner said.

Brenner said his restaurant has remained strong through the pandemic, and also engaged more closely with the community. It also embraced new ways of operating that will remain post pandemic, including a more robust carry-out and delivery business, expanded outdoor seating and more space between tables.

I think a number of things have changed in the community that will change the dining scene in a positive way. People have become accustomed to making reservations. This allows the restaurant to provide better service and have more control of the dining room. We expect this to continue and the mad rush at 6:00 then seeing dining rooms completely empty at 8:00 will hopefully be a thing of the past, Brenner said. When we can open up fully, we will likely keep some of the spacing of tables to provide guests with a little extra space between them and the next table. No need to cram every inch of the dining room with a table or seating if guests are willing to dine with us later or enjoy the expanded outdoor seating when spring finally arrives.

When it does, Brenner believes guests will be returning with new perspectives and new appreciation for all the effort that goes into providing fresh, wholesome food in a clean and safe environment, he said.

I think the connection with local and independently owned businesses has profoundly expanded as citizens make conscious decisions to spend their special occasion, business lunch or family dinner where they know the owner, the chef, the staff and understand the commitment we have to providing the very best experience for all of our guests, Brenner said.  Teresa Farney
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A Charleston startup is using online tools that measure mood to gauge people's willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

ADoH Scientific's results, released March 9, reinforce what many involved in South Carolina's vaccination effort already know: Black people seem less open to signing up for a shot than White people.

Officials at the company said they hope to continue gathering insights and using Morphii to better understand the pandemic.

Brian Sullivan, a doctor of psychology with a local practice, co-invented the technology. Users can change the intensity of their responses to survey questions  their feelings, really  by sliding a computer mouse or a finger to alter the expressions on a smiley-face-like image, what ADoH calls a digital mirror. Lighthearted as it might appear, Sullivan told a crowd at a TedX event in Charleston in 2017 Morphii is grounded in science.

He was marketing the technology for several years but said he had not ventured into the health care industry. Now, with ADoH, where he is chief science officer, that is exactly what the firm and its founders want to do.

"This is the best and highest use of our of invention, because it is the most direct with respect to capturing and measuring how people feel and turning that into useful data," Sullivan said.

Behind the responses to the smiling, frowning or scowling scale is quantitative information that the company thinks could serve health care organizations well.

In a timely example of what Sullivan said the tool can do, ADoH surveyed about 1,000 American adults in January about their feelings regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. It found White people were far more likely to feel positively about the shot than Black people.

Though the startup's sample size is small, its initial findings showed that hesitancy in South Carolina and the Southeast generally is higher than in the rest of the country. For instance, the January survey found that 24 percent of Black respondents said they were "afraid" of taking the vaccine, compared to 13 percent of White respondents. Another survey of about 400 Southern adults conducted in February found that 19 percent of Black survey-takers said they were "very likely" to take the vaccine, compared to 51 percent in the White group.

The company said its surveys are ongoing. It also said community leaders who need to communicate about vaccine hesitancy can use them.

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ADoH's early estimates aren't surprising given the disproportionately low number of Black vaccine recipients in South Carolina to date. As of March 11, about 119,000 Black residents had gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. That accounts for about 15 percent of the population who have started the inoculation process; Black people make up 27 percent of the state population.

The reasons for the slower uptake are likely mixed, including geographic availability of the vaccine and a deep-seated historic distrust of the medical establishment, said Dr. Thaddeus Bell, a local family physician and founder of Closing the Gap in Health Care, a radio show and nonprofit dedicated to tackling health disparities.

Al Fasola Jr., ADoH's CEO, said the startup formed a "citizens partnership" with Closing the Gap to understand the group's needs, particularly in raising money to support targeted vaccination efforts.

Part of getting over this horrible pandemic is going to depend on understanding vaccine hesitancy and educating reluctant populations on the safety and efficacy of the current vaccine program, Fasola said in a statement.

Tony Clark, director of community outreach at Closing the Gap, said the early ADoH survey findings "validated our outreach."

"It's like you're telling people that the boogeyman is in the closet, but no one sees the boogeyman," he said. "But when you actually have proof, when the closet is open, and everyone is like, 'Wow, he really does exist,' then the outreach that we've been doing is actually valid."
by Kristina Knight

According to Akamai's data overall digital traffic spiked 30% higher than average when countries began lockdown measures against the coronavirus pandemic, which led to an increase in phishing and malware attacks. Their researchers found more than 10 million blocked malware requests in 2020 along with more than 6 million attempted phishing attacks.

"One of the lessons learned in 2020, as it pertains to remote work and distance learning, is that the usual way of protection will work to a degree, but security must adapt rapidly to changing situations," said Steve Ragan, Akamai security researcher, and author of the State of the Internet / Security report. "Just because a policy or program works great in a data center or office doesn't mean it will work when everyone has to go home. The forced changes in 2020 were a blunt reminder of this fact."

These increases, say the experts, is another reason for both small businesses and large enterprises to up their security protection even after workers return from remote environments.

Other interesting findings from the report include:

 Akamai saw 299 million DNS queries per day through 2020

 Phishing ranked second for attack frequency, following malware

 November 11 saw traffic increase to 97% higher than average

"Defending enterprise systems is a challenge at the best of times," said Robert Blumofe, chief technology officer at Akamai. "Doing so in the middle of a pandemic only adds to these complexities and challenges. Akamai was able to transition to, and defend, a 99% remote workforce, because we've long viewed all access as remote access. We built our environment with the necessary capabilities, including leveraging Zero Trust concepts and robust, layered defenses."

More data from Akamai's Adapting to the Unpredictable report can be found here.

Tags: advertising security, Akamai, digital security, ecommerce security, internet trends, online security trends, SMB security trends
Barring Assam, BJP will lose polls in 4 other states: Pawar

India

pti-Deepika S

Pune, Mar 14: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday claimed that barring Assam, the BJP will face defeat in four other poll-bound states and the election trend in the five states will give a new direction to the country.

Speaking to reporters in Baramati town of Pune district in Maharashtra, Pawar, whose party in an alliance partner of the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government, also accused the Centre of misusing its power in poll-bound West Bengal.

The Assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry (Union Territory) will be held in March-April this year and votes will be counted on May 2.

"...It is wrong to talk about results of the five states today as people of these states will take the decision. As far as Kerala is concerned, the Left parties and the NCP have come together and we are sure that we will get aclear- cut majority," he said.

In Tamil Nadu, people will support DMK and its chief M K Stalin, and they will come to power in the state after the polls, the former Union minister said.

"In West Bengal, the Centre, especially the BJP is misusing power and trying to attack a sister (referring to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) who is trying to fight for the people of the state," the NCP chief alleged.

The entire state has rallied around Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee since it is a matter of Bengali pride and self-respect, he said.

"I have no doubt that the TMC will retain power under the leadership of Banerjee," he said.

Pawar further said he knows the situation in poll- bound Assam, and as per the inputs received from his party people, the BJP, which is currently in power there, is in a "good position" compared to others.

"In nutshell, the BJP will retain power in Assam, but will face defeat in other poll-bound states, and other political parties in those states will come to power. I am confident this trend will give a new direction to the country," he said.

Asked about the arrest of Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze by the NIA in connection with the recovery of an explosives-laden vehicle near the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, Pawar dubbed the issue as "local" and did not comment, saying it is not related to the state''s policies.

Earlier in the day, when asked if Pawar was upset with Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and sought his removal, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in Mumbai said, "Pawar is the guiding light of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). It was because of him this (Mahrashtra) government was formed."

To a question on Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari not clearing names recommended by the state cabinet for nomination as MLCs under the governor''s quota, Pawar said it is the responsibility of the governor to implement the cabinet''s recommendation.

"In the history of Maharashtra, the state has not seen a governor who has not followed the responsibility given by the Constitution. However, the present governor has done that magic, which is unfortunate," he said.

Pawar said when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, the latter had complained about hurdles being created by the then governor.

"Today, the same thing is happening in Maharashtra and the Centre is merely becoming a spectator, which is worrying," he said.
The logo of America Movill is seen on a wall at the company's corporate offices in Mexico City

(This March. 3 story refiles to fix name to 'Paxman' in last paragraph)

By Cassandra Garrison

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of the country's telecoms regulator over a label that aims to curb the dominance of Carlos Slim's telecommunications company America Movil.

The ruling deals a blow to one of the country's largest companies in its ongoing fight to peel back restrictions.

Mexico's Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT) acted within the constitution when it determined that the America Movil Economic Interest Group, made up of Telcel and other subsidiaries, is a "preponderant agent", the court said in a statement.

That label, given in 2014, opened the door for stricter regulations under a reform of the country's telecommunications industry, aimed at breaking up the dominance of Slim's telecoms empire.

The classification and measures imposed on the company by the IFT "validly limit its rights in benefit of the citizens to reduce the asymmetries in the coverage of the networks with respect to the different mobile operators", the supreme court said in a statement.

A spokesman for America Movil said the company was aware of the resolution, but declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the IFT also declined to comment.

While the ruling does not change the status quo for America Movil, it is a setback for the giant's ongoing battle to shake off the restrictions imposed by the reform, industry experts said.

"It's a significant defeat for America Movil and Carlos Slim ... all the restrictions stay in place," said Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics.

It could also pave the way for the IFT to impose more restrictions aimed at trimming back its power and making it easier for rivals to enter the market.

"It might free up the IFT to be more forceful in insisting that America Movil act to reduce its market share below 50% by further sharing infrastructure or making other concessions to rivals," said Andrew Paxman, a business historian at Mexico's Economic Research and Teaching Center (CIDE).

(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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North Korea has not responded to behind-the-scenes diplomatic outreach since mid-February by President Joe Biden's administration, including to Pyongyang's mission to the United Nations, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters on Saturday.

The disclosure of the so-far unsuccessful US outreach, which has not been previously reported, raises questions about how Biden will address mounting tensions with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

It also adds a new dimension to a visit America's top diplomat and defense secretary will make next week to South Korea and Japan, where concerns over North Korea's nuclear arsenal are expected to be high on the agenda.

The senior Biden administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, offered few details on the diplomatic push. But the official said there had been efforts to reach out to the North Korean government 'through several channels starting in mid-February, including in New York'.

North Korea has not responded to behind-the-scenes diplomatic outreach since mid-February by President Joe Biden's administration, including to Pyongyang's mission to the United Nations, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters on Saturday

'To date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang,' the official said.

North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Biden administration has so far been cautious in publicly describing its approach to North Korea, saying it is carrying out a comprehensive policy review following former President Donald Trump's unprecedented engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump's efforts failed to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

The Biden administration official said it appeared there had been no active dialog between the United States and North Korea for more than a year, including at the end of Trump's administration, 'despite multiple attempts during that time by the United States to engage'.

The US official declined to speculate about how the silence from Pyongyang would impact the Biden administration's North Korea policy review, which was expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

During his election campaign, Biden described Kim as a 'thug' and said he would only meet him 'on the condition that he would agree that he would be drawing down his nuclear capacity'.

The Biden administration has so far been cautious in publicly describing its approach to North Korea, saying it is carrying out a comprehensive policy review following former President Donald Trump's unprecedented engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held out the possibility of additional sanctions, in coordination with allies, to press North Korea to denuclearize.

Sanctions have so far failed to convince Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.

Blinken is slated to host the first face-to-face discussions between senior Biden administration and Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska. The Trump administration accused China of failing to enforce sanctions against North Korea.

A confidential UN report found that North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, helping fund them with some $300million stolen through cyber hacks.

The report by independent sanctions monitors said Pyongyang 'produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure' while continuing to seek material and technology for those programs from abroad.
The Bui Power Authority (BPA) has reaffirmed its commitment to helping the Government to meet its target of ensuring that 10 per cent of power generation by the year 2030 is of renewable energy source.



Parliament amended the BPA Act in 2020, which empowered the Authority to develop renewable energy and other clean energy alternatives in the country.



The amendment strengthens the many efforts the Authority was undertaking in the renewable energy space.



Dr. George Tettey, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BPA in an interaction with the media in Accra over the Authoritys development plans for the year, said that Authority had started a drive in that regard which included completing the construction of the first 50MW of the 250MW Hydro-Solar Hybrid project.



The hybridization would aid in the regulation of the Bui reservoir by retaining more water in the reservoir for four year-round power generation at the Bui Generating Station.



The Authority did this by constructing 9MW of the project and 1MW of the floating solar project with a developer undertaking the 40MW on the Bui reservoir, he said.



Dr. Tettey said this was the first of its kind in the West African sub-region, adding that engineers were currently conducting various tests on the 1MW system and would add it to the National Grid this year.



The Authority aims to increase the capacity of the floating solar system to 5MW by end of 2021, he said.



The Authority, he said, had also designed and constructed the 45Kw Tsatsadu Generating Station (TGS) at Alavanyo in the Volta Region, in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, Energy Commission, United Nations Development Programme, and the International Network on Small Hydro Power of China.



The Deputy CEO said experience from the construction of the Bui Hydroelectric Project was instrumental in the design and implementation of the first micro hydro plant in Ghana by the young Engineers of BPA with local expertise.



This project also serves as a practical tutorial plant for engineering students across the country and the West African sub-region, he said.



Dr. Tettey said the BPAs main target for 2021 was to consolidate the strides they had made in 2020, which culminated in the receipt of different awards from the Ghana Energy Awards  the Clean Energy Initiative of the Year and the Energy Company of the Year (Renewable) for the second year running for the Authority with its CEO Mr Fred Oware being adjudged the Energy Personality of the Year.

Source: GNA









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Hundreds of employees at Tesla's plant in California contracted COVID-19 after Elon Musk urged them to return to work amid the coronavirus pandemic, a bombshell report in The Washington Post reveals.

The plant, located in Alameda County, reopened in May of last year despite officials ordering it to stay shuttered until at least June.

Musk - who decried government lockdowns as 'fascist' - tweeted on May 11: 'Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules. I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.'

Several days later, the billionaire reached an agreement with officials to allow the reopening of the plant as long as all COVID cases at the facility were reported to the Alameda County Public Health Department.

Data from the Department was obtained by The Washington Post under freedom of information laws on Saturday.

It shows around 450 employees contracted COVID-19 between May and December 2020. The plant employs close to 10,000 workers.

Hundreds of employees at Tesla's plant in California contracted COVID-19 after Elon Musk urged them to return to work amid the coronavirus pandemic, a bombshell report in The Washington Post reveals

Musk decried government lockdowns as 'fascist' and reopened the plant in defiance of government guidelines

Last year, Musk faced criticism over the treatment of his workers at the Tesla factory.

After the plant reopened in May, Tesla told its employees that they could remain home if they felt uncomfortable about returning to the production line.

They stated that the decision to do so would not affect job security.

However, last June, two Telsa workers told The Washington Post that they received termination notices for 'failure to return to work'.

Human resources told the workers they were fired for failure to show up and difficulties in contacting them, although the employees say they had proof they remained in touch with their supervisors.

Meanwhile, half a dozen other employees spoke with the publication alleging unsafe working conditions at the plant.

Some of the employees who came forward requested anonymity for fear of losing their positions because they did not have authorization to speak to media.

The workers alleged that Tesla was not enforcing proper social distancing or other rules set up to contain the spread of the virus and protect workers, including requirements for masks and sanitizing plant equipment.

One worker complained that employees were 'hovering over each other.'

Last June, two Telsa workers told The Washington Post that they received termination notices for 'failure to return to work'. One of them is pictured protesting outside the plant

Workers are pictured wait in line for a shuttle at the Tesla factory on May 12 - the day after Musk ordered it be reopened

Musk has been criticized for his response to the pandemic.

Last September, he stated that he was not interested in receiving a COVID vaccine because he was not at risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus.

Meanwhile, he told The New York Times' Kara Swisher that the lockdowns that unfolded across the country were a grave mistake.

'I mean this is a hot button issue where rationality takes a back seat. In the grand scheme of things what we have something with a very low mortality rate and high contagion,' he said.

'Essentially the right thing to do would be to not have done a lockdown for the whole country but to have anyone that who is at risk quarantine until the storm passes,' he added.

Musk said the US should have better assessed what does the 'greater good' and lockdowns were not the solution.

'It has diminished my faith in humanity, the whole thing...the irrationality of people in general,'

'Tesla has been, apart for several weeks where we were shut down by the state, and then the overzealous Alameda County, which was a travesty, but apart from that weve been making cars this entire time and its been great,' Musk said.
Denverites didn't see much snow when they looked out their windows Saturday night, but forecasters are sticking to their predictions that by the time it stops snowing Monday morning, 12 to 18 inches will have fallen in Denver.

Throughout the morning, the metro area experienced a freezing rain that lasted until around 11 a.m. It was noon before snowflakes began to cover grass and rooftops.

Snow was originally forecast to begin Friday afternoon but due to the system slowing down those projections were changed to Saturday morning. But due to some dry air the expected snowfall instead remained freezing rain, Kari Bowen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, said Saturday evening.

But the snow will come, she said.

"As this system continues to progress to the north and east, we're going to start to get in that better flow of moisture and lift as the surface winds turns more easterly, which will increase snow amounts this evening into tomorrow morning," Bowen said.

Weather experts have been focusing their attention on this weekend's potentially huge storm system, and it is not uncommon for changes in the forecast to happen at a moment's notice.

Bowen said building a forecast is similar to baking a cake: If one thing changes, everything is impacted.

"You have all these ingredients and they have to be in the cake at a certain amount, and if something is slightly off, or missing, it doesn't come out the way you think," she said. "It's why we continue to update the forecasts every 6 to 12 hours with the new information we have."

Much of Colorado's urban corridor, from the Wyoming state line through the Palmer Divide, is still expected to receive from 12 to 24 inches. Denver, however, is expected to get at most 18, according to the National Weather Service's latest projections.

Despite the storm's slow start, nearly 750 flights were cancelled at Denver International Airport. A total 2,160 flights were cancelled as of 6:15 p.m. Saturday and an additional 200 flights remain delayed through Monday, according to FlightAware.com

Although the flight cancellations and delays, Emily Williams, a spokesperson for DIA, said she doesn't expect anyone to spend the night at the airport.

"(No one is stranded) that I'm aware of," Williams said in an email statement to The Denver Gazette Saturday evening. "I don't think we have any flights scheduled after 7 p.m., so hopefully everyone will get out as scheduled!"

Along the roadways, Tamara Rollins, a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said plows are still running routes and will be doing that through Monday.

"The plows are all ready to go at a moment's notice and from the looks of it this system is really going to pack a punch starting tomorrow," said Tamara Rollison, a spokesperson for CDOT.

Within Denver city limits, Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said 70 big plows and 36 pick up plows will be deployed during the duration of the storm.

Crews have been treating the streets since Friday, while the pickup plows that are responsible for residential roads were given the green light as soon as the snow started to far.

Although the snow began to pick up along the Interstate 70 corridor and on Interstate 25 near Monument Saturday evening, there haven't been too many accidents, Rollison said. She credited the call by local and state officials urging motorists to stay home.

"I get notified when we have to assist with crash on a roadway and I haven't seen much of that at all today," said Rollison said. "People definitely are getting the message that not only we put out, but the governor and City of Denver, to get to your destination before the storm hits or just stay at home."

And while it might not be snowing outside your home Saturday, Bowen says the worst is yet to come.

"It might not be snowing like where you are, but this system is picking up in general and will continue to do so, and there will be higher intensity snow this evening into the overnight hours."
The payments company Stripe is worth $95 billion after a new round of funding, making it the most valuable start-up in the United States.

The San Francisco and Dublin-based company said on Sunday that it had raised $600 million in new funding from investors including Sequoia Capital, Fidelity Management and Irelands National Treasury Management Agency. The investment nearly triples Stripes last valuation of $35 billion.

The funding comes amid a surge in the adoption of digital tools and services in the pandemic as more people live, work and make purchases online. That has fueled a wave of investment into, and eye-popping valuations at, tech start-ups, as well as a frenzy of highly valued initial public offerings. Investors have valued Airbnb, the home rental start-up that recently went public, at $123 billion. Roblox, a kids gaming start-up, saw its valuation soar to $45 billion when it went public last week.

Founded in 2010, Stripe builds software that enables businesses to process payments online. As more people have turned to online shopping in the pandemic, Stripes offerings have been in demand. It is the largest among a class of fast-growing, highly valued financial technology companies.
Egypt's great pyramid located on the Giza Plateau believed to have been built during the Fourth Dynasty for the Pharaoh Khufu. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the only one still largely intact has now fuelled a new construction theory over the ancient society. An Egyptologist Dr. Chris Naunton told Express.co.uk that he suspected that the pyramid was going to be constructed with a subterranean chamber but the construction plan was later changed.

Egypt's great pyramid construction theory

The great pyramid is believed to have been constructed more than 4,500 years ago and has three known chambers inside. The lowest chamber was cut into the bedrock on which the pyramid was built and the experts still believe it to have been kept unfinished, reported the Express. An Egyptologist Dr Chris Naunton believes it could have been the intended final resting place of a mighty ruler. He said that they had decided to have the burial chamber contained within the mass of the pyramid rather than keeping it underground. He believes that construction remains unfinished as the people must have abandoned it.

Dr. Chris Naunton told Express.co.uk that he thinks that it intended to be the burial chamber but the purpose disappeared when they had changed the plan. He added that Egyptians were comfortable with not finishing things. He said that if the king died during the construction of the Egyptian monument then a new king would dismantle the previous project and would start a new project.

He explained that in the last few years there was some experimental archaeology completed that showed very large blocks move far more easily over wet sand. He said that assumption should not be made that they had any type of advance technology. Searching for the Lost Tombs of Egypt' author Dr. Chris Naunton said that he would like more evidence before giving a final verdict on the Great Pyramids construction.
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Nokia 8.3 5G is the company's first-ever smartphone with 5G connectivity. And now, it is expected to have a new version that will offer features that are more powerful than the ones it provides.

NOKIA MOBILE ANNOUNCING NOKIA 8.3 5G FOR THE US MARKET ON NOVEMBER 9#Nokia_8.3 pic.twitter.com/JNgqHBNOc9  Soujit Kumar Paul (@soujit_kumar) November 5, 2020

According to Gizmo China's latest report, the company's current smartphone was unveiled during the previous HMD Global. On the other hand, recent rumors claim that Nokia is working on the upcoming successor of the current Nokia 8.3 5G.

The info was first published by the new source Nokia Power Use. It is also the one that revealed the possible new features and capabilities that the upcoming Nokia smartphone will have. To give you more idea, here are some of the possible specs it could offer:

The New Nokia G10

HMD Global, the developer of Nokia smartphones and other devices, is allegedly changing its naming convention for its upcoming mobile gadgets. Since the name of the latest smartphone of the tech giant manufacturer is Nokia 8.3 5G, some people claim that the new device will be called Nokia 8.4 5G.

You have only 2 things to do Right now and latest by Monday!



Nokia advanced from 3310 to Nokia 8.3 5G phone.



My brother make up your mind to upgrade/Advance/develop Your business, career, Life, Love life etc

Else your Next 10-15yrs will shock you. #BBNaijaLockdown pic.twitter.com/09oywzdHWp   SIXTEEN URBAN CLOTHING BRAND  (@sixteenurban) August 15, 2020

Also Read: Moto G100 US Release Date & Specs: New Database Says Snapdragon 870 Included!

However, this might not happen since speculations stated that the new smartphone will have the name Nokia G10. Meanwhile, rumors also claimed that the new smartphone will have the upgraded version of the Snapdragon 765G.

Previous sources stated that this chipset has a model number of SM7350. The new hardware could also arrive in the market under the name Snapdragon 775. Aside from this, the alleged Nokia G10 could also have a ZEISS branded 108-megapixel Penta-lens camera system. Moreover, the said feature could include a depth helper, a telephoto snapper, a macro shooter and an ultrawide lens.

Is Nokia G10 Better Than the Current Nokia 8.3 5G?

The Nokia G10's features are rumored to be more advanced compared to the ones offered by the current Nokia 8.3 5G. However, it is still too early to conclude that its successor will provide a better smartphone experience. Why? Because those specs are still rumors. It will still depend on the decision of HMD Global if it will actually integrate those features.

It is still unknown what the final features and specs of the rumored Nokia G10 will be, so it is better to take every rumor and leak with a grain of salt. After all, several changes can be made in the tech industry, especially with all the advancements being developed.

For what it's worth, Gulf Business reported that the Nokia 8.3 5G is the company's first-ever smartphone that has 5G connectivity. When it comes to camera features, this model clearly falls behind since it only has the 64MP, quad-camera architecture. Although this is the case, this capability is still considered a versatile one. If you want to know more details about it, all you need to do is click here.

Related Article: Oppo Find X3 Pro Boasts Microscope Camera! 3MP Microlens, Snapdragon 888 and More Specs
It was an interesting day in the world of tech today, with news from rivals Apple and Microsoft, one reportedly working on improving its biometric unlocking hardware on its upcoming phone while the other added a new useful feature for users.

Meanwhile, the world's most popular blogging platform could drop support for an old browser while we learned that truly wireless earbuds sold very well in the country last year.

Here's a quick recap of all the tech news that you may have missed today:

Microsoft brings AI-enabled Noise Cancellation feature to Skype

Microsoft's Skype regularly gets new features to keep it fresh and up to date with the competition. The latest feature to come to the platform is the arrival of AI-powered Noise Cancelation, to take out the surrounding sounds so you can have your meeting in peace. Here are all the details.

Here's why WordPress could soon stop working on this outdated browser

WordPress has stated that it is planning on removing support for Microsofts older browser, as its market share had dropped to a very low number. But the company has now stated that they plan to drop support for the old and outdated Internet Explorer 11 browser in the future. You can read more about the feature here.

TWS shipments hit 8.4 million units in 2020: techARC report

The total number of shipments for truly wireless earbuds in India hit the 8.4 million mark for a total of 2,432 crore in 2020, according to a new techARC report. The report said that Xiaomi led the TWS space followed by boAt with Realme in third place. We've got all the details here.

Here's how Apple could solve those FaceID mask problems on the next iPhone

One of the most significant downsides to owning an iPhone during the novel coronavirus pandemic has been the inability to use FaceID while wearing a face mask. But a new research note from a Barclays analyst suggests Apple is going to bring back TouchID on its upcoming iPhone series. Check out the details here.
Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa will fly to Bangladesh on Friday

Dhaka will support Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council

Group of SLPP MPs ask the Premier to remove Minister Weerawansa

President tells ex-councillors, PC polls will be held and confirms he met Election Commission members

The Governments incredulously flawed initiatives at the UN Human Rights Council to stall or change sections of the hugely damaging resolution on Sri Lanka ended last Friday.

This is when the United Kingdom with the core group Canada, Germany, Malawi, North Macedonia and Montenegro handed in the final resolution to the UNHRC Secretariat. It will now come up for vote on March 22 or the next day. This came after two further rounds of informal consultations last Monday (March and Wednesday (March 10). This has seen a further strengthening of provisions in the final text which is not in Sri Lankas favour.

The resolution, as is now well known, is based on the Report of the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michele Batchelet. It is titled Promotion, reconciliation, accountability and human rights. The resolution not only carries the same title but is also extensively based on this Report.

The Government policy on these two documents  the Report and the Resolution  was publicly spelt out by Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. He told the Human Rights Council and during public discourses that the Government rejected both these documents. He called for the closure of the Resolution and related discussions at the Council. It is obvious that this is not to be, as the final operative para sets out, the trajectory is for the pursuance of this issue in future sessions of the Council, unless of course the Government delivers on the dictates of the Resolution.

Traditionally, in any part of the world, it is the Foreign Minister who ensures that the foreign policy of a government is implemented. Hence, one would have expected Sri Lanka to have made a statement to the Council citing reasons for the rejection which was done and withdrawn from the deliberations and negotiations thereafter on the text of the Resolution, and recourse to having its position reflected in order to negate misplaced provisions. That would have been the logical course of action, as the world would then have known Sri Lankas correct stance. Further, by Sri Lanka seeking to be directly associated with the negotiations of the draft text, it could demonstrate the acceptance of references with negative connotation to the country, considering that it is already replete with such. It would be more than optimistic to be successful in having them deleted, as demonstrated by the negotiations on the content that took place.

However, it was not the Foreign Ministers albeit the governments officially stated policy that was at play in Geneva. Instead, Sri Lankas Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, C.A. Chandraprema, broke protocol and participated in the online rounds of informal consultations. Such consultations were not meant for Permanent Representatives based in Geneva but for those of a rank below. In these columns last week, the contributions made by him at the beginning of the consultations were reported. There is more now.

Pointing out this aspect is to illustrate how disjointed and contradictory the conduct of foreign policy initiatives in Geneva has been. If indeed the Government wished to place Sri Lankas position vis-a-vis every provision in the resolution before the Council, it should have gone ahead and done so. There is nothing wrong. However, in such a situation, the question of a total rejection does not arise. This clearly reflects a wide chasm between Foreign Minister Gunawardena and his own Ministry. So much so, this has led to many countries not acknowledging the position that Sri Lanka has rejected the Human Rights High Commissioners Report or the Resolution.

Take for example, the United States which is still playing a key role. Its Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Allaina B. Teplitz, was asked about this issue during a Q & A with the Sunday Times (Political Commentary) on February 21. Her reply: The Government of Sri Lanka offered a detailed response to the Report that was shared with diplomatic missions. The response offered context that will undoubtedly inform discussions among UNHRC member states as a resolution is considered.

In fact, the Government responded with a 30-page document titled Observations of the Government of Sri Lanka on the Report of the OHCHR on Sri Lanka (A/HRC/46/20). That was a virtual point by point answer to the issues raised by Human Rights High Commissioner Batchelet. Highlights of this response were published exclusively in the Sunday Times (Political Commentary) of February 14. This was rightly to demonstrate Sri Lankas bona fide approach to its position of engaging with the OHCHR. However, Sri Lankas formally communicated position on the said Report did not find its way initially to formal circulation of the Human Rights Council by the OHCHR. This was deplorable. This situation was rectified after Minister Gunawardena pointed it out at the session designated to discuss High Commissioner Bachelets Report on Sri Lanka.

With such politicisation stacked up against Sri Lanka, and Minister Gunawardena articulating the governments position, Sri Lankans have been told that the Government has rejected the Human Rights High Commissioners Report and the resultant resolution. However, in Geneva, the Governments delegates are in fact deliberating on the provisions of the resolution and making a case for changes. This by itself shows the inherent contradictions in the Governments position whilst others of possible mala fide content remain. Some of the less important points have been heeded. Never has such a two-pronged contradiction arisen any time before. Who is responsible for this?

The 1,730-word final resolution in four pages (with only one change) has been knocked into shape with the full participation of Sri Lanka. There, of course, is a difference though it does not in any way relate to a rejection. That is the fact that none of the changes offered by Sri Lanka has been accepted during the informal consultations. Most regrettably, the wording has been tightened to reflect more adversely. In some clauses, only a word or two have been changed or deleted from the draft that appeared in these columns last week. An example  the words passage and operationalisation (of the 20th Amendment) has been changed to enactment. Here are the highlights: (the new additions from the previous draft are given in italics).

= Preambular Paragraph 7 (PP7)  Calling upon the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil its commitment on the devolution of political authority, which is integral to reconciliation and the full enjoyment of human rights by all members of its population and encouraging the Government to respect local governance, including through the holding of elections for provincial councils, and to ensure that all provincial councils, including the Northern Provincial Council are able to operate effectively, in accordance with the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka

Note: This provision has been strengthened to a great extent from the text of the earlier draft. There is a clear singling out of the Northern Provincial Council. This should come as a strong message to the government. India has taken up this position. Even the US delegations comments resonated the same view. The only addition made on Friday to the final draft was the inclusion of conducting elections to the Eastern Provincial Council.

PP 10  Reaffirming the unequivocal condemnation of all acts, methods and practices of terrorism including those committed in Sri Lanka in April 2019 that led in a large number of injuries and deaths, and reaffirms also that all measures taken to combat terrorism must fully Comply with States obligations under international law, in particular human rights law, and as applicable international refugee law and international humanitarian law;

PP 14  Recalling the responsibility of States to comply with their relevant obligations under human rights law and prosecute those responsible for gross violations of human rights law or serious violations of international humanitarian law;

Operative Paragraph 6  Recognises the importance of preserving and analysing evidence relating to violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes in Sri Lanka with a view to advancing accountability, and decides to strengthen in this regard the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve information and evidence and to develop possible strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human rights or serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka to advocate for victims and survivors, and to support relevant judicial and other proceedings including in Member States with competent jurisdiction;

Note: It would be pertinent to question as to what is meant by other proceedings that have now been included over and above the relevant judicial procedures.

Operative Paragraph 7  Express serious concern at the trends emerging over the past year, which represent a clear early warning sign of a deteriorating situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, including the accelerating militarisation of civilian government functions; the erosion of the independence of the judiciary and key institutions responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights; ongoing impunity and political obstruction of accountability for crimes and human rights violations in emblematic cases; policies that adversely affect the right to freedom of religion or belief; surveillance and intimidation of civil society, restriction on media freedom, and shrinking democratic space; restrictions on public memorialisation of victims of war including the destruction of memorials; arbitrary detention; alleged torture and other cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment, and sexual and gender based violence; and that the trend threatened to reverse the limited but important gains made in recent years, and risk the recurrence of policies and practices that gave rise to the grave violation of the past;

Operative Para 8  Express further concern that the response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had an impact on freedom of religion or belief and exacerbated the prevailed marginalisation and discrimination against the Muslim community, and that cremations for those diseased from Covid-19 have prevented Muslims and members of other religions from practising their own burial religious rites, and has disproportionately affected religious minorities and exacerbated distress and concerns;

Operative Para 9  Calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure the prompt, thorough and impartial investigation and, if warranted prosecution of all alleged crimes relating to human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law, including for long-standing emblematic cases;

Operative Para 12  Requests the Government of Sri Lanka to review the Prevention of Terrorism Act and to ensure that any legislation on conducting terrorism complies fully with the States international human rights and humanitarian law obligations;

Note: This provision seeks to ensure full compliance of legislation on the conduct of terrorism with international human rights and humanitarian law obligations. Thus any changes to the PTA would be dictated by this aspect.

Operative Para 13  Urges the Government of Sri Lanka to foster freedom of religion or belief and pluralism by promoting the ability of all religious communities to manifest their religion and to contribute openly and on an equal footing to society;

The informal consultations last Monday and Wednesday took place with delegates from Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, China, the United States, France, Panama, Australia, Norway, Pakistan, Mexico, Russia, Austria, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Brazil, and the Philippines. Also taking part were representatives from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Forum Asia, International Commission of Jurists and the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination.

Logged on to the Webex conference from the Sri Lanka side were the Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Staff from the mission logged on as Sri Lanka Mission, Dilini Gunasekera, Assistant Director  UN & Human Rights Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Colombo, Aruni Wijewardane  Additional Secretary (Multilateral Affairs) from Colombo and an unidentified person who went as only an Observer. Some speculated that it was Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage but this could not be confirmed. Also assisting the Sri Lankan side was Aswini Weeraratne, a practicing Queens Counsel from London. The Barristers services had been obtained notwithstanding the fact that the Government has rejected both the UNHRC Report and the Resolution. She was also online. Her website describes her as having an extensive experience of investigatory procedures, in public inquiries, inquests, and as independent chair of inquiries, tribunals and professional regulatory bodies.

Meeting Reference 17257 took place on Monday from 10 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. (Geneva time). Thereafter, Meeting Reference 17353 on Wednesday was from 10.30 a.m. till noon (Geneva time). Mondays meeting overran by 15 minutes but Wednesdays informal consultations ended 40 minutes early.

The UK representative, who welcomed the participants for the third informal meeting, gave an overview about the changes in the final revised text. Among other highlights in his rather hard-hitting speech were references to what he called the forced cremations issue. He said it remains a live issue very much that the resolution should absolutely exert and while burials resumed last week, the decision to allocate burial sites in remote parts of the country remains deeply problematic and I am further concerned about the reports of a proposal before the Cabinet of Ministers to ban face veils, which would stigmatise marginalised Muslim women. On the question of allowing space for accountability processes at national level as an alternative to international efforts, we fully support the High Commissioners conclusions that this is just no longer a viable or responsible approach.

The recently announced Commission of Inquiry, he said, lacked both scope and credibility and is really important that the delegation understand that is not any kind of accountability mechanism. It nearly has the mandate to review the findings and the recommendations of past COIs, although it should largely be dismissed as lacking in credibility and failing to deliver justice including in the OHCHR Report. A parallel Presidential Commission of Inquiry was established last year to inquire and to obtain information in respect to alleged political victimisation and that Commission has intervened in several high profile cases and as a result of that commission beyond the documented allowing a high level of reference in a few cases on this progress was being made.

Australias delegate said, Thanks for taking on board Australias position. It is particularly important for the text to remain balanced. We can see that you have taken note of a wide range of views including from the country concerned and the current text remains a balanced one.

Chinas delegate declared that we need some language in the preambular paragraphs part to make it more balanced. At the end, it is important to keep the word as applicable because otherwise if colleagues think we can easily change agreed language. It will be like opening a Pandoras box.

Pakistans delegate stated that: Sri Lanka urged you to consider some suggestions (OP 6 and & 7). It would be better because at the end of the day they have to implement all the recommendations and suggestions made in the resolution. So, their co-operation and assistance could be of vital importance for all of us.

During his speech at Mondays informal consultations, Sri Lankas Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva hit out at the OHCHR saying they are funded and manned by certain countries and hence not independent. He said that Operative Para 6 about the collection of evidence sets a dangerous precedent. Another provision (OP was redundant since there were no more mandatory cremations. He observed that members should have sat around a table. That would have given him the opportunity to demolish some arguments. He re-iterated his remarks at an earlier informal meeting that militarisation of the state sector was very minimal.

At Wednesdays informal consultations, Chandraprema declared, I do hope some of the proposals that we make will be taken on board by the Core group. Now, what we suggested with regard to Operational Paragraphs 6 and 7 was that they were sort of not acceptable to the Sri Lankan government and these should be deleted. When it comes to OP 8 it is largely redundant. Because the issue referred to in it no longer exists. I should point out that this came about mainly due to the fact that in the beginning, nobody knew how the COVID-19 virus behaved. Now even the WHO recommended the use of facemask if you cannot maintain a distance only as late as April 2020. So, it took quite a while for people to understand the behaviour of this virus. Now when originally certain decisions were made with regard to the disposal of COVID-19 deceased persons, that was with a view to safeguarding public health and for no other purpose.

Now those regulations that were originally issued were subsequently changed and now there can be either cremation or burial as the next of kin of the deceaseds wishes. Now I should make it a point to state that when it comes to the various communities living in Sri Lanka, each community is governed by their own personal laws..

In another instance, envoy Chandraprema said, Just a clarification. I want to make with regard to OP 8. In our part of the world, the Supreme Courts are very independent and that matter is very well known to the outside world. From time to time, you do find issues on decisions made by the Supreme Court hitting the headlines. However, when it comes to rather obscure medical, scientific, and technical bodies, also we have independent institutions which make decisions. When they decide the political authorities or even the courts do not usually interfere in such decisions. Now the subject matter of OP 8 relates to such a decision made by an independent body. The same independent body later changed their decision based on various studies conducted, and the regulations have now been changed, and the policy has changed. Procedures have been laid out.

It is noteworthy that many of the western countries underlined and acknowledged the importance of the country concerned being engaged in the negotiations of the text. Since the proponents of the Resolution have been unable to still forge a consensus text, Sri Lanka having withdrawn earlier co-sponsorship, seem to be plugging for the involvement of the country at this stage. Has not Sri Lanka ventured into a minefield by adopting a strategy of this nature?

The next phase for Sri Lanka, which has failed to stall or revise the provisions in the resolution, is to have a friendly country seek a vote on the resolution in order to create a diversion and then it comes up for action. Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena declared last week that support of member countries is turning in Sri Lankas favour. Similar sentiments were also expressed by Foreign Secretary, retired Admiral Jayanath Colombage in a series of media interviews where he castigated western countries for moving against Sri Lanka. However, in Geneva diplomatic circles opine that a majority of the 47 member countries would vote for the resolution. They also said that a few, including India, are expected to abstain.

There was an inadvertent mix up of titles in these columns last week. Bob Last is Political/Human Rights Counsellor at the UK mission in Geneva. Rita French OBE is Deputy Permanent Representative. The error is regretted.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is flying out to Bangladesh on March 19 and will return to Colombo the next day, 20th. The visit will coincide with the 50 years of Independence. The Muslim majority country is marking the event from March 17 to 26. Many global leaders have been invited. The invitation to Premier Rajapaksa was made in February last year. It had remained in limbo despite a string of reminders from Dhaka. Now, Colombo has expressed greater interest in the visit and an itinerary is being worked out. There have been some concerns in the past in Dhaka over Sri Lanka not stating its position over Rohingya refugees who had fled Myanmar due to complaints of ill treatment by that government. Rajapaksa is to seek Bangladeshs vote for Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council. The Sunday Times has learnt from diplomatic sources that Bangladesh will vote in favour of Sri Lanka, the outcome of backchannel diplomatic consultations ahead of Premier Rajapaksas visit.

SLPP internal battles

Issues at the UNHRC in Geneva are not the only concern for the government where internecine rivalries are resurfacing again, A group of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs, said to be around 40, have written to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa asking that Minister Wimal Weerawansa be removed from his portfolio. Why such a request has been made to the Prime Minister who has no constitutional authority to do so is unclear. In terms of the Constitution, it is the President who is empowered to do so. Those strongly associated with Minister Weerawansa claim he has the backing of a group of MPs and ministers of the ruling alliance.

The Sunday Times (Political Commentary) of February 28 reported the earlier controversy involving Minister Weerawansa. This is what the relevant part of the report said:

The issues related to the 2019 Easter Sunday incidents surfaced at a time when another political issue went on without the glare of media publicity. It was the aftermath of remarks made by Minister Wimal Weerawansa that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should be made the leader of the SLPP. He was backed by his ministerial colleague Udaya Gammanpila. He made those remarks to our sister newspaper the Irida Lankadeepa. Their strategy, a senior SLPP member who did not wish to be identified, said, was to isolate Basil Rajapaksa, the founder of the SLPP and widely regarded as the man behind the success of the party at both the presidential and parliamentary elections. Other key members charged that the strategy was to split the Rajapaksa family members, an allegation the duo denied. However, they have kept away from meetings summoned by Basil Rajapaksa in his capacity as the head of the Task Force on Economic Recovery.

During a meeting with Weerawansa, President Rajapaksa had urged that he should attend meetings of the Task Force since they were involved with development activities of the government. That was his message to Minister Gammanpila too. The President said he had to contest the presidential election under a political party. That was why he became a candidate of the SLPP. That was the reason why the people voted for him with an overwhelming majority. He then re-iterated that the matter ended there, and he had no ambitions for other party positions. Therefore, he urged Minister Weerawansa not to proceed with his campaign to find positions for him.

Later, both Weerawansa and Gammanpila together with another group wrote to President Rajapaksa on February 12, urging him to summon a meeting of partner leaders of the ruling alliance. They said that even Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa should be invited. The reason was to discuss the current situation in the country. Among the signatories to the letter were Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Ven. Athureliya Rathana Thera, Gevindu Kumaratunga and Asanga Navaratne.

Provincial Council elections

In another development, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa told former Provincial Councillors who are members of the ruling alliance on Wednesday that council elections would be held. The meeting originally scheduled to be held on March 3 was put off for March 10. He said the councils were now functioning without elected representatives. He revealed that he met members of the Election Commission to discuss the early conduct of the elections. Government sources said he was looking at the third week of June. The Election Commission has already begun preparations.

President Rajapaksa has told Minister Janaka Bandara Tennekoon, whose portfolio covers PCs, to take early steps to introduce legislation in Parliament to overcome the legal snags relating to the voting system for PC polls. He was also reminded of it when he attended Wednesdays meeting.

In what seemed a significant development, President Rajapaksa also told the former PC members that contrary to claims by some sections, there were no differences of opinion between him and his two brothers  Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force for Economic Development. He praised both and said they have made great contributions to the country.

Seven days from today, the UN Human Rights Council will take up for vote the Resolution on Sri Lanka. It is no secret that in Geneva a flawed strategy has damaged, in no small measure, the good image of Sri Lanka and dented the governments credibility further in the eyes of the world. Saddled with internecine issues within the ruling alliance, where, so to say, tails are wagging the head, it is a challenging time for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during a session at the India Today Conclave South 2021, said the BJP government has a clear vision for the next 10-15 years to achieve the $5 trillion economy goal. Apart from the economic situation of the country, Sitharaman also talked about the BJP's rising popularity in the south, her party's plans for the upcoming assembly elections in four states and a UT, and the rising fuel prices across the country. While elaborating on the economic situation, Sitharaman said the Centre has given a push towards "self-reliance".

"What we have done and what has been steadily been done between 2014-19 and even now is to convey this message that we trust Indian citizens, we trust our businesses, we have faith in them and therefore we want to give them maximum opportunities."

The finance minister said to achieve these goals, the Centre has worked towards bringing reforms. "That means ease of doing business will have to be undertaken, laws will have to be primed and many of the outdated laws will have to be removed. And further look at how states can take this agenda forward," she added.

She said the Centre truly believes that its presence should be limited to only core sectors. "We have now set ourselves up with a policy, which says the government's presence in the form of some public sector enterprises will be there in some core sectors and even there, we will only be the bare minimum in our presence."

Also read:Shashi Tharoor explains his idea of India, says it's not a melting pot but a thaali

She said the private sector is playing a major role in the nation's growth, and that the government is a facilitator rather than a strict regulator.

She also shared her views on the unprecedented rise in fuel prices in India, saying it's an issue that involves both the states and the Centre. "Even if you assume that the Centre collects more tax on fuel than states, everything that the Centre collects, at least 42 per cent of it goes to the states," she said.

"So, I may collect 100 rupees, but 42 rupees goes to the states from that. To point out that the Centre collects more than states is wrong," Sitharaman said.

On a question about when people could expect a cut in fuel taxes, she cited the Model Code of Conduct in place but said both the Centre and states must discuss the issue in detail.

Also read: Sadhguru backs PM Modi's 'One Nation One Election' proposition

On the changing political situation in the south, Sitharaman said the BJP can't be called a party of the north and that it has gained a lot of traction in the state by focussing on development and cultural aspects.

"Groups with vested interest have always tried projecting the BJP as the party of the North, the party of upper caste, and a party which has no respect for Tamil Nadu," she said. She, however, said that the BJP has successfully "shattered" this narrative.

She said the BJP has done everything in its capacity for Tamil Nadu. "Even with one MP, we have done everything we could for Tamil Nadu in five years. Even now, we are doing a lot more," the FM said.

The FM said Prime Minister Narendra Modi took "Tamil everywhere in the world with a sense of pride and happiness".

On upcoming assembly elections, FM Sitharaman said the BJP, along with the alliance, will form the government in Puducherry, it will form the government in Tamil Nadu and we will perform well in Kerala.

Also read: 'Where is the V-shaped recovery,' asks Chidambaram

"Assam we are coming back, and in Bengal, our performance will be brilliant. I would probably tell within a week or a bit later, that we are indeed forming the government in Bengal too," she said.

In the context of assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Sitharaman said more than about Rs 3 lakh crore worth of projects are in the process of getting completed in the state.

"Every aspect of Tamil Nadu has been attended to and as an industrial state, it has received every attention that an industrial state should get, from the Modi government between 2014 and 2019 and even now," Sitharaman added.

Also read: South's contribution to $5 tn-economy could be much higher, say experts
Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Showers this morning becoming a steady light rain during the afternoon hours. High around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
There has been no resolution, no closure to this horrific blight on the nation. Even our most fervent desire to see a return to decency and recognizable standards in our national political life cannot neutralize or erase the danger of this simmering civil war. Vigilance will be necessary on the part of all true Americans for many years.

But Kent Cohea disagrees. He feels that the civil war we see today has nothing to do with The Big Lie, nothing to do with the coddling of white supremacists and violent militias by our former president, nothing to do with the assault on the Capitol that he incited. No, our nations current crisis is the fault of Maxine Waters, the Chicago Seven, and  wait for it  the Symbionese Liberation Army. Curse you, Patty Hearst! Its the fault of those damned 1960s and all the radical womens lib and civil rights movements of those years. It was afros and bell bottoms. It was the sexual revolution that did it!

Of course, I could jump into that ridiculous pool with him and say that the real civil war actually dates from mid-1963, when dark forces had decreed that Leave It to Beaver would end its run on television. Or maybe it was 1958, the godless year when the Hula-Hoop was introduced. All that lascivious, depraved hip movement by millions of Americans dropped us into a sinkhole of dissipation from which, tragically, we have never emerged.
When Wendell Pierce was growing up there 40-odd years ago, New Orleans' Pontchartrain Park must have seemed a world away from English palace intrigue.

Pierce has enjoyed so much international acclaim as an actor since then that the London media sought his views on the brouhaha surrounding Oprah's interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Pierce had a dog in that hunt because the duchess, then known as Meghan Markle, was playing his daughter in the TV series Suits when Prince Harry came a-courting.

Queen Elizabeth handed the happy couple the Sussex handles when they wed but there is speculation in Britain that she might now yank them.

Harry and Meghan, having already repudiated tedious royal duty, used the Oprah interview to badmouth the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, which changed its name to Windsor in World War I for obvious reasons.

There was no reason for Prince Harry to be embarrassed by his German forebears, but it was unwise of him to get himself photographed in a Nazi uniform on Halloween 15 years ago. Thus, when he complained to Oprah that the British tabloids were racist, those same tabloids promptly reprinted the pictures of the prince with a swastika on his arm. They also recalled that, a couple of years later, he had been forced to apologize for calling a fellow soldier our little Paki friend.

Hypocrites and humbugs are mother's milk to the tabloids, and they weren't going to miss a chance to dredge up Harry's youthful indiscretions. Still, he has doubtless matured since then and, now that he has a black mother-in-law, he will no doubt be genuinely affronted by racism. Bigotry on the part of unnamed members of the Firm, as royals and courtiers are informally known, was allegedly one of the factors that made them leave Britain for California.

Not everyone is convinced. Being beastly to Meghan doesn't make the royals racist, because they are beastly to anyone from the lower orders, their defenders say. Even Princess Diana, daughter of an earl, found that marrying a prince by no means meant living happily ever after. Meghan, moreover, is not the first American divorcee who didn't fit in at Buckingham Palace. Edward VIII was forced to abdicate in 1936 so that he could marry Wallis Simpson.

Meghan and Harry now rejoice that they are free to devote themselves to humanitarian and environmental causes. They are also doing a good job of parlaying their abandoned connections into American dollars with Spotify and Netflix deals, for instance. Whether philanthropy or moolah is their main motivation is a question that has split public opinion in both Britain and this country. America hasn't been so conflicted over the British crown since 1776.

Pierce seems somewhat ambivalent. First, he said the Oprah interview signified nothing and was a mere distraction while the world is in the throes of death with COVID-19. All this palace gossip was insensitive and offensive, he declared.

Later, he denounced the British press because my words are being (misconstrued) as attack. No wonder he was mad; the tabloids accomplished this dastardly trick by quoting him verbatim. For the sake of clarity Pierce then announced that he would always be Meghan's friend, and added, The British monarchy is archaic in my American eyes. If slavery, colonialism and apartheid didn't educate you that they are racist, you failed history.

In fact, the monarchy has wielded hardly any political power in modern times. Besides, Britain abolished slavery earlier than the United States and did so without fighting a civil war. As for apartheid, that was imposed by the Afrikaner descendants of Dutch settlers.

Still, if Pierce is in two minds, he is not the only one. Meghan and Harry are either whining ingrates enjoying unearned riches and privileges, or bold campaigners for mental health and a colorblind society.

The Oprah interview is said in Britain to have precipitated or exacerbated the greatest royal crisis since Wallis Simpson. Meanwhile, Harry's uncle, Prince Andrew, is refusing to talk to the FBI about the sex he allegedly enjoyed with underaged females as a pal of the late predator Jeffrey Epstein. But nobody is calling for Andrew to be stripped of the Dukedom of York.

Email James Gill at gill504nola@gmail.com.
A woman died in a car crash early Sunday morning on the Gulf freeway.

A Nissan Sentra driving northbound crashed into the rear of a Tahoe that was driving slowly in the exit lane, according to Houston Police. An adult female passenger of the Sentra died on impact, and the driver is in hospital in stable condition.
Emraan Hashmi On Working With Salman In Tiger 3: It Has Always Been A Dream & Hopefully It Will Come True

For actor Emraan Hashmi, getting an opportunity to collaborate with superstar Salman Khan on the third installment of Tiger, the action spy franchise is a dream come true. Hashmi has been roped in to play the villain in Tiger 3, which will also see Katrina Kaif reprise her role as spy Zoya opposite Khan's Tiger. Last month, a source close to the film's production told PTI that the 41-year-old actor has come on board the Yash Raj Films (YRF) production.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emraan Hashmi (@therealemraan)

Hashmi said even though he is yet to sign on the dotted lines, he is looking forward to working on the blockbuster franchise. "I would love to work in the franchise. I would love to work with Salman. It has always been a dream and hopefully it will come true," the actor told PTI. Tiger 3 will mark Hashmi's first collaboration with Khan and Kaif. It will also be his maiden YRF film. The first movie in the franchise was Ek Tha Tiger (2012), directed by Kabir Khan. Ali Abbas Zafar helmed the second part Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) and Maneesh Sharma will be the directing the third installment.

Hashmi is also excited about audience's reaction to Chehre, his upcoming film with megastar Amitabh Bachchan. The mystery thriller, directed by Rumy Jafry, is set to have a theatrical release on April 30. The actor said he was bowled over by Bachchan's dedication to the craft. "It was a fan boy moment with him. I have enjoyed every bit of working with him. His dedication to craft, seeing him perform and being in one frame was quite good."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emraan Hashmi (@therealemraan)

Hashmi is currently gearing up for Sanjay Gupta's action crime film Mumbai Saga, which is set to hit the theatres on March 19. Set in the 1980s-90s, the movie revolves around all that went into transforming Bombay into Mumbai. The gangster drama also features John Abraham, Kajal Aggarwal, Mahesh Manjrekar, Suniel Shetty, Prateik Babbar, Rohit Roy, Gulshan Grover, and Amole Gupte.
Ireland's efforts to 'green' global sites such as the Sydney Opera House, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Pyramids of Giza for our national holiday is in marked contrast to the lacklustre efforts to win recognition for heritage sites in our own country.

Tourism Ireland's Global Greening project comes about as a result of much effort and some cost to the State, but it results in a benefit, not limited to direct income, to our country.

Despite the similar financial as well as the intangible benefits that would accrue, we have neglected to progress various sites in Ireland to Unesco World Heritage status over the past decade.

We have only two sites on the Unesco World Heritage list, Skellig Michael and Newgrange.

That is the same number as Afghanistan, which has spent much of the 21st century without an effective central government.

By comparison, Austria and Denmark both have 10 World Heritage sites, the latter having advanced five sites to designation in the past decade.

No site can be designated a World Heritage site without first being placed on a Unesco Tentative List.

The Irish list was last updated in 2010 and includes Georgian Dublin, the Burren, and groups of others: early monastic sites, including Clonmacnoise, Glendalough and Inis Cealtra; royal sites of Ireland, such as Cashel and Tara; and western stone forts, including Dun Aonghasa and Cahercommaun.

In 2014, I met with Unesco representatives and learned there had been little or no communication from the Irish government on the matter for some time and little effort had been made to advance the Irish tentative list since it was handed over in 2010.

When I subsequently raised the matter with the then minister for culture, heritage and the Gaeltacht in 2015, I was informed that Kerry County Council had informed the department that it did not wish to be involved in progressing the potential western stone forts nomination.

This was also the case with Clonmacnoise, which had obvious implications both for the potential nomination of the site in its own right, as well as for its status as a crucial element of the potential nomination of the early medieval monastic sites group.

Since then, successive governments have failed to progress the designation of this tentative list despite the fact that it would bring worldwide attention to our unique patrimony and to the natural and built heritage sites themselves.

As well as a requirement to ensure any development is sympathetic to and protects the integrity of the sites - which may explain the reluctance of some, more cavalier, local authorities - designation also typically results in an increase in tourism, with associated economic benefits.

Given the increase in tourism typically generated by World Heritage Site designation, and the unprecedented challenges that will face the domestic and international tourism sector when we open up to the world again, every effort must be made to advance built and natural heritage sites across Ireland to the World Heritage list.

In 2010, Failte Ireland said culture and heritage contributed an estimated 2bn to the Irish economy, with research showing that cultural visitors spend almost twice as much as city-break visitors.

In 2019, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport's 'Growing Tourism to 2025' policy document stated that Ireland's heritage is integral to our tourism offering for international visitors.

In response to a parliamentary question last week, I was informed that a new tentative list is being developed by the National Monuments Service, with a June 30 deadline for applications from local authorities, State bodies, community organisations and individuals for sites or properties of natural and/or cultural heritage to be included.

Acknowledging the difficulties experienced with progressing nominations, Unesco introduced a so-called "Upstream Process" in 2010 enabling the Advisory Bodies and the Secretariat, which ultimately determine which sites make it to designated status, to provide advance support in the form of advice, consultation and analysis prior to the preparation or submission of a nomination. Instead of a top-down approach, the National Monuments Service should facilitate interested local authorities and community organisations to avail of this process before the next Tentative List is submitted.

Unless the Government prioritises the list that will be developed and puts the same effort into obtaining World Heritage status for our own sites as it puts into "greening" such sites in other states, I fear the list will be as useless an exercise in bureaucracy as its predecessor.

Our annual celebration of international World Heritage sites being lit up in green must be matched by a similar enthusiasm for securing similar designation for our own world-class heritage sites.
In a recent incident, a young woman from Tamil Nadu allegedly administered sedatives in the name of the COVID-19 vaccine to her aunt and her family before robbing her jewellery. The 26-year-old woman fled with gold jewels weighing 19 sovereigns from her family members after she administered the 'fake' vaccine, according to Times Now.

The accused woman was identified as V Sathyapriya. Sathyapriya was a resident of Keezhkudikaadu village in Kunnam taluk of Perambalur district. The accused works at an online marketing agency in Perambalur.

Also read: Medicines Exported To 150 Countries, Vaccines To 75; How India Helped The World During COVID-19

AFP (Representational Image)





On Thursday, the accused visited her aunt K Rasathi, a resident of Lakkor village near Ramanatham in Cuddalore. During this time, the accused asked Rasathi if she could administer the COVID-19 vaccine to her, her husband and two daughters.

Rasathi agreed and administered sedatives to the family in the name of the vaccine, The Times of India reported. Soon after, Rasathi, her husband Krishnamoorthy and their daughters K Krithinga and K Monika lost consciousness.

Also read: US Development Bank To Finance One Bn COVID Vaccine Doses By Biological E: What We Know So Far

Shutterstock (Representational Image)

When the family woke up the next morning, they noticed that Rasathi's six-sovereign mangalsutra, Krithiga's 10-sovereign mangalsutra, 1-sovereign chain and Monika's 2-sovereign chain were missing. The family then approached the cops and lodged a complaint with the Ramanatham police.

Also read: While Others Are Trying To Get COVID-19 Vaccines, US Is Sitting On Millions Of Unused Doses

iStock (Representational Image)

The police launched an investigation and traced the woman. During the interrogation, the woman confessed to administering sedatives to the family and fleeing with jewellery. The police recovered the stolen jewellery and booked the 26-year-old woman under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).


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 cover statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids.
Mam | Media and Advertising

Clash of the tech titans: it's now Google Vs Microsoft Google's Global Affairs senior VP Kent Walker has lashed out at software giant Microsoft in a blog post, accusing it of "reverting to its familiar playbook of attacking rivals" and "lobbying for regulations that benefit their own interests". Read More...

Mam | Marketing

Guest column: The changing face of women empowerment, reflected in Women's Day campaigns In a world that is increasing being polarised with ideologies, caste, creed, class and gender radicalisation, while also expanding on progressive ideas of gender inclusivity, no-gender binary identities and enhancing gender equity in corporate and social settings, we sure live in a dynamic world, where the term International Women's day, has renewed meaning. Read More...

Mam | Marketing

Organic brand Juicy Chemistry raises $6.3 million in funding round Organic brand Juicy Chemistry has raised $6.3 million in a Series A funding round led by Belgium based investment firm Verlinvest. This marks the largest Series A raise in the d2c beauty and personal care space. Veda Corporate Advisors was the exclusive financial advisor for the transaction. Read More...

Mam | Marketing

Tata CLiQ Luxury & American Express tie up to dominate luxury market Tata CLiQ Luxury and American Express have inked an exclusive partnership aimed at premium and aspiring clientele of luxury experiences. This first of its kind strategic partnership between a global payments company and Tata CLiQ will capitalise on the demand for trusted and secure shopping experiences. Read More...

Mam | Media and Advertising

GTPL Hathway ropes in actor Boman Irani as its first-ever brand ambassador GTPL Hathway Ltd (GTPL) has roped in Bollywood actor Boman Irani as its first-ever brand ambassador. The company is launching a major advertising campaign featuring Irani with a tagline 'Connection Dil Se' for a deeper and wider connect with the existing and future customer base. Read More...

Mam | Marketing

The Minimalist bags top honours for Tata AIG's digital experience transformation Creative solutions group The Minimalist was recently awarded three top awards at the Drivers of Digital Awards and Summit (DoD) and BFSI Stallion Awards. Of these, the agency bagged two golds in the 'Best User Interface' and 'Best User Experience' categories for Tata AIG at DOD Awards, and one gold for the Best UX in General Insurance Category at the BFSI Stallions Award event. Read More...
Several Irish investors who invested in a high-end building in China are to pursue further legal efforts to reverse a transfer of the property to Shanghai-based company, after a court in China rejected their efforts to have the disputed contract deemed null and void.

In 2005 around 300 investors bought a building known as Golden Mansions Shanghai, which was then leased by a local firm and operated as a Crowne Plaza hotel.

It was arranged by BCK Wealth Management in Dublin, which managed the investment for several years  and investors, who had mandated BCK to act on their behalf in the disposal of the property, received proceeds from the sale in 2017.
Sound sleep plays a critical role in healing traumatic brain injury, a new study of military veterans suggests.

The study, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, used a new technique involving magnetic resonance imaging developed at Oregon Health & Science University. Researchers used MRI to evaluate the enlargement of perivascular spaces that surround blood vessels in the brain. Enlargement of these spaces occurs in aging and is associated with the development of dementia.

Among veterans in the study, those who slept poorly had more evidence of these enlarged spaces and more post-concussive symptoms.

This has huge implications for the armed forces as well as civilians. This study suggests sleep may play an important role in clearing waste from the brain after traumatic brain injury - and if you don't sleep very well, you might not clean your brain as efficiently." Juan Piantino, M.D., MCR, lead author, assistant professor of pediatrics (neurology), OHSU School of Medicine and Doernbecher Children's Hospital

Piantino, a physician-scientist with OHSU's Pape Family Pediatric Research Institute, studies the effects of poor sleep on recovery after traumatic brain injuries.

The new study benefited from a method of analyzing MRIs developed by study co-author Daniel Schwartz and Erin Boespflug, Ph.D., under the direction of Lisa Silbert, M.D., M.C.R., professor of neurology in the OHSU School of Medicine. The technique measures changes in the brain's perivascular spaces, which are part of the brain's waste clearance system known as the glymphatic system.

"We were able to very precisely measure this structure and count the number, location and diameter of channels," Piantino said.

Co-author Jeffrey Iliff, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and of neurology at the University of Washington and a researcher at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, has led scientific research into the glymphatic system and its role in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. During sleep, this brain-wide network clears away metabolic proteins that would otherwise build up in the brain.

The study used data collected from a group of 56 veterans enrolled by co-authors Elaine Peskind, M.D., and Murray Raskind, M.D., at the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center at the VA Puget Sound between 2011 and 2019.

"Imagine your brain is generating all this waste and everything is working fine," Piantino said. "Now you get a concussion. The brain generates much more waste that it has to remove, but the system becomes plugged."

Piantino said the new study suggests the technique developed by Silbert could be useful for older adults.

"Longer term, we can start thinking about using this method to predict who is going to be at higher risk for cognitive problems including dementia," he said.

The study is the latest in a growing body of research highlighting the importance of sleep in brain health.

Improving sleep is a modifiable habit that can be improved through a variety of methods, Piantino said, including better sleep hygiene habits such as reducing screen time before bed. Improving sleep is a focus of research of other OHSU scientists, including Piantino's mentor, Miranda Lim, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, medicine and behavioral neuroscience in the OHSU School of Medicine.

"This study puts sleep at the epicenter of recovery in traumatic brain injury," Piantino said.
Huntington, WV (25701)

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Showers this morning becoming a steady light rain during the afternoon hours. High around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

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New Delhi, March 14 : The Ministry of Education has decided to link Online Teacher Pupil Registration Management System (OTPRMS) certificates with DigiLocker in order to ensure hassle-free access to the verified online document.

Union Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', announced the move on Sunday, informing the issued certificates would automatically be transferred to DigiLocker and the same may be traced at the website of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

"In our effort to provide free access to verified OTPRMS certificates, the Ministry of Education has decided to link the certificates with DigiLocker," Nishank said.

The Minister also informed that the registration fee of Rs 200 payable for obtaining OTPRMS certificates issued by NCTE has been waived off.

"This will enable all stakeholders across India to be digitally empowered facilitating the Ease Of Doing Business."
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Having experienced the NSW and Canberra one, believe me, its so much better. Im shocked they havent done it, he said. Restricted Victorian facilities including wedding venues, libraries, restaurants, pubs, bars, hairdressers and galleries must request and keep a record of the first name and phone number of all those who attend. Anthony Macali, a data analyst and founder of the Covidlive website, said mandating one central QR code service was a no brainer. Theres definitely an issue with compliance in Victoria, he said. We are making it hard for Victorians because everyone is using a different app. He said the convenience of using one app, which stored your details, would drive up adherence with the rules.

Deakin Universitys chair in epidemiology Catherine Bennett said a messy patchwork approach to QR codes could undermine compliance. Everything that slows it down increases the risk of inadvertent noncompliance, she said. A single system has a lot of advantages. Professor Bennett said while some businesses checked whether customers had signed in with QR codes, and had plenty of signage encouraging them to do so, others didnt. I dont think it is malicious, she said. But the biggest risk is that we are losing information.

She said the government had been reluctant to impose a centralised system because businesses had invested in their own systems prior to the roll out of the free Services Victoria QR code at the end of November. Some of these services also allow customers to order food from their tables. Deakin Universitys chair of epidemiology Professor Bennett said one, mandated, centralised QR system would make things a lot easier. Credit:Jason South La Trobe University epidemiologist Hassan Vally said one centralised system would provide useful data on how many Victorians were checking in with QR codes. Some cafes have a fantastic system and all your details are there and you press one button and can confirm it is you, he said. Then there are others where you have to spend a few minutes retyping in all your details like your name, phone numbers and whether you are there with someone else. It is frustrating. Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Paul Guerra said businesses would accept a future transition to a single, government-run system but that they be compensated for the additional resourcing and expense that would be incurred.

[We] acknowledge that using such a wide variety of systems and codes can be frustrating and inconvenient for customers, but we have to balance that with the time and money that businesses have invested, Mr Guerra said. A Department of Health spokeswoman said many businesses had invested in private electronic record keeping systems, which were also used for ordering, that didnt connect seamlessly to the governments system. To ensure they are not losing money on this investment, the government has developed the Victorian Government Visitation API  a piece of software that enables private QR codes to communicate directly with contact tracers, she said. From 27 March, all businesses using electronic record keeping  such as a QR code system  must use a system that seamlessly integrates with the Victorian Government contact tracing system to help contact tracers respond to outbreaks even faster. Toby Chu, the manager of the Little Man Cafe in Seddon switched to the Service Victoria QR service last week because it was going to be easier than using the governments bridging software. He said customers at his cafe rarely needed encouragement to check in and were incredibly compliant with the rules.
Los Angeles, March 14 : Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey says he started keeping a journal at the young age of 14. The Academy Award-winning actor, who has penned an autobiography titled "Greenlights", says he does not write things so he can remember, he writes things down so that he can forget them.

McConaughey opened up on the subject while speaking to actress Drew Barrymore on her popular chat show. He was a guest on "The Drew Barrymore Show" post the recent success of "Greenlights".

Barrymore said: "I love the poetry of the way you speak and think and I have been having the most incredible time reading your book. I love that in the opening you mention that this is not an advice book and that you aren't preaching but rather says that this is a playbook based on adventures of my life which is such a nice way of getting insights into your life journey." McConaughey called his autobiography "an approach book" and "not an advice book", because nobody likes to be told what to do, especially the actor.

He added: "But I did have a great time sharing certain things of my own life, certain things in life that have given me satisfaction, approaches that I have taken at that I have failed at. What has helped me are my journals of my successes and failures that I have kept with me for the past 36 years." McConaughey also opened about his love for journaling during his chat with Barrymore.

"I started keeping a journal when I was 14. A lot of men and women do so at that age. I was confused and I wrote down every question that popped in my head and every little problem I had. Later on, I continued to write when things were going well, when I was doing well, when my relationships with people improved," he recalled.

The actor added: "But when I look back, I think to myself the kind of flow I was in at that time. What journaling does for me is that I don't write things so I can remember, I write things down so I can forget them. If I want to go back to the inspiration I had, I know that it's been written down and I don't have to think hard about remembering it." "You and I both have an optimism problem," Barrymore replied, on the show that airs in India on Zee Cafe.
New Delhi: Days after the protesting farmers started building 'pucca' houses on the Singhu border, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Sunday (March 14) asked them to not do so.

The SKM, which is leading the protests against the three new farm laws, asked the farmers to not build permanent structures at Delhi's border points where they have been camping since November last year.

The SKM's statement comes in the wake of Haryana Police registering two separate cases against farmers for allegedly raising concrete wall structure and digging a borewell on National Highway-44 in the state's Sonipat district, close to Delhi's Singhu border protest site.

Some permanent structures have started to come up at the Singhu border, one of three prominent protest sites besides Ghazipur and Tikri border points, where agitation against the Centre's three agri laws has been going on for over three months.

During a meeting of the Morcha, which included 32 Punjab farmer unions, a decision was taken that the protestors should not build any permanent structures at the protest sites, an SKM statement said.

The statement further said that several SKM leaders also travelled to West Bengal to campaign in support of their agitation and to urge voters there not to vote for "anti-farmer" BJP.

The SKM delegation addressed Mahapanchayats at Singur and Asansol in the state on Sunday, it said.

The outfit said after a debate in the United Kingdom's House of Commons on the issue of peaceful protests and press freedoms in India, it could be the House of Representatives in Australia that could pick up a petition.

"The e-petition has four more days for collecting signatures before the House of Representatives could pick it up," the statement said.

The 'yatras' taken out in support of farmers demands in various states, including Odisha, Bihar and Uttarakhand, are going on and receiving support there, the statement said.

The SKM said of the 151 farmers, arrested in connection with various FIRs other than the one concerning the Red Fort incident on Republic Day, 147 have been released on bail so far.

Earlier this week, the Haryana police in the Sonipat district halted construction work of 'pucca' houses being built by farmers on the Singhu border. Two FIRs were filed against the farmers at the Kundli police station on Friday.

The construction work was halted after a complaint was filed by NHAI and Kundli municipality officials.

Live TV
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday commuted the life sentence of a San Leandro woman convicted of killing her stepfather in 1989, making her immediately eligible for release on parole.

Teresa Paulinkonis, 57, has been in prison for 31 years. When she was 24, prosecutors say she and her mother first attempted to kill Paul Paulinkonis, 67, by poisoning his meatloaf and drinks with oleander. When that did not work, Teresa Paulinkonis bludgeoned him to death with a pipe on New Year's Eve 1989. She was sentenced to 25 years to life for murder in 1992.

Her attorney Lilli Paratore told The Appeal Paulinkonis was sexually abused by her stepfather for years.

Given her history of sexual violence and status as a survivor, which the [clemency] board hadnt given the appropriate weight or consideration to, we were able to convince the governor that it was time for her to come home, Paratore told The Appeal.

In an order commuting her sentence that Newsom signed Friday, the governor says Paulinkonis has worked hard to better herself" by earning an associate degree, a business certificate and participating in extensive self-help programming.

The order noted four corrections workers praised Paulinkonis for her positive attitude and her willingness to help others.

The commutation was one of 20 acts of clemency Newsom signed on Friday, including nine pardons and 10 medical reprieves, all relating to the coronavirus. Newsom has now issued a total of 72 pardons, 79 commutations and 20 medical reprieves since taking office in 2019.

The California Constitution gives the governor authority to grant clemency. A commutation reduces the length of a prison sentence. A pardon would effectively do the same, but it also restores certain civil rights for people who have already completed their sentences.

A medical reprieve temporarily moves medically vulnerable people out of prison to to serve their sentences in the community under the supervision of parole officers.

Newsom's pardons included:

 Jimmy Cha, sentenced to five years in prison in 1996 for threatening four people with a gun in a restaurant parking lot and punching two of them.

 Josephine Edu, sentenced to seven years in prison for a 1996 getting into a fight with her boss and cutting her with a piece of glass.

 Alexander Galuz, sentenced to three years probation and one year in jail for a 2001 conviction of possessing a controlled substance for sale.

 Marco Gomez, who was sentenced to five years in prison in 1998 after he shot someone following an argument at an intersection.

 Steven Husong, who was sentenced to five years probation and 32 days in jail in 2014 for extortion.

 Robert Hutton, who was sentenced to four years probation and 90 days in jail in 1985 for possessing a controlled substance for sale.

 Ian Jerde, who was sentenced to three years probation and one year in jail in 1993 after being convicted of conspiracy to commit a crime.

 Robert Thies, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a 1988 conviction of manufacturing, transporting, and possession of a controlled substance; possession of a controlled substance for sale; and conspiracy to commit a crime and obstruct justice.

 Paul Williams, who was sentenced to three years probation and 150 days in jail in 1987 for transporting or selling a controlled substance.

Newsom's medical reprieves included:

 Leland Amos, 68, sentenced to 36 years t life sentence for burglary as a third strike.

 Douglas Aubineau, 63, sentenced to 108 years to life for three counts of robbery as a third strike and for carrying a dirk or dagger as a third strike.

 Rickie Blue-Sky, 75, sentenced to 27 years to life for murder.

 Gabriel Camarena, 63, sentenced to 25 years to life for robbery as a third strike.

 Ronald Carter, 56, sentenced to 42 years to life for carjacking as a third strike.

 Jeffrey Cole, 66, sentenced to 30 years to life for robbery as a third strike.

 Melvin Collins, 77, sentenced to 36 years to life for burglary as a third strike.

 Steven Franklin, 68, sentenced to 70 years to life for two counts of robbery as a third strike.

 Estentio Marigny, 59, sentenced to 41 years to life for robbery as a third strike.

 Timothy Rodriguez, 67, sentenced to 25 years to life for possession of a controlled substance for sale as a third strike.

SFGATE reporter Katie Dowd contributed to this report.
The acting Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Ms Juliana Abbeyquaye, has urged women to play productive roles in the nation-building process and use their voices as tools to effect change in society.

She said women must use their voices to cause a change and upgrade themselves to have access to opportunities in life.



Ms Abbeyquaye made the call last Tuesday to mark this year's International Women's Day held in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.



Womens groups



The event, which was on the theme: "Women in Leadership; Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World," brought together various womens groups made up of the beauticians and hairdressers association, dressmakers, market women, queen mothers, female personnel of the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana National Association of Teachers Ladies (GNATLAS) and Ahmadiyah Muslim women.



Ms Abbeyquaye stressed the need for women to upgrade themselves and contribute to the development of the nation.



She added that the adage that the woman's place was in the kitchen was untrue and women should take up the mantle of leadership and reject criticisms that would shelve their future dreams.



Women in decision-making



Ms Abbeyquaye described women's participation in the decision-making process as low and, therefore, called on them to support each other and equip themselves with the needed skills to climb the ladder to success, regardless of the opposition and challenges on their way.



Energy Quest Show

She encouraged women to pick up from where they had fallen and rise up immediately to challenge that situation, adding that most women had lost their jobs and husbands due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.



Support women



The Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Mrs Deborah Daisy Kwabia, advocated for men to support women at home to enable them to lead decent lives in society.



According to her, men must treat women fairly and with dignity and respect since anyone could fall into that state.



The Executive Director of the Divine Mother and Child Foundation (DMAC), Mr Edmund Duodu Atweri, indicated that women were largely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.



According to him, during the lockdown, abuses against women were high and called for support for women in order to get them back on track.



Mr Atweri appealed to all women in the region to actively take part in the COVID-19 vaccination exercise currently ongoing by getting themselves vaccinated.



Some of the women who participated in the programme appealed to Parliament to speed up the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill which is currently before the House.





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
Anti-coup protesters hold up signs that read "Coups have no place in our modern world" as they march in Mandalay, Myanmar Sunday, March 14, 2021. AP-Yonhap



The civilian leader of Myanmar's government in hiding vowed to continue supporting a ''revolution'' to oust the military that seized power in last month's coup, as security forces again met protesters with lethal forces, killing at least seven.



Mahn Win Khaing Than, who was named the acting vice president by Myanmar's ousted lawmakers and is a member of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, addressed the public on Saturday for the first time since the Feb. 1 military takeover.



''This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close,'' he said in a video posted on the shadow government's website and social media.



''In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades really desired, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together,'' he said.



He added: ''We will never give up to an unjust military but we will carve our future together with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished.''



At the end of the message he flashed a three-finger salute that has become a symbol of resistance to the military rule.



Earlier Saturday, security forces opened fire at demonstrators, killing four in Mandalay, the second biggest city, two in Pyay in south-central Myanmar, and one in Twante, a suburb of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. Details of all seven deaths were posted on multiple social media accounts, some accompanied by photos of the victims.





Anti-coup protesters hold signs that read, "We don't accept military coup," during a march in Mandalay, Myanmar, Sunday, March 14, 2021. AP-Yonhap



The actual death toll is likely to be higher, as police apparently seized some bodies, and some of the victims suffered serious gunshot wounds that doctors and nurses working at makeshift clinics will be hard-pressed to treat. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces, and as a result are boycotted by medical personnel and shunned by protesters.



The independent U.N. human rights expert for Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said last week that credible reports indicated at least 70 people had died so far, and cited growing evidence of crimes against humanity by the military.



Other unofficial but carefully compiled tallies put the number of deaths since the coup at around 90.



Saturday's killings did not faze demonstrators in Yangon who crowded a downtown commercial area past the official 8 p.m. curfew to hold a mass candlelight vigil and sing about their cause. The mostly young protesters rallied at an intersection where they usually gather for daytime protests.



After-dark rallies was also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.



Reports on social media also said three people were shot dead Friday night in Yangon, where residents for the past week have been defying the curfew to come out onto the streets.



The nighttime protests may reflect a more aggressive approach to self-defense that has been advocated by some protesters. Police had been aggressively patrolling residential neighborhoods at night, firing into the air and setting off stun grenades as part of intimidation. They have also been carrying out targeted raids, taking people from their homes with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, the detainees died in custody within hours of being hauled away.





Demonstrators react after being exposed to teargas fired by the police during a protest against the military coup in in Mandalay, Myanmar, 13 March 2021. EPA-Yonhap
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Champaign, IL (61820)

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Cloudy this morning followed by isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. High 71F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Andrew Cuomos situation is an interesting one  and one that informs us about a larger drive for total power that exists within the minds of Democrat leadership, their media enablers, and their strategic planners.

This is a governor who not only followed every Fauci pandemic prescription to the letter, he weaponized each one into some of the most restrictive policies in the country. We all remember his Emmy-winning press conferences, how he alternately attacked and praised President Trump as it suited his needs, how he and Kaiser Wilhelm De Blasio woke-attacked Franklin Grahams Shepherds Purse organization after it set up a field hospital in Central Park, and how he refused to use the USS Comfort, the 1,000-bed hospital ship Trump sent to New York harbor.

All this was happening while Cuomos state-mandated policies were sending Covid-19 positive patients back to nursing homes, to infect other residents and eventually to cause unnecessary deaths.

According to New York States own reporting, and that of the CDC, the nursing home death totals in New York of 13,163 represent 28% of all Covid-19 deaths in the state and these deaths alone are more than the totals of all deaths in 38 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. (With new revelations about Cuomos office hiding deaths, it looks as if nearly 15,000 deaths were, in fact, attributable to nursing homes.)

And yet, this is ignored and pales in comparison to the sexual harassment scandal raging around the Luv Guv. Chances are, if it were not for Janice Dean of Fox News (whose husband lost both parents to Cuomos Covid death sentences), the nursing home debacle would be buried. It isnt that sexual harassment isnt a big deal; it just seems that creating and implementing policies that directly led to the death of over 13,000 people might be a more significant issue.

There is a reason why the nursing home deaths are not front-page news  and it has to do with power.

The Democrats have found a weakness in our constitutional form of government they plan to exploit in the future, a way around those archaic, dusty, old provisions of the Bill of Rights that hamper the governments control over individuals.

They have discovered that combining a disease, fear, the Tenth Amendment, and public health laws gives them plenary emergency powers via the various state constitutions. They have also found how little anyone can do to break these powers. The federal government cannot act due to the Tenth Amendment; the state legislatures have been either complicit or generally powerless (a few have enlisted the judiciary after the fact to a varying degree of success); and most of the people in the blue states are just enough afraid to turn their lives over to the state and let it tell them what they can and cannot do.

For the first time in history, Democrat governors like Cuomo, Whitmer, Newsom, Murphy, Wolf, and others have used those powers to quarantine healthy people rather than the sick and steal an entire year of life from the people living in their states, a year that according to studies of NPIs (nonpharmaceutical interventions like mandatory business closures and stay-at-home orders) published in Nature and the European Journal of Clinical Investigation now show that lockdowns were no more effective than other, less restrictive methods. The latter publication states, states [W]e do not find significant benefits on case growth of more restrictive NPIs. Similar reductions in case growth may be achievable with lessrestrictive interventions.

Again, you might ask why the failure of lockdowns is not front-page news in the United States, where some states are still sealed as tight as your grandmothers Tupperware? Because if the lockdowns did not work, there is no reason for the exercise of raw power to which Democrat governors have become addicted, there is no reason for the reduced election security provisions -- the mail-out/mail-in voting and the legalized election fraud of HR-1 which the Democrat party has already used to orchestrate a soft coup and install a mentally diminished puppet in the White House -- and there also is no valid reason for a Democrat-controlled national government to pat itself on the back for spending trillions of dollars we do not have to solve a problem it created in the first place.

It will be interesting to watch what happens with Governor Cruella de Whitmer of Michigan, as she deployed policies similar to Cuomos return to die. Various District Attorneys there are encouraging people who had relatives die in nursing homes to file wrongful death complaints. One wonders, if the heat gets turned up high enough, whether a new personal scandal will miraculously appear to take eyeballs off the issue.

The Democrats cannot afford to have such a valuable tool be destroyed, not even through collateral damage. That is why, if Cuomo goes down, he will go down due to personal peccadillos rather than policy failures.

IMAGE: Andrew Cuomo. YouTube screengrab.
JERSEY CITY  Kattie Corte said she used to just go to her classes at Saint Peters University and then go straight home. But after a school trip to England in March 2020, she made a goal to become more involved at the college.

Then, as she returned to the country, COVID-19 forced several college campuses to shut down.

Now, nearly a year after transitioning to fully remote learning at Saint Peters, the university announced in a website update on Friday that it plans to return to primarily in-person operations for the fall 2021 semester. Corte told The Jersey Journal on Sunday that returning to the campus in-person means a lot.

(In March 2020) I didnt know the severity of the situation, Corte said. I was even excited to get those two weeks off because it would give me time to rest from my trip. Little did any of us know though.

Saint Peters President Eugene J. Cornacchia said in the Friday announcement that in addition to in-person classes, the university plans to resume in-person events and activities and some may even occur this spring. They will also restart in-person campus tours for accepted and potential students.

Cornacchia also said in the update that 10 classrooms in its McDermott and Pope classroom buildings have been upgraded for Hy-Flex (hybrid flexible) learning.

A renewed campus awaits you when you return..., he wrote. ...We plan to blend in-person and online learning more effectively as we move forward past the pandemic.

Corte, 20, of West New York, is an English major part of the colleges class of 2022.

Kattie Corte, 20, said this remote semester has been "extremely stressful."Courtesy of Kattie Corte

She said this year being fully remote has been extremely stressful. At the beginning of the semester, she and her family tested positive for COVID-19, so the past two months have been very difficult, she said.

I didnt have any motivation to do anything, and I struggled to complete assignments and even join my virtual classes, she added.

To Corte, in-person classes force students to concentrate and pay attention to the professor and the lesson while, in virtual learning, students can turn off their camera. She noted she also has family at home so theres always commotion.

But for Justin Gary, he said this school year has been wonderful.

Im an introverted person so the time in quarantine didnt bother me as it did other people..., he said. The time Ive spent in my room with no distractions as Im taking six classes this semester has been a great help to me so I can concentrate.

Gary, 21, of Newark, is a sociology and anthropology double major who is also in SPUs class of 2022.

Last year in March, he was living on campus when COVID-19 cases began to rise in the state. He moved out of his dorm a week before the university officially shutdown, so he didnt have to rush like how some students did, he said.

In late January of 2021, Saint Peters allowed students to move back in dormitories. They required everyone to follow safety protocols and provide a negative COVID-19 test that was taken within four days of the date the student checked in.

Gary has been living on campus since then.

He said that remote learning gives both students and professors more leeway in how to get ready for class and how to approach a course.

You can be in class, but not have to physically appear on screen, which you have to be physically present and on time when it comes to in-person classes, he added.

Gary, a 22-year-old student at Saint Peter's University, said he's been dealing well with virtual learning.Courtesy of Justin Gary

When SPU announced its plan to return to in-person operations for the fall, Gary was indifferent.

Meanwhile, Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey City University and Hudson County Community College have incorporated a mix of in-person and virtual learning for this year.

But Gary and Corte agreed that they hope the senior class this year and in the future can get a traditional graduation ceremony, unlike the universitys class of 2020, whose ceremony has been postponed due to the pandemic.

Saint Peter's University on Sunday, March 14, 2021.

As Corte reflected on SPUs announcement, she felt nostalgic.

I miss seeing my professors, my supervisor and the professors I worked with at the English department, she said. I also miss simply going outside and just being surrounded by other people... and studying at the library, I really miss that.
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On the evening of May 8, 2018, Republicans were celebrating loudly. It was the night of the West Virginia GOP Senate primary, and they had managed to block Don Blankenship, a mining executive convicted of conspiring to violate mine safety standards in relation to a disaster that killed 29 people, from winning the partys nomination to challenge Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin.

West Virginia, where then-President Donald Trump had won nearly 70% of the vote two years earlier, was seen as a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans, as long as they didnt blow it by nominating a toxic candidate like Blankenship. At 10:11 p.m., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells political team fired off a meme meant to reference Blankenships bizarre accusation that McConnell was tied to cocaine smuggling, fully embracing the Kentuckians newfound Cocaine Mitch nickname.

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What Republicans didnt realize was that national Democrats were also celebrating, just a bit more quietly.

The path to a Democratic Senate majority  which creates hope to enact large swaths of President Joe Bidens agenda, and allowed the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (containing $1,400 checks for most Americans, a potentially revolutionary expansion of the child tax credit, more robust subsidies for Obamacare, expanded unemployment benefits, a massive investment in Native American tribes, rental assistance and cash for vaccine distribution)  is littered with turning points like this one.

Democrats bare 50-seat majority includes two seats that, under normal circumstances, they would not have had a chance to pry out of GOP hands until 2022. The partys coalition  which is heavy on urban residents and racial minorities  is a poor fit for a Senate map that gives disproportionate power to rural white voters. Overcoming the Senates bias involved hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of working hours on both sides of the political divide, along with some moments of true political savvy  and pure dumb luck.

Story continues

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) celebrates his reelection victory on Nov. 6, 2018. His race is one of a small handful that gave Democrats their current slim Senate majority. (Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

West Virginia, 2018

With the possibility of a Blankenship victory dominating media coverage heading into the West Virginia primary, Democrats saw an advantage. Operatives in both parties have long tried to meddle in the other sides primaries to boost toxic candidates like Blankenship, and it would only be natural for Democrats to do the same.

A Democratic super PAC with the blandly patriotic name Duty and Country announced it planned to attack the other two major candidates in the GOP primary, U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. It wasnt immediately clear who funded the group, but later campaign finance filings revealed most of its cash came from Senate Majority PAC, which is controlled by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

The groups moves were designed to look like a play to boost Blankenship. But it quickly became clear its actual goal was to bury Jenkins, a Democrat-turned-Republican who had unseated a long-time incumbent to win his House seat four years prior. Duty and Country spent $1.8 million attacking him, and only $47,000 attacking Morrisey, whose past work lobbying for pharmaceutical companies Democrats saw as a major vulnerability in the general election.

Morrisey won the primary by just under 8,000 votes, while Blankenship finished a distant third. In the general, Manchin and outside Democratic groups hammered Morriseys lobbying history, alleging he got rich working for the opioid industry. Manchin won with just under 50% of the vote in November, beating Morrisey by 3 percentage points.

Isakson and McCain

In 2016, voters in Georgia and Arizona decisively handed new six-year terms to two veteran Republican senators. Johnny Isakson won a 13 percentage point victory in the Peach State, while John McCain won reelection with a similar margin in Arizona. Both mens new terms would have lasted until 2022.

Instead, McCain died of brain cancer in 2018, and Isakson resigned at the end of 2019 following a diagnosis of Parkinsons disease. Both vacancies triggered special Senate elections in 2020, which Democrats Mark Kelly and Raphael Warnock won.

Georgia, 2020

In most states around the country, Democrat Jon Ossoff would have lost his Senate race on election night 2020. Republican Sen. David Perdue had racked up 88,000 more votes than Ossoff in the first round of voting  but had failed to win a majority of the votes cast. In Georgia, that meant the race would go to a runoff. (Perude needed 13,000 additional votes to reach the 50% mark; Libertarian candidate Shane Hazel earned 115,000 votes.)

Georgias runoff law, versions of which exist across southern states, was designed to decrease the political power of Black voters. Its author was a staunch segregationist who blamed bloc voting by African Americans for costing him an election.

Decades later, the law ended up empowering Black voters. After their turnout lagged behind those of white voters in the general election, one of the largest turnout operations in history sent millions of Black Georgians to the polls on Jan. 5, lifting both Ossoff and Warnock to victory.

New Hampshire, 2016

Of the 50 Senate seats Democrats hold in 2020, this one was won by the thinnest margin. Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan defeated GOP incumbent Kelly Ayotte by a mere 1,107 votes  equivalent to roughly one-tenth of 1 percent of the roughly 739,000 votes cast.

That microscopic margin means nearly everything that happened during the Hassan-Ayotte race could have been a determining factor. Did Ayottes decision to disavow Trump following revelations he bragged about committing sexual assault lead some conservatives to back Trump-supporting independent Aaron Day, who got about 17,000 votes? Ayottes team has long disputed this idea, noting she ran ahead of the GOP presidential nominee.

Or maybe it was turnout in the states college towns of Durham, Hanover, Keene and Plymouth? New Hampshire allows same-day voter registration, and Democrats have long bussed liberal-leaning students to the polls to cast their ballots. (On Election Day 2016, Pretty Little Liars actor Huw Collins  the husband of Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheens youngest daughter  helped drive the busses.) Durham, which is home to the University of New Hampshire, saw 3,200 same-day registrants alone.

There are turning points that broke against Democrats and blocked them from an even larger majority. In Wisconsin, former Sen. Russ Feingold was heavily favored to reclaim his seat from GOP incumbent Ron Johnson in 2016, but fell short. Poor ballot design in Broward County, Florida, may have cost Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson his seat in 2018.

If either Feingold or Nelson had won, Democrats would have been able to pass the American Rescue Plan without Manchins vote, preventing him from negotiating down the size of the unemployment benefits expansion. If both men had triumphed, Democrats would be able to pass bills through reconciliation without the votes of either Manchin or Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, another moderate Democrat.

Defending this majority wont be easy. In 2022, both Warnock and Kelly will have to run for reelection after just two years in office. Hassan will be defending her swing-state seat, as will Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. Democrats could offset any of these losses with victories in GOP-held seats in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania or North Carolina, but things will only get dicier in 2024.

That year, three Democrats from solidly red states  Manchin, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Montana Sen. Jon Tester  will be up for reelection in a presidential year, though all have defied the odds before.

Related...

The Battle Over Democrats COVID-19 Relief Bill Is Just Beginning

Forget Dr. Seuss And Cancel Culture  The Real GOP Agenda Is Rolling Back Voting

How Joe Biden Got Such A Big COVID-19 Bill Through The Senate

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A woman and an altar boy filed separate, unrelated lawsuits against prominent Catholic schools on Staten Island and the Archdiocese under the protection of the Childs Victims Act.

One lawsuit alleges Rev. Basil Akut, a priest at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Huguenot, sexually assaulted a divorced women who was seeking counseling. A second lawsuit was filed by a man who alleges Rev. Ralph LaBelle sexually assaulted him while he was an altar boy at St. Clare Parish in Great Kills.

The lawsuits were all filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday and seek unspecified damages. A spokesman for the Archdiocese did not respond to an emailed request for comment Saturday.

DIVORCED WOMAN FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA, PRIEST THERE

A divorced woman from Staten Island filed a lawsuit against Rev. Basil Akut, a parochial vicar at Our Lady Star of the Sea, accusing him of using his position as a priest to offer counseling services [..] in order to isolate, manipulate, and groom her for sexual abuse in or around 2015, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit -- filed against Father Akut, the Archdiocese of New York and Our Lady Start of the Sea --seeks unspecified damages.

The woman, whose identity is not disclosed in the court filings, started receiving counseling from Akut after she had been through a divorce and was suffering, among other things, from a deep depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety, the lawsuit states.

From 2016 to 2018, Akut allegedly showered the woman in compliments about her appearance and personality and took her our for her birthday, to the movies and spent an inordinate amount of time alone with her, according to the lawsuit.

Plaintiff was going through something particularly stressful, such as freezing her eggs. Akut made sure to involve himself in her decision-making process by showering her in phone calls and texts. Akut made his guidance and presence essential to plaintiff, the lawsuit alleges. Additionally, as plaintiffs counselor, Akut was made deeply aware of plaintiffs troubled childhood and the abandonment issues she developed as a result. This made plaintiff virtually incapable of separating herself from Akut, which Akut understood and used to exploit plaintiff for his own sexual gratification.

When Akut went on a trip to Nigeria in 2018 he allegedly told the woman he loved her to which declaration the woman responded she was not in love with him, the lawsuit states.

Around Labor Day weekend in 2018, Akut told her he was still in love with her and that he fantasizes about her sexually, the lawsuit alleges.

Akut told the plaintiff that he thinks about her naked body; he wants to touch her naked body; and he wants to kiss her, according to the lawsuit.

The woman told Akut she did not want to speak about this, but in the following months the priest continued to make sexually explicit statements to her, including asking her what she was wearing, telling her how sexy she was, and telling her she had wet dreams about her, the lawsuit indicates.

In mid-October 2018 the woman joined another church on Staten Island, but Akut continued to stay in touch with her and later that month, acted on his statements and sexually assaulted her, the lawsuit alleges.

Akut allegedly took advantage of the fact that the woman was taking medication that helped her fall asleep that made her drowsy, nauseous and vulnerable of which he was aware through their counseling sessions, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit accuses Akut of sexually assaulting the woman on multiple occasions, including once in the main living room at the rectory where Akut allegedly kissed her while holding her hands against her back, the lawsuit states.

Stunned, drowsy and confused [she] remained motionless, the lawsuit says.

Akuts behavior continued for the next year and a half, during which period the woman told him that she did not want to engage in sexual conversations or actions. Akut responded something to the effect of You dont want me? Why are you rejecting me? You are making me feel unwanted, the lawsuit says.

It is hard to believe there are no other victims of this priest out there, Michael Dowd, who is representing the plaintiff in the case, said to the Advance/SILive.com Saturday morning.

This 1987 file photo shows the front of St. Clare's R.C. Church in Great Kills. (Staten Island Advance)

ALTAR BOY SUES ST. CLARE PARISH CLAIMING PRIEST THERE SEXUALLY ABUSED HIM

A man has filed a lawsuit against St. Clare Parish in Great Kills alleging Father Ralph LaBelle sexually assaulted him while he was an altar boy at the church.

The lawsuit is filed against the Archdiocese of New York and the Church of St. Clare and seeks unspecified damages.

The man, identified only by his initials, encountered LaBelle sometime between 1980 and 1981 when he was about 11- to 12-years-old, according to the suit.

The lawsuit does not specify if the man still lives on Staten Island. LaBelle was assigned to St. Clares R.C. Church from 1979 to 1985.

The boy accompanied his parents and brother to the church to say goodbye to Father LaBelle on his last day at the church before being reassigned, the lawsuit alleges.

Father LaBelle brought [the] plaintiff into his office in the church where they were alone together. Father LaBelle had plaintiff kneel, whereupon Father LaBelle sexually assaulted plaintiff, the lawsuit alleges. This sexual assault included Father LaBelle rubbing his genitalia against plaintiffs leg until Father LaBelle became fully aroused.

LaBelle already was included on a list of clergy credibly accused of abuse unveiled in April 2019 by the Archdiocese of New York. He was laicized in 2005, after several victims had come forward.

Earlier in January a civil complaint filed in Richmond County state Supreme Court, St. George, claims he groomed and sexually abused a victims between the ages of 13 and 16-years-old.
Forget heroin chic, now its all about styled like a child. Thats how some commentators have described the look of Victoria Beckhams new star, model Quinn Mora.

Shes the face of VBs latest virtual catwalk campaign  and doesnt look a day over 14.

Shes actually 20, so why is it that Victoria  whose brand is aimed at middle-aged power dressers  is styling young girls to look even younger?

Quinns VB campaign co-star Karly Loyce is also made to look much younger than her 28 years. No wonder the brand has suffered from poor sales  the teens it seems to be appealing to cant afford to buy outfits such as this 1,290 keyhole cut-out dress. Victorias team declined the opportunity to comment on this talking point.

Model Quinn Mora (pictured left) is the face of Victoria Beckham's (right) latest virtual catwalk campaign  and doesnt look a day over 14

My lips are sealed, but...

Which A-list star looks so much like a bag lady that she caught the attention of a security guard while shopping for a book about crystals at a bohemian high street shop recently?

The doorman was overheard whispering in his walkie-talkie that a suspicious looking woman had entered the building. After following her around for a bit he appeared to recognise that the lady wasnt a tramp after all

What a Lottie she's got!

Last week, a defiant Lottie Moss posted this picture of herself and declared: When the press said you hit rock bottom but youre actually sitting on a Bentley in your underwear at a mansion in the hills youre staying in.

Lottie Moss posted this picture of herself and declared: When the press said you hit rock bottom but youre actually sitting on a Bentley in your underwear at a mansion in the hills youre staying in'

Oh Lottie, dont you see  all those things ARE the rock bottom, particularly when you dont own the mansion. What shes referring to is an LA villa where shes holed up with a gaggle of models who post photos on website Glow for cash.

It does not bode well for a career which once saw Lottie modelling for Chanel. She appears to have lost her latest fashion campaign, too, being replaced as the face of swimwear label Pacsun.

Last week I emailed top agency Storm to ask if they still manage her. They never replied.
In this undated file photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections is Shaun Michael Bosse of Oklahoma. Bosses murder convictions and death sentence were overturned March 11 by a state court based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that much of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction and sentence of Bosse, 38, because the crime occurred on land within the Chickasaw Nations historic reservation and the victims were Native American.
Dhaka, March 14 : The Supreme Court has noted incidents of physical, mental and even sexual torture are taking place in madrasas across Bangladesh and directed the government to take necessary action to deal with these menace.

"Court has already given directions in this regard. Al Markazul Quran Islamic Academy Madrasa authorities have to be alert so that these directions are implemented appropriately," an official said.

A bench comprising Justice F.R.M. Nazmul Ahsan and Justice Shahed Nuruddin passed the order on Sunday after reviewing the reports submitted by the local administration on the child abuse case in Hathazari.

Higher authorities have been informed about the incident and the madrasa authorities have been warned through the upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO).

The court has expressed concern over the incident of torture of the residential child student of Markazul Quran Islamic Academy Madrasa in Chittagong's Hathazari and said the child's education should not be hampered due to fear over the incident.

It directed all educational institutions in the country, including madrasas, to abide by the constitution and the prevalent laws.

In the present case, the mother visited her child at the madrasa on March 9, as it was his birthday. As she was leaving, the boy ran after her. Irked by this, Mohd Yahiya, an instructor at the madrasa, grabbed the child by the neck, took him into another room, threw him on the floor and hit the child brutally with a cane.

A video taken by a bystander quickly spread through social media later and sparked outrage, pressing the the local law and order authority to take immediate action.

The injured child was rescued from the madrasa and Yahya was arrested on Wednesday.

Adequate measures have been taken at the child's home town to ensure his safety, local police and district authority told the court.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mominur Rahman, the Chittagong Police Superintendent, Officer in Charge of Hathazari Police Station and madrasa authorities submitted a report to the court on the steps taken in the incident.

Presenting the reports to the court, Deputy Attorney General, A.B.M. Abdullah Al Mahmud said the accused teacher has already been sent to jail, and he has been sacked by the madrasa authorities.
The answer to that question may be in his absurd speech on Thursday when he said we may have to reinstate the lockdown restrictions if If what? What if the migrants the Biden Administration is allowing to come across the southern border without being tested, even if showing symptoms, then given bus tickets to any American city they hope to reach, is a grand plan to spread this flu throughout the country again in order to reinstate all the unconstitutional restrictions to which millions of Americans willingly submitted? Chances are that the powers that be never dreamed so many people would give up their freedom to work, shop, eat, go to movies, vacation, have their kids in school, etc. without a fuss but they did.

The carefully calculated, thoroughly propagandistic fearmongering the media has done over the past year in service of the left was embarrassingly effective. Too many Americans have lost the ability to question authority and have accepted the covid mandates as if we are all subjects of a benevolent oligarchy. Nothing could be further from the truth. This past year has been about several things:

(1) defeat Trump by any means necessary, no matter how illegal;

(2) use this flu, a variation of Sars-2 to do it;

(3) convince the citizens of the world that this flu is a death sentence so they will comply with any and all restrictions on their basic freedoms;

(4) proscribe any and all existing effective treatments for this flu  HCQ, Ivermectin, for example, both inexpensive and widely available;

(5) make disobeying any of the mandated restrictions a crime; maskless people and those who choose not to be vaccinated, must be rendered outcasts and/or criminals. That pretty much sums up where we are today.

The left thinks it has won and it seems perhaps they have but as usual they are overstepping. So jubilant at their bare majority in the House and Senate, they seem to think theyve achieved power in perpetuity. They successfully rigged the 2020 election, blatantly, and got away with it. If they pass their HR-1, the election reform bill, they will have cemented vote fraud in stone. Thats their plan.

And how easy it will be since they have at least half the population scared to death of a manipulated seasonal flu, ready to cower in self-quarantine to survive. The teachers unions have successfully won billions of dollars in covid relief without ever having to go back to work. They want to make virtual school the new normal!

And these are the people, like the ever-invidious Nancy Pelosi who are always claiming their every move is for the children. Yeah. Right. They could not care less about anyones children but their own. Theyve proven that over and over and over again.

At this moment they are importing hundreds of thousands of migrants from all over the world through the now porous southern border that Trump had gained control of, many of them with Covid.

YouTube screengrab

They desperately want to re-impose all the lockdown restrictions. They are drunk with power over our daily lives.

But heres the thing! Covid is no death sentence. It is preventable and treatable with inexpensive drugs that have been around for decades. The vaccine is unnecessary. They are not even vaccines in the true sense of that word. These vaccines are actually hacking the software of life. Masks are unnecessary and actually dangerous. The lockdowns were just a purposeful power grab to punish all the small businesses who the left assumed supported President Trump who had so successfully energized the economy.

They are basking in their success at stealing the election, putting millions of Trump supporters out of business. Theyve further ramped up racial divisions even beyond Obamas wildest dreams and thoroughly tanked the economies of California and New York.

China, the man behind the curtain of all of this, is laughing its way to global domination with the obedient acquiescence of the Biden administration and his party that is clearly willing to sell out the United States for their own personal financial gain.

Biden, or whoever is calling the administrations shots, is sending migrants into the vast reaches of the American interior on purpose. Its part of their plan to create a new covid surge so they can then shut us all down again. Will we the people stand for a replay of what was an effective coup detat?

As the Democrats plot to disarm those of us who revere the Second Amendment, they may be skating on thin ice, overplaying their ill-gotten hand. But their agenda is obvious. The handwriting is on the wall people. The leftists have a plan and they are sticking to it. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their country.
Erin go Bragh!

Because everyones a wee bit Irish on St. Patricks Day, partyers will want to get their green on this week in anticipation of the holiday filled with folklore, fun and tradition.

Mach 17, 1996: : Miss Hibernia, Stacey Doyle, waves to the crowd during the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

March 12, 1984: A group of authentically-dressed bagpipers make their way past spectators on Forest Avenue at Staten Island's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade along Forest Avenue.

March 8, 1998: The U.S. Old Guard Fife and Drum Band U.S. Army 3rd.Infantry performed at St. Patrick's Day parade at request of then Congressman Vito Fossella.

And although our own Staten Island St. Patricks Parade  one of the boroughs biggest traditions, which attracts more than 50,000 people per year  didnt come off because the city isnt giving out parade permits, we can still keep past customs going and reprise small gatherings with caution.

March 12, 1990: Richard Herlihy, a winner of the Limerick Contest, rides in the Advance's antique truck at the St. Patrick's Day Parade along Forest Avenue.

March 15, 1970: Membesr of Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church in West Brighton march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Staten Island Advance

If youre looking to celebrate the legend of St. Patrick  the man himselfan actual person who lived more than 1,000 years ago, those famous St. Patricks Day food and drink recipes are always on hand for a scrumptious Irish-inspired dinner: Irish soda bread, first course soups, corned beef and cabbage and of course, some tasty varieties of Irish potatoes.

March 11, 1984: "Brandy," an Irish setter dressed for the day, doesn't seem to notice the group of fife players marching down the parade route.

March 14, 1976: St. Patrick's Day Parade - Children sit on the curb to watch the parade as Beth Murphy, 18 months old from Sunnyside, sleeps through it all in her stroller. (Staten Island Advance)

March 15, 1982: Members of the Sacred Heart School Fife and Drum Band entertain the thousands who lined Forest Avenue for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. (Staten Island Advance)

March 12, 1990: Grand Marshal John Kearney and Mayor David Dinkins wave to folks gathered along the route of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

March 16, 1981: Mayor Ed Koch gives the "thumbs up" sign to Staten Islanders on Forest Avenue as he marches in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Also walking with the Fire Department's Emerald Society is Deputy Chief Thomas Fawcett, right.

March 8, 1998: Twelve-year-old Mark Darrow of Willowbrook toots along with the passing bands in the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Lucknow, March 14 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has ordered the demolition of over 9,800 dilapidated schools in the state.

The government authorities have identified over 12,000 such schools where renovation or demolition is required.

Vijay Kiran Anand, Director General, education, said, "As many as 12,177 schools have been identified in Uttar Pradesh which are either dilapidated or need renovation. Out of these, 2,013 schools have to be renovated and the remaining 9,826 schools have to be demolished." While 2,195 schools have already been demolished, action is still pending on other schools.

However, the demolition of these schools would create problems for students studying in them unless they are provided alternative accommodation.

A senior official in the education department said, "In most of these cases, separate buildings have already been constructed on the same premises. However, in other cases, schools in vicinity of the dilapidated buildings have been identified and the students will be moved there accordingly." Anand said, "The dilapidated buildings put a question mark on the safety of the students studying there and hence action will be taken with immediate effect,"

He said that a committee would be formed under the district magistrates and action would be taken on the identified buildings.
CHEBOYGAN COUNTY, MI -- The Cheboygan County Sherriffs Office is investigating the death of a low-risk jail inmate that happened just days prior to his scheduled release date.

The Cheboygan Daily Tribune reports the 39-year-old inmate was set for release Monday, March 15 after being charged with a misdemeanor, per the Associated Press.

However, he was found unresponsive just after 7 a.m. Friday, March 12 in his sleeping bunk in his cell at the Cheboygan County Jail in northern lower Michigan.

Corrections officers at the facility attempted life-saving measures and called an ambulance, but the man was later pronounced deceased.

Cheboygan County Sheriff Dale Clarmont said there is no indication of a criminal act causing the inmates death.

The release of the inmates name is pending upon his out-of-state family being notified of his death.

After his death, the Cheboygan County Sheriffs Office launched an ongoing investigation and scheduled an autopsy for the man.

(Information from the Associated Press is included in this report.)

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At the height of her Hollywood fame, star Bette Davis became very close to an actor that would become a future cast member of The Andy Griffith Show.

Eventually the two, many years after the Griffith Show had ended, crossed paths again and at that point the All About Eve star requested that they move in together.

Actor Bette Davis looks on during the filming of It Takes A Thief in 1970 |

Martin Mills/Getty Images

Davis had been married four times

The actor, known for her roles in the films All About Eve, Now, Voyager, The Little Foxes, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? wed four times.

Her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson Jr., was her childhood sweetheart and a musician. The two married in 1932 and divorced in 1938.

In 1940, Davis married Arthur Farnsworth, an aircraft expert who died in 1943 from a head injury.

A scene from 1950s All About Eve with Bette Davis and Gary Merrill |

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

She became Mrs. William Grant Sherry in 1945. Davis was attracted to him because he didnt know of her fame. She didnt tell me she was a movie star, Davis biographer James Spada quotes Sherry as saying in Bette Davis: More Than a Woman. Certainly didnt seem like one. The actors only biological child, Barbara Davis Sherry, was born during this marriage. The two divorced in 1950.

Weeks after her divorce from Sherry she married Gary Merrill, her All About Eve co-star, divorcing him in 1960.

Thelma Lou actor Betty Lynn appeared in films with Davis

Before she became Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show, Lynn hit the big screen in several films. In two of the movies, 1948s June Bride and Payment on Demand from 1951, Davis starred and the pair became good friends. Considering Lynns sweet nature and Davis infamously dour one, it was an improbable pairing of personalities.

The first person Davis told about being offered what would become one of the most important film roles of her career was Lynn, according to Spada.

A lobbycard from the 1948 film June Bride shows, left to right, Betty Lynn and (seated) Bette Davis | LMPC via Getty Images

RELATED: Don Knotts Said It Took Me a While to Get Used to Working on Threes Company

Youll never guess who that was, Davis told Lynn about being offered All About Eve after a phone call. It was [movie producer] Darryl Zanuck. Hes sending over a script that [director] Joe Mankiewicz wrote and will be directing for Fox. Zanuck wants me to replace Claudette Colbert in this new picture.

Lynn, born in 1926 and living in North Carolina, told the Miami Herald in 2016 that the iconic actors pet name for her was Boo. She would also advise Lynn to think more of herself if she wanted to get ahead in her career.

You are not No. 1 in your life, Lynn recalled Davis telling her. And you will never be a star. She was No. 1 whatever happened, Lynn said.

Davis wanted Lynn to be her live-in companion

As early as the late 1940s, Spada wrote, Bette had told her friend Betty Lynn that her greatest fear was that she would wind up as a lonely old lady, in a house up on a hill.'

In her later years Davis, who died in 1989, according to the biographer hired live-in assistants and at one point, asked her former co-star and friend Lynn to move in with her.

Betty Lynn, right, with Don Knotts in Return to Mayberry, 1986 | Frank Carrroll/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

After a hospital visit in the late 1980s to a friend with Davis, Lynn told Spada that Bette offered her a salary to move in with her.

I realized she needed someone to be with her, and that she was probably quite lonely. But as fond as I was of Bette, I just couldnt see myself working for her in that way, Lynn said.

Recalling Davis words to her earlier in her career, Lynn in her conversation with the Miami Herald stated, I had a good family. She ended up having to pay everyone to be around her. Im lucky Im me. I may not be No. 1 but Im not afraid to be alone, either.
The mother of a Manchester Arena attack victim has spoken about how Mother's Day is 'an emotional day' - adding that she struggles to read the cards her son sent her.

Figen Murray's son Martyn Hett, who was 29, died in the attack where 22 people were killed in 2017.

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, she said she has a 'memory box full of cards' which Martyn sent her, but said it is a 'struggle to look at them' - adding that just knowing she has them is 'reassurance'.

Figen, 59, has planted a ginkgo biloba sapling in the park opposite their home, which is a tree that can live for 1,000 years.

Figen Murray (pictured), 59, has revealed she keeps a 'memory box full of cards' from her son Martyn Hett, who was 29 when he died in 2017, but says that it's 'a struggle to look at them'

She said: 'On special days like Mother's Day I go over to the tree and spend a few moments there.

'It gives me comfort every day. When I wake up and open the curtains I can see it right in front of me. I can go on my own and feel Martyn with me.'

Figen added: 'Martyn is the first thing I think about every morning and knowing his tree, which can live for 1,000 years, is outside is a great comfort. It's reassuring that it will be here long after I'm gone.'

The former therapist, who is now studying for a master's degree in counter-terrorism, is pushing for Martyn's Law, which would make it a legal requirement for venues to improve security.

Martyn (pictured), who worked in PR, died in the Manchester Arena attack where 22 people were killed at an Ariana Grande concert and was set to go on an American road trip two days later

She revealed to the Sun on Sunday last year that she is going to melt down shrapnel retrieved from her son's body into the shape of a heart.

Figen said that she is melting down 700 screws to create a teddy, with 16 shrapnel pieces from her son's body forming the bear's heart.

She added that the act of melting the metal and making it into a teddy bear is her way of rejecting terrorism.

Alongside those who were killed outside the Manchester Arena, another 800 people, many of whom were children, were injured.

Figen, 59, has planted a ginkgo biloba sapling in the park opposite their home, which can live for 1,000 years, and spends a few moments there on special days such as Mother's Day, saying that she can go on her own and feel Martyn (pictured) with her

Martyn, who worked in PR, had been set to go on an American road trip two days after the Ariana Grande concert.

Figen said Martyn had been saving for two years for the trip and that she had dropped him in Manchester the day before the concert and was meant to pick him up three days later to take him to the airport.

Upon seeing the initial reports of the attack, Figen said that mother's instinct told her something tragic had happened to her son.

Not long after Martyn was killed, Figen said she received a sign from her son when a metal screw fell onto her washing machine.

She now sees it as Martyn's way of saying hello whenever she sees one and has collected 700 screws.

The former therapist (pictured with her husband Stuart) is campaigned for Martyn's Law, which would make it a legal requirement for venues to improve their security
A New York institution. Photo: Konstantin Sergeyev

Eisenbergs Sandwich Shop, one of New Yorks great remaining old-school diners, has closed. Today, writer and editor Susan Chumsky shared a photo of the Flatiron storefront with a fat, ugly For lease sign in the window. She captioned it, appropriately, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Although a source familiar with the situation says the space is being openly shopped to new operators, this person adds that its the landlords desire to reopen Eisenbergs.

According to this source, Eisenbergs owner, Warren Chiu, hasnt paid rent since before the pandemic, and revenues were down significantly before it as well. Chiu is a hotel scion whose father founded Warwick Hotels in 1980, and when he bought the storied lunch counter in 2018, he said his goal was to keep Eisenbergs the way it has been. Last Year, Chiu brought the Eisenbergs menu to San Franciscos Warwick International Hotel; however, a call there didnt yield many answers. An employee of the hotel would say only that the owner had moved the menu out to San Francisco.

Rumors of the shops demise have circulated before. As it stands now, Eisenbergs future is at best uncertain. Its never a good sign in New York when a place closes, but in a surprising twist, its been said that Chiu doesnt own the intellectual-property rights  so maybe youll get to eat that tuna melt or the cream-cheeseandchopped-olive sandwich again.
Lawton, OK (73501)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms this morning. Skies will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A few clouds with an isolated thunderstorm possible after midnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
A student walks across the campus at Williams College. The author writes that What the college is and has done in more recent times counts for something in terms of what it owes for sins of the past.


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Kentucky Democrats were angered by the Republican-dominated Senate's passing of a bill that will criminalize the insults against police officers. This concerns verbal attack and gestures which might provoke the police officers to commit violent reaction against civilians. Courier Journal noted that aside from criminalizing the provocation of individuals to the police officers, Senate Bill 211 will also raise and promote punishment for crimes rooted in riots.

Series of riots and protests had been held due to the people's disappointment to the police officers concerning their violent episodes against several people just like George Floyd.

ALSO READ: Ways to Reject Racism Without Resorting to Violence

Democrats and Kentucky Senate Bill

Herald Mail Media noted that Senate Bill 211, introduced by Republican Senator Danny Carroll, is now on its way to the House, where it will face possible amendments from other legislators. The bill was approved by the Senate with a vote of 22-11, with six Republicans joining the Democrats in opposing the bill.

Courier Journal mentioned Democrat Senator Gerald Neal, saying that he was insulted by the bill as it symbolizes a direct attack on his constituents who demanded racial injustices through protests. Neal represents a majority of the Black district in west Louisville.

As CBS News reported, the bill notes that any individual who "accosts, taunts, insults, or challenges a law enforcement officer," utilizing derisive words or even gestures that will provoke them of a violent response will be guilty of a misdemeanor. Violators will have to face 90 days in jail and fines.

Neal furthered that the bill is "unwise, provocative, unnecessary, and unreasonable." He added that he is perplexed about the legislation because there are already existing laws that states how to deal with violent protesters or rioters. He fears this legislation will bring harm to the efforts of the city in achieving unity.

Moreover, Herald Mail Media mentioned Senator Reginald Thomas, saying that the bill is sending a message to protesters that they are going to be put in their place. Thomas added that the bill is breaching the First Amendment which is protecting the people's freedom of speech.

Kentucky Senate Bill 211

Carroll argued that the bill he is pushing will protect the police officers and the properties of Louisville that Mayor Greg Fischer was allegedly not able to do in the previous year. Carroll added that he will not apologize for the said bill furthering that there is a distinction between peaceful protests and riots.

According to Carroll, Senate Bill 211 defines the riots to be a public disturbance that involves five or more people showing violent conduct that will harm other individuals and properties. The bill proposes an increase in the penalty for rioting will be held in custody for a minimum of 48 Hours.

Courier Journals also noted that Carroll is confident on the bill because there is a silent majority in favor of the Kentucky Bill for Police Officers.

RELATED ARTICLE: Fight Against Racism: Adidas Promises New Hires will Include Blacks and Latinos in the US

WATCH: Kentucky bill would make it a crime to insult, taunt a police officer - from WLWT

Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun with a slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. High near 85F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
JERSEY CITY  Firefighters responded to a fire Saturday in the Heights section of the city where they found marijuana after the incident, Jersey Journal Freelance Photographer Joe Shine said.

The Jersey City Fire Department went to 45 Franklin St. on call of the blaze. When the firefighters entered the building, they discovered marijuana, Shine said. The quantity of marijuana and where it was located could not be determined.

The Jersey City Police Department was then called in, he added.

The JCFD and JCPD did not respond to requests for more information. It is unclear if there were any arrests or any displaced residents.
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Kemptville (29.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Sustained rumble and some shaking. | 5 users found this interesting.

Riverview Heights, Augusta Township, Ontario (24.3 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Somewhat like a train going by... with noise like a distant explosion. | 4 users found this interesting.

Kemptville / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Was a loud boom which shook the house. | 4 users found this interesting.

Iroquois, ON / Light shaking (MMI IV) : 3-4 seconds rumble, then a heavy jolt from below the house. | 4 users found this interesting.

Winchester (22 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : We were in the basement so we did not feel anything but we heard the rumbling sound. Wondered if it was the furnace, a loud vehicle, train orow helicopter. | One user found this interesting.

Iroquois / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Thought it was a train | 3 users found this interesting.

Kars / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Rumble through the house. | 3 users found this interesting.

Kemptville ontario (3055.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s : Felt like thunder but lasted much longer and increased in intensity, rumbled, then decreased | 2 users found this interesting.

North Gower / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Once it happened I knew it was a mini earthquake as I've felt one before. Just felt like a big truck going by on the road! | One user found this interesting.

I live south of North Gower and definitely felt th / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Light shaking and we were on the phone to friends in Smiths Falls and they also felt the same shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Cynthia Roobol Kemptville ON / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Yelled down to my husband to see if he felt/heard that. He said yes that it was probably an earthquake. | One user found this interesting.

Osgoode, ON / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : House shook, low rumble with slight shaking like heavy equipment outside or a large plane reverse thrusting. | One user found this interesting.

Glen Stewart (6.5 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating : We heard a massive boom like something close exploded. It was really really loud. Then after the house shook.

Toronto (419.8 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Woke up because I bumped my toe somehow, I was trying to go back to sleep when I felt an ever slight maybe even unnoticeable sway from my bed when I wasnt moving. It was extremely light. After noticing that people felt one in Ottawa 9 hours ago causes me to say yes it was maybe a small one...it was 5:30 exactly when I looked at the time about a minute after I felt it.

Windsor (673.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Very slight wave under couch. Felt it twice in a row. If I was not sitting quietly I would not have noticed anything. I questioned myself if it was an earthquake but forgot about it after. It was around 8pm.

10130 Nation River Road, South Mountain (5.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : It felt like a VERY large truck was driving down the road, and then it hit a very big pothole outside our house causing a boom, then it continued quickly away.

10.9 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : Heard a boom noise like being beside a dump truck when it hits a pot hole and the house vibrated. It was enough to wake and scare my 2 year old daughter. Brother in law did not feel it or notice it outside.

South Mountain ontario (10.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Heard a moderate boom noise like being beside a dump truck when it hits a pothole and the house shook. It woke and scared my daughter. My brother in law did not feel or notice it outside though.

Iroquois (16.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : Heard a muffled noise that sounded like an explosion followed immediately by a brief shake of the house.

Toronto (419.8 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Woke up because I bumped my toe somehow, I was trying to go back to sleep when I felt an ever slight maybe even unnoticeable sway from my bed when I wasnt moving. It was extremely light. After noticing that people felt one in Ottawa 9 hours ago causes me to say yes it was maybe a small one...it was 5:30 exactly when I looked at the time about a minute after I felt it.

Inkerman ontario (14.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 s : Dogs bolted out the door moments before the tremor. On the second floor, I felt a brief sharp shake under foot and heard a loud noise similar to a large truck speeding over several potholes. My son was outside and confirmed that there were no vehicles and that this was an earthquake.

15.4 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s : It sounded like the deep rumble of a snowplough . Liquids would have been slightly effected. It would have lasted a few seconds longer then our average plow times, approximately 16 seconds. I thought, wow that plow is really heavy... Maybe its a big jet or something.

Kemptville, Ontario, Canada (19.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : We felt the vibration, stopped what we were doing, tried to figure out if a big truck was driving by, heard "noise" from the area of the refrigerator. Our dog was in a very anxious mood for the next 15 minutes.

Winchester, Ontario (21 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s : I stopped the cleaning I was doing, looked outside a few windows expecting a truck very near, then assumed it was a rough cycle in the dishwasher I was standing next to.

North Augusta Ontario (19.7 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 10-15 s : Heard / felt a noise in the house upon arrival . Neighbors called over and asked if there had been an explosion. Even the cat was spooked . Didnt last very long

South Gower, Ontario K0G 1J0 (12.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Heard a sudden low noise like a train passing or thunder but lasted longer than the usual thunderclap. House shook a bit but it was mostly the curious sound. We were watching television in the basement when it happened. Our dog did not stir.

18.3 km SSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Heard a rumble not overly loud but out of the ordinary for our area. Picture on the wall started vibrating and tapping against the wall. 10-15 seconds later it was done

Osgoode (26.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s : It was felt out side by my fire pit, the ground felt uneven for 10-15 seconds | One user found this interesting.

18.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Felt like it travelled from west to east under the house | One user found this interesting.

North Augusta, ON. (2990.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Loud rumble lasting roughly 3 seconds | One user found this interesting.

Iroquois (14.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Very loud rumble | One user found this interesting.

Greely, On (38.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Felt like washing machine off balance | One user found this interesting.

Kemptville ON (16 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Mostly noise not a lot of vibration in the house. | One user found this interesting.

6.5 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Shook whole house, felt like heavy equipment was shaking house, scared the dogs | One user found this interesting.

3810 Boundary rd, Kemptville / not felt / 20-30 s : I really heard it more than felt it. Like a bunch of freight trains in the distance. Even had a headset on. Woke up my hubby and he heard the last few seconds of it

Winchester, ON / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : I was in my houses basement when I heard a consistent rumble all through the room, thought it was maybe the dishwasher, then maybe a truck going by, but it lasted too long to be either of those (dishwasher varies in sound, truck too)

Brouseville Rd. Spencerville On / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : We were watching tv in our family room in the basement of the house and heard a loud rumbling sound (we didnt know what,it was) and a slight vibration which made the crystal ware on the shelf tinkle.

Kars / not felt : I heard what sound something like a thunderstorm. It seemed to pass through my house. I can't really say I felt anything. The noise was VERY loud.

Cardinal Ontario / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : I felt the earth quake in cardinal Ontario i thought my furnace was blowing up it rattled my house and was very loud

Maitland, Ontario, Canada / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s : I was sitting in my rec room, and I felt a slight shaking, which I thought was a heavy train passing. However, I became concerned when it rumbled more loudly than thunder. It subsided after about 30 seconds.

I live south of North Gower and definitely felt th / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Light shaking and we were on the phone to friends in Smiths Falls and they also felt the same shaking.

Spencerville, Ontario / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Family gathering for supper and qas outside in a garage heated and big enough to fit a transport in and the roof was shaking so much I thought there was a helicopter going by 9ver top in the sky and then thought wow roof is shaking sounds like there landingna helicopter on roof but it was a earthquake as other family members from inside the house felt the hole house shake

Kars, ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : On Rideau valley drive south we Heard the rumble and felt slight shaking by both people in the house. Approximately 1958 hours.

East of soencervilke ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) : It sounded like an explosion and a short rumble afterwards. Did not feel it coming but could feel it go. Felt like southeast to northwest.

Kemptville / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Very loud sounded like rolling thunder, shaking/vibrations, everything started off slow then built up.

Brinston / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : We thought it was a strong wind but it felt strange beneath our feet. It was so quick we just discounted it as wind

Kars, ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : On Rideau valley drive south we Heard the rumble and felt slight shaking by both people in the house. Approximately 1958 hours.

North Gower, Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating : We were sitting on the couch and suddenly it sounded like a large truck was racing by the house -- lots of shaking and a loud house. It lasted about 10 seconds.

Morrisburg / not felt / 1-2 s : Just felt like a rumbling. | One user found this interesting.

Iroquois, ON / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Not sure what it was at first. Thought a tree fell near the house. | One user found this interesting.

Osgoode / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Felt the house shake and windows rattle | One user found this interesting.

Cardinal / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Loud vibration heard from a distance as it raced closer and then travelled away | One user found this interesting.

Kars, ON / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s : House shaking | One user found this interesting.

99.6 km SSE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : i am on the 2nd floor of a 2 story house felt very slight vibration thru floor the floor

Nepean-Barrhaven (14.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Sarnia (594.9 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

16.6 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Home, approximately 8 mm south of Kemptville (11 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

3.8 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

North Gower (24.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Loud banging noise with weak shaking.

27.6 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : We've had worse ones here.

31.1 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Brinston (10.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

28.5 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt : I thought I heard thunder sometime last night, but I didn't feel any shaking.

363 km WSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Heckston (6.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Loud rumbling at heard beginning of event

9.2 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : In a bath when water started moving in unusual way

Augusta, Ontario (19.6 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Heard loud sound like explosion then vibration

15.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

4.1 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 s

CAMBRIDGE (418.3 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

19 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 20-30 s : Heard and felt low rumble, nothing moving in house

Iroquois Ontario (2636.2 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt / 5-10 s

7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

33.7 km SSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Sudden, unusual slight shaking, though it might have been a 'plane or train.

26.9 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Greely, On (38.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Felt like washing machine off balance

4.3 km SW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Carleton Place, Ontario (61.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 15-20 s

Hallville, ontario (16.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

29.1 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Rockland (71.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

9.2 km SSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

11 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

14.5 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Heard it more then felt it

East of Heckston (6.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s : Thought was explosion

60.6 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

4.8 km SW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Orleans (57.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

3.2 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Sounded like a roof caving, or furnace explosion.

16.9 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Weak.

Kemptville (16.8 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Morrisburg ON (22.6 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

1326 Beulah Road Oxford Station ON K0G 1T0 (12.4 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : It felt more, sounded more, like an explosion in the basement right below me

48.8 km SW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

Franktown, ON (45 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 10-15 s : It was like a rumble like when a tracker trailer goes by.

17.3 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

21.1 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

83.2 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Made a picture shake behind me.

Spencerville (13.6 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Loud like thunder

48.7 km SW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

Ottawa Ontario (49.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Primarily an extended rumbling noise. Little shaking

Mountain (13.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

21.6 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Johnstown (19.8 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

20.2 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Cardinal, ON (6.7 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Felt like a heavy truck had crashed

Pelton road (4.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

26.9 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

South Mountain Ontario (7.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

16.9 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

Carleton Place, Ontario (61.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 15-20 s

19.6 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

Kemptville, Ontario (20.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Didnt feel any ground motion , but definitely heard the rumble. Noise lasted about five seconds

6.3 km WSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

19.7 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

21.9 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

21.9 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Kemptville Ontario (17 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : Heard the rumble sound like a very high wind hitting the house and felt it shake the wall.

Kemptville (2456.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

Kemptville (20.2 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kemptville (18 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Mostly sound. Rumbling like a large truck was driving by our house.

South Mountain, Ontario (8.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s : One way rumble heard and felt while watching tv.

7.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Kemptville ontario (6.2 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

10.5 km SSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

15 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

7.2 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

11 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / 2-5 s

Kemptville (16.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Felt like an explosion

23.9 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

16.3 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

20.5 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Mountain (15.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Loud rumble and slight shaking

14.6 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

22.4 km SSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

7.9 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

20.8 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

23.9 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

4525 lords Mills Rd. Prescott, Ontario (22.4 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Osgoode (4.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

115 slater (7.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

15.2 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Kemptville (1052.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Osgoode, ontario (26.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

18.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Osgoode (26.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

10.4 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

4.1 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 s

Kemptville, Ontario, Canada (20.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

South Mountain (4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

26.4 km SW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

21.3 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

27.7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating

Winchester Ontario (3022 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Lachute / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Osgoode / Light shaking (MMI IV)

North Gower / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Iroquois ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

North gower / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Jasper Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : We thought a heavy truck was driving down the road.

518 Fred street / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Kemptville Ontario / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 s

pierces corners, ontario / not felt / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : It was more a roaring noise. I thought we'd started a chimney fire.

Kemptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) : A loud bang was associated with the shaking

Oxford Mills Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : It was definitely felt like a train going by your house

South Mountain / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Mostly very loud noise

kemptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Hyndman Rd / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : A very loud boom and shaking inside

Waddington ny / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Toronto / not felt

Nepean, Ontario / not felt

South mountain / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Kemptville / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Casselman Ontario / not felt : Did not feel a thing

Manotick / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Chesterville Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Mountain / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Thought train had derailed in town - house shook

South Mountain Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Very loud bang

Kemptville, Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short : It felt more like an explosion than a shaking.

Iroquois Ontario / not felt : Very loud, but did not feel it

Maitland, Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : I felt the house rattling

Mountain / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Osgoode / Light shaking (MMI IV)

North Augusta, Grenville County / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Felt a rumble

9175 County road 22 k0e 1w0 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Loud noise almost like continuous thunder

Kemptville ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Iroquois Ontario / not felt : Very loud, but did not feel it

Kemptville Ontario / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 s

Manotick / Light shaking (MMI IV)

London / not felt

Kars, Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Sitting watching tv when it was felt. Over by the time we talked about it.

Spencerville, Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

2985 county rd 20 kemptville ontario Canada / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : Loud rumbling

Mallorytown / not felt

Lisbon NY / not felt : Heard a rumble like thunder but longer, didnt feel any shaking

Winchester, Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Kemptville / not felt : Could not feel any shaken but hear it very clearly. It lasted about 5 sec

Spencerville / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Kemptville, Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Kemptville ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Kemptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kemptville, ON / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Brinston / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 20-30 s

Spencerville, ON / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Kemptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s

Oxford mills / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Sounded like a train derailment nearby, 5 seconds, in duration

Brinston / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Winchester / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

Kemptville / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Merrickville, ON / not felt

Prescott / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s : Kitchen signs fell

Kemptville Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kemptville Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Kemptville, Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Ottawa / not felt

6590 Rolling Hills Pl, Kars, Ontario, Canada / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Felt light vibration and sounded like a dump truck driving by

Iroquois ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Kemptville Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Heard a loud rumble. Lasted about 5 seconds.

Waddington ny / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Richmond / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Iroquois / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Kemptville Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Iroquois / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

South Mountain, Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kemptville / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Almost like rolling thunder, or the effects of a far off explosion with weak shaking.

Oxford Station / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Very loud and shook the whole house. Dishes rattled.

Cardinal / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / 10-15 s

Oxford mills / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Waddington, NY / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Merrickville / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : Heard it more than felt anything . Sounds like a giant truck going by

Winchester Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Hardly felt anything. Loud Rumble sound lasted 2 seconds or less, faded in and faded out rapidly.

North Grenville Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Kemptville / Light shaking (MMI IV)

South mountian / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Sounded like an audio speaker

Kemptville / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Kemptville Ontario / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 s

Cardinal, On, K0E1E0 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Iroquois / Light shaking (MMI IV) : rumbling coming to loud thunder like thuding

Kemptville Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s : Heard a vibration coming, than pictures rattled felt tremors than it past thru

Kemptville / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Kemptville Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Oxford Mills / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Accompanied by noise like airplane

Ottawa / not felt

Kemptville, Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Burritts Rapids / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Chesterville / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s : Light started shaking it was loader than the volume on our tv stopped about 30sec

Spencerville / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : On Hyndman Rd near South Gower Drive

Chesterville, ON / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Chesterville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Mountain, Ontario / not felt / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s : It sounded like a big truck driving by.

North Augusta ON / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Iroquois Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Spen / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Oxford Station ON / Light shaking (MMI IV)

County road 21, Spencerville, on / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : The house shook a little bit and there was a very loud noise, like a very, very loud vehicle

Kemptville / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Spencerville Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

Kemptville / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

Kemptville / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Dunrobin,ON / not felt

Kemptville Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

K2h8s8 / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Spencerville / not felt / 10-15 s

Spencerville / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Spencerville / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Kemptville / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Kemptville / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Oxford Station / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Kemptville Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Mountain Ontario / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Everything was shaking

Spencerville Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Keptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Kemptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Brinston / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Started off like a loud rumble of thunder, ended with a loud bang!

Kemptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Oxford Station / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Kemptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : It sounded like a powerful wind swept up to the patio doors then passed

Oxford Mills, Ontario. CANADA / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Thought maybe propane tank blew. Very short.

Burritts rapids / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Prescott Ontario / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Winchester, ON / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Kemptville, Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Oxford Mills / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Kemptville,ON / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Winchester Ontario Canada / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : The house vibrated.

Oxford mills / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Oxford Station Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Thought something large had hit the ground outside my home. I live in the country

Kemptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Osgoode / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Watching Tv felt/sounded like a big truck or a low flying plane going past the house.

Smiths Falls, Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Kemptville Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Osgoode Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Osgoode, Ontario / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Spencerville / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Ottawa / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Manotick / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Glasses were shaking in the house

South Mountain, Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

Kemptville, ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Kemptville / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Oxford Station / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Winchester, Ontario / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kemptville / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Kemptville Ontario / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Brinston / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

South Mountain / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kemptville / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

Cardinal ontario / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s
Palmer High School teacher Courtney Bzymek cleans out her classroom for the end of the school year Wednesday, May 20, 2020, two months after she last taught a lesson in the classroom. Bzymek hadnt seen her students in person since March 13, 2020, when El Paso County schools closed for an early spring break because of the pandemic. She never thought that would be the last time she saw them this school year. Bzymek, like other teachers, never thought the school year would end before she saw her students again. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
A prisoner who has spent more than two years in solitary confinement since being accused of murdering mob boss James 'Whitey' Bulger has insisted he is innocent and begged to be allowed back into the general population.

Sean McKinnon, 35, speaking for the first time, insisted he 'knows nothing' about who killed the infamous Boston mob boss turned FBI informant less than 12 hours after being transferred to Hazelton federal prison in West Virginia.

Bugler, 89, who was convicted of the murders of at least 11 people, was brutally beaten to death in October 2018 with a padlock hidden inside a sock.

McKinnon, was one of four inmates put in 'the hole' following the killing and who remains there despite no charges being filed in the case.

He told NBC News: 'I told the feds, "If I had something to tell them, I would. I know nothing. I'm an innocent man".'

He is now sharing a cell with Boston gangster Paul DeCologero, 46, who was also accused of the killing, but they are separated from the general population and denied privileges, meaning they are still considered to be in solitary.

A third suspect, notorious mob hitman Fotios 'Freddy' Geas, 54, is being isolated in a separate unit, while a fourth, Felix Wilson, was released after six months when his sentence came to an end. All men deny involvement with Bulger's death.

Sean McKinnon, 35, speaking for the first time, insisted he 'knows nothing' about who killed James 'Whitey' Bulger

Bugler, 89, was brutally beaten to death in his cell at Hazelton federal prison, West Virginia, with a padlock hidden inside a sock.

McKinnon, who has no known mob ties but is serving an eight-year prison sentence for stealing guns, had been sharing a cell with Geas at the time of Bulger's death. Meanwhile, Wilson had spent the previous night in Bulger's cell.

Speaking over the phone, McKinnon claimed corrections officers never explained why they were taking him to 'the hole' - a prison term for solitary.

'Ever since then, it's been the same thing,' he said.

McKinnon filed an official grievance with warden Rich Hudgins in January, demanding evidence for why he was being punished. However, the warden, Hudgins refused his request, citing an 'ongoing investigation'.

Staffers speaking to NBC News on condition of anonymity questioned why no charges had been brought after more than two years, and said security cameras should have captured video of Bulger's assailants.

McKinnon, who is due to be released next July, said he was interviewed by FBI agents a day after the killing but has not heard from the bureau since then.

He was kept in solitary by himself for a year but is now sharing a cell with his friend DeCologero, who is set to be released in June 2026 after a 25-year sentence for racketeering and witness tampering.

The use of solitary confinement in US prisons has come under scrutiny in recent years and attracted criticism from civil rights campaigners.

David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project, said: 'Under international human rights law, solitary confinement lasting longer than 15 days is categorically prohibited, so 2 1/2 years is really beyond the pale.'

McKinnon is now sharing a cell with Boston gangster Paul DeCologero, 46, (left) who was also accused of the killing. A third suspect, notorious mob hitman Fotios 'Freddy' Geas, 54, (right) is being isolated in a separate unit

Bulger (pictured in 2011) hadn't even been processed at Hazelton when he was killed, sources said

Bulger was a leading figure in Boston's underworld before he was finally captured in Santa Monica with girlfriend Catherine Greig in June 2011 after being on the run for 16 years.

Details of his capture and subsequent death in jail are laid bare in a recent book, Hunting Whitey: The Inside Story of the Capture & Killing of America's Most Wanted Crime Boss, by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge.

It revealed how Bulger remained defiant even as feds armed with multiple automatic weapons closed in on the then 81-year-old in the garage of his apartment complex.

FBI agents were finally able to corner Bulger with the help of Josh Bond, the manager of Princess Eugenia Apartments, where the fugitive had been hiding.

Bulger and Greig had managed to go undetected for years by posing as an elderly couple under the names of Charles and Carol Gasko.

When authorities descended on the apartment building on June 21, Special Agent Scott Garriola had located the couple's storage locker in the garage before hatching a plan to stage a break-in in hopes of luring him downstairs.

Using a set of bolt cutters, Garriola cut the lock off the storage unit, before instructing Bond to call Bulger and notify him of the supposed robbery.

Bugler's longtime girlfriend Catherine Grieg, 69, was freed in 2020 after serving a nine-year federal prison sentence for helping him evade capture for 16 years. She spent the last year of her sentence living in home confinement (pictured)

Initially, Bond didn't get a response, but Greig rang moments later returning his call.

'Do you want me to call police or meet me down in the garage?' Bond asked.

'Then Whitey Bulger himself stepped out of the apartment in his white hat and took the elevator down to the garage,' the book states.

As he arrived, Bulger was immediately greeted by a swarm of heavily armed men aiming machine guns at him.

In a letter describing the scene included in the book, Bulger admits he noticed something 'wasn't right' after seeing colored pieces of tape on the ground, 'as if to mark positions like on a stage'.

FBI agents immediately ordered him to get on his knees, but Bulger refused after seeing a small pool of oil on the ground.

'They were screaming, "We will shoot," and I responded, "Go ahead . . . I'm not kneeling down in the oil," Bulger recalled,' the book states.

'I told them that there was a clean place to my right and for him to take two steps to the right to that area and then I'd comply'.

Bulger, 89, was transferred to USP Hazelton (pictured in an aerial shot) on a Monday. By Tuesday morning, he was dead

Bulger (pictured in an undated FBI handout photo) had been convicted in 2013 of killing at least 11 people and was serving a life sentence

According to the book, Garriola at that moment feared the arrest would escalate into a deadly standoff or a police chase, if Bulger did not obey.

But Bulger eventually 'moved two steps to the side', before finally surrendering.

Bulger, who at the time was one of the FBI's most-wanted criminals, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in 11 gangland killings.

More than $822,000 and 30 guns were found hidden in the walls of the couple's rent-controlled apartment.

Greig, 69, was freed in 2020 after serving a nine-year federal prison sentence for helping him evade capture for 16 years.

Greig had joined Bulger on the run back in 1995 shortly after he fled Boston to evade a federal racketeering indictment after he was tipped to his pending arrest.

Prior to going on the run, Bulger had terrorized Boston from the 1970s into the 1990s with a campaign of murder, extortion and drug trafficking.

He had lived a double life as the notorious head of the Irish mob and as a secret FBI informant.

The couple was captured in an apartment where they had been living in Santa Monica, California in 2011 after 16 years on the run.

Greig had joined Bulger on the run back in 1995 shortly after he fled Boston to evade a federal racketeering indictment after he was tipped to his pending arrest. They are pictured in 1998

The couple were found hiding out at Princess Eugenia Apartments in Santa Monica in June 2011

The Boston underworld kingpin and his girlfriend had managed to go undetected for years by posing as an elderly couple under the names of Charles and Carol Gasko prior to their arrest.

Following their capture, Greig was sentenced to eight years in prison for helping her mobster boyfriend evade capture and an additional 21 months for refusing to testify before grand juries.

Bulger, meanwhile, was convicted in 2013 of a slew of crimes, including at least 11 murders, and was sentenced to life behind bars.

They brutally attacked the wheelchair-bound Bulger, beat him with a lock in a sock, tried to gouge out the mobster's eyes with a shiv and attempted to cut out his tongue.

His body was found wrapped in a sheet 12 hours later by prison officers, who said the gangster was hardly recognizable.

The FBI, the Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of West Virginia declined NBC's request to comment.
Berlin:

A male nurse jailed for life two years ago for killing two patients with lethal drug overdoses murdered at least 90 patients in total, police said on Monday, calling it post-war Germanys worst killing spree.

Niels Hoegel, 40, was jailed in February 2015 for two murders and several attempted murders of intensive-care patients at the Delmenhorst hospital near the northern city of Bremen.

Police on Monday said that investigators exhuming and analysing more bodies had since found evidence of scores of additional murders.

The death toll is unique in the history of the German republic, said chief police investigator Arne Schmidt, adding that Hoegel killed randomly and preyed especially on those in critical condition.

There was evidence for at least 90 murders, and at least as many (suspected) cases again that can no longer be proven, he told a press conference, declaring himself speechless at the outcome.

Hoegel has admitted to injecting patients with a drug that can cause heart failure or circulatory collapse so he could then try to revive them and, when successful, shine as a saviour before his medical peers.

ALSO READ: Man develops throat cancer, shoots colleague in Delhi who allegedly introduced him to smoking

He said he felt euphoric when he managed to bring a patient back to life, and devastated when he failed.

After the revelations of the nurses murderous obsession, police and prosecutors launched a special forensic commission dubbed Kardio (Cardio) to look into other patient deaths.

Presenting their findings, police said Monday that more than 130 bodies had been exhumed and tested for traces of the deadly drug.

The cause of death in many more could not be determined because the remains were cremated, said Oldenburg police chief Johann Kuehme.

Hoegel had admitted to 30 cases in which he named patients he killed, said prosecutor Daniela Schiereck-Bohlemann.

The grisly case dates back to 2005, when a colleague witnessed the nurse injecting a patient at the Delmenhorst hospital.

The patient survived and the health care worker was arrested and, in 2008, sentenced to seven and a half years in jail for attempted murder.

Amid the media publicity, a woman then contacted police, voicing suspicion that her deceased mother had also fallen victim to the killer nurse.

The authorities exhumed several patients bodies and detected traces of the drug in five of them, declaring it either the definitive or possible contributing cause.

Hoegel was jailed for life in 2015, but at the time it was clear he had murdered dozens more patients, with investigators admitting they may never know the true number.

ALSO READ: Father kills minor daughter, hatches plan to kill sons to remarry in Delhi

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The Talk has canceled its two upcoming live shows after CBS launched a probe into Sharon Osbourne's bust up with Sheryl Underwood over Piers Morgan.

It was revealed Sunday that the show will not air Monday or Tuesday. Wednesday's show is set to go ahead, Deadline reports. Journalist Elizabeth Vargas and singer Carly Pearce had both been scheduled to appear on the canceled shows.

Osbourne had launched into a passionate defense of Morgan on Wednesday's The Talk, one day after she had also tweeted her support for him. Her resulting spat with co-host Underwood on the issue is now being investigated by the network.

Then on Saturday she was forced to deny calling another former co-star Holly Robinson Peete 'too ghetto' for the show. Osbourne - the wife of rocker Ozzy - says she 'never uttered those words'.

She posted a screenshot of an email that she says was sent by Robinson Peete in 2011, arguing the note 'speaks for itself' on the issue.

In it Robinson Peete, 56, seems to suggest the reason she was removed from the show was down to Julie Chen, the wife of former CBS chairman Les Moonves and not Osbourne. DailyMail.com has contacted a representative for CBS and Chen.

The email notes: 'CBS is doing behind-the-scenes damage to my career with other studios and nets...I know you are in a tough spot...'

That came after Robinson Peete, who co-hosted the first season of The Talk in 2010, had claimed Osbourne got her fired, tweeting: 'I'm old enough to remember when Sharon complained that I was too 'ghetto' for #theTalk  then I was gone.

'I bring this up now bc I was mortified watching the disrespectful condescending tone she took w/her co-host who remained calm & respectful because  she HAD to.'

'I've always been a highroad girl but when I watched what everyone else saw on my former show  it triggered me and I wanted to speak out,' the actress added on Instagram.

Morgan came under fire - and left his his job on Good Morning Britain - following comments he made about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Sharon Osbourne, left, and Holly Robinson Peete, right, pictured in 2011. Osbourne has denied calling Holly Robinson Peete 'too ghetto' for The Talk, saying she 'never uttered those words' after CBS launched a probe into her bust up with Sheryl Underwood over Piers Morgan

The TV star and wife of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, 68, shared an email from her former colleague over the weekend, which she argues 'speaks for itself' on the issue

That came after Robinson Peete, who co-hosted the first season of The Talk in 2010, had claimed Osbourne got her fired, tweeting: 'I'm old enough to remember when Sharon complained that I was too 'ghetto' for #theTalk  then I was gone'

In her Instagram post Saturday Osbourne wrote: 'In response to @hollyrpeete Holly Robinson Peetes accusation of me getting her fired from @thetalkcbs and saying she was too ghetto to be on The Talk. '

'I never once uttered those words and I am sharing an e mail sent to me from Holly one month after she was let go by CBS.

'As I have stated before, I have never had the ability/authority to get anyone fired from @thetalkcbs and Ms. Peetes email speaks for itself.'

Osbourne had already denied Robinson Peete's allegations telling Variety it is 'a 110 percent lie.' She said: 'I cannot have anyone firedAnd that is a not a term I use. That's not in my vocabulary. I don't speak like that.

'The only ghetto I know is the Warsaw Ghetto and I think that's the only time I've ever referred to something like that.'

Sharon Osbourne has claimed CBS 'blindsided' her when she was asked live on The Talk about her support for Piers Morgan, as the network announced it has launched a probe into her bust up with co-host Sheryl Underwood. Pictured the incident on Wednesday's show

Osbourne also said Saturday that CBS 'blindsided' her when she was asked live on The Talk about her support for Morgan. The network has announced it has launched a probe into her bust up with co-host Underwood.

She said she was used 'like a lamb held out for slaughter' by CBS, claiming she was left out of planning the segment for the first time in 11 years and the topic of conversation was only mentioned to her minutes before it aired.

In the interview, the Duchess of Sussex said her mental health became so bad while they were living in the UK as senior working Royals she 'didn't want to be alive any more'.

Morgan said he 'didn't believe a word' Meghan said live on air Monday morning sparking more than 41,000 viewer complaints to watchdog Ofcom, which ultimately led to his exit from the show.

Osbourne and Underwood then got into a row on The Talk Wednesday over the saga with Sharon arguing Morgan was just expressing an opinion and questioning where he had been racist.

She had also tweeted of Morgan: 'I am with you. I stand by you. People forget that you're paid for your opinion and that you're just speaking your truth.'

After she faced a backlash and accusations of racism following Wednesday's show, Osbourne issued a statement (above) Friday apologizing 'to anyone of colour that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused or let down'

Piers Morgan expressed his disappointment after Osbourne apologized

After she too faced a backlash and accusations of racism, Osbourne then issued a statement after Friday apologizing 'to anyone of colour that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused or let down'.

Osbourne later said she was 'in shock' and felt like she was facing a 'firing squad.'

'I was honestly in shock. I felt like I was in front of a firing squad. I felt like a lamb held out for slaughter They had me there for 20 minutes,' she said.

'We are committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace,' the network said in a statement Friday.

'All matters related to the Wednesday episode of 'The Talk' are currently under internal review.'

Morgan had praised Osbourne for tweeting her support for him, saying: 'When stuff like this happens, true friends run towards you, fake friends run away. I love Sharon Osbourne because she always stays true to herself.

'She knew she would get abused by the woke brigade for tweeting this - but did it anyway because it's what she believes.'

Following her u-turn, he slammed what he described as 'bullies' on The Talk for 'shaming' her into apologizing.

'Sharon's been shamed & bullied into apologising for defending me against colleagues accusing me of racism because I don't believe Meghan Markle's bulls***,' he tweeted.

'This is where we've reached. I demand an apology from those @TheTalkCBS bullies for their disgraceful slurs against ME.'

Morgan had praised Osbourne for tweeting her support for him. Following her u-turn, he slammed what he described as 'bullies' on The Talk for 'shaming' her into apologizing

Morgan stood by his comments Wednesday saying he still doesn't believe Meghan and that he is 'happy to die on' free speech.

'On Monday, I said I didn't believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview. I've had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don't,' he tweeted.

'If you did, OK. Freedom of speech is a hill I'm happy to die on. Thanks for all the love, and hate. I'm off to spend more time with my opinions'.
The decision to close HuffPost Canada and Quebec comes only two weeks after staff had filed for union certification with CWA-Canada. BuzzFeed said the decision to close HuffPost's Canadian operations were taken before that filing was made.
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Over a phone call from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Conrad Gallagher reflects on where it all went right. It is the week of his 50th birthday and life seems good for the celebrity chef who fell to earth.

It has taken two years to convince him to agree to an interview. The Donegal native is extremely wary of the Irish media - and this is his first time in eight years to speak to an Irish publication.

"When you get to 50, you are definitely not interested in taking any more risks," he says.

Gallagher now owns Food Concepts 360, a consultancy for the hotel and restaurant industry with clients across the Middle East, Africa and the US. After his roller-coaster years - which included Michelin-star success, bankruptcy, forced detention, a high-profile criminal trial, depression and two bouts of cancer - he is back on his feet.

Actually, to listen to him describe his new life, that may be an understatement. He's absolutely flying. The Food Concepts website boasts 182 "happy clients". The company employs 18 "international speciality chefs".

Before we get talking, he's at pains to say he doesn't want to speak about his chequered past, but there's no avoiding it. In fact, he brings it up himself.

"The media painted a really negative picture of me," he says. "Yes, I had failures, but they were never going to forgive them. They are still talking about the paintings in Dublin 20 years later."

In 2003, following a six-day jury trial, Gallagher was found not guilty of the theft of three paintings from Dublin's Fitzwilliam Hotel. Earlier that year he spent six weeks in Brooklyn detention centre, before being extradited to face trial here.

He says his restaurants folded despite cooking for full houses, because: "I didn't pay enough attention to the business side. I figured as long as seats were full and we were making waves in the media, the business would manage itself. And I obviously learned the very hard way that wasn't the case.

"In hindsight, I should have had a business manager. Someone to take care of the numbers.

"What happened yesterday can't feed your children today. If it didn't work out, I had to dust myself off and get back in the saddle. I am a resilient guy, no question.

"Bad luck and failure followed me around for quite a few years and it takes an Irish interview to be reminded about that. At some point, people should be allowed to move on.

"I'm in a very good place now," he says.

Five mornings a week he works out with a personal trainer from 4.30am and he has lost three-and-a-half stone during the pandemic. He's working on new projects for when the world reopens, and he predicts a boom.

"Anyone who survives in business will be in for a treat when it's all over."

What exactly does he do for his many clients, I ask.

"We develop the concepts, take care of the project management, recruitment, PR, marketing, music, cocktail menu, staff, uniforms... and then three months after the restaurant is open and everything is up and running, - including social media and their website, we hand the investor the keys and say thank you very much."

Along with his wife Candice, he owns another company, The Chefs Connection, which places top chefs with wealthy clientele in private residences, palaces and yachts. Many are based in the United Arab Emirates - and they're mind-bogglingly rich. One of them gave him an hour's notice to fly to London "to taste a piece of chicken that the client had liked".

Cost, it seems, doesn't come into it when his super- rich clients decide they want something.

"We once flew my PA to Paris to collect a macaron to bring me in Qatar so I could replicate it for a sheik. It's a different level," he muses.

"It's very old money. They know how to take care of themselves and how to have a good time.

"It's not uncommon for clients to have 40 or 50 chefs in their luxury home so they can have seven to 10 different types of cuisine. We could also have a situation where we have to fully staff a person's yacht all year round. They might not even visit it, but we need a full team of chefs and staff [just in case they do]."

He is not talking this new-found success for granted, he says.

"I don't get flippant, not for a second, because I know how fast it could all be lost.

"I have plenty of sleepless nights. If a client is grumbling or not getting enough attention, I lose sleep for days. I know it's not easy to get or keep these clients. It's a constant worry.

"So you are continuously over-compensating to make sure that you are showing them the love all the time. I probably drive most of my team insane. They often get a call from me at 3am.

"I still believe that you can lose everything tomorrow so I need to stay on top of my game."

So how did a chef with his unhappy record of business failure end up here? How did he catch a break of this magnitude?

Things started going his way, he says, after he met a Qatari businessman in 2015. He mentions the man's name - Ramez Al-Khayyat - and he carries on with the story. For reasons even Gallagher couldn't fathom at the time, Al-Khayyat decided this charismatic Irishman was exactly who he needed to oversee the opening of dozens of new restaurant outlets at the Mall of Qatar - all of which had to start trading on the same day.

Gallagher says he left the meeting feeling elated, but confused. By then he'd had a string of failed ventures in Ireland, the US and South Africa against his name. Was his unlikely saviour not aware of his past troubles?

He says it took two years to pick up the courage and ask the question: why me?

Al-Khayyat's response, he says, was: "Because you know pain. You know what it's like to lose a business. All your mistakes are built into your DNA now. So I know you'll think 50 times before you do something that would risk failure."

After listening back to our interview, with only the phonetic pronunciation of Al-Khayyat to go on, I Google the name out of curiosity.

The first result that comes up is a Wikipedia page with a health warning: "This article may have been created or edited in return for undisclosed payments." It describes the 36-year-old as "a Qatari businessman and the vice-chairman and group CEO of Power International Holding (PIH), one of the largest groups in Qatar".

Further down there is a story from Mail Online, dated November 11, 2020.

Four Syrian refugees have withdrawn a claim for damages against a Qatari bank they say funded a terrorist group's torturers after an alleged harassment campaign by agents of the Gulf state's ruling family.

The claimants are bringing a case at the High Court in London against Doha Bank for allegedly allowing itself to be used as a vehicle to funnel large sums of cash to jihadi group the Al Nusra Front. They accuse wealthy Qatari brothers Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat of using the bank to transfer money to countries bordering Syria so that it could be channelled to the al-Qaida-affiliated group.

Eight claimants, who have been granted anonymity, were seeking damages from the bank and the brothers, alleging they suffered physical and psychological torture at the hands of the jihadists. But now lawyers for the claimants say four have been forced to withdraw following repeated efforts by agents acting on behalf of Qatar's ruling Al-Thani family to uncover their identity.

In the same article, a spokesman for the brothers was quoted as saying: "Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat deny all of these bizarre and baseless, yet extremely damaging, allegations. The allegations are totally false."

I text Gallagher and ask him to confirm the spelling of the name of the Mall of Qatar owner. "Hmmmm, let's call him Mr R," he texts back. When I follow up with a phonecall, he promises to call back in 10 minutes, but doesn't. The next day he confirms the spelling of Ramez Al-Khayyat's name when I read it out to him: "That's spot on."

I tell him Ramez al-Khayyat has been linked to significant controversy and his mood immediately darkens. He has, he says, made "a big mistake" agreeing to the interview - friends had warned him against doing it.

A couple of hours later, when we speak again, he is calm once more, telling me to, "do what you have to do". Then he proceeds to praise Al-Khayyat to the skies.

"I don't think anyone in the world has ever sat down with him that hasn't got up from the table and thought, 'Wow! That guy is just at a different level.'

"I learned a lot from him. I still have an open line to the guy. We talk on a regular basis. I talk to his wife closely, I have met his mother, I am close to his family, I've been to his house 100 times.

"As far as I am concerned, he is an amazing brilliant man, an amazing visionary."

As for any controversy surrounding Al-Khayyat, he says: "I never had any discussion with him regarding that. We only discussed the restaurant business. I heard a rumour about it at some point but I never asked about it. All I can tell you is that I have an amazing relationship with the guy and I will continue to do business with him for years to come."

In his most difficult years, he says, his wife Candice was always there. "I don't think there was ever a day that I felt she gave up. I always felt she was in my corner.

"She is incredibly strong in her own right. She understands how the world works and that to get ahead you have to make sacrifices - and we have definitely made plenty."

He was planning to spend his milestone birthday, on Friday, at home in Port Elizabeth with family and friends, wined and dined by top-class chefs.

"Where did it all go wrong?" I ask, tongue in cheek. I detect a slight chuckle down the phone line.
More than 119.5 million people have contracted COVID-19, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Sunday.

The United States tops the list as the place with the most infections at 29.4 million. Brazil and India follow the U.S. with 11.4 million and 11.3 million, respectively.

The U.S. appears to be on a path to stockpiling coronavirus vaccines, with plans to have enough doses for almost double the countrys population.

The U.S. has committed funding to several vaccine initiatives, including $2 billion to Covax, the international program designed to provide coronavirus vaccines wherever needed.

The U.S., Australia, India and Japan also agreed last week to a partnership to make 1 billion vaccines available across Asia by the end of 2022, Indias foreign secretary said at a news conference in New Dehli after a virtual meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of the other countries.

The initiative is designed to attack the global vaccine shortage and counter Chinas growing diplomatic campaign to distribute vaccines in Southeast Asia and globally.

Jordans health minister was resigned Saturday after at least seven COVID-19 patients died at a hospital in Salt, near Amman, due to a shortage of oxygen at the facility, state media reported.

Later Saturday, Jordans King Abdullah II visited the hospital where an angry mob had gathered.

China eases visitor entry

The competition to distribute vaccines worldwide escalated Saturday when China announced it would streamline the entry process for foreigners who want to visit mainland China from Hong Kong if they have received Chinese-manufactured coronavirus vaccines.

By imposing fewer paperwork obligations, China hopes to enhance the global appeal of its vaccines, which most Western countries have not yet approved. In addition, China has yet to approve the manufacture or distribution of foreign-made vaccines within the country.

Italy aims for 80% of shots by fall



In Italy, meanwhile, the special commissioner for the coronavirus said Saturday that the country planned vaccinate at least 80% of its population by September. Francesco Paolo Figliuolo disclosed a plan to put 500,000 shots in arms daily, according to a statement from the office of the Cabinet.

Nearly 2 million Italians, or about 4% of the population, have gotten two shots of vaccine, but fewer than 51 million Italians are eligible for inoculation. Italy is one of the countries hit hard by the coronavirus, with 3.2 million cases and more than 101,000 deaths so far, according to Johns Hopkins.

With increasing vaccine deliveries, from 15.7 million doses in the first quarter to 52.5 million doses from April to June, Italy plans to broadly expand the places where shots will be available, including military barracks, stores, gyms, schools and Catholic Church facilities.

In the meantime, most Italians face new restrictions beginning Monday as the government tries to stop a rise in case numbers. The restrictions include the closure of schools and nonessential shops in more than half of the country, including Rome and Milan.

There is good news in Corvo, the smallest island in the Azores off the Portuguese coast: 322 of its 400 residents have received a COVID-19 shot and herd immunity will likely be reached by the end of March.

"There's an atmosphere of celebration in Corvo," Dr. Antonio Salgado told the Lusa news agency. "From now on, we will feel safe."

Herd immunity is reached when enough people, usually 50% to 70% of a population, are immune to an infection. Corvo will have nearly 85% of its residents 16 and older vaccinated this month.
Photo: Evan Chandler-Soanes Snowboarder Adam Franks pulls off a neat trick in an unlikely spot. Photographer Evan Chandler-Soanes dreamed of capturing this shot in North Vancouver's Waterfront Park for years before he finally got his chance in January 2020.

A rare snowstorm in North Vancouver allowed a local photographer to finally capture the snowboard shot hes been dreaming of for decades.

Evan Chandler-Soanes has spent tons of time up on Mount Seymour, shooting snowboard photos, but the shot he always wanted needed some help from Mother Nature to bring the snow all the way down to the ocean at North Vancouvers Waterfront Park. Thats where a sculpture known as Cathedral is located, and Chandler-Soanes has been enthralled with that piece of public art since he first laid eyes on it. The story has a neat tie-in to our humble little community newspaper as well.

My first recollection of this sculpture goes back to 1989 when my dad let me climb on it as a six-year-old, and a random newspaper photographer got a picture that was published in the local newspaper, Chandler-Soanes said in a note to the North Shore News (which happens to be the aforementioned local newspaper). My mom tells me she didnt talk to my dad for days after she saw this picture in the paper. [She] must not have trusted my climbing skills.

As young Evan grew up to become a snowboard photographer, he always dreamed of coming back to that spot to get an epic shot. Hes been hunting the photo in earnest for more than a decade, he says. There was one major, obvious problem.

The issue with the spot is that it needs snow at sea level, which is not too common in Vancouver even when it snows, he said. It also needs sundown at the right time of year for it to work, and it needed a winch. Having this particular idea in my head for so many years, I was basically waiting for a miracle to happen.

That miracle finally occurred in January 2020, when an unusually large dump of snow hit the Lower Mainland and stuck around for a while, even at sea level.

Snowboarder Adam Franks jumped at the opportunity of starring in the shot, and the two of them managed to convince their friend Matt Heneghan to let them borrow his winch even though he couldnt make it to the shoot. Finally, on one of the last remaining snow days, with the sun setting, it was time to capture the magic.

I dont think I had ever been that nervous with anticipation to shoot a spot, said Chandler-Soanes. Its a very surreal feeling to be trying to capture the image I have been dreaming about for what seems like forever. By the time it was set up and there were a few attempts to get the winch sorted, the light was starting to fade fast. Franks had the perfect trick for the spot and got a few glory attempts in the golden hour in front of a rad pose of boarders who were all wrapping up their street boarding in the city.

Chandler-Soanes finally had his dream image, and it is pretty awesome. The photo ended up on the cover of Snowboard Canada Magazine, and Chandler-Soanes was gracious enough to share it with us.

Thanks to the perfect culmination of events it had finally happened, he said. Thank you everyone involved  not many photos are 30 years in the making.
On this cloudy Sunday are enlightened by hotness of Candice which, in turn, inspires us to check community news, pop culture and top headlines.



Kansas City Vaxx Week Ahead

Kansas City area COVID-19 vaccine planner for March 14-20 As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues in the Kansas City area and the U.S., 41 Action News is compiling a list of vaccination events and where people can sign up for a vaccine interest form each week. Check back for updates.

Todays Reason To Be Careful Whilst Helping Others

Good Samaritan dies while checking on crash victim on Nogard Ave KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) - Around 3 am Sunday morning, Kansas City Kansas Police were called to 5900 Nogard Ave on an injury accident. The good Samaritan, a woman in her 50's, stopped to check on a SUV after it was hit by a sedan traveling northbound.

Turnaround In The Dotte

Tractor trailer overturns on I-35 northbound ramp in Wyandotte County KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A tractor trailer overturned Sunday morning on Interstate 35 ramp heading towards Interstate 635 in Wyandotte County. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol the driver was not seriously injured in the crash that happened at about 10:15 a.m.

Angel Preps For Summer

Candice Swanepoel announces the release of her new Tropic Of C line Candice Swanepoel announced that she had released a new swim and activewear collection on Thursday. The supermodel's new line was released through her brand Tropic Of C, which had previously focused on producing swimwear. The 32-year-old entrepreneur's new collection, entitled Tropic Of C Movement, will be exclusively available through the online clothing retailer Bandier and the brand's own website.

TOP DOC PRESCRIBES COVID VAXX FOR MAGA!!!

Fauci urges Trump to tell supporters to get COVID vaccine NIAID Director Anthony Fauci told "Fox News Sunday" that "it would make all the difference in the world" if former President Trump urged his supporters to take the coronavirus vaccine. Why it matters: Republicans - particularly men in the party - are the least likely demographic to say they plan to get vaccinated against the virus, recent polls suggest.

Former Prez Trump Still Underestimated

Trump was supposed to be a political Godzilla in exile. Instead, he's adrift. Ex-president Donald Trump finds himself adrift while in political exile. And Republicans, and even some allies, say he is disorganized, torn between playing the role of antagonist and party leader.

Voter Rights Fight Redux

Stacey Abrams calls Republican efforts to restrict voting in Georgia 'Jim Crow in a suit' Stacey Abrams has described Republican efforts to restrict voting rights in Georgia as "racist" and "a redux of Jim Crow in a suit and tie". Abrams, who helped Democrats win two key US Senate runoff elections in her home state in January that gave the party a narrow control of the chamber, is a leading critic of voter suppression efforts by Republicans.

Cartels Love Prez Biden?!?

Biden's 'open border' policies enriching drug cartels as migrant crisis escalates: Gov. Abbott President Biden's "open border policies" are not only inviting more illegal immigration to the U.S. but also enriching and empowering drug cartels in Mexico who profit from smuggling migrants across the border, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday.

Work Life Evolves

From Remote Work to Hybrid Work: The Tech You'll Need to Link Home and Office Hope your magic Mary Poppins, go-back-to-the-office bag is ready. Let's see, you're going to need your laptop, your laptop's power adapter, your headphones, your headphones' power adapter, your ring light, your ring light's power adapter... Oh, and you thought this was just a one-time pack? That's cute.

KC Repents For Lent

Faith in KC: Father Luis Suarez discusses celebration of Lent KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Right now, millions of Christians around the world are observing Lent in preparation for the Easter holiday. Catholics are among that number, and that's one of the reasons 41 Action News anchor Taylor Hemness reached out to Father Luis Suarez, of Sacred Heart Guadalupe parish in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rock Chalk Rebuke

KU fans watched the Big 12 Championship in agony KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Two years in a row COVID has derailed the Jayhawks' chances at a Big 12 title. "Insane we haven't had it all year, so why we got it now we're like, why now? why couldn't it have been a couple weeks ago or something?"

Kansas City Chiefs Confront Another Rebuilding Year

Kansas City Chiefs: 4 Bold Predictions For 2021 Offseason The Kansas City Chiefs had a disappointing end to what had otherwise been another dominant season, as they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. Despite this setback, the Chiefs are still favorites to win it all next season.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now . . .
A stubborn weekend brush fire in Springfields Forest Park is prompting fire officials to warn of a high fire risk on Sunday afternoon.

Springfield firefighters spent about three hours extinguishing the blaze off Trafton Road and returned on Sunday morning when the fire rekindled. They were there for another about three hours before they put it out again, Fire Capt. Drew Piemonte said.

The fire burned about an acre of land. It was near Camp Angelina and close to homes so firefighters were concerned about winds spreading the flames to the buildings, he said.

Piemonte and Holyoke Fire Department officials warned that there is an elevated fire risk across the region that could result in other brush fires and asked people to be cautious.

The elevated fire risk is caused because the relative humidity is to drop between 30 and 40% in the afternoon and winds are expected to gust between 40 and 50 mph across Western Massachusetts. The only exception is in areas of the hilltowns where there is still snow on the ground, Piemonte said.

Please refrain from outdoor burning which is illegal in Holyoke (and Springfield) anyway. Also please dispose of your cigarette butts properly, Holyoke officials said.

A fire that started in the lawn and shrubs of a vacant home at 436 Rock Valley Road in Holyoke was fanned by high winds on Friday night and spread to the interior of the home, fire officials said.

A large number of brush fires are caused by careless disposal of smoking materials. People should soak them in water before throwing them away and should never toss butts from a balcony, car window or put them in the trash when they are still hot, officials said.

Be cautious about grilling outside and outside burning, Piemonte said, adding people who are grilling should keep a lid over their fire.

Related content:
New Delhi:

The Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) on Monday grilled Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram for 7 hours in a corruption case of alleged clearance to INX Media Pvt Ltd owned by Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani for bringing foreign funds into their Venture.

Karti, who arrived at the CBI headquarters in New Delhi at around 11.30 am was questioned extensively by the agency and left at 6.30 pm.

Three suspected associates of KartiBhaskar Raman, Ravi Vishwanathan and Mohanan Rakeshwere also questioned in connection with the case, the sources said.

They said all the four persons were questioned separately and information given by them is being scrutinised.

It is only after the analysis of their responses that a call will be taken whether further interrogation is required or not in the case, they said.

The sources said they have been asked to produce some documents which they have agreed to provide.

The agency is examining him in connection with a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media for receiving funds from Mauritius when his father P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.

The sources said a firm indirectly controlled by Karti received money from INX Media, run by the Mukerjeas, who are currently in jail, charged with the murder of Indranis daughter.

The CBI had also questioned Karti on August 23.

P Chidambaram had earlier issued a strong statement in response to CBIs FIR against Karti, saying the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son.

The FIPB approval was granted in hundreds of cases, the senior Congress leader had said.

(With PTI Inputs)

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The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Edo State said no fewer than 38 suspects have been arrested for various crimes in the state, in the last 10 weeks.

The states Commandant of the corps, George Edem, disclosed this on Friday in Benin, while speaking on the achievement of the command during the period under review.

Mr Edem explained that the suspects were arrested for various criminal offences, ranging from illegal mining, vandalisation of critical national assets, conflicts between farmers and herders, to armed robbery.

He also stated that the command, during the period under review, also resolved more than 50 cases between farmers and herders across the state.

The commandant further stated that the command trained 40 personnel as mediators and conflict resolution experts to mediate and reconcile farmers and herders in the state.

According to him, the Agro Rangers unit of the corps had also put so much effort in ensuring that farmers return to their farms.

The command has also deployed officers and men of the corps to designated schools in the state to curtail the spate of attacks and kidnapping of students.

We are also working out modalities to sensitise students on their personal safety and security. We are saddened by the abduction of students in some part of the country by suspected bandits.

The NSCDC will continue to play its role to ensure that there is peace in the state and the nation at large, Mr Edem said.

He noted that there was no better time to do it than now.

Mr Edem stressed the need for civil society groups, traditional rulers, as well as religious leaders and security institutions to assist the corps with intelligence reports, regarding movement of strangers within their domains.

He stated that intelligence sharing remained key in neutralising the activities of bandits and other criminals within the state.

The crisis management unit has carried out rescue operations and controlled volatile situations, he said.

The commandant enjoined citizens of the state to be law abiding, as the corps remained committed to discharging its duty with utmost integrity.

(NAN)
Former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani will keep his doctorate from St. John Fisher College (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Even if Rudy Giuliani is disbarred as a lawyer, he will still be a doctor, thanks to a college in New York State.

In a Friday vote by its board of trustees, St John Fisher College decided that it will not rescind the former mayors honorary doctorate. The school had awarded Mr Giuliani the degree in 2015, but had recently come under pressure to withdraw it after the riot at the US Capitol.

St John said that rescinding the degree would require a two-thirds majority, but the trustees votes did not reach that number, and told WHAM that no further action will be taken.

Mr Giuliani has faced severe criticism since the 6 January Capitol attack. On that day, he was among the speakers at a pro-Trump rally who fired up the crowd with conspiracy theories that the 2020 election had been stolen.

Lets have a trial by combat! Mr Giuliani shouted to the audience.

Hours later, Mr Trumps supporters were smashing windows and assaulting police officers at the Capitol. Five people died, including a police officer.

Since then, several prominent figures and organisations have condemned Mr Giuliani. Middlebury College in Vermont revoked the honorary Doctor of Laws degree it had given him. The New York State Bar Association has debated removing him from the organisation. Brad Hoylman, chairman of New York States Senate Judiciary Committee, requested that he be disbarred.

Meanwhile, 15 alumni of St John Fisher College wrote a letter asking their school to remove Mr Giulianis doctorate, calling his actions antithetical to everything St John Fisher College espouses, such that we believe his continued relationship with the College risks permanent damage to the Colleges reputation, campus culture, and the prestige of future honorary degrees.

A petition then called for revoking the degree as well, and received 430 signatures from teachers, students, and alumni.

Mr Giuliani received the St John doctorate six years ago, when he gave a commencement speech at the college. The degree honoured the former mayors leadership of New York City after the September 11 terrorist attacks  the moment he was best known best for at the time.

Story continues

Since then Mr Giuliani, who served for years as former president Donald Trumps personal attorney, has become more closely associated with promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and fruitlessly trying to overturn it in court.

Read More

Giuliani mocked for warning of dangers of misinformation after amplifying Trumps big lie on elections for months

Swalwell sues Trump, Donald Jr and Giuliani over their role in Capitol insurrection

Giuliani suspended from YouTube over election conspiracies again, days after returning to platform

Rudy Giuliani spent days dodging voting firms $1.3 bn lawsuit: report

US narrows in on organized extremists in Capitol siege probe
Theres one thing I wish I could prescribe my patients. Its not an expensive pill or a cutting-edge treatment. Its simply a hug. Often what people need most is human contact, particularly when theyre unwell. Hugging someone, holding their hand or even a kind touch of their arm when they are upset can be the best medicine.

Yet on NHS wards up and down the country, sick people still arent able to be comforted by their nearest and dearest. All visitors are banned (except in special circumstances, such as when someone is dying) to reduce the risk of introducing Covid to wards.

Even the Queen has been unable to visit Prince Philip, 99, who having been admitted as a precautionary measure on February 16 and then undergoing heart surgery, has now been in hospital for almost a month.

If youre only in for a day or two, not seeing friends and family isnt so bad. But for some patients with complex problems it can mean not seeing people for far longer.

Kate Garraway who is unable to visit her husband Derek Draper, 53, while in intensive care, reassured his doctor that the public understands the reason behind the ban. Pictured: Derek Draper and wife, TVs Kate Garraway, in 2019

In an interview with an intensive care unit doctor last week, TV presenter Kate Garraway spoke about not being able to visit her 53-year-old husband, Derek Draper, who is still in intensive care.

Derek was admitted to hospital a year ago, and although he no longer has coronavirus, his body was completely ravaged by the disease.

Kate and their two children have no idea when, or if, he will be able to return home and Kate has not been able to see him since Christmas.

The doctor said how guilty he felt at enforcing the ban and although Kate tried to reassure him that the public understood the reasons behind it and appreciated the difficulties faced by NHS staff, I do know what he means as I feel guilty, too, having to enforce this on the psychiatric ward where I work.

And its unlikely to get better any time soon.

The Royal College of Physicians warned last week that people probably wont be able to visit loved ones in hospital well into next year, despite falling numbers of coronavirus cases and the success of the vaccination rollout.

Of course, I totally understand the reasons behind this.

Wards are busy places full of sick people. Visitors risk introducing Covid to patients who are already very frail and unwell.

Its also difficult to maintain social distancing on wards when there are visitors. So it definitely makes complete sense.

But its also important to acknowledge that this comes with a range of consequences. Scared, frightened, lonely patients are having to cope on their own.

You cant underestimate the great effects that seeing a loved-one can have on someone who is a patient in hospital.

Dr Max (pictured) said a young man with schizophrenia flung his arms around him while sobbing on his shoulder, after the ban prevented him from seeing any of his family for months

I used to see this happen all the time, especially when I worked in geriatrics, where patients tend to be admitted to hospital for a much longer period of time. After being visited, patients would seem much brighter and theyd be sitting up in bed. It was very much a tonic, but now all of this has gone.

Its not just on medical wards. In psychiatric wards as well, people with acute mental health problems cant have any visitiors over either.

Many of them are in hospital after suicide attempts or are psychotic. They are often incredibly distressed and yet they cant be comforted by those who are closest to them.

A few weeks ago I was taking blood from a young man with schizophrenia who was very unwell after he stopped taking his medication. He had become paranoid and tried to cut his wrists, and during that process, had severed a tendon which then needed surgery before he was able to be transferred over to our ward.

He was now no longer psychotic but very depressed. He was sitting in the clinic room, clearly very upset and low.

NHS waiting times for cancer patients are at a record high. Only 83 per cent of suspected cases are being seen by a doctor within two weeks. In the service I work for, the psychotherapy waiting list is well over a year. I worry delays are the start of the post-pandemic reckoning for the NHS.

As I knelt down he spontaneously flung his arms round me while he sobbed on my shoulder. It was utterly heartbreaking.

It should have been his mum or dad he was doing this to, but because of the no visitor rule he hadnt seen any of his family members for months.

It really is awful. It feels incredibly cruel having to tell loved ones they cant come to the wards as visitors.

One friend who is a nurse on a dementia ward was in floods of tears after helping a confused elderly man video call his wife.

He didnt understand why she hadnt come to see him and kept asking her if she still loved him and when he was going home.

He started crying, his wife started crying, and the nurse started crying.

Over the past year theres been lots of sad and awful things because of this virus and this is just yet another one, but the alternative  that wards of patients are put at risk  is far worse.

I hope Kate Garraway is right and that the public do understand why we are so strict.

That doesnt take away though how uncomfortable and guilty staff are feeling when enforcing the no-visitor rule.

We know that while we are doing our very best to care for our patients, its no substitute for a hug from someone who loves you.

Why half my colleagues are struggling

More than half of health and social care workers are suffering psychiatric disorders because of the pandemic, according to research conducted by UCL and published this week. Fear of catching the virus and the initial lack of PPE are thought to be contributing factors.

I also wonder if its down to the sudden and dramatic changes in their working patterns.

I remember, myself, feeling very disconcerted and stressed when, one Monday morning just before the first lockdown, we were all ushered into a meeting room and told our jobs were changing. There and then we were all redeployed across the entire trust  many of us doing jobs wed never done before and didnt feel confident in, and working with people we didnt know, often in different areas. Everything was suddenly thrown up in the air. Not only was it scary because of the virus, as many of us were put on wards with Covid patients, but our routine and structure were suddenly taken away. It was undeniably stressful and while most of us adapted, there were some colleagues who really struggled.

Black and ethnic minority people are being put at risk by the UKs colour-blind Covid vaccination strategy, argues an article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. The doctors claim ministers should have focused on ethnic minorities after the over-70s.

I think that might have made things worse. Some black colleagues have told me they worry they are human guinea pigs. A colour-blind approach helps allay any mistrust.

Claudia Hammond presents BBC podcast All In The Mind

Dr Max prescribes...

Brain boost podcast

The insightful and award-winning BBC podcast All In The Mind is about the magic and different challenges of the human mind. Subjects include brain health in later life, lockdown easing and mental health  issues we would all benefit from learning about. Its presented by broadcaster Claudia Hammond and there are more than 200 episodes available.
Peoples Bank reports highest ever balance sheet growth in 2020 View(s):

The Peoples Bank has announced its results for the year ended December 31, 2020 reporting consolidated net loan growth of Rs. 315.7 billion, representing a 21.6 per cent growth year on year and accounting for close to one third of overall net sector credit extended during the period.

Close to two third of credit was to the state and state-owned enterprises. Its consolidated assets reached Rs. 2,400.6 billion, up 17.1 per cent from end 2019 whilst its total deposits grew 21.8 per cent to reach Rs.1,935.2 billion from end 2019. Of deposit growth, 53.8 per cent came from current and savings accounts, the bank said in a media release this week.

From the COVID-19 moratorium perspective, the banking group extended relief to 460,000 retail customers  the largest for any financial services provider  and over 21,000 businesses. In addition, it introduced multiple loan schemes at highly concessionary rates of interest. It extended over Rs. 27 billion to revive SMEs including Rs. 13.7 billion in Saubghaya loans, and over Rs. 10 billion to the agriculture sector. All these however saw consolidated net interest income drop by 5.3 per cent to Rs. 74.4 billion, the release said

Consolidated operating income reached Rs. 90.8 billion, a 5.8 per cent drop from 2019. Total consolidated taxes and dividends to the Government during the year amounted to Rs. 16.8 billion down from Rs. 25.1 billion in 2019. Consolidated post tax profit amounted to Rs. 16.1 billion, down by 0.5 per cent from 2019. On a bank standalone basis however, post tax profit was Rs. 14.2 billion, up 9.7 per cent from 2019.

Commenting on the results, Chairman of Peoples Bank Sujeewa Rajapakse said: Unlike in a typical year, our success in 2020 is not measured by a typical top line or bottom line but by our national value added and customer centricity which was at the heart of every decision making process. An ability to go above and beyond a time of need is what ultimately defines this institution and the individuals who run it. The above all said, our job is far from over.

Bank CEO/GM Ranjith Kodituwakku added: 2020 was an out of the ordinary year on many fronts. Operationally it was the year which put digital and technological capabilities of all institutions alike, and their contingency plans, to the ultimate litmus test. It was also the year which held customer centricity to account. Several measures were taken to ensure safety and stability of the institution such as reducing capital expenditures and focusing lending to more priority/ essential service sectors.
Nicole Meldahl had trouble sleeping. For a little over two weeks, her nonprofit Western Neighborhoods Project had raised $180,000 to buy as many historic items as it could from the Cliff House, and now it was the day of the auction.

She woke up at 5 a.m. Friday, chugged her first of many cups of coffee and assembled the Dream Team  herself, fine art conservator Alexandra Mitchell and John Lindsey, owner of the Great Highway Gallery  on a Zoom call as they sat in their respective Sunset District homes.

We really just threw all this organizations chips in for this, so that kept us up at night, laughed Meldahl, the nonprofits executive director. It got incredibly stressful. I have never seen prices jump so quickly.

About three hours later, the group had purchased roughly 70 items  including a cowboy statue from the citys old Playland amusement park and a totem pole  all with rich provenance to San Franciscos early history along its foggy, jagged Lands End. Their ultimate goal is to preserve and display the items in the city.

Were super excited. I cant even explain it, Meldahl said. It was a feeling of  Oh my God, I cant believe we pulled this off.

It was the culmination of a wild past few months for the 157-year-old landmark restaurant that announced its closure in December. The Hountalas family, which ran the property since 1977, could not reach a new lease agreement with the sites owner, the National Park Service. The business had already been ravaged by the pandemic. Federal officials hope to find a new tenant soon.

As an auction house prepared the items for sale, a burglar broke in and stole some items, but then he was caught and nearly every artifact returned. Meanwhile, the nonprofit raised money, blasting past its $150,000 goal after receiving matching donations from an individual who wanted to honor San Francisco author and historian Gary Kamiya, who writes Portals of the Past for The Chronicle.

When outgoing proprietor Marianne Hountalas found out the nonprofit would be bidding, she allowed the team in for a sneak peek to prioritize.

That allowed us to cut through the fat, Meldahl said.

The auction began Thursday, but it was Friday when the historic artifacts went up for sale. This was the chance to keep the items local.

ACT Art Conservation LLC archives

As the seconds ticked down on items, Meldahl would type in bids. At times, a dozen targeted lots would inch toward the final gavel and shed frantically up their bid or choose to abort.

We quickly realized we would not be able to buy all the historic artifacts, she laughed.

The groups treasurer kept a running tally of what they won and how much more they could spend. A set of three posters of the Sutro Baths  a huge indoor pool adjacent to the Cliff House that burned down in 1966  went way over budget. Abort! they all yelled.

Each new bid added another five minutes. By the middle of the auction, the group was juggling about a dozen lots, all nearing completion.

A big purchase was Sheriff C.U. Soon, a spindly-legged cowboy statue that was part of the Fun Piertown kid section of Playland, the old amusement park that fronted Ocean Beach. They also bought two porcelain muses that once hung in the baths and a totem pole representing the Whitney family, early proprietors of the restaurant.

They bought a wooden stool from the baths with Adolf Sutros initials stamped on the bottom, bathing suits and lockers from the baths, the wooden bear statue that greeted Cliff House patrons for years, a waiters cap, a maitre ds bib, menus from surrounding restaurants and a rare luncheon program when President Theodore Roosevelt visited the establishment.

Her favorite?

They all feel like my children now, Meldahl laughed.

The group was ecstatic to rescue the items, but lamented how it was left to them.

The bigger problem is there is no city agency or approach to save history like this, Meldahl said. Its up to private citizens.

Now they must figure out what to do with the items. In the short term, the Minnesota Street Project, an art space in the Dogpatch neighborhood, has volunteered to transport and store them. Mitchell will restore them in her studio.

For instance, in an oil portrait of Sutro, which hung in the bar, the San Francisco philanthropist and politician looks a little seasick because of a poor past restoration. While the Cliff House was the perfect historical spot to house the items, Meldahl said, it was not ideal to store delicate artifacts in a working restaurant surrounded by salty sea air.

We are thrilled and relieved to have rescued so many pieces of history and ensured their safety, Mitchell said. We are looking forward to Phase 2 now  to conserve, and archive the pieces, during which we will be planning Phase 3, which will be to find our home for them to be on display for the public.

The nonprofit plans to hold public discussions on that. It wants the items to stay near the citys salty coast.

Real historic artifacts make history incredibly tangible in ways nothing else can replicate, Meldahl said. It just seemed important to keep this part of San Franciscos soul, its heritage, intact and give the city a win in a year marked by loss.

Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni
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Easter attacks: AG wants probe widened By Ranjith Padmasiri View(s): View(s):

Attorney General Dappula De Livera has ordered further investigations into five individuals named in the final report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) that probed the Easter Sunday attacks, telling police that probes conducted thus far were inadequate.

Accordingly, the AG has informed Inspector General (IGP) C.D. Wickramaratne to expand criminal investigations into Abu Hind, Ahamed Thalib Lukman Thalib, his son Lukman Thalib Ahamed aka Abu Abdulla, Rimsan and Mahendran Pulasthini alias Sara. The five individuals have been named in the chapter titled Foreign Involvement in the CoIs final report.

The report states that according to testimony, Zaharan Hashim, the leader of the Easter attackers, believed Abu Hind was an Islamic State regional representative. Evidence given before the CoI has confirmed that he had been in touch with both Zaharan and his brother Rilwan, as well as Mohammad Ibrahim Mohammad Naufer, the theoretician of Zaharans group.

Sara was the wife of Achchi Mohammadu Mohammadu Hasthun, the suicide bomber at St. Sebastians Church in Katuwapitiya. The CoI had heard testimony from two witnesses who said Sara was seen alive after the Easter attacks and had fled to India. DNA analysis with the mother of Sara did not match any of those killed at the blast in Saindamarudu on April 26, 2019, the CoI report notes.

The CoI report has also named a Sri Lankan identified as Rimsan who is allegedly connected to Al-Qaeda.

The report also claims that Ahamed Thalib Lukman Thalib and his son Lukman Thalib Ahamed aka Abu Abdulla, who are domiciled in Australia, had facilitated several members of the Sri Lanka Jamaat-E-Islami Student Movement (SLJISM), to proceed to Syria through Turkey for arms training. The CoI report notes that the duos alleged role in Islamic State and Al-Qaeda activity in Sri Lanka needed to be probed.

Prof. Lukman Thalibs legal team, meanwhile, has issued a statement decrying the allegations made against him and his son as baseless, scandalous and defamatory. The statement added that Prof. Thalib and his son have no relation with violence or terror groups or with any terror plots that have taken place. Our clients fundamental rights, reputation and honour have been violated and his safety has been placed at risk.

Prof. Thalib has spent most of his life outside of Sri Lanka over the past 20 years, and his only connection with the country had been his brief visits to see his mother. These visits continued until the passing away of his mother, the statement said. Prof. Dr. Lukman Thalib and his family are innocent. They believe they have been made a scapegoat for crimes that they have not committed, the legal team asserted.

The Attorney General, meanwhile, filed indictments this week in the Puttalam High Court against lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah and Puttalam Al Suhariya Madrassa principal Mohamed Shakeel. They were indicted on offences coming under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act. Though indictments have been filed, the Sunday Times understands that the AG has directed police to widen the investigations into Mr Hizbullah and Mr Shakeel in relation to several other complaints over alleged extremist activities.
I

n the run-up to Easter 2020, Melissa Darby felt constantly sick. Around two weeks before, the country had gone into its first national lockdown on 23 March, and daily press conferences told us how many people had contracted and died from the novel coronavirus that had upturned our lives. But it wasnt the news alone alone that was unsettling Darby. The 31-year-old also noticed that smells felt unusually overpowering. At the suggestion of her mother, she took a pregnancy test on Good Friday. When it came back positive, she started crying.

It was the height of the panic at the very beginning when we didnt know [who] was going to survive, she tells The Independent from the home she shares with her husband Jack in south London. No one wanted to go to hospitals and they were filling up and it was a really scary time.

In an effort to minimise Covid risk, Darby planned for a home birth. However, the day she went into labour in December, her local midwife home birth team was short-staffed, so she had no choice but to go to hospital. Due to Covid restrictions, Jack had to stay in the lobby until her labour was advanced.

Everyone has faced difficulties during the pandemic but, for new parents, particularly mothers, there have been a multitude of unprecedented barriers to face. These include, but are not limited to, restrictions on partners attending scans and being present during labour; not being able to have partners stay to help following the birth; not being allowed to introduce their new baby to grandparents, friends and family (pictures of people meeting through windows have gone viral throughout the year); and postnatal support groups and midwife services being on pause or moved online.

Melissa Darby with her son Brodie (Melissa Darby)

For Darby, the biggest issue was not having her partner present throughout the labour. Up until 16 December 2020, NHS trusts could decide on a postcode-by-postcode basis whether or not partners were allowed to be present throughout the birthing process, and only permit them to accompany the mother during established labour, once they were four centimetres dilated. Darby ended up having an emergency delivery in theatre after a problem with her babys heartbeat. Everyone [was] in face masks, she says. Youre scared already and there were 15 people in there. It was all a bit of a whirlwind of an experience.

For Madeleine Fogg, the worst obstacle was being unable to have her husband in hospital after the birth - despite she and her daughter, Skylar, having to stay in for four days due to an infection. The 29-year-old says that this meant he couldnt see his daughter, now five months old, again until she came home. That was the worst bit, she says. She was literally feeding every hour or so. I wasnt sleeping, it was just the most overwhelming four days I think Ive ever experienced - just solely on my own.

I felt so sad that my husband couldnt be there and see our baby Madeleine Fogg

I felt so sad that my husband couldnt be there and see our baby, she added. Her frustration was compounded by her not feeling that unwell - due to a course of antibiotics - but having to wait to be discharged before she could leave the hospital and have her husbands help.

Madeleine Fogg with her daughter Skylar (Madeleine Fogg )

As well as being an emotional support, partners also provide essential advocacy for mothers, helping make sure their wishes are respected and that they are getting the right assistance when they may not be able to speak for themselves. Florence Sevensma found the prospect of not having her partner Mark present particularly scary. It was really hard on me and, being a black mother, I had a lot of anxieties around the five times more stats, the 29-year-old says, referring to figures that show black women in the UK are more than five times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than white women.

Florence Sevensma with her family (Florence Sevensma)

I had hoped to have my husband with me as he is great at advocating for me but, sadly, I was unable to. Fortunately, Sevensmas mother, an NHS worker, works at the hospital where she had her daughter Zolah, and was able to be with her until her husband was allowed to attend.

As well as being restricted during the birth, many mothers have had to attend scans alone. This not only means partners miss out on milestone moments but that mothers may have to receive difficult or tragic news about complications to their pregnancy alone.

Read more: I miscarried alone as my partner was not allowed on the ward

To avoid finding out the sex of her baby before her partner, Danyelle Mcfarlane, 31, from Brixton asked her sonographer to write down the information on a piece of paper to take away. She and her partner decided not to open it, and wait to be surprised, but their 10-year-old son asked if he could look and keep it a secret. Instead, he let slip by accident while shopping in Tesco.

My partner and my middle boy were walking ahead and I just said, You said he, is it a boy? and he said, Yes mummy. Mcfarlane remembers bursting into tears. It was the shock of it, she says. I wasnt expecting to find out in the middle of Tescos.

Danyelle Mcfarlane with her youngest son Treyn (Danyelle Mcfarlane)

Even once women have left hospital, some say they have struggled with changes to appointments with health visitors. Health visiting services were cut in the first lockdown, with some moving solely online, as many health visitors were redeployed. While these services have been reinstated, there is still variation around the country.

Abi Clintons son, who was born two weeks before the first lockdown, had tongue tie which wasnt initially picked up by her GP. Because of Covid, they would barely come near him, to be honest, the 33-year-old from Worcestershire says. It was kind of like an at-a-distance look in his mouth and they were like, No, no, hes fine. Later, Clinton took her son to a private practitioner, who diagnosed him.

Abi Clinton and son Albie (Abi Clinton )

We didnt know because we had no health visitor or midwife coming around at all, she says.

Although some stories show how the pandemic has created adversity for parents that they neednt have faced, others have been glad that their pregnancy coincided with unprecedented circumstances. Not least because it has given people unparalleled periods of time spent at home - meaning those who might otherwise have had to return to work now get more time with their newborn baby, even if they are still working remotely.

This is particularly the case for fathers - when you compare the nearly year-long period many have spent working from home with the statutory fortnight of paternity leave, being furloughed and being away from offices have offered many dads more time. How many dads have the opportunity to be home for three months of a new babys life? asks Lucy Mitchell, from Cambridge, who gave birth to her son Jasper in December.

Weve had absolute privacy to nest together Lucy Mitchell

Weve had absolute privacy to nest together and I could learn to breastfeed all day and night without entertaining countless people wanting to cuddle the baby, the 30-year-old says. But she does also highlight the issue of grandparents, friends and family being unable to meet the new baby - something many will have experienced. On the downside, my mum and dad havent met the baby yet and hes three months old.

Sevensma too says there have been positives among the pain. It always feels so sad to say because so much heartache has come from Covid but there have been a lot of positives for us, adds Sevensma, who documents her experiences of motherhood on Instagram. Being able to be home together has been amazing my oldest daughter, who is nine years older than Zolah, has been able to spend so much time bonding with her sister. Weve adopted a much slower pace in life which was very much needed.

For Mcfarlane, social media has played the social support role that parent and baby classes once might have occupied. Im using it now to connect to other mums that have been pregnant, the same situation as me really, she says. Just to reach out to other mums and have a network of people that are all going through the same journey.

Like most peoples connections, these chats remain behind a screen for the time being but the mum-of-three says shes making plans for a massive get-together with the friends shes made online once lockdown is over. Ive met so many nice people, she says. Im looking forward to meeting people face to face, you know?

The health implications for babies who have been without the usual medical support, and have only ever seen a handful of faces, are not yet known. What we do know is that new parents have had to adapt to an extraordinary, and sometimes terrifying, set of circumstances. Like all of us, the workarounds theyve employed have been grueling but with some unexpected joys.
With a change of engine supplier over the winter, McLaren perhaps had more work to do with their car than most other teams. But the team of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris are looking one of the most comfortable in the paddock. Norris confirms the team feel well prepared for the Bahrain Grand Prix in two weeks time.

Another good day

McLaren didn't towards the top of the timesheets, nor did they record the most laps. Body language is one of the best ways to tell how well a team has performed during the winter tests and all the noise from the Woking-based team is positive.

"It was a good morning, a lot of testing. Going through a mixture of the shorter runs and the long runs. Just a test, so we're trying things on the car, trying different balances and trying to understand it so when we come here in a couple of weeks we're ready and prepared. The whole test as been pretty smooth without major setbacks. It's nice to be back in a Formula 1 car again," Norris told F1 TV's post-testing reaction.

Read more Video | Hamilton spins on final test day in Bahrain

"I think I've been able to settle in quickly and feel comfortable which is nice. Three days is not a lot especially when you're splitting them. It's not easy to feel at home in a Formula 1 car because they're not easy to get used to. We haven't done the most laps, but we haven't had problems. We have been going through everything. Testing everything and sticking to our plan. We put ourselves in a good position for when we come back in the race," Norris added.

Read more Question marks surround Mercedes as Red Bull go quickest - Day 3 F1 testing report
A trip to the hospital 'just to be safe' has turned into a nightmare for the parents of a baby boy who ended up needing urgent brain surgery.

Tori Archer and Ryan Anthony took their two-month-old son, Lucas, to the emergency department after the normally bubbly baby became disengaged, sleepy and irritated.

He was quickly flown to a major children's hospital for surgery after doctors diagnosed him with hydrocephalus - a life-threatening illness that causes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to build up in the brain.

Lucas has since been suffering seizures due to surgery complications which doctors say has resulted in brain damage - the extent yet to be determined.

Lucas Anthony (pictured), from Wauchope on the NSW Mid North Coast, was flown to Sydney's Westmead Hospital on February 22 to undergo urgent brain surgery

Last week, as he turned three-months-old, his parents were just thankful he is still alive.

'It has been every parent's worst nightmare,' Ms Archer, 27, told Daily Mail Australia.

'When we saw Lucas after the surgery he was white, unresponsive and barely breathing. Within 10 minutes he had crashed.

'I dont think any parent ever wants to hear that their baby is not going to make it.'

Although born premature, Lucas had been meeting his milestones and was a 'healthy and happy baby'.

He would always smile at his parents and older siblings Charlie, six, and Elouise, four, eagerly following them with his eyes as they moved throughout their Wauchope home on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales.

But on February 22, Ms Archer noticed Lucas was acting differently. By 6pm, when the little boy could no longer open his eyes properly, she started to panic.

'I felt sick. I thought have I missed something? He wasnt drinking, is he dehydrated now? Has one of the two kids been too rough?"'Ms Archer said.

Tori Archer and Ryan Anthony (pictured with Lucas's older siblings Charlie and Elouise) took their baby boy to hospital after noticing he was unwell

Although born premature, Lucas (pictured with his mother, Tori) had been meeting all of his milestones and was a healthy baby

'Ryan said let's just go to the hospital to be safe. We thought we were being overprotective parents and would only be there for two hours.'

Despite walking into a full waiting room at the Port Macquarie Hospital in NSW, the parents were immediately ushered into the paediatric bay for Lucas to undergo testing. That is when Ms Archer knew something was seriously wrong.

Within 30 minutes, doctors gave Lucas diagnosis and his parents were told he required immediate surgery or would go into cardiac arrest.

At Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney, neurosurgeons inserted a shunt - a tube that helps drain CSF - into Lucas' brain, but hours after leaving the operation table he went further downhill.

Doctors warned Ms Archer and Mr Anthony to brace for the possibility their beloved son would not survive.

But after an anxious three-hour wait, Lucas was wheeled out to see his parents. Although heavily sedated, strapped to machines and covered in needles, he was miraculously stable.

'It was like a weight off our shoulders,' Ms Archer said.

'Even though he was on medication, had drips in his arms and needle holes all over his body, we still had our baby boy.'

But Lucas's battle was far from over. He spent the next 48 hours suffering seizures every five to ten minutes after a vein in his brain burst following surgery, causing bleeding in his frontal lobe.

The residual blood has created a constant risk of further irritation in his brain, meaning he could take another turn for the worse at any moment.

Lucas was diagnosed with hydrocephalus - a build up of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain

A team of specialist nurses, paediatricians, neurosurgeons, and speech pathologists have been monitoring Lucas, whose seizures have now reduced to a few a day.

He is now stable and out of ICU, but his parents been warned it is now 'just a waiting game' to see if he improves.

While it is still too early to gauge the severity of his brain damage - and assessments will not start until his seizures are brought under control - his parents have noticed behavioural signs that he is no longer the same.

'At a minimum, doctors said he would have delayed development or at worst severe brain damage and he will require assistance for everything,' Ms Archer said.

Each year, one in 1000 children in Australia is born with hydrocephalus, but many more adults and children acquire the condition through accidents, tumours, bleeding or infection.

Although CFS is normally absorbed by the brain, hydrocephalus occurs when there is a blockage or the body is creating too much, putting pressure on the brain as the fluid makes it swell and enlarge.

Causes include genetic inheritance, developmental disorders  such as spina bifida - complications from premature birth, disease, meningitis, tumours, or head injury.

However, the origin of Lucas' condition has left seasoned doctors baffled after CT scans could not pinpoint anything abnormal.

'They believe he may have had a post-partum bleed on his brain, but they are not completely sure,' Ms Archer said.

'In his 30 years, the doctor has never seen a case like it.'

Doctors believe Lucas has suffered brain damage after surgery complications triggered ongoing seizures

Lucas's parents have relocated to Sydney while Lucas is in hospital, which could be for six weeks or longer. Pictured: Lucas with his dad and siblings shortly after his birth

The couple have been told they are looking at a six-week minimum before Lucas can be discharged, putting financial pressure on the family as Mr Anthony, 22, a diesel mechanic, takes time off work to be in Sydney.

Ms Archer's sister Zoe has set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover the ongoing costs of food, rent and travel over the next few weeks - or possibly months - the family will be away from home.

While they have been fortunate to secure a room at Ronald McDonald house and Lucas's upfront hospital bills are covered by medical care, the couple will also need to pay for future treatment such as occupational therapy.

The community has rallied around the couple, who served as volunteer firefighters during the horror 2019 bushfire season, donating more than $6,000.

Ms Archer said the family have been overwhelmed by the support.

'We cant even believe it,' she said.

'My sister said when our community needed us the most we fought fires for 169 days straight, and it was time for us to get the support back.'
(Newser)  A Colorado man who told authorities that he drank several beers and a couple of shots before boarding a flight was arrested earlier this month after allegedly refusing to wear a mask and urinating in the cabin of the aircraft, the AP reports. Landon Grier faces a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew and attendants, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine, in connection to the March 9 incident on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Denver. According to an affidavit, a female flight attendant asked the 24-year-old Canon City resident several times to put on a mask, but he refused and began to push and swat her hand away as she tried to gently tap his shoulder to get his attention, per Yahoo News. He subsequently struck her arm two to three times in an attempt to aggressively dismiss her, an FBI agent said in the affidavit. FAA rules require airplane passengers to wear face coverings.

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Later, per the affidavit, Grier took out his penis, and began peeing, in the area around his seat KUSA reports, noting that the incident played out as the aircraft was descending over the mountains in turbulent conditions, preparing to make an emergency landing in Denver due to an unspecified mechanical issue. The disruption caused the pilot crew to divert attention from their emergency landing preparation, according to the affidavit. Grier said he didnt remember hitting the flight attendant and awoke to being yelled at by the flight attendants who told him he was peeing. He appeared in court Thursday and was released on $10,000 bond, per the AP. He is scheduled to appear in court again on March 26. We will not tolerate any disturbance onboard our aircraft or at any of the airports we serve, Alaska Airlines said in a statement. (Read more face masks stories.)
Buckingham Palace has hired an outside law firm to conduct an independent inquiry into bullying claims made against the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.

Last week, in the lead up to Meghan and Harrys eagerly anticipated Oprah interview, Palace sources were quoted as saying that the Palace was prepared to retaliate with fresh disclosures about the couples behaviour if the monarchy is attacked.

That retaliation has now arrived as The Sunday Times reports that, in a surprise move, the Palace will be bringing in a third-party law firm to conduct an investigation into the bullying claims.

Jason Knauf, who at the time was the Sussexes communications secretary, made the complaint against the duchess in 2018, alleging that she drove two personal assistant out and undermined the confidence of a third.

A royal source told The Sunday Times: The actual worst incidences havent come out. There are some harrowing stories to tell. Another Palace source said: Theres a lot that could come out in the wash that hasnt been told.

Responding to the allegations earlier this month, Meghans spokesperson said: The duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.

Meanwhile Prince Harry has also been accused of hypocrisy by allies of the Prince of Wales, claiming that Harry was not cut off by his father, who, they claim, was financially supporting the Duke until they found their feet in America.

The fallout of the Royal Family is being watched around the world and the outcome is seen as important to the future direction of the UK monarchy.

The Duke of Cambridge, who it is said has only recently spoken to his brother following the interview, said last week that the family was very much not racist.

The Sussexes are not expected to be invited to take part in the inquiry, despite having written to the Palace about it. The review aims to learn lessons by taking evidence from members of staff past and present.

According to the Times, the Palace is determined the inquiry should not be played out in public to ensure all those taking part feel comfortable. It is thought the inquiry will begin immediately, with no deadline. A royal source said: It will take as long as it will takes.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the report.
There is a widespread misperception that when the pandemic exploded, New Jersey followed New Yorks example and forced nursing homes to accept transfers and former residents from overwhelmed hospitals.

A closer examination reveals that isnt the case. New Jerseys long-term care facilities had a right to refuse patients if they felt they could not meet the safety guidelines mandated by the state, such as isolating COVID patients in separate wards and having adequate staff and PPE. In fact, 99 of these LTCs declined to take transfers the day after Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli issued her much-debated March 31 advisory to operators.

It is also true, however, that there was documented confusion on the part of the nursing homes, and its time to find out how much that contributed to this catastrophe  with 7,838 residents and 143 staff members lost through Friday  and address this appalling failure with the commitment and zeal that it demands.

It was disappointing that the Democrats and the Murphy Administration refused to take part in the March 5 hearings held by a group of Republican legislators, which devolved into a truculent and partisan four-hour exercise, with the lead witness best known for peddling the FDA-banned hydroxychloroquine on Fox News and Persichilli bashed like a pinata in absentia.

The Republicans were justified in their thirst for facts, however, because it has been a year since the cascade of death washed over our vulnerable seniors, and the majority party isnt showing the necessary vigor to investigate anything that might embarrass the governor during a re-election campaign.

Murphy himself has decided to drop all the blame on for-profit nursing home operators, conveniently forgetting that more than 200 residents died at the state-operated veterans facilities, where management actively discouraged wearing masks for weeks, even devising penalties for it. Worse, he seems content to leave so many questions unanswered.

Haunting failures. @SusanKLivio and I with the inside story of the failures that left more than 5,300 nursing home residents dead in #NJ https://t.co/Tn4y3UnYwq  Ted Sherman (@TedShermanSL) May 20, 2020

We still dont know whether the homes felt pressured to take in COVID-patients even when they were understaffed, and how that inflated the death toll. We dont know why Persichillis March 31 directive expressly prohibited testing patients for the virus prior to admission, and whether it was driven by a test-kit shortage. We still never heard an adequate reason why it took 36 days after the first nursing home death for the department to have its first on-site inspection.

We dont know why dozens of staff members were suspended with pay at one veterans home just as the storm was raging. We dont know why we didnt follow the Connecticut model, which had extraordinary success by creating four recovery centers that kept COVID transfers out of LTCs. We dont know whether surges were related to bad decisions by for-profit operators, poor compliance to regulations, caregivers working multiple jobs, vague advisories, all of the above, or something else.

The only previous search for answers came last summer from the Senate Health Committee, which drafted 15 bills in response to the crisis, including the establishment of an Emergency Operations Center to serve as a centralized command for future responses and requirements to maintain a 90-day supply of PPE.

His petulance does not exactly fit the circumstances or honor the sacrifice of these heroes who died alone  victims of horrendous oversight, terrible equipment, and poor staff training on Murphys watch.



Veterans are dying. Murphy responds with a dodge https://t.co/9UNFBb9Oi7  Declan O'Scanlon (@declanoscanlon) November 1, 2020

Its chairman, Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Middlesex), now favors a 9/11-style commission to examine every aspect of the COVID response, but it must be bipartisan, informed, and non-political  which is a challenge in New Jersey. But while Senate President Steve Sweeney favors that idea, he will only move on it when the time is right.

Thats a disappointing dodge. Our nursing homes had more casualties than any other state, and the survivors deserve answers, because not much has changed in the long term care industry. In many cases, thats the fault of the state in not clarifying or enforcing policy.

In New York, for example, a Kaiser Health review found that many facilities believed they had to follow the imperious direction of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and were not aware that turning patients away was an option.

As patient advocate Richard Mollot points out, There is no reason for nursing homes to think they should only take in patients if they can do it safely  those rules are not usually enforced.

In New Jersey, multiple directives from Persichilli support her claim that she told facilities to accept COVID-positive patients only if they could handle the crush.

A memo that week from the industrys trade group confirmed there was an off-ramp, but it also reflects the uncertainty of that moment: At first glance, the directive seems to mandate COVID-19 positive admissions, then-CEO Jon Dolan of the Health Care Association of NJ advised. However. . . exceptions provide affirmative statements for denial of such admissions.

That confusion should never happen during a health crisis. What are we doing to ensure that it doesnt happen again?

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.
Attention deficit disorders

A new global study involving the University of Adelaide has found that children who are the youngest in their classroom are more likely to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) than their older ...
Tehran, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2021 ) :Several Iranian coastguard personnel were wounded as protesters attacked their base over the killing of a young man in a confrontation between their unit and fuel smugglers, local media reported Sunday.

The incident occurred Friday after smugglers in boats in the Sirik area of the Hormuz Strait ignored coastguard warning shots, ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper quoted their provincial commander Hossein Dehaki as saying.

He said guards opened fire at several boats after coming under attack with fire bombs and other projectiles.

Iranian media said a 31-year-old Sirik resident was killed.

Hours later, villagers gathered outside the base to demonstrate against the killing, according to state television's Iribnews website, citing a local official.

Dehaki said the protesters, spurred on by "opponents" of the Islamic republic, launched an assault on the coastguard building, seriously injuring several members of the force and causing heavy damage.

The violence comes less than three weeks after deadly clashes with fuel smugglers in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Pakistan that left two dead, including a policeman, according to Iranian authorities.

The UN Human Rights Office said at least 12 people were reportedly killed, two of them minors, and accused Iranian security forces of using excessive force.
At the hearing earlier this week on the nomination of Vanita Gupta for Associate Attorney General, Sen. Tom Cotton asked the nominee whether she, or anyone on her behalf, threatened police unions with retaliation if they did not endorse her nomination. Gupta answered in the negative.

It was a fair question. After all, Gupta has advocated cuts in police funding as well as turning over tasks performed by the police to others  presumably social workers, community organizers, etc.

Forget ideology. No competent, honest union leader is likely voluntarily to endorse someone whose positions entail loss of employment for members and loss of members for the union.

According to the Washington Post, Sen. Cotton asked the question in a way that suggested he has evidence that police unions were threatened with adverse consequences if they didnt endorse Gupta. So the Post investigated, after a fashion.

One of its crack journalists interviewed the heads of various police organizations that have endorsed Gupta. Each denied being threatened. But if anyone was coerced into endorsing Gupta, that same coercion would likely prevent an admission of being coerced.

This is not to say that police union officials were coerced. When I heard about the endorsements, I figured that the officials were scared, but not necessarily threatened. In other words, they calculated that Gupta will probably be confirmed and that it is therefore in their interests to support her, in the hope that shell be less aggressive in neutering the police if they do.

We can call this thinking anticipatory Stockholm Syndrome. Absent evidence of direct coercion, I assume that this explains the endorsements.

There is a third possibility. Guptas supporters say that when she was acting head of the Civil Rights Division during the Obama years, she had positive interactions with police departments. These allegedly positive interactions occurred when the Justice Department reviewed and to some extent oversaw local policing in places like Baltimore (after the death of Freddy Gray).

But were these interactions positive in any meaningful sense? Baltimore police officers dont seem to have thought so. They exited the citys police in droves during this period, leaving the force woefully understaffed.

And what about violent crime, in case anyone still cares about that? It skyrocketed in Baltimore after Gupta and the Obama DOJ began interfering with a heavy hand.

Thus, I think we can rule out the notion that police organizations are endorsing Gupta because of the fine job the Justice Department did under her watch when it meddled in local policing (Gupta even dictated what pronouns officers in Baltimore must use). Which brings us back to the other two explanations  direct coercion or anticipatory Stockholm Syndrome.

Its likely one or the other.
Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa that is carrying a consignment of 1000 metric tonnes of rice reached the port of Anjouan in Comoros on Sunday. It will be received by the Foreign Minister of Comoros H.E. Dhoihir Dhoulkamal during a ceremony tomorrow, as per a tweet by the official Twitter handle of Embassy of India in Antananarivo, Madagascar & Comoros

Tagging Indian Diplomacy and External Affairs Minister, the embassy communicated the news with a video in which the naval ship can be seen arriving at the port.

. @indiannavy Ship Jalashwa arrives at port of Anjouan, Comoros with 1000 metric tonnes of rice. It will be received by H.E. Dhoihir Dhoulkamal, Honble Foreign Minister of Comoros in a ceremony tomorrow. @IndianDiplomacy @harshvshringla @DrSJaishankar @Azali_officiel pic.twitter.com/TYYeS45jdb  India in Madagascar & Comoros (@IndembTana) March 14, 2021

During a brief visit to Comoros in October 2019, the Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu had promised to send this consignment of 1000 metric tonnes as food assistance.

Next stop Ehoala

After handing over the consignment to the Foreign Minister of Comoros H.E. Dhoihir in the ceremony on March 15, the INS Jalashwa will travel straight to the Port of Ehoala to deliver another consignment comprising 1000 metric tonnes of rice and 1,00,000 tablets of HCQ, which was promised by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in response to an appeal made by the country for solidarity and assistance in dealing with the humanitarian crisis in the South of Madagascar caused due to severe drought.

Good conversation with FM of Madagascar @Tehindrazanari1.

Informed him that Indian humanitarian assistance would be delivered in the coming days. Will include food and medical supplies.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 1, 2021

INS Jalashwa also had onboard the Indian Naval training team which will be deployed in Madagascar for capacity building and training of the Malagasy Special Forces for two weeks. The team was deboarded at the port of Antisiranana in Madagascar on March 12.

It is pertinent to mention here that India and Madagascar share a cooperative bond in the defence sector. In March 2018, when the President of India visited Madagascar, the two countries entered into a Memorandum of Understanding for defence cooperation while many bilateral cooperation projects are still under discussion.


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Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Threats from China and North Korea will loom large over the Biden administration's first Cabinet-level trip abroad, part of a larger effort to bolster U.S. influence and calm concerns about America's role in Asia.

A senior administration said Saturday that U.S. officials have tried to reach out to North Korea through multiple channels since last month, but have yet to receive a response, making consultations with the reclusive country's neighbors, Japan, South Korea and China, all the more critical.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are heading to Japan and South Korea for four days of talks starting Monday as the administration seeks to shore up partnerships with the two key regional treaty allies. Blinken and Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will then meet with senior Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska,

Their first official overseas visits are intended to restore what Biden hopes will be a calming and even-keeled approach to ties with Tokyo and Seoul after four years of transactional and often temperamental relations under the previous president, Donald Trump. He had upended diplomatic norms by meeting not once, but three times, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

In addition to their official talks, Blinken and Austin plan virtual meetings with journalists, civil-society members and others. After reassuring their counterparts of U.S. commitments to Japanese and South Korean security, they plan to focus their talks on cooperating to confront an increasingly assertive China, the nuclear challenge from North Korea and the coronavirus pandemic.

In his first months in office, Biden has already signaled his desire to return the Asia-Pacific  or Indo-Pacific, as has become more common in officialese  to the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. In keeping with his broader America is back diplomatic theme, Biden has pledged to keep stability in the region at the core of his international initiatives.

On Friday, Biden participated in a virtual summit with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia. A free and open Indo-Pacific is essential, Biden told his fellow members of the so-called Quad. The United States is committed to working with you, our partners and all of our allies in the region to achieve stability.

As part of that effort and to reduce the risks of escalation, the senior official said efforts had been made to connect with the North Koreans since mid-February, including through what is known as the New York channel. To date, the official said, "we have not received any response from Pyongyang. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic outreach.

As the administration plots its strategy, the official said it would continue to consult with the Japanese and South Koreans, as well as with the Chinese, and had also reached out to numerous former U.S. officials involved in North Korea policy, including from the Trump presidency.

Biden's meeting with the Quad came less than a week after U.S. and South Korean negotiators overcame years of contentious discussions under Trump to reach a tentative deal on paying for the American troop presence in South Korea. That agreement, along with a similar one for Japan, will be front and center in Blinken and Austins meetings.

As he had done with allies in Europe, Trump threatened to reduce security cooperation unless host countries paid more, sparking fears of troop withdrawals at a time of particular uncertainty as China boosts efforts to dominate the region and North Koreas nuclear weapons remain a major source of angst.

Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy, and we are working to strengthen Americas relationships with our allies as well as the relationships among them, said Sung Kim, a career diplomat who is the top U.S. diplomat for Asia. He served in the Philippines and Indonesia during the Trump administration and was also previously the special envoy for North Korea.

Yet, for all of Biden's suggestions that he will reverse Trump's overt hostility to China, he has yet to countermand a single one of his predecessor's policies. He has, in fact, reaffirmed several of them, including maintaining sanctions in response to human rights abuses in western Xinjiang and Hong Kong and restating a Trump-era decision to reject outright nearly all of China's maritime claims in the South China Sea.

And, many of China's policies that the U.S. finds objectionable  including its crackdown in Hong Kong, stepped up rhetoric against Taiwan and actions in the South China Sea  began during the Obama administration. The previous Democratic administration took office promising a pivot to Asia after a period of what many saw as American neglect for the region during George W. Bush's presidency, which was consumed by the onset of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In fact, although some obvious circumstances have changed since 2009, Blinken and Austin's trip mirrors in many ways the initial overseas journey of President Barack Obama's first secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, when she traveled to Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and then China in a bid to re-assert U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific. Obama's engagement with China, however, did not produce the desired results, and the North Korean threat grew.

Although China is not on Blinken's itinerary, after wrapping up the stop in Seoul, he will fly back to Washington via Anchorage, Alaska, where he and Sullivan, will meet senior Chinese officials. Austin, meanwhile, while fly from Seoul to New Delhi, where he'll meet top Indian leaders.

Still, the administration is convinced that its domestic efforts to revitalize the U.S, economy and step up the fight against COVID-19 have put it in a better position both to blunt Chinese ambitions directly and leverage its partnerships to do the same.

After the work of the past 50 days, Secretary Blinken and I will enter the meeting with senior Chinese representatives from a position of strength, Sulllivan said on Friday.

How that strength will play with rivals like China and North Korea, let alone allies like Japan and South Korea, remains to be seen.

This article was written by MATTHEW LEE from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
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New Delhi, March 14 : Two men in their early twenties were killed and one injured after the bike they were traveling hit the divider in Dwaraka on Saturday evening.

The deceased have been identified as Sumit and Vikas. Police said that the staff reached at the spot and found one red colour Pulsar motor-cycle in accidental condition and two broken helmets. Blood was also found on the spot.

During enquiry in the hospital, injured Vineet, aged-about 21 years, a resident of Dasrathpuri, stated that his friend Sumit came to their house to meet them. After that Vineet along with his real brother Vikas, were going to Dwarka Mod to drop their friend Sumit.

Vikas was riding the motorcycle. After crossing the power house, their motorcycle collided with the divider and Sumit and Vikas died on the spot.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber announced last week that he would seek reelection this November. The question now is will he have an opponent?

As yet, the field of potential candidates willing to oppose him remains incredibly slim  in fact nonexistent. As of Thursday, no other candidate had declared an intent to run against him.

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Many people agree that that may have something to do with Webbers status as the incumbent, but they also say the vast amounts of money Webber is capable of raising to defend his seat might deter others from challenging him.

Webber blew fundraising records out of the water when he ran for mayor in 2018, raising more than $315,000  nearly triple that of Kate Noble, who had the second-highest fundraising total at $113,000.

Now, with a new Webber campaign officially underway, some worry another large fundraising effort could dampen the political aspirations of those who might otherwise run for mayor. And many have expressed doubt that the citys public financing option, which provides up to $90,000, could be competitive in an increasingly expensive election.

Theres such an inflated cost of elections overall in the past 10 years, said Heather Ferguson, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico. Is it an incredible amount for a city of Santa Fes size? Absolutely.

Santa Fe has posted campaign finance data only since the 2006 election, when former mayor David Coss raised more than $146,000 in his successful bid for office.

Since 2014, mayoral candidates have had the option of using public financing to fund their campaigns, with the cap set at $60,000. Two candidates that year took advantage, including winner Javier Gonzales.

However, the 2018 election saw only one candidate, Ron Trujillo, from a field of five choose public financing. While he finished second to Webber, Trujillo said his opponents ability to raise large amounts of money gave him an unfair advantage in the election.

The playing field isnt fair, Trujillo said. When you have $300,000, the skys the limit.

He said he believes all candidates should have to take public financing, which he called the will of the people. Santa Fe voters approved public financing as an option, but privately financed campaigns are still an option available to those who have the means to raise large amounts of money.

And there are some statistics that show voters approve of the idea of public financing.

A 2017 study by the University of New Mexico found that 55% of surveyed voters thought public financing should be made available to all candidates, while 15% said only some candidates should qualify.

UNM Political Science Professor Lonna Atkeson, principal author of the study, said that, despite the widespread support for public financing, it rarely determines which candidate someone votes for.

In the end, most voters are going to be more attracted to a particular candidate because of charisma or name recognition, Atkeson said.

Webber told the Journal he will seek private funding once again because of the wide array of support he has.

Its about money, but its about more than money, he said. Its about relationships and its about shared values.

Having co-founded Fast Company Magazine in the 1990s, many of Webbers donations came from areas in Massachusetts and Oregon, where he spent time early in his career. He also received many donations from Santa Fe unions, realtors, attorneys, gallery owners and more.

Webber said he doesnt believe Santa Fe has the problem with so-called dark money that larger cities have. Those elections, he said, often have too many people who have extraordinary wealth, (and) who can wield extraordinary power by contributing large amounts to candidates.

Many speculate that the pool of candidates for the 2021 election will remain small due to Webbers name recognition and ability to raise funds.

It has a chilling effect on all the elections statewide, Ferguson said of a candidates ability to raise large amounts of money.

When asked if he thought his fundraising capabilities were a deterrent for other candidates, Webber said he wasnt sure.

I dont have an opinion on that, he said.

But he also said he believes fundraising is only a small part of what makes a successful campaign, and that such factors as endorsements and track records are just as important.

If you really want to look at what a successful campaign consists of, you weave all those pieces together, Webber said. If you isolate only one, I think you miss the picture.

But some argue that large amounts of funds give a candidate an edge because it leads to greater visibility, such as in media advertisements.

Youve got to defeat human psychology, especially when youre dealing with a mayoral election, Ferguson said. All of those pieces always makes a difference in influencing someone who may not have the time to do a deeper dive.
An Australian social media influencer man confronted an elderly woman in McDonalds after she questioned his disabled parking permit, and angrily showed her his prosthetic leg.

Paniora Nukunuku, a social worker based in Sydney, was challenged by the woman while he was sitting in his car.

He uploaded the footage of the encounter on TikTok, sharing it with his 158,000 followers.

'Obviously you can't see my disability if I'm in the car, so please tell me why this old lady thought it would be a great idea to approach me and knock on my window and demand to know whether this is mine or not?' he said.

Paniora Nukunuku uploaded the footage of his encounter to TikTok on Saturday

Nukunuku showed off his disabled parking permit in his video

He then showed off his artificial leg, which gave him the right to have a disabled parking spot

He captioned the video: 'You are not the disability police.'

Nukunuku, who highlights discrimination on his social media accounts, then followed the woman into McDonalds, and showed her his missing leg.

She said she 'desperately needs it', and 'that there were times' - but he cuts her off before she can finish.

'Is it because I don't look disabled? Is it because I don't look old that you want to approach me?' he says.

He captioned the video on Instagram: 'putting people in their place for having the audacity to question people's disabilities'.

The woman was visible in Nukunuku's rear view mirror in the parking lot

The lady attempted to explain, but Nukunuku cut her off during their heated encounter

Nukunuku says he asked McDonald's to provide him with the surveillance footage of the woman approaching his vehicle.

They told him they were unable to hand over any footage unless it is being requested by law enforcement.

The TikTok user says he drove to the police station in an attempt to file a police report, but the police said they could not help as the woman had not committed any crime.

Nukunuku is now urging his followers to demand on social media that McDonald's hand over the footage.

'This is why boomers suck,' he says. 'Because for some reason old people are the only group of people that can be disabled people.'

But some users are questioning the TikTok user's intentions and why he would need video of the encounter.

'I'm confused as to why you need the footage?' @angiepamje said. 'It's happened, you've reacted, we've learned from the lady's mistakes. Time to move on.'
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Ribbons of light ripple from a cyclists back. A bird peeks from a hole in the wall near a rustic door frame. A nautilus coils into whirlpools like waves from the sea.

The natural world takes center stage in the New Mexico Watercolor Societys joint exhibition with the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club. Filled with canyons, caverns, snowstorms and sea life, the online benefit exhibition is available at riograndesierraclub.org/art-exhibit-february2021 through March, showcasing 30 works of art.

Tricia H. Love painted Birds Eye View as a composite from two photographs. Love has been a member of the New Mexico Watercolor Society since the 1980s.

We have a lot of bird feeders in the yard, she said. I had this little bird (photograph) and I thought he was the perfect thing to put in the hole.

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I take my camera wherever I go, she added.

Ive always liked art since I was a little kid, Love continued. I remember the Saturday Evening Post magazine and Norman Rockwell used to do the covers, and I just loved them.

The artist began painting in a German art school in the 1970s. When she moved to Albuquerque in 1979, someone at an arts and crafts fair mentioned the watercolor society. Love joined the group and decided she didnt miss the fumes of oil.

Watercolor dries fast and I do a lot of layering, she said. I like to paint glass Mason jars to put these real nice see-through reflections.

Jean Clare Seagrave has always been fascinated by the sea, despite living in land-locked New Mexico.

I paint a lot of scenes on an island in Puget Sound, the New Mexico native said.

Chambered Nautilus came from a online photography site inviting artists to paint from the images.

Seagrave took her first watercolor class with a friend when she was looking for something to do. It stuck.

I like the spontaneity of it, she said. I like the challenge of it. When you try to get the paper and paint to do something, it does something better. Some of the effects you can paint in watercolor are impossible in any other medium.

The artist also submitted a watercolor of a monarch butterfly on a milkweed titled Symbiosis.

But the beauty of these images veils a darker turn.

I do a lot of nature, a lot of flowers, Seagrave acknowledged. I have a schizophrenic side that likes to do natural disasters. I have a series of earthquakes and typhoons. Theres no photographs because theyre more abstract.

Former Albuquerque resident Susan Thiele painted Glowing Cliffs at Bryce Canyon from a Utah parking lot at a plein air (outdoor) painting camp.

Thiele lived in Albuquerque from 1992 to 2012 before moving to Montrose, Colorado. She learned to paint through a University of New Mexico continuing education class and private lessons through her New Mexico Watercolor Society contacts.

Ive always been attracted to it, Thiele said. Theres just something about it. I havent had formal training in school.

A former wilderness guide who traveled the world, Thiele collected art wherever she could. Most of these were watercolors.

It became apparent that I had this affinity, she said. Its a bit of an untamed medium and you have to go with the flow. It does magical things right in front of you.

By no means a fast painter, Thiele searches for shade because of the mediums fast drying time, as well as the view when she paints outdoors.

For Glowing Cliffs at Bryce Canyon, she used her car as a kind of umbrella.

She does quick sketches first to delineate the lights and darks.

I do it for the challenge, she said. Each painting is really like a puzzle.

Online

The New Mexico Watercolor Societys joint exhibition with the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club can be viewed at riograndesierraclub.org/art-exhibit-february2021
Marking the 500th anniversary, Pope Francis wanted to celebrate a mass in St. Peter's together with the Filipino community and Card. Tagle. A dance introduced the mass, amidst waving of white handkerchiefs. Thank you for the joy you bring in your faith. With their humble and joyful service, Filipino men and women are "smugglers of the faith", capable of spreading it everywhere, like a "good disease". Card. Tagle deeply moved.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The dance-procession that opened today's mass at the altar of confession encapsulates the meaning of the 500th anniversary of the evangelization of the Philippines. Pope Francis wanted to be present, alongside Card. Luis Antonio G. Tagle, former Archbishop of Manila and today prefect of Propaganda Fide, and Card. Angelo De Donatis, vicar for the diocese of Rome. The congregation, spread out to respect the anti-pandemic health measures, many Filipino men and women who live as migrants in the diocese.

During the symbolic procession, a young man and a woman carried the cross of Magellan, with which in 1521 the first Easter Mass was celebrated in Limasawa (Medidionale Leyte, Eastern Visaya), the other the statue of the Holy Nino, who attracts millions of devotees throughout the archipelago. Behind them, six girls in white and gold dresses dance advancing and waving a white handkerchief. The faithful from the pews participate by singing and waving their handkerchiefs with them.

In his homily, Francis first commented on the phrase of the Gospel "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son" (John 3:16).

He first emphasized that "God loved so much". In Jesus, God he went in search of us when we were lost. In Jesus, he came to raise us up when we fell. In Jesus, he wept with us and healed our wounds. In Jesus, he blessed our life forever. The Gospel tells us that whoever believes in him will not perish (ibid.). In Jesus, God spoke the definitive word about our life: you are not lost, you are loved. Loved forever."

The second word underlined is God gave his Son: Precisely because he loves us so much, God gives himself; he offers us his life. Those who love always come out of themselves. Love always offers itself, gives itself, expends itself. That is the power of love: it shatters the shell of our selfishness, breaks out of our carefully constructed security zones, tears down walls and overcomes fears, so as to give freely of itself."

Then recalling the 500 years since the first Christian proclamation in the Philippines, he said: Dear brothers and sisters, five hundred years have passed since the Christian message first arrived in the Philippines. You received the joy of the Gospel: the good news that God so loved us that he gave his Son for us. And this joy is evident in your people. We see it in your eyes, on your faces, in your songs and in your prayers. Then moving from his scripted homily he added a special "thank you" to the Filipino men and women for "the joy you bring in your faith", so much so that he defined them as "smugglers of the faith", to spread it everywhere, like a "good disease".

I want to thank you - he continued - for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian communities. I recall the many beautiful experiences in families here in Rome  but also throughout the world  where your discreet and hardworking presence became a testimony of faith. In the footsteps of Mary and Joseph, for God loves to bring the joy of faith through humble, hidden, courageous and persevering service.

On this very important anniversary for Gods holy people in the Philippines, I also want to urge you to persevere in the work of evangelization  which is not the same as proselytism. The Christian proclamation that you have received needs constantly to be brought to others. The Gospel message of Gods closeness cries out to be expressed in love for our brothers and sisters. God desires that no one perish. For this reason, he asks the Church to care for those who are hurting and living on the fringes of life. God so loves us that he gives himself to us, and the Church has this same mission. She is sent, not to judge but to welcome; not to make demands, but to sow seeds; not to condemn, but to bring Christ who is our salvation.

With your joy - he concluded - you will be able to ensure that the Church also says: He loved the world so much!. A Church that loves the world without judging it and that she gives herself for the world is beautiful and attractive. So be it, in the Philippines and in every part of the earth.

Before the conclusion, Card. Tagle, representing all Filipino migrants, thanked the pontiff for participating in the celebration: We bring you here the filial love of the Filipinos of the 7641 islands of our country. There are more than ten million Filipino migrants living in nearly one hundred countries around the world. They are united with us this morning.

After briefly tracing the history of evangelization in his country, which has led the Filipino Church to be the third Church in the world by number of faithful, Card. Tagle added: By Gods mysterious design, the gift of faith we have received is now being shared by the millions of Christian Filipino migrants in different parts of the world. We have left our families, not to abandon them, but to care for them and their future. For love of them, we endure the sorrow of separation. When lonely moments come, Filipino migrants find strength in Jesus who journeys with us, the Jesus who became a Child (Santo Nino) and known as the Nazarene (Jesus Nazareno), bore the Cross for us." At one point, speaking of the loneliness experienced in faith by so many migrants, Card. Tagle was moved almost to tears.

Let us pray - he concluded - that through our Filipino migrants, the name of Jesus, the beauty of the Church and the justice, mercy and joy of God, may reach the ends of the earth. Here in Rome, when we miss our grandparents, we know we have a Lolo Kiko. Many thanks, Holy Father. Salamat. Mabuhai ".

Finally, during the Marian antiphon, two children in festive costumes approached the image of Mary with Pope and placed two baskets of flowers at her feet.
She recently opened up about her high-profile divorce from ex-husband Ben Affleck.

And on Saturday, Jennifer Garner was seen in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, California, as she took two of her three children to visit a construction site.

The Alias star, 48, was in a casual black ensemble, consisting of an oversized knit turtleneck sweater and athleisure pants.

Family outing: On Saturday, Jennifer Garner was seen in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, as she took two of her three children to visit a construction site

Her face mask was blue, and she wore thick framed black spectacles.

Jennifer had her brown hair down over her shoulders, and her bangs delicately brushed her forehead.

She walked along in black, white and blue sneakers.

She was with her younger daughter Seraphina, 12, and son Sam, nine.

Mom and daughter: The Alias star was in a casual black ensemble, consisting of an oversized knit turtleneck sweater and athleisure pants, while Seraphina modeled a striped fleece jacket

Seraphina modeled a multicolored striped fleece jacket, while Samuel donned a color-blocked gray and blue sweater.

He also had hair clips in his long blonde hair, to keep it out of his face.

Both kids were wearing face coverings like their mother.

Protected: Both kids were wearing face coverings like their mother

On the acting front, Garner celebrated the release of her latest film, Yes Day, on her Instagram on Friday.

In front of a delightful step-and-repeat backdrop, and set to the sounds of paparazzi cameras flashing, Jennifer stepped out in a lovely strapless pink gown, as she waved, twirled and posed for the pretend shutterbugs.

Soon, she dropped the heels and dress and came out in casual black jeans and a flannel shirt, worn over a white T-shirt with the slogan 'be the change'.

On the acting front: Garner celebrated the release of her latest film, Yes Day, on her Instagram on Friday

As sounds from the paparazzi ramped up, Garner soaked in all the 'attention,' before going over to her couch, sitting down and grabbing the remote.

At the end of the clip, the unmistakable notes of the Netflix app opening could be heard.

In the caption, Jennifer wrote, 'Thank you, @netflixfilm, for saying YES! The warmest, coziest, family film is now available YES DAY on @netflix. We hope you love it. '

Quick change: In front of a delightful backdrop, and set to the sounds of cameras flashing, Jennifer stepped out in a lovely pink gown before changing to black jeans and a flannel shirt

Garner shares her children, along with older daughter Violet, 15, with ex Affleck.

The pair were married from 2005 until 2018.

This week, the 13 Going On 30 star spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the end of her marriage.

The brunette told the publication that having her 'children's eyes on [her]' was the hardest part of her divorce.

'Going through it in public is not what's hard, going through it is what's hard, A, and B, my children's eyes are on me,' Jennifer said.

Garner soaked in all the 'attention' before going over to her couch and grabbing the remote: At the end of the clip, the unmistakable notes of the Netflix app opening could be heard
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday (March 13, 2021) arrested Maharashtra Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Waze, in the Mumbai Scorpio bomb case.

The top cop has been arrested under section 286, 465, 473, 506(2), 120 B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and 4(a)(b)(I) Explosive Substances Act 1908.

According to the PTI news agency, Waze has been arrested for his role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Carmichael Road on February 25.

Waze was also summoned to the probe agency's Mumbai office at Cumballa Hill on Saturday morning to record his statement.

This is to be noted that the NIA took over the case after the mysterious death of Mansukh Hiran, the owner of the said car. The Thane-based businessman had said that his vehicle had been stolen a week earlier. Hiran's wife had claimed that her husband had given the SUV to Waze in November, which the officer returned in the first week of February.

During Waze's questioning by the ATS, he denied using the SUV that was in possession of Hiran.

Earlier on Friday, Waze had filed an application seeking pre-arrest bail and his lawyer had requested the court to grant him the interim protection from arrest on the ground that he was cooperating in the investigation. However, the additional public prosecutor Vivek Kadu, opposed this and argued that the probe in the case was at a crucial stage.

Waze, who was the crime branch's Assistant Police Inspector, has been transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre (CFC) unit of the Mumbai police.

The senior cop is also reportedly facing a trial on multiple charges, including murder and destruction of evidence, for the alleged custodial death of Khwaja Yunus in 2003.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Sunday (March 14) said that action will be taken based on the truth that comes out of the investigation.

(With inputs from news agencies)
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James K. Polk was one of the most successful presidents in our history, exceeded in his accomplishments only by Washington, Lincoln, and Jackson. He had four goals when he took office in 1845, and he achieved all of them in his one term. He wanted to complete the process of Texas annexation, take California and its ports of San Diego and San Francisco from Mexico, settle the boundary dispute with Britain over the Oregon Territory, and reform the finances of the federal government. If you include Texas, the amount of territory he added to the United States exceeded that of the Louisiana Purchase.

He was the proud protege of Andrew Jackson, and he completed what Jackson had begun. But he was not a good politician, and he obtained the Democratic nomination only by promising to serve only one term. During his presidency, he was roundly disliked by foes and allies alike. Due to a horrifically painful operation when he was very young, he was probably impotent. He died shortly after he left office at the age of 53, an embittered and unloved man.

Donald Trump is not a politician and never pretended to be one. Throughout his short career in politics, he has completely alienated half of the country. But in one term his accomplishments rank only behind James K. Polk and Washington, Lincoln, and Jackson. He succeeded in doing what he said he would do, even to a greater extent than Ronald Reagan, who was a great president for winning the Cold War and revitalizing the economy.

Trump doesn't need a second term to embellish his record. He has permanently reshaped the Republican Party, and the 2024 Republican nominee will only ratify this transformation. The Trump agenda, minus the personal Trump drama, will easily prevail without him.

He's no James K. Polk, and he has a quite pleasant post-presidency to look forward to. I hope he has a great time with his family and avoids the labor of another campaign and the virtual certainty that a second term would be something of a disappointment. It could never equal the first.

If you're ever in Nashville, go by the State Capitol and pay your respects at the grave of "Young Hickory," the 11th president of the United States and a great American.

Fritz Pettyjohn is a politician and blogs at ReaganProject.com.
Both YSR Congress and Telugu Desam are planning to showcase the verdict as being in line with their respective political ideologies as regards the capital issue.  Representational image/DC

VIJAYAWADA: All eyes are now focussed on the results of Vijayawada, Guntur, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool Municipal Corporations as people and political parties are treating them as a referendum for the 'Three Capitals' and 'Solo Capital Amaravati' decisions.

Counting of votes of 71 municipalities and 12 corporations are slated for Sunday and results are expected by evening.

Incidentally, both YSR Congress and Telugu Desam are planning to showcase the verdict as being in line with their respective political ideologies as regards the capital issue. TD chief N Chandrababu Naidu tried to flare up the Amaravati issue during the election campaigns in Vijayawada and Guntur to get support. YSRC, which claimed that the gram panchayat elections were a referendum for its policies, put all efforts in winning the four corporations as an endorsement for the three capitals decision.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy plunged into action by writing letters to the BJP government opposing Vizag Steel plant privatization to favour things in support of YSRC in Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation elections. YSRC first expected a tough fight in Vijayawada and Guntur Corporations but the internal group clashes and Chandrababu Naidus provocative speeches in the last two days brightened their prospects in the two cities, ruling party leaders assert.

Amaravati protests demanding cancellation of the three capitals decision and continuation of Amaravati as the only capital are continuing for the past 452 days. TD is behind the Amaravati movement and all opposition parties are supporting the agitations.

On umpteen occasions, Naidu challenged YSRC to seek fresh elections on the Amaravati issue and in turn, YSRC challenged TD MLAs to resign their posts and seek a fresh mandate on the same issue. TD was dealt a blow when the Union Government filed an affidavit in the High Court affirming that choosing the capital was the prerogative of the State government.

TD did not mention Amaravati during the gram panchayat campaign despite releasing a manifesto. The same strategy was used during the municipal and Corporation elections.

TD strategically scheduled Naidus campaign in Vijayawada and Guntur on the last two days.
Food and Wine, Not Sun and Sand, in Puerto Vallarta

Mexicos Puerto Vallarta is admittedly not known for wine.

After all, Jalisco, the state surrounding the resort destination first popularized by Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and other Hollywood stars back in the day, is the home of tequila in the same way that champagne only comes from Frances Champagne region. Then there is the lack of vineyards, which obviously are a prerequisite for making wine.

Despite these two realities, this city on the Pacific coast has transformed itself into an emerging destination for haute cuisine and quality wine, which in the latter case is increasingly grown and produced in Mexico.

Dinner at Trio consisted of six courses and six pairings, all handpicked by chef and owner Bernhard Gut, who is originally from the legendary French appellation of Alsace. (Dennis Lennox)

While Mexican wine isnt widely exported, it has been made since at least 1597, when North Americas oldest winery, Casa Madero, was founded in the Valle de Parras or, in English, Vines Valley. This appellation is located in the state of Coahuila, about 300 miles southwest of Laredo, Texas. The vast majority of wine is, however, produced from grapes grown south of California in Baja Californias Guadalupe Valley. Think reds such as nebbiolo, syrah, and petite sirah.

Bernhard Gut, chef and owner of Trio, opened the restaurant in 1997. Pictured in the wine cellar, he holds a bottle of Monte Xanic 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon. (Dennis Lennox)

A bottle of Casa Madero Gran Reserva Shiraz 2016 in the cellar of Trio, a restaurant in the old town of Puerto Vallarta. (Dennis Lennox)

Authentic Mexico

This food and wine scene is the reason why I traveled to P.V., as it is known locally, last month on my first international trip since the pandemic. Not only was I drawn by the growing number of chefs cooking seriously delicious food, but authenticity was a major factor in favoring Puerto Vallarta over competing destinations.

Unlike purpose-built destinations, it has a real sense of place. This is most evidently seen in the number of locals, tourists, and expats mixing and mingling with each other along the Malecon, a beachfront promenade, or on the cobblestone streets of Old Town, also known as the Romantic Zone.

Puerto Vallarta is located on the Bay of Flags (Bahia de Banderas) along Mexicos Pacific coast. (Dennis Lennox)

In Old Town, which is dominated by the crown-topped tower of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, all things food and wine come alive at Trio. Then again, an outstanding wine list is expected when chef and owner Bernhard Gut is originally from Alsace, the legendary French appellation.

Guts restaurant, open since 1997, blends flavors from Mexico and the Mediterranean into what he calls New Mexican (not to be confused with New Mexico, the U.S. state).

I experienced the best he had to offer during a six-course, six-pairing dinner. The wine, handpicked by Gut, included some of Mexicos best. The standouts were the Pacific sea bass topped with huitlacoche, a black corn fungus that is often likened to truffles, and the Vinos Zanzonico 2017 Syrah Reserve from Napa Valley veteran Gerard Zanzonico, who now makes wine in a subregion of Baja Californias Guadalupe Valley. The runner-up was a 2018 sauvignon blanc from Tres Raices, a winery from Guanajuato in central Mexico.

Puerto Vallartas old town is dominated by the crown-topped tower of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. (Dennis Lennox)

Today, the wine industry in Mexico is so dynamic, Gut said. The wine is really world-class because our unique terroir allows for great wines at a great value.

On the other end of the spectrum is Icu, a more locally oriented restaurant on par with what you find in stateside hipster enclaves. It wasnt surprising to learn it was recognized in 2019 by the magazine Food and Travel as Mexicos best new restaurant. Not only was the plating spectacular, but the sharply dressed young staff were genuinely attentive.

The colorful streetscape of Puerto Vallartas old town. (Dennis Lennox)

Chef and co-owner Mauricio Leal has gone all-in with a wine list consisting exclusively of Mexican wine. The decision, he says, has confused some customers who think quality wine must be imported.

Yet, as I discovered, his estate-grown 2019 sauvignon blanc from Monte Xanic, a large Mexican producer, was approachable and good. Those two qualities were repeated over and over again.

Icu, named Mexicos best new restaurant in 2019, features a wine list consisting exclusively of Mexican wine. Pictured are the SC Scielo Blanco Chardonnay 2019, Rivero Gonzalez Rosado 2019, Vino de la Reina Duquesa Cuvee Blanc 2019, L.A. Cetto Reserva Privada Nebbiolo 2016, and Tinto Mexicano 2017 (Cabernet Sauvignon). (Dennis Lennox)

A cocktail gets a finishing touch at Icu. (Courtesy of Icu)

The restaurant Icu, helmed by chef and co-owner Mauricio Leal, wouldnt be out of place in a stateside hipster enclave. (Courtesy of Icu)

If You Go

I stayed in the mostly expat neighborhood of Marina Vallarta, a short drive from the airport, at the Westin Resort & Spa.

The hotel, which only has ocean-facing rooms, was designed in a minimalist style that not only incorporated traditional architectural elements and decorative colors, but also preserved a couple hundred coconut palm trees across the grounds. Fittingly, the Westins wine list includes several Mexican wines, with Casa Maderos non-vintage chardonnay being the obvious poolside choice.

Getting around P.V. is easy. Both local taxis (cash only) and Uber are widely available with rental cars or hired drivers recommended for day trips out of town.

The Malecon, or promenade along the sea. (eskystudio/Shutterstock)

All travelers returning to the United States must present proof of a negative COVID-19 test to their airline. In addition to complimentary testing at many hotels, there is also a testing center only yards from the airport terminal with tests priced at 450 pesos (about $21) and results delivered by email in about 45 minutes.

Puerto Vallartas airport is served by all major U.S. carriers, including American, Delta, and United.

Dennis Lennox writes a monthly travel column for The Epoch Times. Follow @dennislennox on Instagram and Twitter.
UNHCR has confirmed receiving a donation of $10,000 by the pro-Khalistan group- 'Sikhs for Justice', an outfit which is outlawed by India. While this is a test for defunct UN, it is also high time that Indian Sikhs lead the charge.

The United Nations has acquired a donation of $10,000 (Rs. 7 lakh) from the pro-Khalistan group Sikh For Justice which is outlawed by India. SFJ has also asked the United Nations to set up a commission of inquiry to research the alleged mistreatments of those involved in farmer protests.

Call for Inquires or COIs are set up to respond to situations of serious violations of human rights and international Humanitarian Law. one such committee has been formed in Syria at present.

A spokesperson for the office of the United Nation High Commission For Human Rights confirmed receiving the donation online on 1 March from an individual representing the Sikhs For Justice group. he also said that the UN doesnt decline donations unless they are from groups or individuals which are listed on the UN Sanctions list or the individual or the organisation is engaged in activities manifestly contrary to the UN Charter or its principles.

Also Read: Alibaba vs Bejing: China to impose 1 billion on Jack Mas Alibaba

Talking about the COI, the spokesperson said that there is no such plan for any COI . he further said that most of COIs are officially set up with a specific mandate by the 47 member states of the UN Human Rights Council, and have a budget attached which states agree upon and any contribution or donation does not oblige the OHCHR to carry out any specific activity.

The SFJ has also launched a secure portal to gather and collect data on anyone who has gone through any kind of mistreatment at the hands of Indian officials for supporting the farmers protest. as per the portal, the data entered is directly sent to the OHCHR. Responding to this, the spokesperson of OHCHR stated that the body receives data and information through many channels and a very strict methodology is used to review and evaluate such information.

Also Read: TN Elections 2021: DMK releases manifesto, promises cut in fuel prices, 75% jobs for locals
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A Staten Island eighth-grade student continued her work to raise awareness of rare diseases for World Rare Disease Day, which was Feb. 28.

Ava Garnett, an eighth-grader at Paulo Intermediate School (I.S. 75) in Huguenot, has Nail Patella Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder involving the bones, joints and connective tissue that occurs in approximately one in 50,000 newborns, according to Nail Patella Syndrome Worldwide (NPSW).

Patients may have problems due to limitation of joint mobility, dislocation or both, especially at the elbow and knee where osteoarthritis may eventually occur, according to NPSW. Symptoms vary from person to person, but can affect ones knees, eyes, kidneys, nails and elbows.

More than 350 million people worldwide -- half are children -- are affected by rare diseases, according to Global Genes, an organization that works to eliminate the challenges of rare disease.

And Ava worked to acknowledge World Rare Disease Day at her school  with help from Principal Ken Zapata, her teachers, and students  scattered throughout the week as different cohorts attended school on different days.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the acknowledgement of World Rare Disease Day was different this year. Ava suggested students could show their support  both virtually and in-school  by wearing denim jeans. The students were then able to post photos of themselves wearing denim jeans onto a padlet to be viewed by the school community.

An overwhelming amount of support poured in from the students and staff throughout the week following Feb. 28. Ava said she was incredibly grateful to see the tremendous amount of encouragement at I.S. 75.

Education, awareness, conversation, and hope are key to making a change, she said.

Last year, she initiated the development of a ribbon that would symbolize Nail Patella Syndrome, with the support of the NPS community. With the help of family and friends, she handcrafted thousands of ribbons and sent them worldwide.

To date, Ava has mailed these ribbons to 32 states across the country, in addition to Austria, Australia, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Netherlands, Philippines, and the United Kingdom.

Ava is currently a scholars student at I.S. 75 and is on the debate team. She also plays fastpitch softball for the 14U Staten Island Saints and will be attending St. Joseph by the Sea High School in Huguenot in September. Currently, she is signed with Stellar Model & Talent Agency, Gamut Management and is in the process of signing with another agency to broaden her reach internationally.

Additionally, a sixth-grader at I.S. 75, Nicholas Del Re, also spoke about the rare disease his brother was born with  Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (SDS).

Anthony was diagnosed at 8 months old with the disease that affects the blood, pancreas, skeletal and immune systems. SDS causes bone marrow failure characterized by low white blood cell counts, smaller stature and difficulties absorbing food. In addition to his regular appointments for SDS, Anthony gets bone marrow biopsies every six months.

This video below was created by Ava and Del Re.

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As the school year continues amid the coronavirus pandemic, 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 or learn remotely.

Do you have a story idea for the In Class education column? Email education reporter Annalise Knudson at aknudson@siadvance.com.

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CAREER PANEL

Students at St. Joseph Hill Academy High School were able to speak with esteemed alumni about their career paths during a Career Conversations Alumnae Panel Series that began last month. The series covers four professional fields: construction, engineering, and technology; business and finance; mental health and wellness, and law and government.

Students  sophomores, juniors, and seniors  learned about each alumnas unique career path and gained valuable insight into their fields of work. The series serves to inspire their own curiosities as they consider future college plans and career aspirations of their own.

Alumnae on the calls have spoken about how Hill shaped their character by giving them discipline and integrity. It has helped them achieve the high standards they set for themselves and it has given them invaluable lifelong friendships, according to St. Joseph Hill.

Current students were able to ask candid questions and guidance counselors have been involved in the sessions to continue these conversations with students one-on-one.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the series is currently virtual. The high school is hoping to continue the panel series and other mentoring opportunities with its alumnae.

If youre a Hill alumna interested in getting involved in future career series or other mentoring opportunities, you can go here for contact information.

School Zone: A new newsletter with the updates you need as our schools try to get back to normal. Enter your email address here and hit "subscribe" to receive this weekly newsletter:



RECENT COLUMNS:

Kindness Team working to make a difference at I.S. 75

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Monsignor Farrell H.S. to livestream games, special events

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A new approach to learning at St. Joseph Hill Academy

In Class column: 8th-grade student joins Scholastic Kids Reporter team

In Class column: Students return to school during coronavirus pandemic

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In February, Huawei challenged a previous declaration by the FCC declaring the company a US national security threat. South China Morning Post





A United States government regulator overseeing the communications industry labelled five Chinese telecommunications companies a "threat to national security" on Friday, including Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp.

Announcing the designation, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said that telecommunications products and services provided by the companies posed "an unacceptable risk to US national security or the security and safety of US persons."



Included alongside Huawei and ZTE in the list were Hytera Communications Corp, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, and Dahua Technology Co.



Such designations, which will extend to subsidiaries and affiliates of the targeted entities, are required under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019.



Friday's action marked a "big step toward restoring trust in our communications networks," said FCC acting chief Jessica Rosenworcel, adding that Americans had grown increasingly reliant on networks to work, learn and access healthcare.



"This list provides meaningful guidance that will ensure that as next-generation networks are built across the country, they do not repeat the mistakes of the past or use equipment or services that will pose a threat to US national security or the security and safety of Americans," Rosenworcel said.



Rosenworcel did not elaborate on what specific measures would be taken against the companies following the designation. A similar determination the FCC made last year against Huawei and ZTE led to a ban on US firms drawing from an $8.3 billion government subsidy program to purchase equipment from the two companies.



Neither Huawei nor ZTE immediately responded to a request for comment on their inclusion in this year's list, while the other three companies could not be reached for comment.





State Department Spokesman Ned Price speaks to reporters during a news briefing at the State Department in Washington, on March 1, 2021. AP
Akhil Gogoi first in Assam to win election from jail

Who will be the next CM of Assam? Sarbananda Sonowal or Himanta Biswa Sarma?

Assam Polls: Yogendra Yadav meets Akhil Gogoi, says goal is to defeat BJP

India

oi-Deepika S

Guwahati, Mar 14: Activist Yogendra Yadav met jailed Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi on Sunday and appealed to the people to defeat the ruling BJP in Assam.

Yadav and Kisan Sangharsh Samiti leader Sunilam met Gogoi at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital.

"Gogoi has put up 19 candidates in the 86 seats in the first two phases. His goal is to ensure that the BJP is defeated," Yadav said.

"We have come with one message that the BJP should be ousted for the way it has treated farmers and taken decisions against their interests and welfare," the Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader said.

Yadav said that he had met Gogoi in jail in February last year and his health condition has deteriorated considerably since then.

"He has been subjected to considerable mental torture and his medical condition has deteriorated but still the ideological clarity, mental resolve and the courage shown by him is a model," he said.

Yadav alleged that Gogoi has been put in jail to ensure that he cannot interact with the people during the elections.

Congress allying with outfits that wish to divide nation: Amit Shah in Assam

"This is not a criminal trial but a political trial," he alleged.

Yadav said that he had not gone to discuss politics but Gogoi was very interested to know how the farmers'' agitation was progressing and was very clear about the urgent need to defeat the BJP.

Sunilam alleged that the way NIA is investigating the cases against Gogoi it appears that they are acting at the behest of the government.

"It is obvious that false cases have been slapped against him to silence peoples'' voice, which he represents, but now that the elections are here, the people of the state must make a decision," he said.

He appealed to the Congress to reconsider their decision of fielding a candidate against Gogoi.

Sunilam said that he would go to Sibsagar to campaign for Gogoi.

Gogoi was arrested in December 2019 during the protests against CAA in the state and was booked under the stringent UAPA.

He had tested positive for COVID-19 some months back and shifted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital where he is still lodged with a board of doctors monitoring his condition.

Sibsagar goes to the polls in the first phase on March 27 along with 46 other constituencies.

Elections to the 126-member Assam legislative assembly will be held in three phases with 39 constituencies in the second phase on April 1, and 40 in the last phase on April 6.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 17:47 [IST]
Postal services provider TTPost yesterday shut its branches in Port of Spain and San Fernando after dozens of people rushed to collect senior citizen pension and public assistance grants and would not adhere to physical distancing rules.

Eventually, police were called to disperse the crowds.

Several elderly people at the St Vincent Street branch in Port of Spain complained about not being able to collect their pension cheques because other unruly ones refused to socially distance and abide by the law amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stella Griffith, 68, of Diego Martin, said she was adhering to rules of social distancing, but there were other people who came for their public assistance and disability grants and were refusing to listen.

Houstonians continue to get vaccinated as a Chronicle analysis of state health records showed Harris County passed 1 million vaccinations given last week.

A previous Houston Chronicle story stated 1,030,016 doses had been administered in the county as of last Tuesday and about 19 percent of residents older than 16 had been inoculated.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Harris County surpasses 1 million COVID vaccination doses

The positive test rate in the county is dropping as well, the story added, falling to about 6.64 percent.

Although Texas isnt doing well, the urban places are doing better, Rice University health economist Vivian Ho previously told the Chronicle.

The access to vaccinations around Harris County is increasing, with Memorial Hermann Health System announcing the launch of a digital platform for people to register for vaccines online, and Rice Stadium opening a vaccination site next week in partnership with St. Lukes Health.

Cy-Fair Resource Guide: Where to donate and find financial help

Harris County still has a way to go before everyone is fully vaccinated, however, with County Judge Lina Hidalgos office tweeting out that only 9.8 percent of Harris County residents had been fully vaccinated as of Wednesday.

The number of active COVID-19 cases dropped significantly and at a higher rate than last week, dropping to 1,399 active cases as of 4 p.m. Friday.

The number of deaths also only increased by one, to 157 total deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Data was gathered using ZIP codes in the Cypress Creek Mirrors coverage area: 77040, 77041, 77065, 77070, 77086, 77095, 77429 and 77433.

This week saw the first drop to under 100 active cases for two ZIP code, 77065 and 77086, which have the lowest number of cases at 97 and 92 respectively. Only one ZIP code, 77433, still has more than 300 active cases at 313.

paul.wedding@hcnonline.com
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has intensified education on the COVID-19 Vaccination in various schools in the Tema Metropolis.



The aim is to use pupils and students as agents of change in the communities.



The NCCE Tema Metropolis COVID-19 Vaccination campaign seeks also to galvanize students and pupils to understand the efficacy of the vaccine and to educate their parents and members of the community.



Mr Isaac Kwame Antwi, NCCE Tema Metropolitan Director, said the Commission, as a leading civic educator, had a major role to play to ensure that the public understood the need to take the vaccine.



We have, therefore, embarked on the engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that we all participate in the vaccination exercise, Mr Antwi noted.



He also encouraged the pupils and teachers to continue to strictly adhere to the World Health Organisation and the Ghana Health Service COVID-19 preventive measures.



Mr Antwi said, Sometimes you may not feel comfortable using the nose masks, but to protect yourself, your parents and others, we must bear the little discomfort to ensure that we stop the spread of COVID-19.



Mr Edem Jarviz Akagbo, NCCE Principal Field Officer, advised the pupils to follow the proper hand washing methods in and out of the school to ensure their safety since the COVID-19 was still in existence.



He encouraged the pupils to educate their parents and guardians about the COVID-19 Vaccine to ensure they go for the jab, which would intend protect the lives of the pupils.



During the engagement some of the pupils, including Miss Akirayatu Abubakari, Junior High School Form One pupil asked about the side effects of the AstraZanecca Vaccines.



The NCCE officials explained that every vaccine and for that matter medicine had possible side effects and that the COVID-19 Vaccine also has its own side effects, which include a slight headache and fever.



The NCCE emphasised that the COVID-19 Vaccine was safe as over 95 per cent of those who took the jab did not experience any side effects.



Even for those who experienced some discomfort, it was a minor reaction, which should not be the basis for anyone not to take the jab, he said.



The NCCE said children under the age of 18, pregnant women and lactating mothers are not permitted to partake in the vaccination exercise.



Pupils like you who are not yet 18 are not allowed to take the vaccination jab so dont force that you want to be vaccinated. Your vaccination is to put on your nose masks and wash your hands regularly with soap under running water, Mr Akagbo explained.



Mr Prosper Sylvanus Ashiagbor, the Head Teacher of the Tema Happy Home School Complex, commended the NCCE for the education and the involvement of pupils and students in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

Source: GNA









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After demanding her PIN number, Henigan used her phone for directions and went to an ATM near his home. Unable to get money, he held a gun to her thigh and threatened to shoot her, Dawson said. He went to a second ATM where he was able to withdraw $40.
People rebuild a house in the town of Las Golondrinas on March 11, 2021 after a forest fire in Argentina's Chubut province

Dozens of protesters kicked and threw rocks at a minibus carrying Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on Saturday as he visited an area devastated by forest fires, TV footage showed.

As he left a community center in the town of Lago Puelo in the southern Patagonia region, Fernandez had to take refuge behind a wall of people as a crowd of demonstrators pushed toward him and his delegation.

The protesters later stopped the bus carrying the president, punching and kicking it and throwing stones that broke windows in the vehicle, according to footage broadcast by the TN network and the newspaper Clarin.

Fernandez sought to downplay the violence, saying it was the work of a small number of people.

"I am sure that this violence was not taken part in by the people of Chubut nor by those who inhabit our beloved Argentina," he wrote, referring to the province the surrounds the town.

With few police on hand, the crowd managed to halt the president's bus and other vehicles in his entourage for several minutes, with some protesters throwing themselves against the hood of Fernandez's vehicle.

Once it was freed, several other vehicles snaked their way through the crowd and sped away with the presidential bus.

Clarin reported that the demonstrators were angry over mining projects in Chubut province, which is part of Patagonia, and with the provincial governor.

The fires that have blazed through Patagonia for days have claimed one life, while 11 other people are reported missing, officials said Friday.

Dozens of people have been evacuated from the path of the advancing flames, and around 200 houses have been destroyed.

The government said some towns were left without water or power.

The fires, which authorities suspect were started deliberately early this week, have reached several towns near the foothills of the Andes mountains, and have consumed about 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of forest, media reported Saturday.

The charred body of a rural dweller, reported missing since Tuesday, was found near the town of El Maiten, they added.

mr/gm/dw/jm/mtp
It's been another torrid few weeks on team vaccine. Most frontline health workers are done and dusted; most over-85s have received their first of two Covid-19 vaccine shots; the medically vulnerable have been moved up the priority list.

But the airwaves have been dominated by patchy deliveries; a doctor's tale of scouring his county for spare syringes; and for the second week in a row fewer over-80s will be vaccinated because of a shortage of Moderna supplies. The ever-diminishing deliveries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are an international diplomatic issue.

All this as Covid-19 numbers remain stubbornly high and a summer of restrictions looms.

Out of the gloom, Professor Brian MacCraith appears on the Teams meeting holding a metaphorical torch for the vaccine.

"We have the flame working now. It's flickering a bit with supply vulnerability, but this will be in full flame when we will have multi-million doses as we move through quarter two."

The physics professor who chairs the High-Level Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force has been shy about committing to projections, given the volatility of the vaccine supply.

Today he wants to convey the message that the country is on track to deliver first vaccine doses to three million people by the end of June.

He adds a caveat to everything with terms like "dependent on supply", but he has figures at the ready, and a summary goes like this:

* Ireland expects to get delivery of its biggest ever shipment of 175,000 to 200,000 Covid-19 vaccines - Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca - all around March 31, give or take a day or two.

* The shipment will be followed up by more big deliveries that will "ramp up" through April, May and June, delivering an average of 1m doses every month.

* Three million adults should be offered a first shot of vaccine by the end of June - around 80pc of the adult population of 3.75m.

* The country's 38 vaccination centres will become operational in April, the larger centres opening first. Thirteen are already operational.

* The vaccination centres offer 800 vaccine booths between them and the largest is capable of vaccinating 5,000 people a day or 35,000 people a week - and most will be seven-day operations.

* A public portal on which people can register for the vaccine will also become operational from April, although he doesn't have an exact date for that. So far so good for the High-Level Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force, and for the Taoiseach, who hung his hat on "vaccinating 80pc of the population by June" when announcing continued Level 5 restrictions last month.

"The Taoiseach's pronouncement that up to 80pc of people will be vaccinated by the end of June is a reasonable assumption based on all we know at the moment," says MacCraith.

Read More

"On average, we expect to receive about a million a month or more in quarter two and that provides an awful lot of capability for us to vaccinate a significant population."

Prof MacCraith's defence of the vaccination programme comes after last week in which the Government was attacked about a vaccine programme that has been progressing at "a snail's pace" and the "abject failure" of the Health Minister missing his "modest" target of 1.25m doses of vaccine by the end of March.

The Taoiseach was grilled on whether the Government had gone the extra mile to secure additional doses or whether it has done enough to hoover up any spares. Questions have been raised as to whether Ireland missed a trick by not getting in earlier on EU vaccine procurement negotiations last autumn, to snap up the supplies that some countries turned down as too expensive.

Prof MacCraith suggests that was before his time - he joined the High-Level Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force in November when it was set up.

Did we miss a trick?

"I think all of these issues have been discussed and addressed in recent days - there is no magic supply of vaccines out there," he says.

"Since I've been involved the Government has availed of every opportunity and every option available. And in all cases, to my knowledge, we've achieved our pro-rata allocation."

He also says there is "no opportunity to pursue the manufacture of vaccine" here - he and IDA boss, Martin Shanahan, who also sits on the vaccine task force, have looked into this in detail.

In any case, all countries are "focused on the same thing" at the moment, he says: "vaccinating our own people first" and even after that "there's no solid indication from anywhere that vaccines will become available".

"Like there is no vaccine sitting on shelves anywhere," he says.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine - and its see-saw supply to the European Union - has impacted on roll-out across the Continent and not just Ireland.

The British-Swedish company committed 100m doses to the EU by the end of March, then cut that to 40m and on Friday reduced that further to 30m - a third of what was initially promised. It leaves Ireland with a vaccine shortfall of about 45,000.

After one delivery change too many, the gloves came off last week, with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and then the Taoiseach Micheal Martin demanding answers from AstraZeneca and its chief executive, Pascal Soriot.

Prof MacCraith runs through the schedule changes that were the straw that broke the camel's back. "We were expecting 64,000 doses on Friday, February 26. On Tuesday, February 23, late in the day, it was cancelled," he says. "I mean, you've planned your week around this!"

He continues: "We were expecting, or we were told we were getting an extra 12,000 [in addition to the regular delivery] the following week to compensate for that. On the Friday of the same week, that was cancelled," he says.

"On March 8, we were expecting 52,900 doses to arrive next week from AstraZeneca. We were told on Tuesday of last week we would get 26,000. We were told on Thursday that we would get less than that." It was the late notice of the schedule changes that caused most disruption.

"Clinics have been set up to use AstraZeneca particularly for healthcare and frontline health care workers. At such late notice, and literally going into a weekend, really just disrupted plans and it meant that some of the planned numbers of people to be vaccinated just couldn't be addressed," he says.

He has regular meetings with AstraZeneca's country manager, which despite the frustration, seem to be polite affairs. "How it would go is we get a phone call indicating to us that there's an update. We would have the conversation and it would be conveyed to us what the changes are and that would happen," he says.

Asked what explanations AstraZeneca gave for the delivery changes, he says: "Well the sort of explanations given will talk about challenges and yield."

What does it mean? "It is sufficiently. vague," he says.

He says Leo Varadkar, the Tanaiste, asked the question "we'd all love the answer to".

"If AstraZeneca supplies to the EU are facing all these challenges, why does it not equally apply to supplies to the UK and the US?" he says.

He raised the question with AstraZeneca in one of his meetings.

"I mentioned it, but I have not really had a clear answer on the matter. But I think it needs to be raised at a higher level and I am delighted the Taoiseach has asked to meet the CEO of AstraZeneca. So I hope that meeting takes place and I hope a satisfactory answer is given."

The meeting took place on Friday night but the Taoiseach has not disclosed whether he asked that question or received a satisfactory answer.

As a result of the string of supply upheavals, the Government has downgraded its reliance on AstraZeneca from 40pc to 20pc of vaccine stocks, according to Prof MacCraith.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine - a single dose, fridge-friendly vaccine - is coming on stream next month with a "general expectation" of 600,000 doses, but most probably in June and July.

"They are going to deliver 2.2m doses to Ireland in 2021 - starting in the second half of April and will ramp up from there," he says.

The frequently changing numbers around the vaccine supply are confusing.

But Prof MacCraith rejects criticism of the three different voices speaking on the biggest inoculation project ever undertaken in the country: the HSE, the Department of Health and now the Task Force (which he points out has no executive powers, although executives with power sit at the table).

"We try to engage and you will see a lot more information coming out in the coming weeks, a steady coherent stream of information coming out," he says.

He says the difficulty is "balancing the uncertainty that's out there with the constant requests for precision".

"And I think what we really want to give people is information that inspires confidence," he says.

To this end, Prof MacCraith has more figures. He says the "administration efficiency" of the programme is "very, very high". He says 95pc of all available doses that were in the country on February 24 were administered by March 3. So, the speed of administration "is very high indeed".

He produces more figures that show dramatic reductions in Covid-19 cases in the worst-affected groups - health workers, nursing home residents and staff and those over 85.

If the point of a vaccination programme is to reduce mortality, severe illness, and hospitalisation, he says, these figures suggest it's working.

MacCraith is rushing off but he jams in more positive messaging, even as he departs, reprising his trusty torch analogy.

"The flame is lit. It is flickering with fluctuating oxygen because of the vaccine supply. But this is going to be a flaming torch by the end of quarter two," he says.

"Watch this space."
Reuters

Days after becoming the new chief minister of Uttarakhand Tirath Singh Rawat has announced that no COVID-19 negative certificate is required from April 1 for pilgrims who wish to visit Haridwar to take a holy dip in the Ganga River during the Kumbh Mela, according to a news report. Read more

Here's more top news of the day:

1) 7 Men Rape Minor Girl For 6 Months: All You Need To Know About Bhiwani Gangrape Case

PTI

An appalling case of seven men gangraping a 16-year-old girl for over a period of six months has come to light from Haryana's Bhiwani village. Read more

2) Sri Lanka Announces Burqa Ban, To Close Over 1,000 Madrassas Citing National Security

BCCL

Sri Lanka has announced plans to ban the wearing of burqas and said it would close more than 1,000 Islamic schools known as madrassas, citing national security. Read more

3) Mukesh Ambani Explosive-Laden SUV Case: NIA Arrests Mumbai Police Cop Sachin Vaze

File Photo

In a major development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday night arrested Mumbai cop Sachin Vaze in connection with the explosive laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's home. Read more

4) Why Is #MenToo Trending On Twitter?

BCCL

Scores of people have come out in support of the Zomato delivery executive who presented his side of the story after a Bengaluru-based content creator alleged that the man manhandled her and broke her nose following an altercation over late delivery of food. Read more

5) Biological E, A Woman-Run Company Based In Hyderabad, Will Supply Vaccines To Quad Countries

Reuters

In a bid to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, India has pledged to manufacture at least one billion more Covid-19 vaccine doses by the end of next year in a joint initiative announced with the United States, Japan and Australia. Read more


COVID-19 has claimed more than 2.6 million lives worldwide since the start of the pandemic with more than 5,500 of those deaths being Bay Area residents.

The first Bay Area virus-related death was reported March 9, 2020, more than a month after Californias first reported case. A later autopsy, however, linked the death of a Santa Clara County resident on Feb. 6 to the virus, which is believed to be the first virus-related death in the U.S.

While death counts remained low in the early stages of the pandemic, the winter surge brought overcrowded ICUs, unmanageable numbers of hospital patients and the loss of thousands of lives.

The death rate is now declining and there seems to be hope on the horizon as vaccinations go up and transmission numbers go down. But that provides little solace to the family members who have lost loved ones during the pandemic.

Heres a look at the staggering numbers and a glimpse into the lives of some of those who died:

There were 69 deaths reported in the Bay Area through the end of March of last year and the total remained below 600 at the end of June, some five months after the first California case was reported. After a spike in April, deaths actually declined in both May and June with fewer than 150 in each month.

Patricia Dowd, 57, died Feb. 6 at home without warning and doctors guessed it was a massive heart attack, telling family members she was probably dead before she hit the floor. But that was before the coronavirus was known to have landed in the United States. Not until April was it determined that Trisha had COVID-19. Tracking it back, it was also determined that she was the first COVID fatality in the United States.

An auditor for Lam Research in Fremont, Dowd traveled widely but had not been out of the country in the months leading up to her death. There were no symptoms, nothing, her dad told The Chronicle from the porch of the Mountain View home where Tricia had grown up. A graduate of St. Francis High School and San Jose State University, she left behind a husband and an adult daughter.

Courtesy Jaime Patino

Emma Patino, 84, was a resident at the Gateway Care & Rehabilitation Center in Hayward when news broke on April 8 of a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility. Union City Council member Jaime Patino rushed over to check on his grandmother, Emma Patino. He was relieved to see her through a window, seemingly healthy and in good spirits. When he returned later that night, though, she had a slight cough. She soon tested positive, and two days later she was taken to a hospital. The family barely had time to call with final goodbyes before she died April 13.

Just when it looked like California had flattened the curve, the summer surge hit and brought with it the first major spike in cases and deaths. The Bay Area reported 243 deaths in July, 305 in August and 396 in September. Nearly 1,000 lives were lost in three months. But at least the surge had ended and the numbers were moving in a positive direction.

Brant Ward / The Chronicle 2009

Milla Handley, 68, was born in San Francisco and raised in Los Altos. In 1982, she became the first woman to open a winery in her name in California. Handley Cellars in Anderson Valley became a destination for the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gewurtztraminer that Handley had been making since the mid-1980s. She grew her own grapes, did just about everything else on her 29-acre parcel, and along the way helped put her region on the map. She died July 25, two weeks after her COVID-19 diagnosis, but Handley Cellars lives on  run by her daughter, Milla Louisa Lulu McLellan.

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Gilbert Bobby Polanco, 55, was the first guard at San Quentin State Prison to die of COVID-19, which ravaged the facility after well-documented failures by officials. Polanco, who grew up in San Jose, was hired as a guard in 1987, retired on disability in 2005, and was reinstated as a sergeant in 2011. He died Aug. 9. Our hearts are broken, acting San Quentin Warden Ron Broomfield said in a statement.

Case counts flattened out as summer faded away and so did the number of reported deaths. The Bay Areas reopening movement was in full swing and fewer than 200 deaths were reported in November, but experts warned about a new surge with cold weather and holiday gatherings on the horizon. Reported deaths more than tripled in December, bringing the total to more than 2,500 lost lives across the Bay Area by the end of 2020.

While everyone was eager to see 2020 finally end, the new year proved to be even worse than the previous. The death totals, which often lag behind case rates by a couple weeks, grew to nearly 1,700 in January, by far the worst month since the start of the pandemic. The total dropped by more than 500 in February, but that was still more than five times the average from October and November. In just those two months, the total number of virus-related deaths reported in the Bay Area more than doubled.

Tom Areton 2019

Berta Berkovich Kohut, 99, grew up in Czechoslovakia, the daughter of a tailor who taught her to sew. That skill probably saved her life when she was sent to Auschwitz at age 20. Branded No. 4245, she was put to work making dresses for the wives of Nazi officers. She and her younger sister survived the death camps that claimed every other member of her extended family. After a career in publishing, she immigrated to Marin County to be near her son, Tom Areton. At her San Rafael home, she hosted lunches for Holocaust survivors and is the main source for the nonfiction account The Dressmakers of Auschwitz, due out this fall. She was such a fighter that we were sure she was going to win this battle against COVID, said Areton, because she won so many of them in her life. She died Feb. 14.

The Bay Area reported more than 20 deaths per day during the first week of March, a pace that would lead to more than 600 deaths for the month. Although still high, that number is at least a significant improvement from the previous two months. The hope is that increased vaccinations and continued deligence in following CDC safety guidelines will allow that trend to continue and loss of lives can be all but eliminated.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning. Cloudy skies this afternoon. High 81F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly late. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R- Conroe, has filed several bills that could have a big impact on higher education in Texas. Some of his package seems obviously good, other parts could be controversial. All of them should be thoroughly discussed by the House and Senate to see if they can make colleges and universities in Texas even better.

The two most controversial components are probably one that would increase the frequency of performance evaluations for tenured professors and another that would amend the rule that provides automatic enrollment to Texas colleges for high school students who graduate in the top 10% of their class.

Tenure is occasionally controversial when a professors says or does something that upsets political leaders. But the very nature of tenure is to give job security to professors so they can speak and write without fear of retaliation, and that certainly includes provocative positions. In extremely rare instances, however, revoking tenure could be justified.

Creightons bill would increase the frequency of performance evaluations for tenured professors to 4 years, from 6, and focus them on teaching, research and peer review. The bill would also establish academic due process procedures and expand causes for disciplinary action for infractions such as sexual harassment or plagiarism. Those changes seem reasonable but shouldnt provide cover for politicians who simply disagree with the political views of a professor and want to punish him or her.

The issue of automatic admission for top high school grads has also become controversial in recent years. Creighton says the rule is now outdated and restricts the ability of colleges and universities to attract the brightest and most diverse students to compete in a 21st century economy. Top high school graduates should still have a path to higher education in Texas, though maybe the figure could be reduced to the top 5% or 7%. A change like that would free up more slots for colleges to recruit the kind of freshmen they believe they are missing out on now.

Other parts of Creightons package are more straightforward.

He wants greater transparency for automatic charges for textbooks or other learning material at Texas colleges and universities, and that shouldnt be a problem for any public institution.

Creighton also believes that community colleges and technical institutes should have all the tools they need to prepare students for in-demand careers and reskill or upskill workers who are re-entering the workforce. Again, its hard to disagree with that.

Texas colleges and universities, like all institutions, were severely disrupted by the pandemic. They are hoping to get back on a regular schedule this fall after operating under severe restrictions for more than a year. This legislative package can help, as well as the most generous funding possible in a Legislature grappling with a budget shortfall.

The great universities in Texas like A&M, Rice and UT arent just sources of state pride. They are vital for our state to keep attracting the brightest researchers and technological innovators in the nation  and the world, for that matter. Texas is at or near the top of the academic pyramid now, and it needs to stay there.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has endured intolerable stress and anxiety as she waits to hear if Iran will charge her with new offences at a court hearing today, her husband has told The Mail on Sunday.

Richard Ratcliffe said his wife has been agitated and unable to sleep as she battled post-traumatic stress disorder and depression caused by the torture she suffered in prison.

Yesterday, a panic-stricken Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe told her husband by phone that she was unable to concentrate because of her intense anxiety.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (pictured right with husband Richard and daughter Gabriella, will discover today if she faces new charges

The 43-year-old mother, who has dual British-Iranian nationality, was jailed for five years in 2016 on trumped-up spying charges.

Although her sentence ended last week and her ankle tag removed, she was ordered to stay in Tehran.

She was told to appear before the Revolutionary Court in the capital today, when she faces new charges of spreading false propaganda against the Iranian regime.

Last night, Mr Ratcliffe said: She is very stressed, just wishing tomorrow was over with. She is agitated, short-tempered, restless and unable to concentrate.

'Today, she has been trying to keep herself busy, but it has mainly been an anxious day. The torture is in the uncertainty, of undefined bad things waiting.

Mr Ratcliffe, an accountant from West Hampstead, North-West London, said he was trying to shield the couples daughter, Gabriella, six, from the stress he and his wife have suffered.

He said he had no new information from the Iranian authorities or the Foreign Office in London. He fears his wife will not be told she can leave the country by the court today.

He said: The longer we dont know whats going on, the more it feels like things are being cooked, which normally means bad news. But I am trying not to get ahead of ourselves and just let no news mean no news.

Mr Ratcliffe also expressed frustration after asking the British ambassador in Tehran, Rob Macaire, to attend the court with his wife. Last night, Mr Ratcliffe said the FO has declined to send any officials to court.

Richard Ratcliffe said his wife has been agitated and unable to sleep as she waits the court's decision

He fears that if his wife is not charged with a new offence, the Iranians will play a cat-and-mouse game for weeks and months, ordering his wife to come back to court time after time.

It is believed the Iranians are detaining Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe to force Britain to pay back 400million the Tehran regime claims the UK owes for undelivered tanks in the 1970s.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held for years in the notorious Evin prison, where she was interrogated while blindfolded.

Last night, the Foreign Office said: Nazanin must be allowed to return permanently to her family in the UK and we will continue to do all we can to achieve this.
Ramallah, March 14 : Palestine has hailed the Munich Group's efforts to hold an international peace conference in the Middle East, state radio reported.

The Voice of Palestine quoted Salman al-Herafi, Palestine's Ambassador to France, as saying on Saturday that the efforts of the group "are an advanced step in supporting the convening of an international peace conference to solve the Palestinian cause", Xinhua news agency reported.

The Munich Group, or the Munich Format, refers to the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, France, and Germany in February 2020 meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss Israel-Palestine peace efforts.

Subsequent meetings took place in July 2020 via video conferencing, September 2020 in Jordan and January 2021 in Cairo.

Representatives from the UN, the US, and the European Union (EU) joined a series of the group's meetings that were held in Paris in the last few weeks, and the most recent one was held two days ago, according to al-Herafi.

"Holding four meetings in recent weeks confirms the international eagerness to support the two-state solution and the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the territories occupied by Israel since 1967," he said.

Al-Herafi said Palestine views with great interest the Munich Group's efforts "to revive the peace process and to build a comprehensive and just peace that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people".

But he said the Munich Group is not an alternative to the Middle East Quartet, comprising the UN, EU, the US and Russia.

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have remained stalled since it stopped in the spring of 2014 when the US sponsored it for nine months and ended without any breakthrough due to deep differences on the settlements, Jerusalem, and the borders of the Palestinian state.
Offices around the M25 have surged in popularity as fewer people have travelled to work in the City, new data reveals.

Towns on the outskirts of Greater London have emerged as working 'hot spots', according to IWG, one of the world's largest workspace operators with 3,300 offices.

Demand to rent office space or book a meeting room in Uxbridge has rocketed 175 per cent in the past few months  with big leaps too in High Wycombe, 52 per cent, and Hayes, 24 per cent.

In contrast, demand to work in the City of London has dropped 26 per cent as more people have worked closer to home since Covid-19 struck.

Sign of the times: Towns on the outskirts of Greater London have emerged as working 'hot spots'

Mark Dixon, chief executive of IWG, said: 'People want to work close to where they live. It's going to stick. The most valuable real estate in the world may well be in Gerrards Cross [near the M25 in Buckinghamshire], not Central London.'

He said this trend will continue as more firms allow staff to work 'flexibly', in the office part of the week and from home on other days.

Demand to work in the suburbs has jumped by a third since Covid began, while appetite to work in rural areas has increased by a fifth. City centres are down by a tenth.

Dixon said: 'Companies are thinking: if we don't have flexible work and hybrid work as an offer, we won't be able to hire the right people and the right talent going forward.

'It means you can hire people more geographically spread out. If you want to hire someone who happens to live in Newcastle, you can and they don't have to be surrounding London.'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  The independent research group monitoring the pandemic in the country has an updated COVID-19 projection with grimmer figures.

Prof. Guido David of the OCTA Research said on Sunday that new cases nationwide may jump to 8,000 in a day by month-end if the highly transmissible virus is not contained. This may shoot up to around 17,000 to 18,000 by mid-April, he added.

This new forecast is higher than the groups earlier estimate of 6,000 new cases by end-March, which was released just last week. It also came a day after the country listed an additional 5,000 infections, the steepest rise in nearly seven months.

Authorities, including the Department of Health officials, have attributed the spike in numbers to the publics reported dwindling compliance with health protocols. OCTA also earlier said the presence of new and more transmissible variants may be partly to blame for the fast-rising figures, noting the original strain does not spread this quickly, assuming health protocols are followed.

RELATED: DOH reports COVID-19 variant unique to PH, first case of Brazil variant

The National Capital Region continues to account for the bulk of the new patients, according to David. He also said the region could record as many as 5,000 to 6,000 daily in two weeks.

Tapos by April, pwede tayong umabot ng 14,000 sa Metro Manila, isang araw lang yun. Ganon kasi kabilis tumaas yun eh, yung bilang ng kaso, he said.

[Translation: Then, by April, we may reach 14,000 cases in Metro Manila in just one day. Thats how fast the number of cases can rise.]

It is thus not unlikely for healthcare workers to call for another "timeout" if hospitals are once again overwhelmed, David said. In August last year, the medical community asked the government to reimpose stricter quarantine rules for two weeks in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to help ease the strain on the healthcare system, as the nation reached its peak in cases.

David noted the latest projection is based on the virus current reproduction number in the country, which is now at 1.95. This means nearly two people have been infected by a single COVID-19 patient.

Meanwhile, the DOH said they acknowledge the forecast, but stressed that as with all other projections, these are based on assumptions.

Ultimately, we want to instill the idea that whatever the status of our pandemic situation, it is not permanent, it is reversible, it said. Weve reversed the peak before, we can do it again."

The department reiterated that compliance with the minimum health standards is key in bringing down the numbers and in preventing further mutations of the virus. Among others, this means the proper wearing of face masks (with both nose and mouth covered), observing social distancing (staying at least a meter apart from others when outdoors and an even greater distance when indoors), and ensuring proper ventilation in public and indoor spaces.

In a bid to reverse the upward trend, Metro Manila mayors have decided to impose uniform curfew hours, which will be from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m, for two weeks beginning March 15. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. also said the local chief executives will meet more regularly in the next two weeks to discuss COVID-19 developments and protocols.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Paolo Barcelon contributed to this report.
Photo: The Canadian Press Activist with VOCAL-NY block traffic on 3rd Ave. outside New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in New York. The activists were demanding Cuomo's immediate resignation and a New York State budget that funds housing, health care and economic relief for everyday people. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has urged New Yorkers to wait for the facts."

Patience, though, has grown thin. The state's two U.S. senators, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and most of the other 29 members of New York's congressional delegation have called for his resignation. In the state legislature, more than 120 lawmakers have called on the Democrat to quit.

Leaders in the state Assembly on Thursday announced an impeachment investigation, a first step toward potentially removing Cuomo from office.

Cuomo has rebuffed calls to resign and staked his political future on the outcome of an independent investigation by Attorney General Letitia James, who is examining allegations that the governor sexually harassed or inappropriately touched several female aides.

Heres a look at the next steps on a possible road to impeachment:

ATTORNEY GENERALS INVESTIGATION

James, an independently elected Democrat, hired former Acting U.S Attorney Joon Kim and employment discrimination attorney Anne Clark to lead her inquiry into the governor's workplace conduct.

The investigative team will have the power to subpoena documents and interview witnesses. Its findings will go in a public report.

Cuomo has since said that he will fully co-operate.

James lacks power to unilaterally remove Cuomo from office, but any findings corroborating the allegations could sway potential impeachment proceedings  or add pressure for Cuomo to leave voluntarily.

Kim and Clark may choose to limit their scope to allegations that are already public, or broaden it to look for other women who might have complaints about Cuomo's behaviour.

James office sent a letter last week instructing the governor's office to preserve all evidence related to the harassment allegations. That could include documents and emails to and from Cuomos staff, calendar entries and communications involving the transfer of one of his accusers to another office.

There is no deadline for completing the investigation and James hasn't said how long she expects it to take. A 2010 investigation that Cuomo oversaw as attorney general into his predecessor, Gov. David Paterson, lasted about five months.

Andrew G. Celli Jr., who was chief of the civil rights bureau in the office of attorney general from 1999 to 2003, said that while James is a Democrat, her independence would allow her to to do what she thinks is in the best interest of all the people, even if that means an adverse finding to the governor.

THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

The Assemblys Judiciary Committee will also have power to subpoena documents and witness testimony. It could rely on work done by the attorney general's team of investigators, or gather its own evidence.

The scope of its inquiry might go beyond Cuomos conduct with women. The governor is also under fire for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis in the states nursing homes.

Many lawmakers have been outraged that the Cuomo administration declined, for months, to release the full number of nursing home patients killed by the virus.

The governor's office said some of the data, related to deaths of nursing home patients who had been transferred to hospitals, was unreliable. But in a recorded conference call with lawmakers, Cuomo's top aide said the administration withheld the data in late summer because it was afraid the fatality numbers could be used against us."

Federal investigators are scrutinizing how the Cuomo administration handled data about nursing home deaths.

The committee's work could result in the drafting of articles of impeachment against Cuomo, though that outcome is far from certain.

One of the women who has reportedly accused Cuomo of groping her has not spoken publicly about what happened and it is unclear whether she would be willing to offer public testimony in an impeachment trial.

THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS

New York's process for impeaching and removing a governor from office has some parallels  and some important differences  to the process the U.S. Congress uses for impeaching presidents.

Like at the federal level, New York impeachments starts in lower house of the legislature  in this case, the Assembly. If a majority of members vote to impeach Cuomo, a trial on his removal from office would be held in what's known as the Impeachment Court.

The court consists not only of members of the state Senate, but also judges of the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, who would also cast votes. There are seven appeals court judges and 63 senators, though not all would serve on the impeachment court.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (HOH-kull) and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins are also members, but they are excluded when a governor is on trial. At least two-thirds of the jurors must vote to convict in order to remove Cuomo.

Democrats control both chambers of the Legislature. Many have joined Republicans in calling for Cuomo's resignation or impeachment in recent days. Cuomo has appointed all seven members of the Court of Appeals.

New York has only impeached a governor once, in 1913, when Gov. William Sulzer was bounced after 289 days in office in what he claimed was retribution for turning his back on the powerful Tammany Hall Democratic machine.

Sulzer, accused of failing to report thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and commingling campaign funds with personal funds, blasted the courts secret deliberations, complaining: A horse thief in frontier days would have received a squarer deal."

SIDELINING CUOMO

If Cuomo were impeached by the Assembly, state law might force him to step aside immediately  a dramatic difference from what happens when the U.S. president is impeached.

A section of the state's judicial code regarding impeachment states: No officer shall exercise his office, after articles of impeachment against him shall have been delivered to the senate, until he is acquitted.

According to the state constitution, the lieutenant governor would then take over.

In case the governor is impeached, is absent from the state or is otherwise unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor, the lieutenant-governor shall act as governor until the inability shall cease or until the term of the governor shall expire, the constitution states.

When Sulzer was impeached, Lt. Gov. Martin Glynn was appointed acting governor.

If Cuomo were to be acquitted in an impeachment court, he would return to office. If the Impeachment Court were to remove him from office, Hochul would serve out the remainder of Cuomo's term  through the end of 2022. The court could also opt to disqualify him from holding office in the future, on top of removing him.
Thico Films plans to take lankan cinema to the world Back to Elephant Walk View(s): View(s):

Back to Elephant Walk a film production by Thilini Priyamali and Dr. Isuru Bandara of Thico Films plans to take Sri Lankan cinema to the international.

Scripted by Nisanka Prasadhani Jayathilaka, the film is to be directed by Nihal Bandara. The Executive producer is Kapila Gunathilaka.

The story revolves around a young girl of Sri Lankan born and brought up in the US. Having heard about her beautiful motherland from her mother, she decides to visit it. While in Sri Lanka with her relatives she meets her life partner, of US origin and decides to travel around the country. Romance, adventure and the beauty of Sri Lanka are some striking elements blended into this production.

Producers sai that while highlighting the historic and cultural importance of Sri Lanka, the production aims to boost the local tourism industry in a pandemic-stricken environment.

The producers has plans to release the movie on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and 22 other sites.

Thico Films entered film production with Jeewa directed by veteran actor Jeewan Kumaratunga and it is in post-production stage.

Back to Elephant Walk is the second local film production and its first international movie production.

Among the film making services provided by Thico Films are arranging crew for tele drama and film projects and providing other equipments and resources for script writing and film productions. The company also plans to bring international producer to direct their own films in Sri Lanka.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 21:08:37|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia has earned 610 million U.S. dollars from Chinese built industrial parks, the Ethiopia Industrial Park Development Corporation (EIPDC) disclosed on Sunday.

Behailu Kebede, Marketing and Communications Department Chief at EIPDC, said the 610 million U.S. dollars export revenue was earned from 13 Chinese built industrial parks.

Kebede further said the 13 industrial parks have created job opportunities for more than 89,000 Ethiopians, reported state media outlet Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).

"The textiles and other export related products produced by industrial parks have garnered good reviews by European and North American customers," Kebede said.

Ethiopia currently has 13 operational industrial parks, with several more under-construction expected to be commissioned during the current Ethiopian Fiscal Year 2020/2021.

In recent years, Ethiopia has embarked on industrial parks' construction and commissioning activities, as part of a broad economic strategy to make the country a light manufacturing hub in Africa by 2025.

The Ethiopian government has attached great importance to cooperation with Chinese firms in various fields.

These include the construction of industrial parks along with giant Chinese firms investing in various industrial hubs, the majority of which were built with Chinese expertise and finance. Enditem
Today  March 14  is Pi Day. Ostensibly, it is a day to celebrate the mathematical constant Pi, the ratio of a circles circumference to its diameter.

Today  March 14  is Pi Day. Ostensibly, it is a day to celebrate the mathematical constant "Pi," the ratio of a circles circumference to its diameter.

Of course, given the irrational number that Pi is, its not surprising the day is more frequently used as an excuse to bake and eat pies. Even at the very first Pi Day in 1988, organized by San Francisco Exploratorium physicist Larry Shaw, participants ate fruit pies after doing a circular march.

Tabitha Langel, co-owner of Tall Grass Prairie, says their pies are centred on what grows locally. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Doing math is hard, but eating flaky pastry stuffed with fabulous fillings is easy. Thankfully, if the only addition you want to do is to add a pie into your life, you dont have to run in circles.

Whether you end up eating just one slice, 3.14, or many more, there are plenty of places around (see what we did there) Winnipeg that offer delicious pies of every variety.

Tall Grass Prairie Bread Co. puts heart into their pies  of the pastry variety.

Every saskatoon pie from the venerable community bakery, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, comes with a heart-shaped pastry cutout adorning the top.

"We really want to make the statement: we love this pie and we think its the heart of our Prairie root," Tall Grass co-owner and co-founder Tabitha Langel said in a recent phone interview.

Pies have been a Pi Day constant since the first March 14 event in 1988. You dont need a special celebration to enjoy Tall Grass Prairie Bread Co.s mixed Prairie fruit, Hutterite sugar and saskatoon-rhubarb pies. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Saskatoon pie is Tall Grass signature selection, but it comes with a twist borne of deep tradition: it contains rhubarb, the addition of which hearkens back to Langels Hutterite upbringing.

"The old women said the saskatoon and the rhubarb need each other," Langel said. "The saskatoon by itself, does not have that spark or acidity. It has a fairly  I wouldnt use the word staid  but a plain flavour."

"If you add a little rhubarb  its not one-to-one  the rhubarb gives it a tang and brightens the colour."

When speaking with Langel, it quickly becomes apparent that she has massive respect for tradition and a great reverence for ingredients from right here in Manitoba. She refers to the saskatoon as a "sacred berry" integral to survival on the Prairies and a "superfood" that is high in vitamin B and boosts the immune system.

Butter up! Pie will never be a home run without it Goodies Bake Shops banana cream pie is their best-selling full-sized pie  which has a surprise layer of chocolate ganache underneath the bananas. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press) When it comes to making a pie, just like when building a structure, the foundation is important. In pies case, thats the crust. Theres been plenty of debate throughout the years of whether butter, shortening, lard  or some combination of the three  produces the most perfect pastry. click to read more When it comes to making a pie, just like when building a structure, the foundation is important. In pies case, thats the crust. Theres been plenty of debate throughout the years of whether butter, shortening, lard  or some combination of the three  produces the most perfect pastry. In Tall Grass Prairies case, they dont use lard as they have a lot of Jewish and Muslim customers who do not eat it, Langel said, even though shes of the opinion that a mixture of butter and lard makes the best pastry. They used to use a high-end trans-fat free vegetable oil, until about 15 or 20 years ago, when a master French baker came on board. We introduced him to pies and he said after a while, I cant do it. I have to put some butter in, Langel said. (For anyone who ever watched Julia Child, theyd know French baking and cooking is based on three ingredients: butter, butter, and a bit more butter.) Tall Grass uses an oil and butter mix to this day. Lilac Bakerys Atkinson still uses his late mother Lindas recipe, which calls for primarily vegetable shortening and a little bit of butter to stabilize it. Its the only thing were ever going to use. She always baked a nice flaky crust, Atkinson said, stressing its important to not overwork the pastry. Doing so makes it tough rather than tender. For Goodies Peters, when it comes to flaky-crust pies (as opposed to pies with graham or Oreo crumb bases) its butter or bust. We believe in butter, she said, for flavour and nutrition. We are focused on real ingredients and butter is a real food. Langel  perhaps surprisingly  is of the opinion that crust is not the end-all be-all. I think the over-focus on crust has been a bit overdone, Langel said. What I dont like about it, (making crust) intimidates people. Theyre forever criticizing their crust. I know there are people who do exquisite crusts and thats terrific. But I say to people: show me a warm pie. Even if the crust is not perfect, itll be delicious. Close

"Its such a memory when I was a kid, that was the dessert," Langel says of saskatoon pie. People didnt buy these fancy things from far away."

"Our pies are centred largely on what grows here, locally," she said. "What I love about our pies is we can usually tell people where the fruits are from and the pumpkins are from."

In addition to the saskatoon-rhubarb and the deep-dish pumpkin pie  which she calls "quite legendary" and are made with heritage pumpkins Langel deems superior to sugar pumpkins  they also make a mixed Prairie-fruit pie, where the filling varies depending on whats fresh and in season.

They also make apple and apple-raspberry pies with  you guessed it  local apples.

For Pi Day this year, Langel suggests trying the one custard pie they make regularly. Thats the Hutterite sugar pie, made with cream, sugar, egg, and "heavily laced with cinnamon." Its similar to a French-Canadian classic, tarte au sucre.

Lilac Bakery owner Christopher Atkinson always sees a bump in pie sales for Pi Day. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

At Lilac Bakery, serving pies made with his late mothers pastry recipe is one way Christopher Atkinson keeps her legacy alive.

Twelve years ago, when Atkinson and his mother Linda opened the Grosvenor Avenue bakery, she was the head baker and he was the owner with the marketing and sales savvy. Linda died five years ago, but her influence lives on.

Lilac Bakery specializes in down-home, scratch-made desserts, with offerings "reminiscent of kitchens from the past," Atkinson said  such as Lindas.

Individual-size pies from Lilac Bakery are perfect for a lunchtime snack. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Theres an elegance to Lilacs offerings, which in addition to pies, include a variety of cupcakes, cakes, and a rotating menu of more than two-dozen squares. But that elegance comes from simplicity: the baked goods arent just for Instagram.

Lilac touts a dozen-plus varieties of pie that come in 10-inch and mini varieties. The mini pies catch customers eyes in the showcase and have a cheap-and-cheerful price point of just $6.

Lemon meringue and apple are Lilacs top sellers year-round, Atkinson said during a phone call on a recent sunny weekday morning."(Customers) really like the tart lemon curd with the pastry and the big fluffy meringue on top," Atkinson said. "The higher the better, and it looks stunning on a table, too."

Apple pie was Lindas favourite, Atkinson said. "She did it without a recipe, she just did by hand, you know? Amazing."

Lilac Bakerys apple (pictured) and lemon meringue pie are top sellers. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Atkinsons personal favourite is banana cream  because hes a big fan of the combination of pastry, custard, bananas, and sweet whipped cream  but also because its one his mother made frequently when he was young.

"It reminds me of my childhood," he said.

Lilac always sees an uptick in pie sales around Pi Day. Many workplaces order them for office functions and the mini pies  a perfect portion for one person  "sell like crazy" the week before, Atkinson said.

Pies are an underrated dessert that are actually more difficult and time-intensive to make than cakes and cupcakes, Atkinson said, because of the time it takes to make and roll the pastry. He said you can tell right away if a pie is made from scratch or from a production line.

Lilac Bakerys pie menu includes key lime and more than a dozen other varieties. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Guys especially love pies, Atkinson said. He finds he sells more pies to men than women, especially the lemon meringue and cream varieties.

"We get the question all the time, from guys coming in, theyre like where are your pies, where are the pies?"

He posits this phenomena might be because pies remind men of their mothers baking or because more men prefer desserts that are less sweet.

For Pi Day, Atkinson is planning to tuck into a slice of strawberry-rhubarb, a flavour that evokes feelings of spring and is popular around Easter (another huge day for pie sales.)

Linda Peters says Goodies Bake Shops peanut butter chocolate mousse pie is a decked-out showstopper. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

At Goodies Bake Shop, pie is a big deal. Between baking them for wholesale distribution and for their retail location on Ellice Avenue, they may make as many as 200 per day.

While operations manager Linda Peters isnt the one elbow-deep in flour and fillings on a daily basis, she estimates that about a quarter of Goodies 40 staff is involved in the pie-making process at some point, whether thats rolling crust, making fillings, or dolling them up.

Peters says Goodies has always been a fan of Pi Day, and that they do see an increase in orders leading up to "the famous 3-point-14."

"Our pies are one of our most popular products people just want a reason to eat pie," she said. "I love numbers, I love math, but I love pie even more."

Like Lilac Bakery, Goodies offers individual pies in addition to full-sized ones, so everyone can get exactly what they want. Half of Goodies pie-buying customers opt for individuals, Peters estimated.

While Goodies best-selling full-sized pie is banana cream  which has a surprise layer of chocolate ganache underneath the bananas  the best-selling individual pie is coconut cream.

Goodies Bake Shops coconut cream pie tastes like a vacation. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Goodies didnt sell individual coconut cream pies until about two years ago, at which point Peters mother suggested they do so. Peters gave it a shot, making the mini coconut cream an Easter feature.

Mothers always know best, dont they?

Coconut cream also happens to be Peters and her mothers favourite.

"I like things that are tropical. It kind of tastes like a vacation," Peters laughed. "As busy as I am, I dont take vacations, but I have a small vacation by eating coconut cream pie."

Every time Peters mother comes over, Peters has a coconut cream pie waiting for her. (Hopefully, for health reasons, her mother doesnt come over every day.)

Peters said a pie can be just as show-stopping of a centrepiece as a multi-tiered cake. The secret is height, she said, (in addition to using fresh, local ingredients.)

"Our pies are probably six inches high and theyre decked out," she said.

Cindy Sayroodrizzles chocolate on a pie at Goodies Bake Shop. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

The lemon meringue pie, for example, has an almost-comically-large heaping of torched Italian meringue (much more labour-intensive than a regular French meringue, Peters said) atop a fresh lemon curd made with Manitoba eggs. The banana cream is adorned with hand-piped whipped cream swirls and banana chips.

"People dont realize how versatile pie really is," Peters said, and that a baker can be even more creative when making pies than when making cakes. She pointed to their peanut butter chocolate mousse pie  made with cream cheese  and their caramel/chocolate/pecan pie as examples of non-traditional offerings.

"You can do so much with a pie," she said. "Pies can be savoury, they can be sweet, they can be breakfast, they can be dessert, they can be any meal. You can make a chicken pot pie. Its still a pie."

"When it comes to cake, cake is always dessert, but pie  you can have fruit pie for breakfast. I know Ive let my kids have pie for breakfast. Its fruit!"

declan.schroeder@freepress.mb.ca
Transport minister Kailash Gahlot on Sunday appealed to corporate organisations to adopt electric vehicles in their fleets and use CSR funds for setting up charging stations in the city under the government's ambitious ongoing 'Switch Delhi' campaign.

The sixth week of the campaign will focus on creating and raising awareness on how the corporate segment can help Delhi's transition towards adopting electric vehicles (EVs), the Transport Department said in a statement.

Gahlot said the corporates based in Delhi have performed exceptionally well and earned the city the economic hub tag, appealing to them to take lead in EV switchover.

"The Delhi government appeals to corporates to switch their vehicle fleets to EVs. We also appeal to them to install charging stations at their office premises to encourage more and more individuals to switch to EVs."

The corporates can put their resources to the best use by promoting EVs in Delhi. They can come forward and help the government in making the 'Switch Delhi' campaign a huge success, he said.

Globally, it has been seen that people generally charge their electric vehicles at home or in the workplace. Many corporate employees are willing to switch to EVs if there is sound EV charging infrastructure at their workplaces, the minister said.

Gahlot urged corporates to convert and reserve five per cent of parking space at their premises for installing charging stations.

"Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its huge impact on society is well-known. Through CSR initiatives, the corporates can install or adopt an EV charging station in Delhi. This way, Delhi could witness thousands of EV charging stations in the coming year," he said.

Delhi government is providing subsidies for the installation of EV charging stations and the companies may benefit from it, he added.

'Switch Delhi' is an eight-week mass awareness campaign of the government to sensitise Delhiites about the benefits of EVs to them and the environment. The campaign also aims to inform and encourage people to switch from polluting vehicles to zero-emission electric vehicles.

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Bengaluru, March 14 : Alarmed over rising Covid cases of late, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Sunday urged the people across the state to follow the Covid-induced guidelines strictly to control the pandemic.

"People should follow Covid-19 guidelines strictly. They should wear mask, maintain social distancing and hygiene," Yediyurappa told reporters here.

Noting that positive cases were surging since a week in the state, especially in Bengaluru, which is the epi-centre of the pandemic, the Chief Minister said people should cooperate with the government to avoid harsh measures such as curfew or lockdown to rein in the virus.

"Though there is no proposal to reinforce lockdown or curfew in the state, people should abide by the guidelines to prevent positive cases from rising further," he reiterated.

For the second consecutive day, new cases crossed the 900-mark on Saturday with 934 registered after touching 921 on Friday across the southern state.

As a result, the state's Covid tally shot up to 9,60,272, with 8,364 active cases, while 9,39,499 recovered till date, with 609 discharged in the last 24 hours.

Bengaluru, which accounts for over 50 per cent of the state's caseload, has reported 628 fresh cases on Saturday, taking its Covid tally to 4,11,439, with 6,107 positive cases, while recoveries rose to 4,00,812 with 371 discharged during the day.

The virus, however, claimed only three lives in Bengaluru on Sunday, taking the city's death toll to 4,519 till date, since the pandemic broke in the state on March 8, 2020.

The Chief Minister has convened a meeting of officials and health experts at the secretariat on Monday to review the situation and take measures to contain the virus spread across the state, particularly in Bengaluru.

The meeting will also chalk out strategies to step-up the vaccination drive to inoculate as many senior citizens, healthcare workers and frontline warriors to increase herd immunity across the state.

The state government plans to regulate the entry of people from Maharashtra, which has been registering over 15,000 new cases a day, into the state through inter-state borders, in trains and flights.

Besides banning late-night parties, the state health department has restricted large gatherings in public places, weddings, religious events and other functions to ensure social distancing and contain the pandemic.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

On January 5th, Michael D. Graveley, District Attorney of the County of Kenosha, Wisconsin, called a news conference to explain why charges would not be brought against Officer Rusten Sheskey for shooting Jacob Blake on August 23, 2020. During August anti-racism protests in response to a black man being shot seven times by a white police officer, rioting had led to two deaths and to fifty million dollars in damage to over one hundred businesses in Kenosha, including forty that were shut down for good with the loss of many jobs.

YouTube screengrab

Graveley was joined at the podium by Noble Wray, former Madison, Wisconsin Police Chief and head of Police Practices and Accountability in the Obama Administration. An expert in police procedures and an African American, Wray was selected by the Wisconsin Attorney Generals office, which had been mandated by Graveley to review the use of force in that incident.

Both District Attorney Graveley and Noble Wray emphasized that the police had been called by the mother of Blakes three children, who expressed her fear that Blake was going to take her SUV vehicle and one or more of her children, without her permission. Also, the police were aware that Blake had a warrant for his arrest from a prior domestic abuse incident.

Graveley and Wray asserted that Blake did not comply with the commands of the officers, whom he fought when they tried to arrest him. Twice, they tried to stop him with tasers. Also, according to the officers and other witnesses, he was carrying a knife through most of the confrontation, which had opened with the blade exposed.

The police tried to prevent Blake from getting into the SUV. At least one of the children (or perhaps all three -- the report is not clear perhaps because it covers different stages in time) was in the back seat. Officer Sheskey grabbed Blake by his shirt and then, according to Sheskey and at least one other officer and a couple of civilian witnesses, Blake twisted his body, moving his right hand with the knife towards Officer Sheskey.

The case was much complicated by the administrative failures of the Kenosha Police Department to equip its officers with body cameras, though a witnesss cell-phone video did capture some of the audio police commands. That video did record Blake carrying a knife and a male voice yelling, Drop the knife! at least twice.

Summarized at the press conference by both Graveley and Wray, the report asserts:

Officer Sheskey stated the knife was approximately two feet from him. Officer Sheskey feared Jacob Blake was going to stab him with the knife but knew that he could not retreat because the child was in the car and could be harmed, taken hostage, or abducted by Jacob Blake. Officer Sheskey stated that for these reasons, he discharged his firearm [seven times] towards Jacob Blake.

Another officer similarly described the situation, noting that the blade was pointing up.

Both District Attorney Graveley and Noble Wray emphasized that Officer Sheskey could not let Blake leave with a child or children during a domestic dispute incident lest a police chase ensue, and that the officer fired his gun only after Blake turned toward him with the knife, bringing the blade closer to the officer. They both invoked the findings of the Chief Medical Examiner which revealed that three shots were in Blakes side and four shots in his back, and that this seems to corroborate the claim of the officers and other witnesses that the first shots were fired as Blake twisted his body, moving his right hand with the knife towards Officer Sheskey, and that the shots to the back occurred when Blake turned due to the first three shots and finally dropped the knife to the floor of the vehicle.

Because of the strong case for self-defense and for the need to prevent the taking of the children under any circumstance, dictated by the warrant, both Graveley and Wray insisted that they could not make a criminal case against Officer Sheskey, even though Jacob Blake was, tragically, paralyzed from the waist down by the shots. They were visibly moved that Sheskey rendered immediate aid to Blake until the paramedics arrived, urging Blake to survive.

I was curious about national coverage of the press conference by the traditional three broadcast networks on their January 5 evening news, so I taped those programs in advance.

None of them related the police concern about the danger of a car chase had Blake driven off with children in the car, as their mother feared when she called in her concerns. None of them mentioned the theory that three shots were fired to Blakes side because he had turned toward Officer Sheskey with the knife, and that four more shots were fired to the back as the first three shots forced him to pivot and to drop the knife.

The CBS national reporter divulged that prosecutors say that Blake was holding a knife when Officer Sheskey shot him multiple times in the back (echoing the anchors opening to the half hour) and related the finding of self-defense without providing any detail. The story emphasized the citys being on edge and bracing for more trouble. How does such reportage help to ease tensions?

The NBC national anchors provocative and, according to the press conference being reported, misleading opening words for the entire program were, No charges for the police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back. He later remarked that Blake was shot in the back as he leaned into a car.

As on CBS, there was immediate focus on the mounting outrage in Kenosha. The reporter parroted: seven times in the back. He related the D.A.s statement that Blake was armed with a knife and that the officer could have successfully argued self-defense. Brief video footage of Graveley does relay his description of the domestic abuse call and of the warrant. Also, the reporter spoke of Blake walking to the car with his three young sons, citing family members instead of the official report which stated that the children (or one child?) were already in the car. Appended to this story was a video clip from Dateline NBC, in which Blakes father said that his son suffered seven shots to the back for not stopping when hateful police officers commanded it. Nothing was said about the emphasis at the press conference on the Medical Examiners finding that three shots were to the side. The reporter did conclude with the familys call for peaceful protests.

ABCs national anchor announced no charges against the police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back before the reporter noted that Blake struggled with officers who were called about a domestic dispute and who were unable to stop him with a taser. Graveley is shown declaring that Blake was clearly armed with a knife. The dispatchers recording was played about a complaint that Blake had taken car keys, but no other details were given except that Blake appears to lean into the drivers side of the car when Officer Sheskey opens fire. ABC News began and ended the segment with attention to fences and boards being placed around Kenosha in anticipation of further rioting. Was a reference to 500 National Guard personnel intended as a deterrent against such further violence -- similar to the approach of CBS News?

In all fairness to the network reports, they were aired around two hours after the press conference began. But how could they have missed the key points?

In our local Chicago news, the affiliates of the three networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) did somewhat better by the time their 10:00 p.m. news rolled around, but not much better. They all began with inciteful (not insightful) concerns about further civil unrest in Konesha as a result of the press conference. They did relate, in the report or in video clips, that Blake was carrying a knife, and that the police had concerns about his driving off with children. But they all omitted the crucial allegation that the shots fired to Blakes left side may have been provoked by his pivoting toward Sheskey with knife in hand.

The NBC5 Chicago reporter did relate that police are trained to stop firing only when the suspect is no longer considered a threat. Of the three main Chicago news franchises, her report alone noted that not all shots were to the back, and that the district attorney said that the first shots were fired toward Blakes side, perhaps forcing him to turn his back toward the officers as more shots were fired. She alone provided the information given at the press conference that the police officer still had ten more bullets in his gun and had helped Blake until paramedics arrived.

In the ABC7 Chicago coverage Noble Wray was quoted as stating that the officer followed training and protocol. A video clip has him share that it has been a stressful endeavor to have been an African American male involved in policing for 37 years and that I feel it in the worst way but that his decision had to be grounded in the facts. Also moving was a video clip shown of D.A. Graveley acknowledging that the Blake family and Jacob Blake himself have tried to be truly positive forces in the community, asking the community to have peaceful but real dialogue about change.

I checked on how Milwaukees big three network news outlets covered the press conference in their 10:00 news programs. They did a creditable job -- indeed, a yeoman job when one factors in the failures of the national and Chicago coverage.

Though the anchors introduction began with a provocative reference to shockwaves not only in Kenosha but really all across the country, reporter Mark Stevens of CBS58 related the concern that Blake was going to take a child and take the car, that Blake struggled with officers, that taser attempts had failed, that he had a knife, and that the warrant against him required an immediate arrest. Video showed Wray asserting that "officers in the State of Wisconsin are trained to shoot until the threat has stopped." But nothing was said about the crucial allegation that Blake pivoted with knife in hand toward the police.

Part of the 911 call was played in which the mother claimed that Blake had crashed vehicles in the past. The segment also showed video of Mr. Wray stating that Wisconsin officers are trained to shoot until the threat has stopped. In a video bite Wray shares his awareness of a history of racism on top of racism and adds that we are trying to work through this. But we cannot work through this by just trying to find a decision that is comfortable with people. Reporter Stevens concluded by noting that Graveley called in Federal investigators for a second opinion.

The anchor of NBC TMJ4 led into the story with optimism, observing that while streets are barricaded and businesses boarded up in Kenosha, protests have stayed peaceful. Reporter Ben Jordan began his coverage by emphasizing that Graveley was obligated to press charges only if he believed they could be upheld in court. Jordan competently and cogently related in narrative and video the special considerations involved in a domestic abuse case, the finding that Blake turned toward the police officer with the knife, and the police concern that were Blake not stopped, they might have faced a vehicle pursuit with a kid in the car.

ABC WISNs Derrick Rose immediately conveyed the DAs contention that Blake made a stabbing motion with the knife, and that official police policy is to shoot until the perceived threat ceases. Of all of the coverage I have screened, the most pertinent and telling clips from the DAs press conference were shown in this news segment. Rose provided balance by showing video of Graveley quoting Blake to the effect that he had no intention of pulling a knife on an officer and by acknowledging the feelings of many that seven shots were excessive force and that a Federal investigation is underway. He alone showed a video clip of Wray reflecting, At one point in time did Blake drop the knife? Was it at four shots, at three shots, at six shots, which is hard to determine?

Of all the big three broadcast network and their local affiliates, the Milwaukee reporters, especially Ben Jordan and Derrick Rose, best conveyed the salient points of the press conference.

There were four factors, it seems at first analysis, that may account for Kenosha escaping a second round of destruction:

The call for peace by Jacob Blakes family;

the orderly protests that occurred in the days before the press conference;

the painstaking presentations of the DA and consultant Noble Wray;

the responsible Milwaukee broadcast news coverage

On ABCs Good Morning America (January 14) Michael Strahan asked good and helpful questions. Blake admitted that he should not have picked up the knife once it dropped after he was tased. He stated his belief that the police would let him go if he walked away from them and made it to his car. He denied turning the knife toward Officer Sheskey and claimed that the officer had never identified himself. The latter issues will have to be explored in any Federal or civil inquiries. Meanwhile, Strahans questioning familiarized his audience with police protocol that any movement toward an officer with knife in hand -- or other object, for that matter -- or any attempt to walk away from an officer and head toward a motor vehicle occupied by children, especially when there is a warrant in a domestic abuse case, is, by current law, at least in some places, sufficient cause for an officer to fire his gun multiple times until the knife is dropped.

Again, the focus of the news media on this could save life and limb. It could also open up discussion of the policy and on how a change in protocols could affect children in vehicles.

District Attorney Graveleys report quotes Jacob Blake to the effect that he had dropped the knife but then picked it up again because it was given to him as a gift and meant a lot to him and he wanted to put it away in the car. The news media should have conveyed this detail because it would have provided critical warning that anyone being arrested or even approached by the police should not cling to any weapon for any reason, even out of sentimental concerns, or to any object that could be construed as a weapon. Such information could prevent individuals confronted by the police from being injured or killed. The media can still report it.

According to District Attorney Graveleys report, Jacob Blake said that he didnt think clearly because he was angry and frightened at the thought that the police might do him harm, and could not focus on their commands nor understand why the officers had tased him. The report reveals that Blake had worked as an armed security guard and that he had used tasers and knew how to disarm them by pulling out wires and prongs. Why have the news media not cited these statements, which have been on line for weeks, thereby highlighting the dangers for anyone stopped by the police of fighting back or simply not surrendering out of fear or anger?
COVID-19: Ivermectin tablets to be distributed among Uttarakhand residents

Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand opens portals after winter break, no pilgrims allowed due to Covid

Two leopards found dead in Uttarakhand

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Dehradun, Mar 14: Two leopards were found dead in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh and Champawat districts, according to officials on Saturday.

Pithoragarh Forest Range Officer Dinesh Joshi said a five-year-old leopard was found dead in the forests of Gaina village. He said the autopsy revealed that the leopard died of hunger around 10 days ago.

Kumbh Mela 2021: Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat ensures maximum number of devotees amid COVID-19

In another case, a 10-month-old leopardess was found dead in the Pati range of the Champawat forest division.

Manohar Singh Semia, an officer from the Champawat division, said the leopardess died in a clash with another leopard.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 8:54 [IST]
This is an opinion column.

Ask my kids; theyve heard me say it more times than they remember.

Ask anyone who knows me; theyve heard it so often they now blurt it out before I share it yet again.

Life is math.

Every choice we confront, every decision we ponderevery problem we seek to resolveis a component in an equation equaling a plus or a minus.

You will either benefitor pay a price. Financially. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. In myriad other ways, too. Ways you may never recover (time). Ways that may hurt others (consequence, intended or not).

Math.

Some Alabama Republican lawmakers during this frenetic legislative session are trying to address a massive statewide problem that was only exacerbated during our year of the pandemic: A backlog of criminal and civil cases because there are not enough judges.

Not enough to process a tsunami of cases that flooded the criminal justice pipeline before COVID-19 all but shut down courts last year and eliminated jury trials and grand juries. The clogged drain of delayed justice is an injustice to everyone.

To defendants locked in jailsinnocent until proven guilty, rememberfor years until their case finally goes to trial.

To victims, most certainly, who must agonizingly wait for justice.

To residents in neighborhoods where defendants out on bail may pose a risk to their safety.

Its a backwash no one on either side of our political tightrope deems acceptable. Yet some lawmakers have pulled out their calculators to address the problem in ways that just dont add up.

Sen. Thomas Whatley (Lee, Russell, and Tallapoosa counties), Sen. Chris Elliott (Baldwin), and Sen. Greg Albritton (Baldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Monroe, and Washington counties) want to solve the backlog by subtracting at least three judges from Jefferson County, the states most populousand, ahem, most Democraticcounty. The county that deposits more funds into the state budget than any other.

They want to add them to areaspredominantly Republican areascovering Baldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Monroe, and Washington counties.

SB162, co-sponsored by Whatley and Elliott, reallocates judges based primarily on population. Simple math, though, isnt always simple. With 700,000 residents and a preponderance of businesses and industries, Jefferson County places the heaviest burden on its judges. Between 2016-2019, District Attorney (Birmingham Division) Danny Carr says his office served approximately 31,950 felony warrants (thats an annual average of almost 8,000 warrants), including 346 homicides.

The criminal division of the 10th Judicial Circuit, covering Jefferson County (Birmingham and Bessemer divisions), has 10 judges. The civil division has 12 judges (both divisions).

Math.

Albrittons bill, SB291, specifically targets seats held by Judges Teresa Pulliam (criminal division) and Robert Vance (civil) for termination on January 16, 2023, or earlier if the position is vacatedand potentially another seat.

Last Wednesday, the two bills were discussed in a public hearing before the General Fund Committee. Circuit Judge Aleric May (criminal division) told members: If we cant give timely justice, losing two judges would be devastating and catastrophic.

Especially when timely was already stretched.

May says circuit judges typically have 1,000 to 1,500 cases on their dockets. His oldest case dates back to 2018, though some judges have cases going back even further. (The most delayed cases are those involving the most serious crimes, i.e., capital murder, rape, and the like.) If we lost two judges, you would have to disburse their case to judges, which would add about 200 cases per judge. If three seats are taken thats at least 3000 cases disbursed.

Plus, we only have 26 weeks each year for jury trials, which is designated by the state. Capital cases, at minimum, take a week, so were only clearing 26 trial cases every year. You do the math.

Im already three or four years behind, shared Circuit Judge Shanta Owens. I can only try one case at a time, hear one motion at a time. It may be another three or four years before I can try any new cases. I dont doubt other counties need more judges, but we need more judges, too. To address the need in other counties by taking judges from Jefferson County is an attack on justice for the community.

Well kill speedy trials, which is a constitutional right, says Carr. The timing couldnt be worse.

You dont fix a problem. May adds, by creating a problem.

Thats faulty, short-sighted mathat best.

In a passionate presentation before the committee, Sen. Roger Smitherman reminded members of a 2017 bill creating the Judicial Resources Allocation Committee and a process for the chess game of judicial movement. He noted the bill, which he says took three years to negotiate, was unanimously approved by legislators, many of whom were in the room.

This was the compromise, he said. Either we can trust what people say, or we cant. This is the litmus test.

If the issue is that the state cannot afford to create more judge seats (theyre budgeted to cost about $500,000 annually), Smitherman said, I found the money. He mentioned $86 million in new dollars generated last year by taxes on Internet sales and noted that the Office of Court Administration rolled over $25 million in savings from 2020 and requested its upcoming budget match last years total.

That $25 million will fund 10 judges for five years without going into the budget, he later told me. The money is there if there is a justifiable need.

On Wednesday, before the committee, he said: If youre not going to go that route, youre trying to hurt us, trying to be punitive. Theres no reason you have to be.

The bills were carried over and could come before the committee again, perhaps next Wednesday.

After someone, hopefully, grabs an eraser and recalculates the math.

A voice for whats right and wrong in Birmingham, Alabama (and beyond), Roys column appears in The Birmingham News and AL.com, as well as in the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register. Reach him at rjohnson@al.com and follow him at twitter.com/roysj
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday said in Nandigram that tractors will again enter Delhi the day a decision is taken by Samyukt Kisan Morcha and "a new mandi will be opened in Parliament".

Talking to reporters at Nandigram, which is a key battleground in the West Bengal elections, Tikait accused the BJP-led government of working in the interest of corporates.

"The day Samyukt Morcha decides, a new mandi will be opened at Parliament. The crops will be sold at the minimum support price (MSP). Tractors will again enter Delhi. The 3.5 lakh tractors and 25 lakhs farmers are the same. The next target will be to sell crops at Parliament," he said.

"Are tractors to be brought on hire? Tractors are the same, the men are the same. The day Samyukt Morcha decides, a new mandi will be opened. The next target will be parliament. Delhi should listen with ears open. Who will stop tractors?" he asked.

Tikait said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated farmers can sell their crops anywhere.

"I feel the mandi in parliament is the best. The farmer is outside and trader is outside, there will be purchase definitely," he said.

Tikait had earlier appealed to voters of Nandigram not to vote for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the assembly polls.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha held a 'mahapanchayat' in Kolkata against the three new farm laws enacted by the Centre.

Delhi had witnessed violence during the tractor parade on the call of farmer unions on January 26. Tractors had entered the capital violating the agreement on the route of the tractor march.

Nandigram will witness the most high-profile contest of West Bengal elections with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined BJP in December last year.

Adhikari had earlier said that BJP will defeat Banerjee by over 50,000 votes from Nandigram.

Elections to the West Bengal assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 to April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

Farmers have been protesting at different borders of the capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws -- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jordan's health minister was resigned Saturday after at least seven COVID-19 patients died at a hospital in Salt, near Amman, due to a shortage of oxygen at the facility, state media reported. Later Saturday, Jordan's King Abdullah II visited the hospital where an angry mob had gathered.

The initiative is designed to attack the global vaccine shortage and counter China's growing diplomatic campaign to distribute vaccines in Southeast Asia and globally.

The U.S., Australia, India and Japan also agreed last week to a partnership to make 1 billion vaccines available across Asia by the end of 2022, India's foreign secretary said at a news conference in New Dehli after a virtual meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of the other countries.

The U.S. appears to be on a path to stockpiling coronavirus vaccines, with plans to have enough doses for almost double the country's population. The U.S. has committed funding to several vaccine initiatives, including $2 billion to Covax, the international program designed to provide coronavirus vaccines wherever needed.

More than 119.5 million people have contracted COVID-19, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Sunday. The United States tops the list as the place with the most infections at 29.4 million. Brazil and India follow the U.S. with 11.4 million and 11.3 million, respectively.

 China Eases Visitor Entry

The competition to distribute vaccines worldwide escalated Saturday when China announced it would streamline the entry process for foreigners who want to visit mainland China from Hong Kong if they have received Chinese-manufactured coronavirus vaccines.

By imposing fewer paperwork obligations, China hopes to enhance the global appeal of its vaccines, which most Western countries have not yet approved. In addition, China has yet to approve the manufacture or distribution of foreign-made vaccines within the country.

 Italy Aims for 80 Percent of Shots by Fall

In Italy, meanwhile, the special commissioner for the coronavirus said Saturday that the country planned vaccinate at least 80 percent of its population by September. Francesco Paolo Figliuolo disclosed a plan to put 500,000 shots in arms daily, according to a statement from the office of the Cabinet.

Nearly 2 million Italians, or about 4 percent of the population, have gotten two shots of vaccine, but fewer than 51 million Italians are eligible for inoculation. Italy is one of the countries hit hard by the coronavirus, with 3.2 million cases and more than 101,000 deaths so far, according to Johns Hopkins.

With increasing vaccine deliveries, from 15.7 million doses in the first quarter to 52.5 million doses from April to June, Italy plans to broadly expand the places where shots will be available, including military barracks, stores, gyms, schools and Catholic Church facilities.

In the meantime, most Italians face new restrictions beginning Monday as the government tries to stop a rise in case numbers. The restrictions include the closure of schools and nonessential shops in more than half of the country, including Rome and Milan.

There is good news in Corvo, the smallest island in the Azores off the Portuguese coast: 322 of its 400 residents have received a COVID-19 shot and herd immunity will likely be reached by the end of March. "There's an atmosphere of celebration in Corvo," Dr. Antonio Salgado told the Lusa news agency. "From now on, we will feel safe."

Herd immunity is reached when enough people, usually 50 percent to 70 percent of a population, are immune to an infection. Corvo will have nearly 85 percent of its residents 16 and older vaccinated this month.



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New Delhi:

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, deputy chief minister O Pannerselavam and their supporting MLAs resolved to convene AIADMK general council and executive committee at the earliest in a meeting at Chennai on Monday.

The meeting was convened by Palaniswami and attended by senior party functionaries, ministers, MPs and MLAs.

Today's meeting, convened by Palaniswami and attended by senior party functionaries, ministers, MPs and MLAs, also discussed TTV Dhinakaran's recent shuffling of the party ranks, the sources said.

The resolution said, All those appointed by Puratchi Thalaivi Amma and those who came to positions through elections will continue to function in their same positions.

Dhinakaran on Sunday removed Palaniswami as the party's Salem (Suburban) district secretary, besides sacking some other ministers from party posts.

A resolution, which was read out by law minister C Ve Shanmugam said, The office-bearers and cadres of the party have demanded the convening of general council and executive committee.

In another resolution, the unified party resolved to term the appointments made by TTV Dhinakaran as invalid as he had no authority to sack or appoint office bearers.

During the meeting another resolution resolved to take legal action to take over Dr Namadhu MGR and Jaya TV.

The resolution said, They are properties of the party, floated with untiring efforts of Amma and with the contribution from lakhs of cadres.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The coronavirus pandemic has raised awareness among GCC countries of the importance of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) standards. If current trends continue, then ESG could become a valuable element of the regions recovery from Covid-19.

ESG standards are used by investors to evaluate potential investments, as well as enabling business leaders to formulate responsible and sustainable corporate strategies.

Environmental criteria take into account a companys environmental footprint, as well as the actions it takes to offset it. Social criteria evaluate how it manages relationships with its various internal and external stakeholders. Lastly, governance criteria evaluate the inner mechanisms of a company's management and operations.

Demand for investments that are ethical and sustainable has been increasing in recent years. Globally, more and more investors are turning to businesses that embrace ESG, and this tendency has been boosted by Covid-19.

As phrased in a report published by S&P Global in April last year, strong ESG performers with stakeholder-focused and adaptive-governance structures are likely to remain resilient amid these rapidly changing dynamics.

ESG standards have become a central focus of the worlds major financial bodies. In January this year, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, it was announced that a coalition of multinationals and business leaders had signed up to the Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics, a set of ESG standards released by the WEF and the International Business Council in September 2020.

Stakeholder capitalism [has become] mainstream, Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF, told international media at the time. The public commitments from companies to report not only on financial matters but also their ESG impacts are an important step towards a global economy that works for progress, people and the planet.

Meanwhile, the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation is moving forward with its plan to develop a single set of internationally recognised sustainability standards. In early February the foundation announced the goal of producing a definitive proposal by September this year.

In the GCC region, ESG has likewise become a hot topic in recent months.

For example, at the end of last year the CFA Institute  a global investment association  announced the results of a study which found that 94% of retail investors in the UAE were interested in or applied ESG principles in 2020, up from 90% in 2018.

Meanwhile, 74% of investors in the UAE with values-based objectives said they would be willing to give up some profit in exchange for meeting their values objective.

Green shoots in the GCC

Significant steps have been taken by major regional players towards a more ESG-oriented future.

Qatar National Bank (QNB) set up its Green, Social and Sustainability Bond Framework in February last year.

Related Video: Fukushima's Radioactive Wastewater Disaster Then, in September last year, QNB launched its $600m green bond, for which it received subscriptions of more than $1.8bn. These proceeds will be used to "finance and/or refinance assets in verified Eligible Green Projects, the bank said.

This was only the second such issuance from a commercial bank in the GCC, following the green bond of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, as it was then known, in 2017.

In a further sign of the growing interest in such instruments in the region, in April last year the Dubai Financial Market launched the UAE ESG index, while in August Tadawul  Saudi Arabias stock exchange  announced that it planned to launch its own ESG index in 2021.

This was followed in September by Saudi Electricitys $1.3bn green sukuk (Islamic bond) issuance, which was five times oversubscribed, a result that was driven by growing regional demand for ESG-compliant investments.

Saudi Arabia recently reinforced its commitment to ESG and sustainability during the Saudi Future Investment Initiative in January, at which Tadawul and the Future Investment Initiative Institute signed a memorandum of understanding to advance ESG awareness in the Kingdom.

At the same conference Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, the minister of energy, told media that Saudi Arabia was set to become another Germany when it comes to renewables.

Related: How Oil Could Go To $100 Per Barrel

Despite these promising indications, however, the Saudi ESG index has yet to be launched.

Elsewhere in the region, in early February the Abu Dhabi Investment Office launched an ESG policy, which it will deploy in relation to different operations, among them public-private partnerships.

ESG key to GCC recovery?

The growing focus on ESG standards dovetails with development priorities shared by countries in the GCC region.

On the one hand, it ties in to different diversification strategies. Last years slump in oil prices served to underline the importance of a more broad-based economy. Investments guided by ESG  for example, in renewable energy  offer a way to augment diversification.

On a related note, the Gulf is on the front line of climate change, and ESG can boost resilience as well as reducing emissions.

Lastly, globally speaking, ESG-guided companies have proven remarkably resilient in the face of Covid-19. An increased focus on ESG may thus constitute a way to drive a sustainable recovery from the pandemic.

By Oxford Business Group

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A protester holds onto the shirt of a fallen comrade, during a crackdown by security forces on demonstrations against the military coup, in Hlaingthayar township in Yangon, March 14, 2021.

Myanmar security forces killed 51 people in an industrial suburb of Yangon after Chinese-funded factories were torched on Sunday, firing on protesters in the bloodiest day in six weeks of protests against the junta that deposed the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, civic and aid groups said.

The 51 deaths occurred at Hlaingthaya township in Yangon, and another 12 were killed in other townships of Myanmars commercial hub and former capital, home to 5.4 million people. At least 24 bodies had been taken to Hlaingthaya Hospital and other remains were kept in family homes, the aid groups said, requesting that their names be withheld for safety reasons.

Earlier the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which tracks casualties and arrests, said that since the coup 126 people have been killed due to violent and arbitrary crackdowns, at least 38 today.

Further casualties will be added when confirmed, casualties are drastically increasing. said the group.

We have seen the violence today in (Hlaingthaya) Township and in other places across Yangon and Myanmar, said British Ambassador Dan Chugg.

The British Government is appalled by the security forces use of deadly force against innocent people. We call for an immediate cessation of this violence and for the military regime to hand back power to those democratically elected by the people of Myanmar, Chugg tweeted.

A Chinese official injured in violent protests being treated by medics at Hlaingtharya, a suburb of Yangon, March 14, 2021. Credit: A citizen journalist via RFA

Heartbreaking accounts of killings

The U.N. Secretary-Generals special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, issued a statement saying she strongly condemns the continuing bloodshed in the country as the military defies international calls, including from the Security Council, for restraint, dialogue and full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Burgener has heard directly from people in the country heartbreaking accounts of killings, mistreatment of demonstrators and torture of prisoners over the weekend, she said.

The ongoing brutality, including against medical personnel and destruction of public infrastructure, severely undermines any prospects for peace and stability, added Burgener.

RFAs Myanmar Service confirmed the killings of one protester each in northern Kachin state, the central Bago region, and in Mandalay, the countrys second biggest city, with dozens injured and more than 100 arrested. Reuters news agency reported a policeman was also killed in Bago to raise the days death toll to 39.

The killings and violence prompted the junta to impose "judicial martial law" in Hlaingthaya and neighboring Shwepyitha township in order to perform security, maintain the rule of law and tranquility more effectively," AFP quoted state-run television news as saying Sunday night.

Reuters quoted army-run Myawaddy television as saying four garment factories and a fertilizer plant were set ablaze Sunday and about 2,000 protesters had blocked fire engines from reaching them.

A Chinese official injured in violent protests being treated by medics at Hlaingtharya, a suburb of Yangon, March 14, 2021. Credit: A citizen journalist via RFA

Shadow government eyes revolution

In a dramatic move, the shadow government set up by lawmakers deposed in Feb. 1 coup vowed to back a revolution to oust the military leaders who seized power last month over the military said was a fraudulent election that delivered a landslide victory for Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD).

This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close, Mahn Win Khaing Than said in a video posted on the website and social media of the group, called the Committee Representing Phyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH). The group passed a law giving citizens the legal right to defend themselves.

In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades really desired, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together, he said.

We will never give up to an unjust military, but we will carve our future together with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished, said Mahn Win Khaing Than, acting CPRH vice president and a member of the NLD.

The torching of the Chinese-financed factories came amid rising anti-China sentiment in Myanmar, where protesters accuse Beijing of supporting the coup and are wary of growing Chinese influence, and drew an appeal from Chinas embassy in Yangon.

China urges Myanmar to take further effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar, said the embassy, according to Reuters.

Among the protester deaths Sunday confirmed by RFA were a 30-year-old jade broker killed in Kachin state, a 20-year-old man from Magway division slain in Bago, and a 23-year-old woman killed in Mandalay.

In the Kachin state capital Myitkyina, the military and police also cracked down on protesters in any form, destroying signs and posters stand on major roads and stifling motorbike rallies and night time prayer vigils for victims. Some 90 people have been arrested in Myitkyina for protesting against the coup, and are being denied family visits to the city prison where they are being held.

In Mandalay, scene of repeated violent crackdowns since the coup, about 20 protesters were arrested, sources told RFA.

The AAPP said that as of Sunday, 2,156 people had been arrested, charged, or sentenced in relation to the military coup, with 1,837 still being held.

Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch called for "immediate action in the form of targeted sanctions against military leaders who are the architects of this coup" and the suspension of any outside business ties with the military or its conglomerate firms.

"The longer it takes for strong action to come from the international community, the longer Myanmar's generals will feel they can get away with murder," he said in a statement.

Robertson noted that the workers in Hlaingthayar, many of them female garmnt workers, are "already among some of the most impoverished in Myanmar" who have suffered job losses from the coronavirus pandemic "and now they must face martial law and fear being gunned down on the street by the Myanmar military."

Citizens hold a candelight vigil for slain protesters at Hledon in Yangon, March 14, 2021. Credit: A citizen journalist via RFA

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
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Kolkata: The Election Commission of India on Sunday suspended Purba Medinipur SP Pravin Prakash claiming laxity in security provided by police to the West Bengal Chief Minister in Nandigram on the day she sustained injury to her foot.

"Charges shall be framed against him for major failure of bandobast," the commission was quoted as saying by ANI.

Further, the poll panel has appointed former DGP Intelligence of Punjab, Anil Kumar Sharma as Special Police Observer for West Bengal Assembly elections.

Sharma will be the second Special Police Observer, in addition to Vivek Dube.

Earlier, the Election Commission (EC) claimed that the injury caused to TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram was not a result of an attack, and had quoted a report by state's Observers and Chief Secretary.

The poll panel declared that the incident and injuries sustained by Mamata Banerjee was due to a security lapse and not a planned attack, according to the report of two poll observers submitted to the EC on Saturday.

The report also said Banerjee was injured due to the suddenness of the incident.

According to the report of her initial medical examination, the TMC supremo sustained 'severe bony injuries' on her left foot and ankle as well as bruises and injuries on her shoulder, forearm and neck.

The West Bengal CM is continuing with her election campaign in a wheelchair and claimed that she will not let it affect her work.

The polls to 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27. The final round of voting will take place on April 29, whereas, the counting of votes will take place on May 2.
Private sector will be allowed to use ISRO facilities to improve their capacities: Dr Jitendra Singh

Contradictions, confusion in Congress over alliance in Assam: Jitendra Singh

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 14: There are inner contradictions and confusion in the Congress over its alliance in Assam, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday, and exuded confidence over the BJP''s victory in the state.

The people of Assam have made up their minds to bring the BJP to power for the second time, he claimed.

Even the opposition parties are now realising this, which is why eight of them have come together to face the BJP, Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister''s Office (PMO), said.

"There are inner contradictions and confusion in the Congress party over this alliance, and therefore, it is not going to pay them any dividends," he said.

A grand alliance comprising the Congress, AIUDF, Bodoland People''s Front (BPF), CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM) and the RJD has been formed in Assam to contest the election to the 126-member Assembly against the BJP-led NDA.

Polling will be held in 47 seats in Assam on March 27 in the first phase, while 39 and 40 constituencies will go to polls on April 1 and April 6 respectively.

Singh said eight opposition parties have come together to form the ''Mahajot'' alliance because they have conceded that none of them can face the BJP single-handedly.

People today can see the contrast of the rapid development and restoration of peace that happened in the last seven years, Singh said.

Visitors, he said, now feel rejoiced to drive on highways and see the incredible progress being made in laying of rail tracks and building airports in Assam, whereas in the past, the state made news only for insurgency, corruption and misgovernance.

"The BJP has remained connected to the grassroots people of Assam and has the pulse of the ground realities," Singh said.

Terrorism, insurgency on decline in Assam, state on path of progress: Rajnath Singh

During the successive Congress regimes, he said, a central minister rarely visited Assam, whereas under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not only were the barriers broken but the intermingling was so intimate that not a single day passed when one or another central minister was not touring the region.

Singh, who is also the BJP''s co-incharge for Assam, said the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) was lying dormant for over six decades, but in the last seven years, its presence was felt in every nook and corner of the region.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 15:26 [IST]
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Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesBY: BILL HUTCHINSON, ABC NEWS

(NEW YORK)  From the White House to the streets of Kentucky, and in cities across the nation, Breonna Taylor's name rang loud and clear to mark one year since she died in her own apartment when police unleashed a barrage of 32 shots.

In her hometown of Louisville, Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, joined hundreds of protesters in a march on Saturday to honor the 26-year-old Black emergency medical technician and renew calls to bring charges against the Louisville Metro Police Department officers involved in the March 13, 2020, shooting.

At the White House, President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass meaningful police reform in Taylor's name.

"Breonna Taylors death was a tragedy, a blow to her family, her community, and America. As we continue to mourn her, we must press ahead to pass meaningful police reform in Congress," Biden wrote in a tweet posted Saturday afternoon. "I remain committed to signing a landmark reform bill into law."

Holding a banner bearing her daughter's likeness, Palmer marched shoulder-to-shoulder with supporters to the city's Jefferson Square Park, where hundreds of people gathered to say her daughter's name and joined her in chants of "No justice, no peace!

Late Saturday night, police in Lousiville declared one protest an illegal assembly when authorities said demonstrators blocked a roadway "forcing vehicles, while armed, to turn around."

"We are deeming their actions as an Unlawful Assembly. Arrests will be made to those that refuse to disperse," the Louisville Metro Police Department tweeted at 9:30 p.m. There was no immediate word on whether arrests were made.

The protest in Louisville and across the nation came just two days after Palmer and local activists gathered for a rally outside the office of Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Wine to ask him to prosecute the officers involved in Taylor's death.

"Tom Wine you got a job to do that's all we asking you to do," Palmer said at the rally. "You've seen us stand, you've seen us gather, march, protest, cry it's crazy how long it's been what you won't see is us divide on what we want."

A federal investigation into potential civil rights violations is underway.

While Saturday's protest in Louisville went late into the night and was mostly peaceful, protesters in Los Angeles clashed with police and demonstrators in New York City marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, halting traffic.

Dozens of protesters clashed with Los Angeles police officers wearing riot gear Saturday night in Hollywood. During a tense standoff near the Hollywood Walk of Fame, video obtained by ABC News showed two demonstrators climbing on the hood of a police car. As the vehicle sped away from the scene, the footage showed one of the protesters being flung on the pavement while the other clung to the hood as demonstrators gave chase on foot.

LAPD officials told ABC station KABC-TV in Los Angeles that protesters threw rocks and bottles that left several officers with minor injuries. Officials said multiple businesses in the area were vandalized.

At one point, police deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd, LAPD officials said. On Sunday, the LAPD said 11 people were arrested, including five on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, one for alleged battery on a police officer, three for possession of prohibited items and two for unlawful assembly.

In Seattle, police announced the arrest of 13 people during a Breonna Taylor protest on charges that including assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and obstruction. Seattle police said several businesses were vandalized and that officers deployed pepper spray on protesters.

Police in Portland, Oregon, said they detained a group of about 100 protesters when a march in honor of Taylor on Friday night and into Saturday morning devolved into property destruction in the city's Pearl District. Police said in a statement that the group was detained after they blocked traffic in the area and refused to disperse.

"Some refused to comply and locked arms together in an effort to interfere with the investigation. Officers escorted them away and they were arrested," according to the police statement.

Portland police said charges against those arrested ranged from vandalism to possession of firearms.

"Some threw rocks and full cans of beer at officers. Officers deployed some OC (pepper) spray and one impact munition," the Portland police statement reads. "Arrests were made, including two suspects carrying firearms, wearing body armor and helmets.

Authorities said once the crowd was dispersed, police discovered a crowbar, hammers, bear spray, a high-impact slingshot and several knives in the area where they had detained the large crowd.

In September, a grand jury declined to indict any of the officers involved in executing the "no-knock" drug-investigation warrant that led to Taylor's death. No drugs were found in Taylor's residence and police said the target of the investigation was Taylor's ex-boyfriend.

One of the officers involved in the shooting, Brett Hankison, was indicted by the grand jury on a charge of wanton endangerment for allegedly firing errant shots that penetrated a wall of Taylor's residence and entered an occupied neighboring apartment. Hankison, who was fired from the police department for violating policy on the use of deadly force, pleaded not guilty to the charge and is awaiting trial.

Daniel Cameron, the state's first Black attorney general, sparked outrage when he later said his office did not give the grand jury the option to consider homicide charges against the officers because an investigation found they were justified in their use of deadly force because Taylor's new boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired the first shot that hit one officer, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, in the leg.

While police say they knocked on Taylor's door and announced themselves before forcing their way into the apartment, Walker and other witnesses in the vicinity alleged police stormed in unannounced.

Walker filed a federal lawsuit on Saturday against the Louisville Metro Police Department and the officers involved in the shooting, alleging they violated his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. He also attended Saturday's demonstration in Louisville's Jefferson Square Park.

"It's hard and it's rough for me to look at the fact of why we're here but it's great to see that she (Taylor) has so much support and love and also that there is some support and love for me, too," Walker told ABC Louisville affiliate station WHAS-TV, during the demonstration.

Last week, a judge in Kentucky signed an order permanently closing a criminal case against Walker, who was initially charged with attempted murder.

"This morning I woke up thinking of justice and what that may look like. You know, I really don't even know at this point -- they dropped my charges, but I feel like that's just the beginning and definitely doesn't end there  only question I have now is probably the same thing everybody else is asking, you know, 'what's next?'" Walker said.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer released a statement on behalf of the city, saying, "I am deeply, deeply sorry" for Taylor's death, something he has repeatedly said in the past. He mentioned other deaths of Black people in 2020 that shook America, including the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and Amaud Arbery who was allegedly tracked down by three white Georgia men while out for a jog and fatally shot after being mistaken for a burglar.

"Breonnas death devastated her family, friends and coworkers, and it has deeply shaken our community and our country. Her death, along with those of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others, serve as painful reminders for Black Americans of the injustice, discrimination and violence theyve faced for centuries -- and too often still face today," Fischer said in his statement. "For White America, these deaths were the latest reckoning and a just alarm that things must change -- that America, united, must listen, understand and act to end the injustice thats hurt and held our country back for far too long."

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
STAMFORD  The sidewalks of Selleck Street were lined Sunday with individuals eager to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Building One Community headquarters, situated in one of the neighborhoods the state has designated for targeted vaccine distribution.

As the state continues to press for an equitable vaccination process, Gov. Ned Lamont and other officials gathered Sunday to put focus on B1Cs clinic that vaccinated lower-income to moderate-income immigrant families.

Let me tell you, this doesn't work unless trusted advocates who people believe tell you that this is the right thing to do for you, your family and your community, said Gov. Ned Lamont during a press conference outside of the clinic.

B1C Executive Director Anka Badurina explained that the site had roughly 350 vaccines allocated for the clinic, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

About 97 percent of our appointments today are members of the Latinx community, Badurina told Hearst Connecticut Media. One hundred of the appointments were folks from the (32BJ SEIU) union. The other 250 are our own program participants. These are people we know from the community and their families.

The clinic was held in Stamfords 06902 Zip code, one of 50 outlined by the state late last month as a priority for vaccine distribution. The Zip codes were selected because each ranks high on the Center for Disease Control and Preventions social vulnerability index, which weighs factors including education, access to health care, housing density and availablity of transportation.

Under the guidance of the Department of Public Health, providers were asked to direct 25 percent of all new vaccines to these locations, which happen to be home to nearly a quarter of the states population.

Now two weeks into this effort, statistics released last week by the state show that cities are still behind neighboring communities in vaccinating residents. While Hartford and Bridgeport are among the lowest, with about 11 percent of residents vaccinated, state data shows Stamford has reached nearly 18 percent of its population.

U.S. Rep. Himes, D-4, reiterated that Connecticut is focused on continuing its concerted efforts to allocate vaccines to the areas that need it most.

Getting people vaccinated, importantly getting people vaccinated in neighborhoods like this one  Communities of color, immigrant-heavy communities  where sadly, all too often, those most vulnerable to COVID-19 are those least likely to get vaccinated, Himes said.

Though the vast majority of vaccine recipients Sunday were part of the Latinx community, Badurina said the nonprofit also had members from the Haitian and Montenegrin communities attend the clinic.

Since distribution started, the goal of the nonprofit has also been to dispel misinformation over the vaccine in the surrounding community, Badurina said.

We host town halls to dispel these myths, she said. Our work has been to provide information that is real.

Grace Galarza, a 55-year-old city resident, spent this Sunday, like many other days in the past three years, volunteering her time to aid the nonprofit in helping her community.

She also received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, which she said was an easy process.

This is a great opportunity to help my community, and help all of the people, she said, adding that her getting vaccinated would inspire others who had questions to follow suit. This is the area where people need help.

Dan Wilson, senior program manager for B1Cs Immigration Legal Services, said that the nonprofit is in constant communication with immigrant groups in the area. He said that having healthy community relations has helped with the processes of getting community members tested and now vaccinated.

There have been no hiccups at all, Wilson said. He thanked the Community Health Center for their involvement in their efforts.

We reached out and partnered with (B1C) so everyone has access to the vaccine. Not if you can drive somewhere, or if you can navigate VAMS or if you have ready access to a practice where they offer it, but really bringing that vaccine into the community, said CHC Vice President Amy Taylor. We will continue to do this until everyone who wants to be vaccinated, which hopefully is everybody, gets the vaccine.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who joined Lamont, Himes and Mayor David Martin Sunday morning, also stressed the importance of equitable vaccine distribution.

This racial justice movement has to be for all of Stamford and Connecticut, said Blumenthal. Everyone, regardless of their ethnicity or race, needs this vaccine whether they are documented or not. We will not be safe until all of us are safe.

Martin said Sunday that a high capacity vaccination site would be opening on Monday, March 15 on the south end of the city. The capacity, he said, will start at roughly 3,500. He said he hopes to expand that by up to 14,000 additional vaccines when the city receives additional supplies.

The more vaccines we get in this community, the more we will push it out, he said.
Mexicos last island penal colony may now host cruise ships View Photo

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican officials said ferries and cruise ships may soon be visiting the former Isla Marias prison, after the last island penal colony in the Americas was closed and turned into an environmental education center in 2019.

The education camp hasnt gone very well  only 40 youths have been trained on the island  and the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is now trying a different tack, because the island hasnt been offsetting the costs associated with keeping it open.

Officials said Saturday they are planning to build a dock for larger ships on the Isla Madre main island, the only one of the four Marias islands that is inhabited. Visitors will be able to tour the remote island jail, but not stay overnight. Tourism Secretary Miguel Torruco described future tours.

The experience begins with the cruise ship or ferry arriving from Mazatalan or San Blas, to Isla Madre, and on the voyage the passengers can admire the beauty of the ocean, Torruco said. It would be quite a long ride; the four islands are located 70 miles (110 kilometers) off the Pacific coast of Nayarit state.

Visitors will have their first contact with the former island prison which for 100 years sheltered numerous criminals, Torruco said. Officials compared it to the now-closed U.S. prison at Alcatraz, and said tourist visits could start within three months.

The penal colony, founded in 1905, passed through some periods of infamous brutality, and as recently as 2013, the Islas Marias held 8,000 inmates.

The hemisphere was once dotted with remote island jails like the one depicted in the movie Papillon, but they all gradually closed. When Panama closed its Isla Coiba penal colony in 2004, Isla Marias became the last one remaining in the Americas.

But far from the bloody reputation of places like Devils Island  the French Guiana penal colony shuttered in 1946  toward the end, the Islas Marias harbored many lower-risk or well-behaved inmates and the colony was viewed as a step toward release or rehabilitation.

While the prison kept mass tourism at bay, the islands suffered severe environmental degradation from over a century of use as a penal colony.

Island penal colonies were used around the world starting in the 1700s as remote, escape-proof places to rehabilitate inmates through hard labor. Often known as prisons without bars, with the ocean serving as the most effective barrier to escape, the penal colonies were also known for being at least in part self-supporting and a way to settle remote islands.

But in the end, the Islas Marias wound up costing Mexico far more per prisoner than did mainland jails.

Chile closed its Santa Maria prison island in the late 1980s, Costa Ricas Isla San Lucas penal colony closed in 1991 and Brazils Isla Grande in 1994. Peru dramatically ended its El Fronton island prison in 1986: Gunboats blew up most of the buildings to put down a riot, killing more than 100 inmates.
A parliamentary inquiry into extremism will scrutinise Facebook and Twitters role in allowing far-right groups to promote their activities online and recruit new members.

National security experts are calling on the Australian and United States governments to regulate tech giants so that they ban more harmful content and change their algorithms promoting extremist material.

Alleged members of a far-right extremist group seen at Halls Gap and the Grampians.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has launched an inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia and will begin hearings in the coming weeks.

Tech giants will be asked to front the inquiry, which was referred to the PJCIS by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton in December after a long-running campaign by Labor.
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Two women walk past a Xiaomi store in Beijing on Jan. 15, 2021. (Greg baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Court Ruling Suspends US Ban on Investment in Xiaomi

A U.S. federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Department of Defense from forcing American investors to divest from Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp on the grounds the company has ties to Chinas military.

The Defense Department, under the Trump administration in mid-January, added Xiaomi and eight other firms to a list that requires Americans to sell their interests in the firms by a deadline. The restrictions were set to go into effect next week.

Xiaomi in late January filed a complaint in a Washington court seeking to be removed from the list, calling its inclusion unlawful and unconstitutional and arguing it was not controlled by the Peoples Liberation Army.

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington said on Friday that the court concludes that defendants have not made the case that the national security interests at stake here are compelling.

In a statement, a Xiaomi spokesperson welcomed the ruling and called the designation of Xiaomi as a Chinese military company arbitrary and capricious.

Xiaomi plans to continue to request that the court declare the designation unlawful and to permanently remove the designation, the spokesperson said.

The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

By Praveen Paramasivam
An airline worker at an Arkansas airport reunited a lost Buzz Lightyear toy with the young boy who accidentally left the action figure behind in Texas.

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Southwest Airlines said the boy, named Hagen, had gotten off a plane at Dallas Love Field Airport, and his family already was in its rental car heading away from the airport when the child realized his Buzz Lightyear toy was missing.

The toy was left on the plane, where a Southwest ramp agent named Jason found it after landing in Little Rock, Ark.

Jason found Hagan's name written on the bottom of the toy's foot, and a coworker helped him find the plane's passenger list from earlier in the day to identify Buzz's owner.

Buzz arrived in the mail at Hagan's home a few days later, in a package that also included photos of Buzz posing at the Arkansas airport and a letter detailing his "adventures."

"There's definitely not enough good in this world, and for someone to take the time out of their day to do that for strangers means the world for us," Hagan's mother, Ashley, said of the airline workers.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 09:15:42|Editor: huaxia

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SAO PAULO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva received here on Saturday his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"All the people want is to receive a vaccine to free themselves from this monster called coronavirus," Lula said in a video on social media after getting the shot.

According to him, he would receive his second vaccine dose "in 14 to 28 days."

Meanwhile, Lula asked the Brazilian government "to guarantee vaccines for all the Brazilian people."

Brazil registered 76,178 new cases of COVID-19 and 1,997 deaths in a day, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday. Enditem
Scandinavia is leading by example in its engagement and progress towards sustainable travel, with Sweden ranked first, followed by Finland, Austria, Estonia, and Norway, said Euromonitor International in a new report.



About 66.4% of consumers globally want to have a positive impact on the environment through their daily actions in 2021, added the report Top Countries for Sustainable Tourism, released by the global market research company at ITB Berlin.



These findings extracted from the new Sustainable Travel Index, developed by Euromonitor International, assesses 99 country destinations through the lens of environmental, social and economic sustainability, country risk as well as sustainable tourism demand, transport and lodging.



Sweden is a pioneer in lifecycle assessment research which is critical to understand the full impact of consumer behaviour and consumption patterns, said Caroline Bremner, head of travel at Euromonitor International. The country is highly engaged with the Sustainable Development Goals and preserves the Arctic ice and permafrost to help stop climate change, aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.



Other countries also show good progress in sustainable transport and lodging. Just outside the top 20  featuring other European countries for the most part, such as Germany and France  we find New Zealand, Bolivia and Canada, she added.



There is globally a clear change in mindset and resistance in returning to a volume-driven travel and tourism model. Instead, stakeholders are rallying together to build back better through value creation from sustainable tourism. As momentum grows in the run up to COP26, consumers, travel brands, destination marketing organisations and governments continue to align to avert the climate emergency, concluded Bremner.  TradeArabia News Service
Boris Johnson is facing yet another Tory rebellion over lockdown rules today with backbenchers planning to vote against extending the laws for a further six months.

The legislation governing the current shutdown has to be approved again by MPs on or before March 25.

But it can only be extended for six months at a time, meaning a pre-Easter vote would extend the law until September, despite plans to come out of most lockdown rules by late June.

'Dozens' of senior lockdownsceptic MPs are expected to vote against renewing the legislation, according to the Telegraph.

They want the lockdown to be ended far sooner than the proposed June 21 end-date, arguing the success of the vaccination programme allows it to be significantly sped up.

Coronavirus Recovery Group chairman Mark Harper told the paper: 'With better news and data each week about the NHS vaccination rollout  the Government must ensure data, science and evidence lie at the heart of its approach.

'Sticking rigidly to a set of dates based on outdated, overly pessimistic modelling would be a mistake.'

Boris Johnson is sticking to a lockdown rollback programme that leaves five weeks between each easement measure

Coronavirus Recovery Group chairman Mark Harper said: 'Sticking rigidly to a set of dates based on outdated, overly pessimistic modelling would be a mistake.'

Britain's latest Covid wave is continuing to shrink as a further 52 people died after testing positive for Covid-19 today - down 37 per cent on last week

And today's case total has dropped too, with a further 4,618 people testing positive. The figure marks an 11 per cent drop on the 5,177 positive tests recorded on this day last week

Britain reported 121 new COVID deaths on Saturday, taking the number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive test result to 125,464, daily government figures showed.

A further 5,534 people have tested positive for the disease, down from 6,040 last Saturday, while the number of people who have received at least one vaccine dose has risen to 23.684 million from 23.315 million the day before.

Last Saturday 158 deaths were recorded - a 45 per cent reduction on the 290 deaths recorded the weekend before that.

The latest figures from the Government act as further proof of Britain's successful vaccine roll-out.

So far, more than 23.68million vaccine doses have been administered in the UK with 1.45million people fully vaccinated.

No10's scientific advisory panel SAGE estimates the reproduction rate  the average number of people infected by each person with coronavirus  is between 0.6 and 0.8 across the UK and England, meaning the outbreak is still shrinking.

This was also the level given for England, and the regions the East of England, London, Midlands, North West and South East.

It was slightly higher in the North East and Yorkshire, where it is likely between 0.7 and 0.9, and slightly lower in the South West where it was between 0.5 and 0.8.

No regions had an R rate over 1, suggesting the second wave is still shrinking in all areas.

Office for National Statistics experts claimed yesterday that the total number of people infected with Covid in England fell by a fifth to just over 200,000 last week  the equivalent of one in 270 people.

And data from a major symptom-tracking app today claimed 4,200 people are becoming ill with the disease every day  down by a third in a week.

Professor Tim Spector, a King's College London epidemiologist behind the study, said he believes the 'darkest days are behind us.'
Kabul, March 14 : Afghanistan's National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib said that the Kabul government will participate in the UN-led conference in Turkey, proposed by the US, and the Moscow conference on the war-torn country's peace process.

Addressing a press briefing on Saturday, Mohib said that the Afghan government is working on a delegation for the two events, TOLO News reported.

The Turkey conference was proposed by the US in a letter by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, this month.

It is slated to take place in Istanbul next month.

High-level officials, including President Ghani, Abdullah and foreign envoys, along with Taliban representatives, are expected to attend the meeting in Moscow on March 18 to discuss the Afghan peace process.

"When it comes to participation, we will participate in the meetings," Mohib told the press briefing.

In his letter, Blinken put forth suggestions to the Afghan government to accelerate the peace process, including convening a UN-facilitated conference with international stakeholders; proposals to facilitate discussion between the two sides to form a negotiated settlement and ceasefire; a meeting in Turkey between both sides to finalize a peace agreement; and a revised proposal for a 90-day reduction in violence.
Nepal's CPN (Maoist Centre) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Sunday asked its ministers in Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's government to resign en masse for breaching party discipline, amid their reluctance to quit the Cabinet.

This is the second time the splinter faction of the Nepal Communist Party has instructed its ministers in the Oli government to resign from their posts.

The Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) on Sunday asked Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi to resign en masse for breaching party discipline, My Republica newspaper reported.

Earlier on Saturday, the party recalled its ministers from the Cabinet and directed all its leaders nominated at the CPN-UML Central Committee to make their positions clear within 24 hours.

However, all ministers belonging to the CPN (MC) including Home Minister Thapa and Energy Minister Rayamajhi seem non-committal to the party's decision as of now, the paper said.

As the ministers belonging to the party are seen reluctant to tender their resignations, the party will now write to them in person to do so, said Ganesh Shah, a central committee member of the CPN (MC).

Sunday's meeting also discussed taking action against its cabinet ministers in the government, according to party leaders.

Industry Minister Lekhraj Bhatta, Urban Development Minister Prabhu Sah and Labor Minister Gaurishankar Chaudhari are parliamentarians belonging to the CPN (MC), while Water Supply Minister Mani Thapa and Youth Minister Dawa Lama are central leaders of the party.

As per the legal provision, lawmakers will lose their seats in the upper house and the lower house of Parliament if they choose to leave the party or their party decides to expel them from the party.

On Friday, the Central Committee meeting of the CPN (UML) led by Prime Minister Oli had nominated 23 leaders of Maoist Centre, including the ministers to the party's central committee which the faction opposing him has said is against the norms of the party.

Nepal's Election Commission on Tuesday asked the CPN (UML) led by Oli and the CPN (Maoist Center) led by Prachanda to come up with a new name and election symbol of the party if they decide to merge their parties again after the Supreme Court quashed the 2018 unification of the two parties.

The CPN (UML) and CPN (Maoist Centre) merged in May 2018 to form a unified Nepal Communist Party following the victory of their alliance in the 2017 general elections.
Ranbir Kapoor's team Mumbai City FC has won the ISL 2020-21 season. Mumbai City FC won the ISL trophy after beating ATK-Mohun Bagan, the winners of last season. Neetu Kapoor, Ranbir's mother attended the final match in his absence, as the actor is currently home quarantined after testing positive for coronavirus.

Neetu Kapoor, who is all delighted about the victory, took to her official Instagram page and shared a picture with the Mumbai City FC team members. In the picture, she is seen lifting the trophy along with the team. "@mumbaicityfc champions of 2021 ," Neetu Kapoor captioned her post. Even though Ranbir Kapoor is disappointed about missing the live match, the actor is reportedly overwhelmed with the victory of Mumbai City FC.

Ranbir Kapoor's girlfriend Alia Bhatt is also equally elected about the victory of Mumbai City FC and took to her official Instagram page to congratulate the team. Alia shared Neetu Kapoor's post and a poster of the team on her Instagram stories, and the congratulated team Mumbai City FC.

Coming back to Ranbir Kapoor's current health status, the sources suggest that the actor is completely fine and is recuperating fastly. Talking about her son's health status, Neetu Kapoor wrote: "Thank you for your concern and your good wishes. Ranbir has tested positive for COVID-19. He is on medication and is recovering well. He is in self-quarantine at home and following all precautions."

Both Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt were shooting for the last schedule of their highly anticipated project Brahmastra, before the actor tested positive for coronavirus. Ranbir expected to resume the shoot of the project after his recovery. Apart from Brahmastra, the actor will be next seen in the upcoming psychological thriller, Animal.

Also Read:

Alia Bhatt Misses Boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor After His COVID-19 Diagnosis; Shares A Mushy Post With Him

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Guest Column To Mediate In Myanmar, ASEAN Needs A New Template

Anti-regime protesters in Yangon staged a rally against ASEAN in February. / The Irrawaddy

ASEAN hasnt been gaining fans from its handling of the Myanmar militarys coup. But if it is able to craft a new template, the grouping may still count as the best pragmatic bet for getting a conversation going with that countrys men in uniform in order to, first, stop the brutal crackdown on its people.

If the junta were an armed group of hostage takers  some might find that an apt description  ASEAN is being looked to as a negotiator to open communication lines to the hostage takers.

This may be an unpleasant role, but a necessary one in the wake of the Feb 1 military coup.

By now, just about every country, from China and Japan to the United States to the European Union, as well as the United Nations, has said they are looking to work with ASEAN as an actor in the Myanmar equation.

The question what can ASEAN do? can be broken down into these: What might it tap into from its constructive engagement with Myanmar decades ago, or its having been a non-threatening bridge to the outside world after the Nargis disaster in 2008? Is there a lesson from how ASEAN has been able to send humanitarian aid to Rakhine?

These have been ASEANs way of working, often under the radar. It has had a relationship with Myanmar from the time the military running the country. Over the last decade too, Southeast Asian  and East Asian  countries have built economic links with Myanmar, so that Singapore is its biggest source of foreign investments and Japan, its biggest aid donor.

How are these engagements relevant today? The crisis challenges ASEAN to turn its not-so-nimble nature into a tool for negotiation, even realpolitik, without wasting time.

While ASEAN emphasizes the importance of listening, it needs to be clear to Myanmars military about its expectations and stress that communication does not confer legitimacy of any sort, Indonesias former foreign minister Marty Natalegawa told Al Jazeera, using the word junta. Unlike before, Myanmar today is an insider to ASEAN  a connection that Western governments do not have.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi says the country is in touch with the military and the elected legislators in the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (National Parliament). Indonesia and Singapore have spoken out against the violent crackdowns and killings of peaceful protesters, and called for releasing Myanmars elected leaders.

At the UN General Assemblys informal meeting in February, other ASEAN countries expressed concern that varied in specifics, nuance and some language.

Among East Asian countries, Japans ambassador to Myanmar Ichiro Maruyama met the militarys foreign minister, U Wanna Maung Lwin, on March 8 and conveyed Tokyos call for a stop to the violence against civilians and the release of all detainees.

China is  willing to contact and communicate with all parties on the basis of respecting Myanmars sovereignty and the will of the people, so as to play a constructive role in easing tensions, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on March 7. Chinas image problem  many in Myanmar believe that China was behind the coup  has made it harder for it to be heard.

Could ASEAN, asserting its centrality, use its being friend to all, enemy of none to craft a coalition that mixes the western approach of targetted sanctions with its style of dialogue?

Beyond Old Ways

The present crisis cannot be overcome by each side put into a rather extreme situation, making it a zero-sum game. At the end of the day, negotiation is the only way out, Soe Myint Aung of the Yangon Centre for Independent Research told a discussion by Singapores Straits Times. Many people in Myanmar see this as a struggle between good and evil, but we should still keep some grey areas open.

Its difficult. Its challenging, but every step towards getting a breakthrough starts with mediation, agreed Moe Thuzar of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. We have a divided society, where polarizations can either cause those divisions to go deeper or, through mediation and bringing people to the table, you can maybe try to minimise the strong feelings of radicalization.

Moe Thuzar suggested creative options such as ASEAN advising the UN in a consultative mechanism of countries, or using a friends of the ASEAN secretary-general tack. Soe Myint Aung says ASEAN could name a special envoy for Myanmar not just to talk to the military, but create space to host a dialogue with elected civilian leaders. Bring in countries that are past and future ASEAN chairs, Moe Thuzar adds, as this will be a long-term project of building structures and habits toward civilian rule. Its not an instant gratification moment.

The Myanmar crisis has put the spotlight on how diplomacy must show results on the ground, going far beyond negotiating the wording of statements.

The art of diplomacy can allow parties to talk without formally recognising each other. Meetings can be non-meetings and non-papers circulated to allow discussion of sensitive topics. ASEAN ways allow ideas to be tested in non-official tracks such as think tanks. Diplomacy can unfold away from the public glare.

Natalegawa said he hopes there is already a script for ASEANs handling of the crisis. But Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that ASEAN and outsiders had zero influence on Myanmar in the past.

Watched online by many in between nightly internet shutdowns, the Myanmar uprising shows that the region is quite different from even a decade ago. Where diplomacy plays out in more quiet ways, todays environment and digital habits pose a challenge in that very little is considered said or done until it is posted online or said in public spaces.

The Myanmar public, in fact, has already become part of ASEANs direct constituency, whose views it needs to factor in, not least in explaining why a conversation needs to be held with coup makers who are without legitimacy. Regional is local, and local is regional.

This was evident in the backlash Indonesia got after a Reuters report said that Retno Marsudi was to ask the military to keep to its initial promise to hold a new election within a year. ASEAN governments got a clear message about what is unacceptable at a time when young people know they are in a connected global community.

As protesters see friends and kin beaten, arrested or killed (more than 90 so far), it becomes harder to explain to them that in ASEAN terms, its two statements have gone further than before by telling Myanmar, in diplomatese, to adhere to its legal commitment under the ASEAN charter to the rule of law, constitutional government and fundamental freedoms.

Could ASEAN change with the times, update its worldview with its constituents expectations about doing the right thing and use this to build consensus? Citizens in the regions less than democratic settings find the brutality in Myanmar appalling too. This is a very low bar when reputational damage is real, and rising, with any sign of acceptance of the junta.

These days, placards in Myanmar seek R2P or the right to protect action under a UN intervention tool meant to prevent mass murders such as those in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. But many have said this points to false hopes and disappointment.

Reality check

In Southeast Asia and elsewhere, the disapproval of deplorable behaviour in their midst, can, and has, lasted for many years.

Indonesia dealt with nearly three decades of criticism of its occupation of East Timor, which became independent in 2002 after it  not outsiders  decided to hold a referendum. The Khmer Rouge killed more than 1.5 million Cambodians from 1975 to 1979. Their hostility toward Vietnam after it invaded Cambodia and overthrew the Khmer Rouge led ASEAN, the United States and China to back the genocidal groups occupancy of Cambodias UN seat until the eighties.

These are from the past, but provide a reality check that legal or moral legitimacy do not always shape international relations or realities.

Diplomats like to call ASEAN a family whose members sit at the same table despite disagreements. Indeed so, but as in real life, family ties can be the most toxic relationships of all.

(Johanna Son, Bangkok-based/founder editor of the Reporting ASEAN series, has covered Southeast Asian issues for three decades. Her views are her own.)

You may also like these stories:

Can Friendly Persuasion Bring an End to Myanmars Deadly Stalemate?

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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared before a Tehran court Sunday to face new charges of "propaganda against the system"

The husband of the British-Iranian dual national facing new charges a week after finishing a five-year sentence said Sunday that his wife was a "political bargaining chip" who would be convicted again.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared before a Tehran court Sunday to face new charges of "propaganda against the system", just days after having her tag removed after serving a five-year sentence.

Husband Richard Ratcliffe told AFP that he expected her to receive "the maximum sentence" when the ruling is handed down in seven working days.

"I've never seen an acquittal from a revolutionary court," he said.

But he hoped that the time she has already served would be taken into account, and that any remaining time could be served under house arrest at her parent's house in Tehran rather than in prison.

"We could get a one-year sentence or two-year sentence or whatever," he explained, adding that he believed the term depended largely on negotiations between the British and Iranian governments.

"If she got put back in prison, regardless of the time, that's a really bad sign," he said.

"If they do anything that leads that way, then clearly the negotiations have fallen down."

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained while on holiday in 2016 and convicted of plotting to overthrow the regime in Tehran.

They both strenuously deny the charges, with Ratcliffe saying his wife "is a political bargaining chip".

Although now free of her tag, she has been unable to return to Britain as new charges loomed.

"Nazanin is in some ways is facing the prospect of some significant bad news, going back to prison....

"It's one suitcase in each hand. That sort of structural uncertainty... is a key part of the abuse. You remain their toy," he said.

- Mother's Day call -

Ratcliffe spoke to his wife after her court appearance, saying it had "been a turmoil, but probably better than we were fearing.

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"She was she was really stressed beforehand. Right now, it's just, 'I don't have to see those interrogators again'," he said.

"It is certain interrogators, who are the guys you see in court every time and... the fear comes back whenever you see them."

He urged the British government to do more to help his wife, saying they were "patently" not doing enough at the moment.

"It's still at the level of talk rather than action," he said.

"The government didn't accompany Nazanin to the court, and the embassy didn't go. They're keeping their heads below the parapet at some level.

"If you want to protect someone, you do need to stand next to them in a very visible way."

He believes his wife will not taste freedom until Britain settles a disputed historic debt with Tehran.

"I think that has been clear from 2016," he said.

Ratcliffe hoped the couple's six-year-old daughter Gabriella would be able to mark Mother's Day, which was celebrated on Sunday in Britain, with a phone call.

"We'll try and call her and have... as much as a normal intimate kind of shared moment later on.

"We promised mummy was coming home at a certain point. And then she didn't, and that broken promise aspect she understands very clearly.

"Certainly, she's quite she's quite cuddly in a slightly sad way today," said Ratcliffe.

"What is hard for us at the moment still, is it's not clear how much longer this is going to go on for.., your life is not your own. It's a very hard place to live," he added.

jwp/har
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An Garda Siochana, the HSE and The Department of Health are reminding people to be aware of potential scams relating to the Covid-19 vaccine.

An Garda Siochana is aware that members of the public have received fraudulent text messages and calls regarding Covid vaccinations.

As part of Fraud Awareness Week, which has highlighted various frauds including online shopping fraud, money mules, and fraud in relation to the vaccine, gardai are warning people to be vigilant.

Detective Superintendent with the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) Catharina Gunne said in a video shared on social media: Fraudsters are opportunistic and they are using the Covid pandemic, in particular the vaccine rollout, to defraud people.

Members of the public are receiving unsolicited calls and texts offering them vaccine dates.

In order to confirm your vaccination date you are being asked to give personal data.

An Garda Siochana, along with the HSE and the Department of Health is advising people to never disclose private information over the phone or via text message and to hang up if they receive such a call.

The HSE will never text or call individuals requesting their personal details, including their PPS number, or requesting them to make a payment for a Covid test or vaccine.

"Your local GP will be the first point of contact about the vaccination. The Covid-9 vaccine is free and is not available privately, Detective Superintendent Gunne said.

Members of the public are also being asked to make contact with any vulnerable friends or neighbours and make them aware of such calls and texts.

If you believe you have been a victim of this type of fraud please contact your local garda station, and if you have any queries in relation to the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination, contact the HSE or look up their website at hse.ie, she said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14) -- Calbayog City police chief LtCol. Neil Montano has been relieved of his post after the death of Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino in what police claimed was a shootout. The intelligence chief has also been sacked after having asked the courts for names of lawyers who represent left-leaning individuals.

Philippine National Police officer-in-charge LtGen. Guillermo Eleazar announced this in a statement on Sunday, saying Montano was dismissed due to command responsibility.

This came after the sacking of PLt. Fernando Calabria, Jr., head of the Calbayog City police intelligence unit, after he requested a list of lawyers of alleged communists from the Office of the Clerk of Court in Calbayog. Calabria said he made the request in compliance with higher PNP offices, a claim which Eleazar denied.

Nine other non-commissioned officers of the city police station were likewise relieved and reassigned to the Samar Provincial Police Office to undergo refresher seminar.

This reorganization is intended not only to improve the investigation and intelligence capacity of the Calbayog City Police Station in the light of the two incidents that happened but also to infuse new ideas and strategies on peace and order with the deployment of new police officers in the area, Eleazar said.

Montano will be replaced by PLtCol.Rodolfo Albotra as the citys new chief of police, while PMaj. Ruel Burlat is designated as the new chief of intelligence unit.

In a statement also on Sunday, the Commission on Human Rights welcomed the relief of Calabria, whose conduct, it said, is "significantly concerning," considering the recent killings of lawyers and the "pervasive" red-tagging problem.

We also welcome the comment of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra opposing and calling out the PNP for 'any such activity if the same is in violation of existing laws or established policies, or unnecessarily endangers the security of certain classes of persons, most especially lawyers, said CHR spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia.

The commission called on PNP to craft clearer guidelines on information gathering to ensure police power is not abused.

Meanwhile, Eleazar said both Calabria's actions and the March 8 "shootout" are currently being investigated.

"Based on consultation with our Chief PNP, PNP officers concerned are also ordered to refrain from making any comment on the case of Mayor Aquino, and wait instead for the final result of the investigation," he added.

Besides the mayor, the shooting incident killed five others, including Aquinos aides and three PNP personnel.

RELATED: PNP to work with NBI in probe on Calbayog mayor's slay, maintains Aquino's group fired first shot
A flaw in how pre-paid funeral plans are drawn up has been exposed by a family of grieving siblings who were denied the opportunity to have a say in the funeral arrangements for their late brother.

Dignity Funerals, which owns more than 800 parlours nationwide, refused to deal with the next-of-kin of 65-year-old Peter Grant after he died from lung cancer in October last year.

Peter, a former electrician, was unmarried, had no children and had paid 3,000 in advance for his funeral to be carried out by Dignity.

When someone dies who is not married and has no children, it is any surviving parent that is designated the next-of-kin.

Refusal: Dignity Funerals refused to deal with the next-of-kin of 65-year-old Peter Grant

In Peter's case, it was his 91-year-old mother for whom daughter Katherine Daniels had power of attorney. But when Katherine contacted Dignity to talk about Peter's funeral on his mother's behalf, it said it could not discuss the arrangements.

It said it would only take instructions from another sister of Peter's who had obtained his death certificate. This sister is estranged from the rest of the family.

As a result, when the funeral took place, Peter's mother, Katherine and four other siblings were denied an input into the funeral arrangements.

With Peter's estranged sister not turning up or putting in place any instructions, it meant no one led the service, there was no eulogy and no agreed music.

'What kind of service is that?' asks Katherine, 59, a headteacher. 'We've had no closure.'

She did, however, manage to play one of Peter's favourite songs  Neil Young's Harvest Moon  on her phone, while his brother Donald said some words about him.

One family member is launching a national petition to ensure other warring families do not go through a similar experience

In light of her family's experience, she now believes that people signing up to a pre-paid funeral plan should be required to nominate a person to deal with the funeral arrangements. This would head off any disputes.

She is also launching a national petition to ensure other warring families do not go through a similar experience.

Katherine was so desperate to give Peter a fitting send-off that she asked Dignity if the family could pay its costs to date and take possession of Peter's body and arrange a funeral with another firm.

But it refused, urging the two sides of the family to reconcile or contact it via a solicitor.

Although she then got a letter of administration from HM Courts & Tribunals Service authorising her to take control of her brother's affairs and funeral, it arrived after Peter's cremation.

Katherine has complained to Dignity accusing the company of showing 'disrespect for the grieving family'.

She adds: 'I will continue fighting on all fronts so that no family has to suffer what we have been through.'

Dignity told The Mail on Sunday: 'Out of respect for the families we serve, we do not comment on specific or personal aspects of any funeral arrangement.

'Our role is to provide a respectful service for families and recognise that this can be a distressing time for relatives. We will not comment on personal disputes amongst families.'
Scientists differ on whether spring fever is a real physiological condition, but it is definitely infectious and spreading virally as we enter the home stretch of the pandemic.

Symptoms include acute restlessness, serotonin spikes and magical thinking. Side effects include memory loss, diminished vigilance and a false sense that COVID is over (see Texas).

Scientists unanimously warn that COVID is not over. Vaccines are a light at the end of the tunnel, but we are still in the tunnel  some of us deeper than others.

Fully vaccinated by the grace of God and my wife's relentless web searches, I marked the cursed anniversary of COVID-19 with a spin around the valley. Windows down, AC/DC up. Shorts, socks and Crocs. It was 74 degrees and sunny on Thursday afternoon  nine days ahead of the official start of spring.

It was the freest Ive felt in 52 weeks. When I got home, my inbox was full of fear, frustration and fury. In my Wednesday column, I wrote about the myriad obstacles many of our neighbors  particularly seniors without internet access  face as they navigate a chaotic, confusing course toward inoculation.

There are too many hoops to jump through, and too few doses to go around. Readers demanded answers to questions like, What is Matt Cartwright doing for us?

So I called Matt Cartwright. The Democratic U.S. Representative for the 8th Congressional District  which encompasses all of Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike counties and almost all of Luzerne and Monroe counties  said he understands the frustration, but assured me help is on the way.

We just passed a bill that puts an awful lot of money toward ramping up vaccine production, which is clearly the hold-up, Cartwright said of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday.

In a Thursday address to the nation, Biden said all adults should be eligible for vaccines by May 1, a goal Cartwright said hes confident can be reached early.

Im very optimistic, because what weve seen from this administration is underpromising and overperforming, Cartwright said. They talked about hoping they could get a million shots in arms a day, and right now theyre up to 2 million a day. So when the president says that by the end of May, all adults will be immunized, I believe it.

Reaching that goal in Pennsylvania will require a more streamlined system than what we have now. Mass vaccination sites have been established in other regions. Cartwright said hes pushing for the same in Northeast Pennsylvania.

The sooner we can get these vaccines into arms, the sooner our community can recover and rebuild, Cartwright wrote in a letter to Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield.

It is, therefore, deeply concerning to see Pennsylvanias vaccine rollout lagging behind so many other states. Recent reporting has noted pervasive issues with communication and coordination, which have created confusion for both residents and vaccine providers ...

To help speed up vaccinations in Northeastern Pennsylvania, I strongly encourage you to establish mass vaccination sites throughout the region. As vaccines become more readily available, mass vaccination sites will be crucial for ensuring that everyone who can receive a vaccine gets a vaccine.

Cartwrights letter was co-signed by 14 state representatives and two state senators. He told me mass vaccination sites will open as vaccine supplies grow.

I think theyre going to do it, but theyre waiting for the vaccine, Cartwright said. Lets all keep our wits about us, because its going to be a short-term problem.

Lackawanna County Chief of Staff Brian Jeffers told me the county has secured a site to hold mass vaccinations. The location was inspected and approved by state Health Department officials, he said, and county officials are prepared to proceed when authorized. Jeffers declined to disclose the location until plans are finalized.

Everybodys in a holding pattern because of the lack of vaccine, but I foresee this getting better towards the end of this month, Jeffers said. Were going to see the volume of vaccines go up and distribution will get better.

It must. Mass vaccination sites would remove the hoops seniors are struggling with and combine the many streams of distribution into a steady, effective flow. Jeffers said he is confident supply shortages will soon be solved. He worries about a dip in demand.

With the weather breaking, I fear people will get lackadaisical about wanting to get the vaccine, he said. We went through this last summer after the Fourth of July. Everybody was out doing their thing and people just thought, (COVID) is going to disappear.

I had doctors telling me the darkest days were coming, that what wed already gone through was just the beginning. But the weather was great and the lockdown was over and people became lackadaisical, like its not a big deal anymore. Well, it was a big deal, and it came back with a fury. (COVID) is still a big deal.

It is, and spring fever is no substitute for a COVID-free summer. The past year has been a long, dark tunnel, but the end is in sight if we stay the course. In his speech Thursday, the president looked forward to a Fourth of July without fear, frustration and fury  if our acute restlessness doesnt inspire diminished vigilance and a false sense that COVID is over.

This is not the time to let up, he said. Just as were emerging from a dark winter into a hopeful spring and summer is not the time to not stick with the rules.

In other words, dont be lackadaisical. But feel free to wear shorts, socks and Crocs.

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, looks forward to springing forward.
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Climate change denial isnt just the domain of recalcitrant contrarians. Its baked into the way the risks and costs of flooding are calculated in North Carolina and around the nation.

Government-backed flood insurance  often the only option for homeowners along the coast and near rivers  is based on outdated flood maps that fail to reflect how climate change is increasing the regularity and scale of flooding. Those maps have skewed insurance rates downward and left wide swaths of land where properties should be insured against flooding but are not.

Fortunately, thats about to change. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is preparing to unveil the sweeping changes in assessing flood risk and setting insurance rates. The new approach, called Risk Rating 2.0, will begin Oct. 1.

In North Carolina, with its long coast and many flood-prone areas within its coastal plain and mountain region, the changes will have a major impact. There will be a shift in rates  higher for some, lower for others  and more accurate risk assessments could show more property owners that they need protection against flooding.

NFIP rates will no longer be based on zones. Instead properties will be individually rated depending on updated weather patterns and individual aspects of a specific property. Amanda Bryant, director of the website myfloodrisk.org, said that will mean higher rates for more vulnerable homes. The new risk assessment will show the majority of coastal properties in North Carolina are at more risk, she said.

Former North Carolina insurance commissioner Wayne Goodwin said the rate increases come after Congress has long postponed setting premiums high enough to cover the actual risk. The longer you wait to correct something, the greater the pain and thats whats happening here, he said.

FEMA is not saying yet how much the new risk assessment will drive up rates and when. Annual premium increases are capped by law at 18 percent, but the escalation over time could change who can afford to live in coastal areas. An analysis by the First Street Foundation, a non-profit that assesses flood risks, projects that some properties could face massive rate hikes.

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The predictions of rate shocks for expensive homes should not obscure that the changes will benefit owners of more modest homes, said Don Hornstein, a University of North Carolina law professor who specializes in insurance law. The current system sets rates too broadly, he said, and that leads to lower-income homeowners subsidizing the cost of flood insurance for higher-income homeowners.

Hornstein said the rate changes are going to fix that by eliminating these cross subsidies that go the wrong way. As a result, he said, more homes will get price decreases than price increases.

But also more homes should get flood insurance.

Climate change is indeed driving the flood risk up for everyone, said Rick Luettich, director of the Center for Natural Hazards Resilience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Luettich, who develops flooding models, said the new risk assessments will be helpful to homebuyers. Theres an aspect of it being good news if you have a better understanding of what the hazard level is and you can make a better decision about whether you want to live there, he said.

Meanwhile, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey sees an option to higher federal flood insurance rates. He is pushing to have private insurers get back into the flood insurance business they fled in the 1960s, necessitating the creation of the NFIP.

Causey said during a meeting with Carteret County officials last year that private insurance policies could be far superior to anything under the federal program. He also wants more homeowners to buy flood insurance regardless of whether they are in a designated flood zone.

My message to everybody is if it rains where you live, you need flood insurance, he said Were all in a flood zone, its just a matter of whether youre in a high-risk flood zone or low risk.
One small study from Santos curriculum that stuck with her involved polling 632 Americans to predict how happy they would be if they were given $5 to spend on themselves versus getting $5 and being told they must spend it on someone else. In the study, people predicted that they would be happier if they were allowed to keep the money. But participants consistently reported afterward that they had in fact derived more satisfaction from spending money on someone.
Elvis Presleys father decided to remarry  and that caused some family drama with Elvis. He boycotted his fathers wedding for a very specific reason. Afterward, his stepmother accused Elvis of inspiring her sons to use drugs  and she even gave her opinion on why the King of Rock n Roll died so young.

Vernon, Elvis, and Gladys Presley | Bettmann / Contributor

How someone who saw Elvis Presley perform live became a part of his family

In the early 1960s, Elvis shot a movie called G. I. Blues in Germany. He came home from the shoot to Memphis, Tennessee, according to the book The Elvis Archives.

At that time, his father, Vernon Presley, married a widow named Davda Dee Stanley, whom he met in Germany. Stanley and Vernon married in Huntsville, Alabama. However, Elvis was nowhere to be found on their wedding day. Elvis Australia said the King of Rock n Roll became enraged his father wanted to remarry so soon after his mothers death in 1958.

G.I. Blues

RELATED: Elvis Presley Tried to Sleep With Karen Carpenter and Petula Clark at the Same Time, and It Didnt Go Well

The ground rule Elvis Presley gave Dee Stanley

The Elvis Archives reports Elvis decided to boycott the wedding. He felt he had only one mother  his biological mother, Gladys Presley. He said Stanley should understand she could not take Gladys place and, if she understood that, there wouldnt be any trouble between the two of them. In addition, Elvis swore he would stand by his father, He also gave his new step-siblings many toys.

Did Dee Stanley exploit the King of Rock n Roll after his death?

Elvis Australia reports Elvis connection to Stanley lasted beyond his death. She co-wrote a book about her stepson called Elvis: We Love You Tender. Its the story of a wife and mother, her sons and how it felt to have the major portion of our lives consumed by Elvis own life, she revealed. We want the world to see the human suffering beneath the glittery veneer.

Love Me Tender

RELATED: How John Lennon Convinced Mick Jagger to Never Meet Elvis Presley

A book like Elvis: We Love You Tender could obviously be seen as exploitative. However, Stanley had a response to that idea. How could I exploit it any more than it has already been exploited? she said. And besides, we all gave our lives to Elvis. Now maybe were just trying to take a little something back.

Why Elvis Presley died  according to Dee Stanley

In addition, she blamed Elvis drug habits for influencing her sons to do drugs. His stepbrothers worshipped him and anything Elvis did, they did, she said. Stanley also said Elvis felt guilty for influencing his stepbrothers to do drugs.

Stanley also had a theory as to why Elvis died so young. Elvis was a drug addict and none of us could admit it until after he was gone, she said. There wasnt a person in the world that would say no to him. If there was a woman or man strong enough, Elvis would be alive today.
A regional COVID-19 vaccination site is preparing to open in Uxbridge.

The site at the former McCloskey Middle School at 62 Capron St. is a collaboration between the towns of Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Grafton, Hopedale, Mendon, Milford, Millville, Northbridge, Oxford, Sutton, Upton and Uxbridge, officials said in a news release.

On Monday, the site will be fully set up. A press conference including federal, state and local officials is planned for 9 a.m. More details regarding the opening of the site are expected to be announced.

Officials expected at the press conference include state Reps. Michael Soter, David Muradian, Joseph McKenna, Brian Murray and Paul Frost, state Sens. Ryan Fattman and Michael Moore and Congressman Jim McGovern.

Outreach to administer vaccines at the site will focus on people who live or work in the region, officials said, but the site will also be open to other Massachusetts residents.

As of Friday, 853,433 Massachusetts residents are fully vaccinated. A total of 2,416,780 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, according to the Department of Public Health.

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New Delhi: Two days after being discharged from the hospital, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday (March 14, 2021) said that she is still in a lot of pain, but she feels the pain of her people 'even more'.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo took to her official Twitter account and said that she will continue to fight boldly.

"I'm still in a lot of pain, but I feel the pain of my people even more," she wrote.

The West Bengal Chief Minister added, "In this fight to protect our revered land, we have suffered a lot and will suffer more but we will NEVER bow down to COWARDICE!"

We will continue to fight boldly! I'm still in a lot of pain, but I feel the pain of my people even more. In this fight to protect our revered land, we have suffered a lot and will suffer more but we will NEVER bow down to COWARDICE!  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 14, 2021

She suffered injuries when she was on a two-day visit to Nandigram and was discharged on Friday. Mamata had alleged that she was pushed by a few unidentified people during her election campaigning.

Mamata, who is currently conducting a roadshow in Kolkata, in a wheelchair, had said on Thursday that she will not be affecting her election work for the injury.

Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee said that she is contesting from Nandigram in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly election to work along with members of Shaheed families against the 'anti-Bengal forces'.

Her comment comes on a day that marks 14 years of several people being killed in firing at Nandigram. The TMC chief called it a 'dark chapter' in the history of the state and also paid a heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives.

She said, "On this day, in 2007, innocent villagers were killed in firing at Nandigram. Many bodies could not be found. It was a dark chapter in the history of the State. Heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives."

On this day, in 2007, innocent villagers were killed in firing at #Nandigram. Many bodies could not be found. It was a dark chapter in the history of the State. Heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives 1/3  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 14, 2021

"As a mark of respect and encouraged by my brothers and sisters of Nandigram, I am contesting Bengal Elections 2021 as AITC official candidate from this historic place. It is my great honour to be here and work along with members of Shaheed families against anti-Bengal forces," Mamata added.

As a mark of respect and encouraged by my brothers and sisters of Nandigram, I am contesting #BengalElections2021 as @AITCofficial candidate from this historic place. It is my great honour to be here and work along with members of Shaheed families against anti-Bengal forces 3/3  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 14, 2021

The polls to 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27. The final round of voting will take place on April 29, whereas, the counting of votes will take place on May 2.
The Return of the Repressed Almond for Me and Serge

Fragrance Reviews

Ive noticed that Ive been going through an almond thing lately, I told my mom on the phone a couple of weeks ago. We only talk sporadically, and even the most casual conversations are often marked with our vastly different recollections of the years in which I grew up. So when she answered, Oh, youve always had that almond thing, it was oddly, comfortingly harmonious. We both remembered when I first encountered marzipan and how frigid I went toward most other confections. We both remember that in the hottest days in Louisiana summers when only a snow ball (piled shaved ice drizzled in artificially flavored syrups) would suffice to quell the heat, I opted for one called Silver Fox, which was a clean, sugared almond draught that was the closest I got to a glittering snow fall before I was nearly fully grown. (And, for those of you reading closely, there is, embedded in this anecdote also an origin story for other predilections of mine, namely a taste for a silver fox).

With vaccinations in wide distribution, Im cautiously optimistic that there will be a safer phase of reopening in the world, but as Ive continued preparing for art exhibitions, writing, and teaching from home, Ive been slamming back bottles of longstanding almond favorites in my perfume archive: the almond flour softness of Olivia Giacobettis 2004 Jour de Fete for LArtisan; the dreamy toasted nuttiness in Reminiscences 2013 Heliotrope; Sixteen92s cheerful almond bavarois The Tea Party; and Annick Menardos fairytale-bad-girl-almond-joy-modeling-clay Hypnotic Poison Eau de Toilette for Dior, to name only a few.

Enter 2021s newest from twisted mister, most refined of tricksters, the inimitable, practically hallowed Serge Lutens. La Dompteuse Encagee follows the recent Shiseido-directed formatting of three note pyramids for Lutens releases, and here the perfume is said to be frangipani, ylang ylang, and almond. Whats most striking about this new release is how it calls attention to the terribly inventive ways that Lutens and perfumer Christopher Sheldrake have presented almond in the occasional fragrance over the past twenty plus years.

1998s Rahat Loukhoum persists as one of my personal pleasure zones, though notably it was granted Tania Sanchezs superlative the most unabashedly trashy fragrance in the Serge Lutens line in Perfumes: The Guide, the classic tome of hot take reviews Sanchez wrote with Luca Turin. Sanchez continues, for the big-sunglasses-and-stretch-velour crowd. Basically, if you want to smell like baby powder and cherry syrup, this is probably the best way to do it. Yikes, Karen. For me, Rahat Loukhoum is a precisely attenuated waltz into undiagnosed hysteria. A thick blanket of powder, a dollop of macaron batter, the echoing screams of a rosebush wandering the back corridors of the palaceyou know how some people cant help their eyes rolling back in their heads when they eat chocolate? Thats me and Lutens Rahat Loukhoum. And thankfully, sick-minded sister mister John Waters (just four years Lutens junior, we might note) has for decades been making a glamorously trashy space of belonging for queens with as apparently vulgar taste as mine. If you need me, you can find me wearing Rahat Loukhoum in Mortville, communing with the apparition of Jean Hill.

Nearly a decade later, the deranged sister of Rahat Loukhoum entered the dysfunctional-but-make-it-fashion Lutens family: Louve, literally translated, She Wolf. This is that fierce breastfeeder depicted in the bronze sculpture The Capitoline Wolf who co-stars with Romulus and Remus in the legend of the founding of Rome. Recently shifted into the obsidian art deco towers that house Lutens Gratte-Ciel collection, the packaging reinforces the imposing qualities that Louve possesses along with the cloud of sweetened powder through which she stalks. Of all the subsequent almond notes in the Lutens line, Louve most resembles Rahat Loukhoum: here again cherry-almond roses, powdery dry down, with some ineffable secrets knocking around under the floorboards. One of the main distinguishing differences to my nose is that amidst the balanced doses of resin and fruitness, a whiff of public bathroom trails through Louve. Yes, this is an almond galette spiked with rose water, but its also a wistful recollection of the nearly totally lost traditions of queer cruising in tearooms.

I have the least to say about Fourreau Noir from 2009, not because the almond doesnt distinguish itself, but because Im in recovery from lavender overused in too many Eau de Cologne/Fougere nightmares worn by the perfume adventurous with fragile grasps on their own masculinity. Please dont worry; you dont need to send flowers or light candlesI will heal, but it will be slow and gradual. Until I can further dissociate lavender from the sharp notes of shaving creams and an aromatic woo woo wellness ethos, Im not the best to speak to the virtues Fourreau Noir has to offer. What it certainly did was shake up the placement of almond in the Lutens catalogue, appearing in totally different surroundings than how it had been presented previously.

2017s Dent de Lait went even further toward Weird Sisterhood with its fizzy aldehydic almond-heliotrope decorated with metallic streamers and streams of milk. For all of that, can I tell you that Dent de Lait is so darn wearable? On a strip or fresh out of a sample, it seems possessed of a melodramatic determination to be different for the sake of being different, but it settles into skin and becomes aerated, creamy, sparkly, and endlessly curious.

Which brings us, finally, back to La Dompteuse Encagee, 2021. This is not a female scent (mostly because there is no such thing as a female scent, and no, Im not just making a pithy riff on a provocative aside once voiced by Jacques Lacan). Anyone can wear this, but there are most certainly several women wandering around within its thrall. The name directly translates to The Encaged Tamer, and just as the most voluptuous tropical blossoms burst onto the scene, so too does Mae Wests 1933 turn as a lion tamer opposite Cary Grant in Wesley Ruggles Im No Angel. Buxom and daring, this latest Lutens starts with S/M powerplaydelicate blossoms throttled in a bit of choked asphyxia. You can hear it purring and coaxing you further, throaty like Mae West, dangerous like Mae West, taming lions like her.

The opening is not only sexy, its also green, with an underripeness that stays throughout wear time. In structure, although not in particular notes, La Dompteuse Encagee reminds me of the way Muglers Aura performs. If you replaced Auras rhubarb and vanilla with frangipani and almond, there are clear parallels in the fluorescent verdancy that laces this potion.

Within the Lutens catalogue, La Dompteuse Encagee most reminds me of the sultry nocturnal escapades suggested by Datura Noir. Here are some of the other women who loiter in the shadowed recesses of La Dompteuse Encageewomen of the night, scented with heavy, plump tropicana. The bruleed banana foster facets of ylang ylang are vividly pronounced, taming any indolic nuances that may otherwise roam wild. One of the truths of this fragrance is that whether flower or nut or traces of amber, all has been turned into the fruitiest form of itself. The ylang and plumeria are fleshy, verdant, bioluminescent. Creamy peach wobbles underneath a canopy of petals.

We find the almond committing some attractive perversion behind these flowering bushes and fruiting bodies. The hiding, as well as the being caught, is integral to the pleasure. In the PR for this fragrance, our sylph Serge riddles, "I cannot disavow this cold, white-powdered girl. Nonetheless, I sense the snow  so dreaded because expected  the coming avalanche. And so another woman, ghostly, gasping, joins our coterie of amorous inferences. As with everything else added to La Dompteuse Encagee, the almond is green tinted and fruity, but also awfully soft.

The almond is the breaking point in La Dompteuse Encagee. Tears shed and amaretto spilled. A hush that settles in after earlier brassy overtures of in flagrante delicto.

When I began developing this review, I was going to warn the other almond lovers among us that you might be disappointed to find such a quiet rendition that really only comes into focus late in wearing La Dompteuse. But after being with the perfume for days and days, Im coming to understand just how crafty Lutens is getting in his later years: it seems to me that all of that ambrosial aphrodisiac and jungle thunder in the opening is there in order to make an appreciable contrast to the Lazzaroni Amaretti di Saronno left as a gentle token of affection in this latest Lutens. Cold and white-powdered, a pause before the coming avalanche.
Press Release

March 13, 2021 Lacson: Gov't Should be Open to Criticism, Private Sector Efforts on Year Two of COVID Response More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/03/13/lacson-govt-should-be-open-to-criticism-private-sector-efforts-on-year-two-of-covid-response/ As it faces more challenges in the second year of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government should be more open to constructive criticism as well as the efforts of the private sector, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said Saturday. Lacson also said the government should evaluate the actions it has taken so far and sustain the strengths while addressing the weaknesses of its response. "Now is the time for an evaluation, what the government did right and what it did wrong," he said in an interview on DWIZ radio. "Instead of rejecting constructive criticism, it should accept it as part of their planning and continuing assessment. Our aim is to call their attention to things they may not realize. No one has a monopoly of wisdom and knowledge," he added. He said this is critical especially in the light of an alarming spike in the number of new COVID cases per day, from 600 a few weeks ago to more than 4,000 in recent days. Lacson cited as well the challenge of laying out contingency plans to bring the newly arrived vaccines to bring them to remote areas and inoculate the people there. "The plans should not be limited to slideshow presentations. Pagdating sa demo, perfect. Pero baka hindi napag-aralan ang ibang challenges na practical ang application, hindi na-anticipate. Kaya dapat tuloy-tuloy ang pag-aaral," he said. Also, Lacson said the government must use its resources efficiently for procuring and rolling out vaccines, with the national debt at some P10.33 trillion, and with an additional $900 million in loans for COVID response. "If we allow years for the pandemic to pass because we failed to implement our plans, we might end up being a pariah. No one will come here and no one will receive our Filipinos abroad. That is something to consider," he said. Meanwhile, Lacson reiterated his call for greater participation by the private sector and local government units in vaccination efforts. He cited his experience as Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (PARR), where he witnessed how the private sector greatly helped in the rehabilitation of areas hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda - much faster than the government, whose efforts were slowed by bureaucratic procedures. Lacson had pushed for the participation of the private sector in the Reconstruction Assistance for Yolanda (RAY). "The private, especially the business sector, is the national government's natural ally. Aside from their patriotism and corporate social responsibility, they cannot afford to have their employees get hit by COVID because their business will suffer, thus their willingness to help. Should we not grab such an opportunity?" he said.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Saturday said that there was no influx of Myanmarese in the state. Singh's statement comes amid speculation of Myanmarese influx into the Northeastern states as a result of the military coup. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also asked the Northeastern states to act accordingly to prevent an influx. The Manipur CM stated that as of now, there was no information about the influx of Myanmarese in the state. Even so, he added that security has been ramped up at the borders. However, he also asserted that the state cannot do anything about the situation as it a 'bilateral issue' between India and Myanmar.

Till now, there is no information about the influx (of Myanmarese) in the state. We have deployed & alerted the security at the border. The matter is a bilateral issue (between India & Myanmar) and the State cannot take any action on this issue: Manipur CM in Imphal yesterday pic.twitter.com/MTFM3ihUm5  ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2021

MHA Writes To N-E States

After Myanmar authorities asked India to return several police officers from Myanmar who saught refuge to avoid the military, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday asked four northeastern states- Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh to take appropriate action as per law. MHA has therefore asked security forces to stay alert.

"As you are aware, there is a probability of large scale illegal influx into Indian territory through India-Myanmar Border (IMB) due to current internal situation in Myanmar. In this regard, MHA has already issued an advisory dated February 25 to Chief Secretaries of Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh and also to Border Guarding Force (BGF) along the IMB, and Assam Rifles to stay alert and take appropriate action to prevent a possible influx into Indian territory." the MHA said in a letter.

The letter also mentions that the influx from Myanmar has already commenced and agencies have been directed to identify the migrants. In addition, they have also been asked to initiate the deportation process without any delay. The MHA has maintained that state government and the Union Territory (UT) administrations have no power to grant "refugee" status to any foreigner as India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol.
Weve got to get our schools reopened, Vallas said. Weve got to allow parents the option of continuing to have their children learn remote. But theres no reason with what we pay on schools in this country ... schools have been closed for close to 12 months. How are we spending our money?
The former editor of The Guardian has stepped down from a commission considering the future of Irelands media industry.

Alan Rusbridger had faced calls to be removed from the role after disclosures that the newspapers former media editor, Roy Greenslade, was supportive of the IRA.

Mairia Cahill, who has alleged she was sexually abused by an IRA man at the age of 16, had called on the Taoiseach to consider Mr Rusbridgers position on the body.

He said: I was pleased to be invited by the Taoiseach to be part of the Future of the Media Commission.

I was heartened by his backing for my continued involvement, along with the Culture and Media Minister, Catherine Martin.

The unanimous support of my Commission colleagues was very important to me.

The Commission is considering critical issues for Ireland and I dont want my involvement to be a distraction from its work, so I have told its chair, Prof Brian MacCraith, that I will step down.

A 2014 column written by Mr Greenslade called into question Ms Cahills claims that she was raped by an IRA member, and has prompted apologies from the newspaper.

Mr Greenslade claimed BBC reporters investigating the story were too willing to accept Cahills story and did not point to countervailing evidence.

Katherine Viner, who succeeded Mr Rusbridger as Guardian editor in 2015, has apologised to Ms Cahill.

A note has been added to the 2014 piece which reads: The lack of disclosure was especially unfair to a vulnerable individual, and The Guardian has now apologised to Ms Cahill.

Writing in The Guardian, Mr Rusbridger also apologised to Ms Cahill.

He wrote: Given what he has now shared, I believe he should have avoided those topics  or, at the very least, have been consistent in letting readers know more about where he was coming from  especially as The Guardians own guidelines have long been explicit about declaring interests.

In particular, Greenslade had criticised transparency in a 2014 piece about a BBC programme on Mairia Cahills claim of rape by an alleged IRA member. Given his own lack of transparency, that was, at best, hypocritical.

The piece spectacularly fails on transparency grounds. Had Greenslade been open with me back in 2014, I would have been able to come to a different judgment about it overall.

So I am sincerely sorry to Mairia Cahill, both for the article and for the upset it must have caused her. Both The Guardian and Greenslade have also apologised.

Mr Greenslade recently said he had made contributions to the republican newspaper An Phoblacht during the Troubles under the pseudonym George King.

Writing in the British Journalism Review, he confessed to supporting the Republican movement, adding: That is not to say, however, that I was not appalled by the carnage.

The commission was set up by the Irish Government in September to examine the future of the media in Ireland.
Electric Vehicle

It was not long ago when the second generation of the Jaguar XF (large-size sedan) had its premiere. This happened in 2015. The Jaguar XE mid-size sedan debuted the same year. In fact, this was about splitting the class-of-its-own stature of the first Jaguar XF generation in two easier to understand approaches.So, it became clear: the XE was the competitor for BMW 3 Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class kind of cars, while the XF went hunting for the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Co. The Jaguar XE got facelifted in 2019, while the 2021 model brings some remarkable upgrades.Because they insisted to make a visible class difference between the second generation XF and the XE, the XE has a less shiny overall look than the bigger cat. And this used to be even more obvious after getting inside. Until recently, XE's interior had a note of Teutonic austerity.Come on, who would want a British car with a German touch, even if German cars sell well? The technical and aesthetic upgrades of the 2021 Jaguar XE came to change this perception for good.Big displays, advanced graphics (the 12.5-inch digital instruments panel is a convincing piece of high-tech stuff), fewer physical buttons  yes, thats the way the cockpit of a contemporary tarmac predator should look inside. The Pivi Pro infotainment system (also seen on the new LR Defender) integrates a 10-inch touchscreen.The 5.5-inch touchscreen situated at the base of the center console features two multi-functional LED rotary controllers for intuitive operation of key vehicle functions. Refined finish details, pretentious materials for upholstery  finally, the beautiful shapes of the XEs interior design are dressed in a manner worthy of the brand's tradition. It took some years to get all these done, but now, here they are.The choice of engines for the refreshed Jaguar XE is not wide, but it accurately targets some important points. There are two versions of the Ingenium 2.0 four-cylinder gasoline engine, both of them fitted with the CVVL (Continuous Variable Valve Lift) distribution system and twin-scroll turbochargers.No question of compromise regarding on performance: its all about being fast (with the 250 hp/365 Nm mill) or being faster (with the 300 hp/400 Nm one). Usually, the driving force is delivered to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Yet, for the 300 hp version, an all-wheel-drive option is available.The best times of the diesel seem to be gone, yet the new 2.0-litre four-cylinder 204 hp Ingenium diesel engine, featuring Mild Hybrid(MHEV) technology, deserves a closer look. It uses a Belt-integrated Starter Generator (BiSG) to improve the typical good traits of the diesel: low consumption and beefy torque.While the gasoline-fed versions (250 and 300 hp) are able to do the 0-60 mph (97 kph) sprint in 6,4 and, respectively, 5,6 seconds, this advanced 204 hp MHEV-turbodiesel can keep close to them, doing it in 6,9 seconds.Regretfully, the times of the V6 and V8 gasoline engines are gone for the XE. The laws of nature are confirmed inclusively by the evolution of XEs engine range: the smaller predators have better surviving capabilities.The Jaguar XE uses the so-called D7/PLA (Premium Lightweight Architecture) platform of the Jaguar-Land Rover Group. Of course, it is not something brand-new, but it still represents something unique within the mid-size sedan class.Agility and dynamic behavior are favored by this light self-supporting structure of the body. The firm suspension and the precise steering come to clarify this image. Riding comfort? Not bad at all, even better than what the previous XF used to offer. However, the sporty touch of the car always remains distinguishable.The questionable reliability that marked Jaguar cars throughout the 1980s and a bit later, during the Ford Group reign over the British brand, is a thing of the past. Nowadays, the eventuality of some mechanical failures is a lot less probable than the occurrence of some electronic annoying mishaps  these probably wont happen every day, though.The space for the rear seated passengers is somewhat limited and the trunk doesnt have a really impressive volume (455 liters) considering the class standards. Here, we should all agree that owning a Jaguar is not about sitting in the rear or stuffing its trunk every now and then.In the end, something that might determine some potential clients to move away: no engine with more than four cylinders can be fitted under the XEs hood. And, no matter the version, the Jaguar XE is pricey (base score of $40.895 for the XE P250 S).Instead, even if German mid-size sedans are damn good, and there is plenty of them (Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Opel Insignia, VW Passat), none of them goes far enough in terms of charm and personality to catch the cat. Maybe an Alfa Giulia? Or a Volvo S60 ? Why not a Peugeot 508 (they also have a noble cat on the frontal grille)? Let these be just rhetorical questions for the moment.

The United Methodist Church in Clinton hosted a drive-thru Irish dinner today outside of the church.

Organizers sold traditional Irish dishes such as beef stew, soda bread, and shamrock cookies. The United Methodist women's group sponsored the event. The church would normally be making money with luncheons and rummage sales, but has been forced to adapt during the pandemic.

This was the latest of numerous outdoor sales the church has organized. The proceeds from the sale will benefit various area charities
SriLankan in hot seat after unqualified pilot operated right hand seat of aircraft View(s):

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has warned SriLankan Airlines over an incident where an instructor pilot had operated on the right hand seat of an A330 aircraft without stipulated qualifications.

A CAA investigation had revealed that the unqualified instructor pilot had been in the right hand seat of the A330 on December 15, 18 and 19 last year, the CAAs Director General Captain Themiya Abeywickrama states in a letter addressed to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SriLankan Airlines.

In light of the events, the CAAs Director General has informed SriLankan that he has lost all confidence in the Post holders of the Flight Operations Management of the Airline.

Accordingly, the CAA has directed the airline to review the roles and responsibilities of each senior management member under its Flight Operation Division, including Training and Scheduling, and take appropriate actions to prevent such unprofessional conduct.

It has also directed the airline to evaluate and restructure the safety management system of the airline to monitor, pre-empt and prevent safety concerns of such nature.

A spokesman for SriLankan

airline said an inquiry was ordered

into the incident.


By Florian Mueller





Florian Mueller
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
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.
A view shows a makeshift barrier set up on a street of a village under lockdown amid rising coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections, in Manila, Philippines, March 12, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

President Rodrigo Duterte says he wants to reopen the Philippine economy in the coming weeks, calling for a quick vaccination of millions of Filipinos.

"I have to reopen the economy. I have given a timetable of just weeks. The economy must be opened in a short while," Duterte said.

Duterte said the economy would reopen if the Philippines can inoculate 70 million of its 108 million population to achieve herd immunity.

However, Senator Panfilo Lacson expressed skepticism over the pace of vaccinations, saying it will take about 12 years to achieve herd immunity at the rate things are going. Lacson urged the government to speed up its inoculation program.

"If we dont accelerate the pace, and assuming that all supply expected for 70 million targeted population to achieve herd immunity, then well have a problem because it will take us until 2033 at the rate were doing it now. It will take us 11 years and eight months to finish assuming that all 140 plus million doses will arrive," Lacson said.

Herd immunity is achieved when a large part of the population is immune to a specific disease.

On March 1, the Philippines started its vaccination program with 600,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine donated by China.

The Philippine was among the fastest growing economies in Asia before the COVID-19 pandemic. Its momentum was broken after strict lockdown rules saw consumer confidence tumble and millions forced into unemployment.

The Philippines has the second-worst outbreak and death toll in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines reported the highest daily rise in COVID-19 cases in six months for successive days last week. Concerns with recent spike in infections prompted Metro Manila mayors to reimpose curfew in the capital region from March 15 for two weeks.

Related stories:

Duterte looking to reopen economy in coming weeks

Metro Manila imposes curfew as COVID-19 cases surge
Ireland and the Netherlands have said they will temporarily suspend use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, adding to a list of countries concerned about the jab.

Here we take a look at the key questions surrounding the situation.

 What has happened?

There have been a small number of reports of people experiencing blood clots in the days and weeks after their vaccination.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported one person in Austria was diagnosed with blood clots and died 10 days after vaccination, but it stressed there is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions.

Another person was admitted to hospital in Austria with pulmonary embolism (blockage in arteries in the lungs) after being vaccinated, while one death involving a blood clot was reported in Denmark.

A 50-year-old man is also thought to have died in Italy from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), while there has been an unconfirmed report of another death in Italy.

Irelands decision followed reports of serious clotting in adults in Norway which left four people in hospital.

 Which countries are involved?

Ireland and the Netherlands on Sunday joined a list that already included Denmark, Norway and Iceland, which said they are temporarily halting all AstraZeneca vaccinations to investigate further.

The Netherlands said it is suspending its AstraZeneca rollout as a precaution for two weeks after a small number of new reports in Denmark and Norway of blood clotting and lowered levels of blood platelets in people aged under 50.

Bulgarias prime minister said its suspension would last until the EMA issued a written statement that the vaccine is safe.

Italy also followed Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Lithuania in banning jabs from one particular batch of one million AstraZeneca vaccines, which was sent to 17 countries, after reports of a death.

Very few details have been given about the individuals, including whether they had any underlying conditions that already raised the risk of blood clots.

Story continues

Thailand and Congo said they would delay use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

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 What has Ireland said?

On Sunday, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said: The decision to temporarily suspend use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was based on new information from Norway that emerged late last night.

This is a precautionary step.

 And what about Northern Ireland?

Health Minister Robin Swann asked for an update from the UKs regulator  the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)  following the Republics decision, the department of health in Northern Ireland said.

The rollout there is to continue in line with MHRA guidance, the department added.



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 What do the European and UK medicines regulators say?



The MHRA had already issued a statement last week saying more than 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been administered across the UK with no issues.

After the Republic of Irelands decision to suspend use, Dr Phil Bryan, MHRA vaccines safety lead said: We are aware of the action in Ireland.

We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause.

He said people should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so.

The EMA said in a statement on Thursday that the vaccines benefits continue to outweigh its risks and that jabs can continue to be administered while it carries out a review into any incidents of blood clots.

It said that as of March 10 there were just 30 reports of blood clots among almost five million people given the vaccine across Europe.

(PA Graphics)

 What about the World Health Organisation (WHO)?

Director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said WHO is continuing to keep a close eye on the safety of the vaccines but said it was important to note the EMA has said there is no indication of a link between the vaccine and blood clots and that the vaccine can continue to be used while its investigation is ongoing.

His comments echoed remarks made by WHO spokeswoman Dr Margaret Harris, who described the vaccine as excellent.

 Are UK scientists worried?

No. The overwhelming scientific opinion is that there is no certain link between blood clots and the vaccine, and the reported cases could easily be coincidental.

They argue the risks from Covid-19 far outweigh any potential side-effects from the jab, with many saying blood clots are fairly common, regardless of vaccination.

Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: The problem with spontaneous reports of suspected adverse reactions to a vaccine are the enormous difficulty of distinguishing a causal effect from a coincidence.

The MHRA said more than 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab have been administered in the UK, with no issues (PA)

This is especially true when we know that Covid-19 disease is very strongly associated with blood clotting and there have been hundreds if not many thousands of deaths caused by blood clotting as a result of Covid-19 disease.

The first thing to do is to be absolutely certain that the clots did not have some other cause, including Covid-19.

 What has AstraZeneca said?



The pharmaceutical giant said a careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the EU and UK with the AstraZeneca jab has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country.

Its chief medical officer Dr Ann Taylor said the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population.
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Almost everyone dislikes the states model curriculum for ethnic studies, even its authors. Which is precisely why California should adopt it now.

Anything that Californias usually apathetic adults can argue passionately about  state education officials received tens of thousands of public comments on the curriculum  is something the kids should learn all about.

Through four years of controversy and multiple reviews and revisions, the curriculum has been perversely unifying, taking fire from many racial, ethnic and religious groups. The left finds it insufficiently revolutionary; the center, too politicized and jargon-laden. The right thinks its some kind of conspiracy involving cancel culture. And as the state moves toward making ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement, the curriculums own authors  mostly scholars  have disavowed it and pledged to advance their own liberated ethnic studies alternative.

There is truth in nearly all these objections. But, after reading its four chapters and three appendices (and newly proposed edits), I can report that the curriculum  like the controversy surrounding it  is messy, maddening, sprawling, contradictory, and yet fascinating and even inspiring. Which is to say: Its quintessentially Californian.

Just like the field of ethnic studies itself.

Its not just that the curriculums self-definition  Ethnic studies highlights the importance of untold stories, and emphasizes the danger of a single story  befits an ever-changing state of 40 million people and perhaps even more unproduced screenplays. Its that ethnic studies, like the iPhone and the Korean BBQ taco, is a California invention.

California students deserve to know this origin story because it is a story about the power of California students.

In late 1968, the Third World Liberation Front  a multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalition of students at San Francisco State  launched a five-month strike, walking out of class to demand equality in education, including the establishment of ethnic studies. UC Berkeley students soon followed suit. The strikes bore fruit, with Berkeley approving an ethnic studies department and San Francisco State establishing the first college of ethnic studies in 1969.

In the following decades, ethnic studies spread to other universities, growing into a robust academic discipline with its own associations, journals, conferences, and degree-granting programs. California produced leading ethnic studies scholars, including UC Berkeleys Ronald Takaki, author of the seminal A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America.

And California professors and pupils infused ethnic studies interdisciplinary approach into other fields. Todays proposed ethnic studies curriculum references UCLA legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw, who, in part through field work at battered womens shelters in L.A., developed the famous analytical framework of intersectionality, which explores how race, class, gender, and other identities intersect and overlap.

In the past decade, the popularity of Crenshaws work and the increasing diversity of Californias student population have inspired a renewed surge of Golden State interest in ethnic studies. Ethnic studies has become a requirement in the California State University system, and some local school districts have implemented courses, too.

In 2016, as part of this surge, California legislators authorized creation of the proposed model K-12 curriculum with little debate or controversy. But a 2019 draft of the model curriculum was accused of anti-Semitism, academic snobbery, and excluding too many ethnic groups. The current draft, still being edited before a vote on adoption late this month, is far more inclusive. It leaves decisions about which ethnicities to emphasize to teachers and schools, and outlines ways for communities to shape ethnic studies classes in distinctively local and democratic ways.

The curriculum mixes tough-minded examinations of white supremacy and oppressive systems with a warm-hearted look at arts, literature, anthropology, geography, and the overlooked contributions to society of diverse peoples. The curriculum looks back to history, and forward with contemporary social movements. And it points to research showing that students who take ethnic studies classes have better attendance, think more critically, are more engaged in community and democracy, and experience less anxiety.

Reading through the current document, I grew excited about the prospect of my elementary-age kids taking ethnic studies someday  getting an opportunity to immerse, for instance, in a proposed course on migration to California covering how World War II drew African Americans from the South to California cities like Oakland and Los Angeles, how the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath affected Iranian immigrants in the United States, or how Armenian Americans mobilized to urge the U.S. government to formally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.

The themes and topics discussed within the field are boundless, reads the curriculum, such as a study of Mexican American texts, the implications of war and imperialism on Southeast Asian refugees, African American social movements and modes of resistance, and Native American/Indigenous cultural retentions, to name a few.

Of course, the curriculum is far from perfect. Its original authors say its too broad and not focused enough on African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Indigenous peoples. The recent draft reads like a document trying to satisfy everyone, and sometimes contradicts itself. It retains some leftist language that can be easily distorted by conservatives. Its bibliography favors dull scholarly work over novels and films that might better connect with younger students.

My own beef  every Californian must have one  is that the curriculum should reckon more thoughtfully with how American culture erases, over generations, the distinctive ethnicities, traditions and languages that connect us to others and help give life meaning. A 21st-century ethnic studies class should ask the question: How might we preserve and revive ethnic cultures to make life feel less lonely and disconnected?

One practical worry is that adding ethnic studies classes, given the states limits on school budgets and instruction time, might crowd out the teaching of foreign language, which is already far too limited in California. But ethnic studies is so important that its worth the risk.

Some critics want further delays in the curriculum, but their most common objection  that the curriculum should be even more inclusive  reinforces just how Californian this subject matter is.

Californians may never stop arguing about ethnic studies. So, lets approve this imperfect curriculum now, and move these arguments into our kids classrooms, where they belong.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square.
(BJP) Tamil Nadu president L Murugan has said that DMDK's exit from the AIADMK-led coalition for the state Assembly elections will not affect the winning chances of the alliance.

Addressing a press conference after the BJP CEC Meeting on Saturday he said, "We have informed our interests to the CEC. The list of BJP's candidates will be announced soon."

Asked about the DMDK's exit from the alliance, he said: "The AIADMK is the leader of the alliance. We are junior partners in the alliance, The parties that bid farewell to the alliance had discussions with the AIADMK. We are unaware of the discussions."

"We welcome the decision taken by the AIADMK. The alliance partners' exit from the alliance will not affect our winning chance. We will win and form the government," he added.

Murugan said there will be an adequate representation of SC, ST community and women in the BJP candidates list.

The BJP's central election committee was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP chief JP Nadda at BJP headquarters along with top leaders from the respective states.

The 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will be done on May 2.

Ruling AIADMK is contesting the polls in a pre-poll alliance with the BJP. DMK has joined hands with Congress. This time actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan's party Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) is also in the fray.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, the AIADMK won 134 seats, the DMK bagged 80 seats and Congress managed to secure only 8 seats. The BJP drew a blank.

(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| 2021-03-13 23:50:28|Editor: huaxia

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Flowers and a note are seen as people pay tributes at the bandstand on Clapham Common to mourn for Sarah Everard in London, Britain, on March 15, 2021. A serving Metropolitan police officer on March 13 appeared in court in London after being charged with the kidnap and murder of a 33-year-old woman. Wayne Couzens, 48, was arrested after Sarah Everard, a marketing executive, went missing while walking home from a friend's apartment in south London on March 3. Everard's death has caused widespread concern in Britain about women's safety, with many women and girls sharing stories online of their own traumatic experiences. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- A serving Metropolitan police officer on Saturday appeared in court in London after being charged with the kidnap and murder of a 33-year-old woman.

Wayne Couzens, 48, was arrested on Tuesday after Sarah Everard, a marketing executive, went missing while walking home from a friend's apartment in south London on March 3.

Everard's remains were found on Wednesday in an area of woodland in Kent, around 50 miles (about 80.47 kilometers) away in southeast England, the court heard Saturday.

Couzens arrived at the central London court at 10 a.m. (1000 GMT) in a large blue police van, stepping into the dock around 10.30 a.m. (1030 GMT), according to the Evening Standard newspaper.

He wore a grey tracksuit and appeared to have a red wound on the top of his forehead, the newspaper reported.

Couzens spoke only to confirm his name and personal details, sitting between two plain clothes officers in the dock.

Couzens remains in police custody and will appear in court again on March 16.

According to local media reports, Couzens joined London's Metropolitan Police in 2018 and guarded foreign embassies before his arrest.

Everard's death has caused widespread concern in Britain about women's safety, with many women and girls sharing stories online of their own traumatic experiences.

Data from the British Office for National Statistics showed that in the past decade till March 2020, there were 4,493 male victims of killings and 2,075 female victims (31 percent) in England and Wales, and more than nine out of 10 killers were men. Enditem
The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has expressed displeasure about the decision by the Executive to cap the budget allocation for the Legislature and the Judiciary.

He said what was even more unacceptable was the very low ceiling, which he described as below the belt.



As the two arms of government mandated to provide checks and balances on the Executive, he proposed that Parliament and the Judiciary be given particular attention since they were not sectors of the economy.



These are arms of government and we are not going to take any budget that is like a ministrys budget. That is not going to be tolerated. Those arms of government will also have to be strengthened to be able to perform their functions, he stated.



No tolerance



Addressing Parliament on the floor of the House prior to the presentation of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy yesterday, Mr Bagbin said: We can no longer allow the Executive to be running amok without any checks and balances.



I am sure this is sufficient notice. I have seen an indication of what is alleged to be ceiling for those arms. I am not going to take that, he added.



So, the Ministry of Finance is well represented and our own member is coming to read the budget. Kindly take note or else you will have it tough with the right Honourable Speaker, he said.



Fairness



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The Speaker stated that prior to the approval of this years budget, he received indications that the capital expenditure for Parliament and the Judiciary had completely been taken.



He, however, cautioned that such deprivation would not happen under my watch.



Urging the Executive and the Ministry of Finance to revise the budget for the two arms of government, he said members of Parliament were prepared to go through the budget and pass it.



He pointed out that as part of such commitment, members of the House would no longer be allowed to continue to use their houses as offices to perform government functions and their duties for the good of the country.



We have been along this path for 28 good years and I am sure now we are grown and the budget is not only for the Executive, he said.



Psyche



The Speaker urged the Ministry of Finance to furnish Parliament with hard copies of details of budget estimates since the House was ready to sit 24/7 to consider and approve the budget.



He urged Members of Parliament to prepare themselves towards the consideration of the budget.



Even if it means we have to sit on Sunday, we have to do so, so that by close of the month the budget would have been passed and the Appropriation Act assented to by His Excellency the President, if not, governance will come to a complete halt, he added.

Source: Graphiconline.com









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Bidens immediate decision to back off from Trumps policy of maximum pressure on Iran and his promise to reengage with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has emboldened Iran. Instead of causing Iran to retreat from its regional aggression or to lessen its harsh policies against its own citizens, Iran is pushing harder in both areas. It clearly sees the United States  and, specifically, Biden  as weak.

Just in the last two months, these are some of the negative developments regarding Iran:

--Within a month of entering office, Biden withdrew Trumps claim that Irans violating provisions of the JCPOA tracked the snapback mechanism in the JCPOA and mandated that the UN re-impose sanctions on Iran. Almost immediately, Iranian-funded terrorism, which had been mostly dormant during the Trump administration, flared up again. On January 29, a bomb exploded 50 meters away from the Israeli embassy in New Delhi. Counter-terrorism experts blamed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for that explosion.

-- The Biden administration also lifted travel restrictions on Iranian diplomats working at United Nations in New York City. Then, the Iranian regime attacked the U.S. base in Erbil, Iraq.

-- On March 6, Iran announced that the United States had agreed to release $ 3 billion of frozen Iranian funds in Iraq, South Korea, and Oman. One day later, Iranian-funded Houthis mounted a drone and missile attack against a large Aramco oil port and the surrounding residential area. The day after that, oil prices jumped 2.11 % and reached $70.82 a barrel, the highest level since May 2019.

Contrary to claims from those who want to appease Iran, Trumps sanctions over the last three years, harmed primarily harmed the regimes agents, severely weakening their ability to funds its proxy forces. This weakness led to the possibility of popular uprisings and protests against the mullahs. As proof one of the slogans chanted by Iranians in the streets was, Our enemy is right here. They are lying by saying it is America!

In addition to violence abroad and at home, Khamenei, Irans Supreme Leader, followed Bidens giveaways by threatening to increase Irans uranium enrichment to 60%. The Iranian parliament then passed a bill to suspended Tehran's cooperation regarding the Additional Protocol, blocking the IAEA from inspections. The parliament also rejected an interim agreement reached between President Hassan Rouhani and the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Still, all is not lost. The Biden administration can still get a better agreement than Obama did in 2015. This is because Trumps policies left the Iranian regime in greater disunity and weaker, and Iranian society more rebellious, than ever before.

So far, despite lifting Trumps sanctions, the administration has not prepared a comprehensive approach to threats from Iran. On March 9, a bipartisan group of House members (70 Democrat and 70 Republican) wrote a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Biden administration to take a comprehensive approach to threats posed by Iran they emphasized that:

As the Biden administration considers negotiations with Iran, we write to express our bipartisan and shared view that we must seek an agreement or set of agreements with Iran that are comprehensive in nature to address the full range of threats that Iran poses to the region. [snip] As Democrats and Republicans from across the political spectrum, we are united in preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon and addressing the wide range of illicit Iranian behavior. There is consensus within Congress that allowing one of the worlds leading state sponsors of terrorism to obtain nuclear weapons is an unacceptable risk.

Another limitation on Khamenei is Irans dire economic situation and the internal problems within the regime, exacerbated by an upcoming election so that Khamenei can install his preferred candidate in the presidents office. Khamenei is confident that Bidens policies will protect him. His whole focus is on preventing social upheaval and public uprisings at home. That makes him weak and is something that Biden, if wise, would use in negotiations.

Hassan Mahmoudi is a Europe-based social analyst, researcher, independent observer, and commentator of Middle Eastern and Iranian Politics. He tweets under @hassan_mahmou1.

IMAGE: Ayatollah Khamenei. YouTube screengrab.
(CNN) -- Former Bolivian interim President Jeanine Anez was arrested on Saturday after the country's Attorney General's Office issued arrest warrants the previous day against Anez and five ministers from her former cabinet.

Government Minister Carlos Eduardo del Castillo del Carpio confirmed Anez's arrest. At least two of the former ministers have also been detained, according to state channel Bolivia TV.

CNN has not been able to access the basis for the charges through the prosecutor's office, but Anez published on her Twitter account images of what she says are the six pages of the arrest warrant, which lists charges of "terrorism," "conspiracy" and "sedition."

In a series of tweets, Anez said, "In an act of abuse and political persecution the MAS [Movement Towards Socialism] government has ordered my arrest." She added: "It is accusing me of having participated in a coup that never happened. My prayers for Bolivia and for all Bolivians."

Political tensions in Bolivia have been high ever since the contested 2019 election, in which former President Evo Morales was declared winner but international watchdogs alleged the results were fraudulent and the election was annulled. Morales, who led the country for almost 14 years as the first indigenous president, claims he was ousted in a coup.

Anez was interim president for less than a year and vowed to hold a new presidential election, which took place in October 2020 after several postponements. Luis Arce, the MAS candidate supported by Morales, won a landslide victory. Following Arce's victory, Morales returned to Bolivia in November after spending almost a year in exile in Argentina.

"The authors and accomplices of the dictatorship that looted the economy and attacked life and democracy in Bolivia must be investigated and punished," Morales wrote on his official Twitter account on Saturday.

Jose Miguel Vivanco, director of Human Rights Watch Americas Division, said Saturday, "The arrest warrants against Anez and her ministers do not contain any evidence that they have committed the crime of 'terrorism'," adding "for this reason, they generate well-founded doubts that it is a process based on political motives."

"We urge our friends and neighbors in Bolivia to uphold all civil rights and due process guarantees of the American Convention on Human Rights and the principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter," Julie Chung, Acting Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere, said on her official Twitter account on Saturday.

In addition to the political tensions, Bolivia is also fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The country, one of the worst-affected in the region, has so far registered over 250,000 cases and nearly 12,000 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Bolivia's ex-interim president arrested as political tensions reach new highs"
Speaker upon speaker stood on stages across the nation during more than 40 Womens March 4 Justice rallies and described the atrocities they had been subjected to as women. Heres a snapshot of what they said:

Canberra

Brittany Higgins, former political staffer and the victim of an alleged rape: I watched as the Prime Minister of Australia publicly apologised to me through the media, while privately the media team actively undermined and discredited my loved ones. I tuned into Question Time to see my former bosses  people that I had dedicated my life to  downplay my lived experience.

If they arent committed to addressing these issues in their own offices, what confidence can the women of Australia have that they will be proactive in addressing this issue in the broader community?

This isnt a political problem. This is a human problem. Weve all learned over the past few weeks just how common gendered violence is in this country. Its time our leaders on both sides of politics stop avoiding the public and side-stepping accountability. Its time we actually address the problem.

Michele ONeil, ACTU president: We are here today for girls under covers listening to approaching footsteps. For every woman in a bar, street, in an office who feels that look, who feels that threat. We say to men in this place who are drunk on power, Dont think you will get away with it. ... Change is coming, its coming like a tsunami.

Saxon Mullins, co-director of advocacy at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy: One in five women have experienced sexual violence. Men, where do you think these perpetrators are hiding? They are your friends. They are your co-workers. They are your football mates, and they are your friends from school.

Korra Koperu says she is scared to walk anywhere alone. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Melbourne

Julia Banks, former Liberal MP: This is one of the most defining moments for Australian women because its driven by the most powerful force that makes up 51 per cent of our population: women.

Huong Truong, former Victorian Greens MP: Vote em out. Replace them and do not flinch. Double down. Stand witness. Lets give them hell.

Wil Stracke, assistant secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council: We are angry. And we are hurting. Its not just that we are not safe. Its not just that we are not respected. We are still not equal ... we still dont have equal pay. We are right to be angry.

Korra Koperu, 19, trans activist: I am not just scared to walk home at night. I am scared to walk anywhere.

Grace Tame at the Womens March 4 Justice rally in Hobart. Credit:Twitter

Hobart

Grace Tame, Australian of the Year: Ten years next month, actually, that I made a choice to stand up against a man who repeatedly raped me and used to boast to me about other girls that he had raped before he raped me. Im not going to name him  he doesnt deserve any air time. But I was afraid of doing something until a different kind of fear usurped that fear, and that was the fear of doing nothing. The fear of doing nothing should outweigh your fear of doing something.

You know, as is often the case when an issue that has been shrouded in darkness for such a long time is suddenly thrust into the light, theres widespread shock and disbelief over how something so evil could happen, and not just happen, but happen so ubiquitously. And the answer is plain and simple  silence. Evil thrives in silence. Behaviour unspoken, behaviour ignored, is behaviour endorsed.

Sydney

Dhanya Mani, former NSW Liberal staffer: Im so angry as well standing in front of this building because it isnt just about Scott Morrison, it isnt just about men, it is about every person in a parliamentary building who stood by and did nothing.

Matt Kean, NSW Environment Minister: This is not a Liberal issue or a Labor issue  its all of our issues. And this is about saying no to violence against women and saying yes to equality across our community, and thats something that we should all be a part of.

Debbie Fletcher addresses the crowd at King George Square. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia

Brisbane

Debbie Fletcher, Kalkadoon woman and social justice advocate: Im a grandmother, I am a mother, I am a sister and an auntie and a daughter ... Ive been a fighter all my life, I make no apologies for that. I will continue to raise my voice while women in Australia continue to be abused, raped and murdered.

Read more here.
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The Federal Government has disbursed N20,000 each to 2,900 women in Benue to improve their living standards.

Sadiya Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, said this on Saturday in Makurdi during the inauguration of the grant for rural women project.

Mrs Farouq, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Bashir Alkali, said a cash of N20,000 would also be disbursed to about 125,000 poor women across the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory.

Our target in Benue is to disburse the grant to about 2,900 beneficiaries across all local government councils.

The grant is expected to increase income and productive assets of target beneficiaries.

It is our hope that the beneficiaries of this programme will make good use of the grant to generally contribute toward improving their living standards.

This is by using the fund as a seed to boost their trade for greater income and not to see it as their own share of the so-called national cake, she said.

The minister commended the state government for the support, stressing that with her complementary effort, the target beneficiaries would be adequately covered within the next few days.

I am optimistic that with the support and cooperation of Gov Samuel Ortom and other stakeholders present here, we will remain on track to improving the livelihood of the ordinary Nigerians, she said.

Commendation

In his remark, Mr Ortom commended the Federal Government for initiating the sundry programmes aimed at reducing poverty.

The governor who was represented by his wife, Eunice Ortom, encouraged the women to use the money to invest in businesses to better their lots.

Women are multipliers and I believe they will turn the N20,000 to millions. I urge you to make the state proud by making a success of the money given to you as grant.

I encourage you to start with the small amount and make yourselves successful in business, he said.

The governor however appealed for more poverty reduction programmes for women in the state.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs in Benue, Tabitha Girgi, appreciated the Federal Government for including women with disabilities in all their programmes. (NAN)
BACKED BY Mayor Joyce Craig, Manchester school Superintendent Dr. John Goldhardt has gone big in an attempt to restart high school in the Queen City. To be sure, Manchesters schools are struggling but Goldhardt and Craig would have us believe that the way to turn things around is to lau
Lot of sound and fury over CoI final report on Easter Sunday attacks By our Lobby Correspondent Sandun Jayawardana View(s): View(s):

There was plenty of finger pointing between the Government and the Opposition as the Parliamentary debate on the final report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Easter Sunday attacks began on Wednesday. Government MPs appealed for patience and made assurances that all those responsible will be punished. Opposition MPs meanwhile, questioned the Governments commitment to bring the culprits to book, with some even calling for an international inquiry into the attacks.

The responsibility for failing to prevent the attacks rests solely with those who were in power at the time, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National List MP Jayantha Weerasinghe insisted as he opened the adjournment debate. Not only did they allow the attacks to happen, they also failed to conduct proper investigations afterwards, he alleged, calling on all those named in the report to be punished.

They may have changed their name to the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) now, but we havent forgotten that they are the ones who were in Government at the time, he added.

While the Government was quick to point fingers at the Yahapalana Government over the attacks, it conveniently forgets that the main person deemed responsible by the Commission for failing to prevent the attacks is now with the Government, SJB Puttalam District MP Niroshan Perera pointed out. He is the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and your alliance, he quipped.

Mr Perera questioned why the Government had not initiated action at least against those mentioned by the CoI for failing to prevent the attacks. This raises suspicions on whether this is an attempt to hold on to power.

You stayed silent for eight months after the attacks while in Government and are now calling for justice for the victims, said Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage. If you had given priority to national security, this would not have happened.

He accused the then Government of trying to engage in a cover-up to protect those who aided the attacks through the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) into the attacks.

Though you are now shouting about the Easter attacks, the CoI report states that three leaders of coalition parties coming under the SJB are connected to the attackers, Mr Aluthgamage further told the Opposition.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran said no one accepts the claim that Zaharan Hashim was the mastermind of the attacks. Not even Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith accepts the claim that Zaharan is the mastermind, Mr Sumanthiran said. That is why after this report came, he repeatedly asked who is the mastermind? That is why the Black Sunday protests started after this report came out. There is no mastermind revealed (in the report.)

This is an attack that happened after due notice, with even names of the assailants and written information was given to the authorities almost a month before the attacks. If after all that, we still say we dont know who the mastermind is, then obviously there is something radically wrong.

Mr Sumanthiran also voiced support for the call made by the Archbishop of Colombo for an international investigation into the attacks. Even those who didnt want international investigations are now themselves calling for international inquiries, because the State has failed in its responsibility to ensure accountability.

Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando meanwhile, said that the report of the Commission had been sent to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID), which are conducting investigations into the attacks.

It is undeniable that the inefficiency of the previous Government contributed to the devastating attacks, said Minister Sudarshini Fernandopulle, who told the House that 115 persons in her electorate lost their lives during the attack on St. Sebastians Church in Katuwapitiya. Nothing can bring them back to their loved ones, but the loved ones deserve justice. That is why they are asking for the culprits to be punished.

SJB MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka expressed doubt that Zaharan was the real mastermind of the attacks, though he said he would have acted as a local level leader who had done much of the work to build up the terrorist group.

He laid much of the blame for the attacks at the feet of former President Maithripala Sirisena, who he said had adopted a lax attitude towards national security.

Though the Catholic community and the country at large expected the current Government to punish those responsible for the attacks, it did not do anything to fulfil the pledges it made to the people in this regard, Field Marshal Fonseka alleged.

While the new Government has captured several terrorists since it came to power, there are many others, including suicide bombers who are still at large, he claimed.

The Government has no intention to crucify the entire Muslim community over the attacks, State Minister Arundika Fernando told the House. He urged Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith to be patient with the Government. We will ensure that all those responsible will be brought before the law, the minister assured.

The SLPP used the fallout from the attacks to its advantage, insisted SJB MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara. The Government points fingers at us. It labels Rauff Hakeem and Rishad Bathiudeen as extremists. Yet, it takes MPs from both their parties to pass the 20th Amendment.

The MP further noted that 22 volumes of evidence in the CoI report have not been handed over to the Attorney General. Madduma Bandara too called for an independent international inquiry to probe the attacks.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksas appointment of a ministerial committee to study the CoI report had caused much controversy, observed Minister Udaya Gammanpila, a member of the six-member committee.

Many people have been misinformed about this committee. They are asking how ministers can review recommendations made by judges. There are two types of recommendations in the report. One set of recommendations is directed to the Attorney General. We wont touch those. But the majority of the recommendations have been given to the Government. Our task is to review those recommendations to see if they can be practically implemented and look at how to implement them.

Giving an example, he noted one recommendation of the CoI is to regulate religious publications. The Government needs to examine how this could be done, he pointed out. Our task is to look into such issues. We have no role in filing cases against anyone, he asserted.

The debate will continue when Parliament reconvenes on March 23.
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Ireland 's National Immunisation Advisory Committee recommended the temporary deferral of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday following new information received from the Norwegian Medicines Agency, the country's health ministry said.

Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, its health authorities said on Saturday.

AstraZeneca vaccinations make up almost 20% of the 570,000 shots administered in Ireland, mainly to healthcare workers after its use was not initially recommended for those over 70. The advisory committee said it acted as a precaution, pending the receipt of more information and would meet later on Sunday.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday he wishes former President Donald Trump would use his popularity among Republicans to persuade his followers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a round of interviews on the morning news shows, the governments top infectious disease expert lamented polling showing that Trump supporters are more likely to refuse to get vaccinated, saying politics needs to be separated from commonsense, no-brainer public health measures.

Fauci said it would be a game changer for the countrys vaccine efforts if the former president used his incredible influence among Republicans.

If he came out and said, Go and get vaccinated. Its really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country, it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him, Fauci told Fox News Sunday.

There was no immediate comment from the former presidents office Sunday.

Trump has urged people to get vaccinated, doing so again late last month at a conservative political gathering in Florida.

But he hasnt been among former presidents and other public officials who have been vaccinated on camera to encourage others to get the shot. It was revealed only recently that he was vaccinated in private at the White House before leaving office in January.

Trump did not appear in a new public service campaign for the COVID-19 vaccine that included former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Polls have shown Republicans joining Black people and other groups in expressing greater skepticism than others about the safety of the vaccine.

Fauci said he doesnt understand the resistance.

What is the problem here? This is a vaccine that is going to be lifesaving for millions of people, he said on NBCs Meet the Press. He added: I mean, I just cant comprehend what the reason for that is when you have a vaccine thats 94-95% effective and it is very safe. I just dont get it.

The number of vaccine doses distributed and administered each day in the U.S. is rising, with more than 2.5 million daily shots in arms on average in the last week.

About 1 in 5 Americans have received at least one dose, with about 1 in 9 fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The coronavirus is blamed for over 530,000 deaths in the United States. Deaths and newly confirmed infections per day have tumbled over the past two months. But cases are running at a still-troubling average of about 55,000 a day.

Fauci repeatedly warned against pulling back on public health measures too early, saying the virus could come surging back, endangering the goal of getting the country closer to normal by early July.

He pointed to Europe as a cautionary tale. Rising virus cases this winter followed rollbacks on restrictions on the continent.

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The health condition of West



Bengal Chief Minister has improved considerably and she is "quite stable", doctors who are monitoring her treatment said on Saturday.

The swelling on her left ankle, caused due to an injury she sustained during campaigning in Nandigram, has also subsided, they said.

"The CM is doing fine. She is following all instructions properly. The swelling on her left leg has subsided and she almost has no pain there," one of the doctors told PTI.

Banerjee suffered severe injuries on her left leg as well as on the right shoulder, forearm and neck, as she fell after being allegedly pushed by four to five miscreants in Nandigram on Wednesday evening.

The TMC supremo was rushed to SSKM hospital in Kolkata from Purba Medinipur district through a green corridor.

Doctors discharged Banerjee on Friday evening after she repeatedly requested them to allow her to go home following "improvement in her condition".

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As a graduate of Rutgers University, I was happy to read the article Rutgers to drop fossil fuel investments in battle against climate change.

Divestment from fossil fuel-related companies will help make Rutgers actions more in line with its stated goals of protecting the environment, reducing carbon emissions and supporting a healthy community.

As someone served by the New Jersey Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund, I hope that similar divestment actions will be taken there to not only help preserve the planet, but also to move out of clearly losing investments.

Teachers, school staff, and other state workers have no interest, financially or otherwise, in continuing to support Big Oil, coal mining, gas pipeline and other polluting, non-renewable fossil fuel companies from the last century.

Ellen Whitt, Highland Park

Bidens truth built on numerous fibs

I listened to President Joe Biden read his recent speech about the coronavirus pandemics one-year anniversary. He told us how much we can count on him always telling the truth about the fight against COVID-19.

Wow! I wanted to choke. One truth that Biden never mentioned was the herculean efforts of former President Donald Trump that helped bring the vaccines to market early and in large amounts.

Also there is a crisis at the Mexican border that has been created by Bidens reversal of Trumps related deals and policies, notwithstanding the actual immigration law. Biden is not telling the truth about that border crisis.

Thirdly, Biden is not being truthful when he mischaracterizes, intentionally, I feel, the new $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Critics have said that as little as 9% of the money provides direct COVID-19 assistance.

I resent Biden using the word truth so damn emphatically in his speech and telling us, over and over, how important it is that our government is truthful. What a joke.

David F. Lipton, Toms River

Why some will refuse all COVID-19 vaccines

The March 9 In Depth article from the Washington Post on the reluctance of Republicans to take the emergency-use coronavirus vaccines use leaves out a very important consideration.

Republicans and conservatives tend to be pro-life, and all of the vaccines currently available in the United States used cell lines derived from elective abortions in their testing (Pfizer, Moderna) and/or development and manufacturing process (Johnson & Johnson).

A Statement of Conscience penned by five prominent U.S. Catholics, including Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, makes plain that one cannot receive any vaccine derived from abortion in good conscience. Their position  that none of the vaccines was produced morally  and that of countless individuals who believe that life scientifically begins at conception is that We do not wish to benefit from abortion.

Karen Ann Kurlander, Morristown

Editors note: Bishop Stricklands position differs from that of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which authorizes the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but states that J&Js should be used only if it is the only vaccine available.

Quite the 50th anniversary present

On Saturday, March 6, we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. Coincidently, it was the same day we were to receive our second doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Our appointments were at Meadowlands Raceway at a clinic sponsored by Hackensack Meridian Health. We would like to offer our heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated men and women, including the National Guard, for the ease and comfort they are providing to the participants.

Our experience was covered by and later broadcast by multiple TV stations. We would like to thank the staff of Hackensack Meridian and in particular, Ben Goldstein and Emily DAlberto, for arranging this beautiful and memorable day.

Judy and Alan Greene, Clark

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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Former French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine has said that Western countries should reflect on their foreign policy and interventions in recent decades and reinvent peaceful coexistence with others.

Human rights are "a certain part" of foreign policy, but "no foreign policy can be based only on them (human rights); no Western foreign policy can completely get rid of them. So it will depend on the specific case," Vedrine told Le Figaro, a French daily, on March 4.

Vedrine said he believes the need of people to respect the fundamental rights will grow as society develops, while "I'm at the same time sceptical and dubious with Western interference to impose it (the need of people to respect the fundamental rights)."

"I have the gravest doubts as to those who think the West has 'the right to humanize' the world after evangelizing it," he said, adding "in any case, it does not work. Western interventions in recent decades should give pause for thought and encourage greater modesty."
This is an opinion column.

Last week in my If I Ran the Cancel Culture Zoo post, I teased: I met Dr. Seuss, he drew me a toon. Ill tell you all about it one day real soon. That day is here. This is my Dr. Seuss story.

Close your eyes and imagine you are five years old. Its almost Christmas and youve just been given the news: You won a trip to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus!

Now you know how I felt when I met Dr. Seuss.

Like most of us, I grew up with Dr. Seuss. He taught us that reading (and drawing cartoons) was fun. In second grade, Tim Dixon and I were in danger of gettin the paddle for an uncontrolled outburst of laughter during class. When our teacher, Mrs. Hughes, found we were sneak peeking through some Dr. Seuss books, all was forgiven.

Doodling Sr. Seuss: If I Ran the Cancel Culture Zoo

Mrs. Hughes was one of my favorite teachers. I zipped through every test so I had time to draw her a picture on the back before I turned it in. A pig, a horse, Batman. Homework? She got the full treatment. The Write a sentence with each of these 10 words assignment turned into a one page-long, rhyming Seussian sentence using all 10 words. When she flipped the paper over, there was a full-color pencil and crayon drawing of the 10-word monster, including a hand-scrawled bouquet: For you, Mrs. Hughes. Mrs. Hughes and I are still dating.

For better or worse, the good doctor was a huge influence on whatever it was I was and whatever it is I am.

Fast forward to 1986. I was working as a cartoonist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, my first job out of college. I had been there almost five years. I loved the newspaper and the people felt like family. I couldnt imagine working anywhere else.

But then a cartoonist job came open at the Tribune in San Diego, California. In those days, it seemed like almost every cartoonist applied for every job opening, whether they wanted it or not. The 80s was an ongoing game of cartoonist musical chairs. San Diego also happened to be the site of that years Association of American Editorial Cartoonists annual convention.

In May, with all the cartoonists in town at the same time, the San Diego convention turned into a cattle call job interview. Portfolio in hand, I climbed into a cab with 4 of my best buds-at-the-time to interview for the same job. We laughed about it all the way there, then lined up and took our turn. Caravans of cartoonists wore a path to the San Diego Union and Tribune office building that week.

At this point in my life, California had been a place that only existed on TV and in the movies. San Diego in real life was almost too perfect, an idyllic paradise playground. And the cartoonist convention, as always, was a hoot. Lots of memories were made at that convention. I made some nice connections, but I went back to my homey Texas job without giving the San Diego job much thought.

I was shocked a few months later when I got a call-back.

On a 100-degree September day in Texas I flew into a 64-degree September night in San Diego and checked into a hotel. I was just happy for the free trip and cool change of scenery. I already had a job that suited me just fine, I didnt need another one. I was a young, single, in-the-moment dork. My only game plan on this trip was to keep myself amused.

Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is You-er than You

My inner Dr. Seuss taught me to be the You-est You you can be. With that in mind I set my nerves free.

The next morning, I found myself dressed in my spiffiest dark suit  my only suit - and my cleanest Converse All-Stars, sitting in an editorial board room with three gentlemen  Tribune Executive Editor Neil Morgan, Deputy Editor Bob Witty, and Editorial Page Editor Joe Holley. We were having a pleasant, semi-serious conversation about my work and about this job. After a while, I slipped my hand into the pocket of my suit jacket and felt an unexpected prop - a pirates eyepatch. Not sure why it was there - probably from a previous Halloween or cartoonist convention - but it was there. I pulled it out and placed it over one eye. The interview continued without a wink or a blink. A few minutes later, I took it off and placed it over the other eye. Nary a stare nor a care. Nobody asked why. Nobody batted an eye.

I guess things were going okay, because later that day I found myself riding in a vintage sky blue Mercedes Benz 280 SE, driven by Neil Morgan, to meet the publisher, Helen Copley, at her private office in La Jolla. It was a picturesque drive, with the Pacific Ocean on one side and steep hills lined with pristine houses and funky trees on the other. Along the way, Morgan pointed towards the top of the highest high peak.

Ted Geisel, he said with some flair, lives right up there.

Dr. Seuss? Right up there? I filed it away. This was turning into a very good day.

Dr. Seuss personalized print

We were having an easy conversation, sharing a few laughs about this and that. But as we neared the publishers lair, Neil Morgan was on edge.

Dont be nervous about meeting Helen Copley, he said, with a twitch. She wont ask many questions. Just listen, nod politely and dont say too much.

All I heard was Dont say too much. From the mouth of a suddenly nervous man who was now talking too much. Thats when it clicked. Damn. This guy really wants to hire me. But hes afraid Ill ruin it by just being myself.

I liked Neil Morgan. He was a tall, lanky man in his sixties with an easy smile and charm. After years of living in California, the warmth of a North Carolina accent was still in his voice. I was a preachers boy from Kentucky. He was also a preachers son from the South. He was amused by my random irreverence, but he didnt think it would play well with his boss. I got the message.

I only knew a few things about Helen Copley: She had been the secretary to Jim Copley, the former publisher. Then she became his wife. After his death, she took ownership of Copley Press. And she made Neil Morgan nervous.

It was kinda fun watching him sweat as we approached her door.

Backlit by the afternoon sun poring through the windows of her finely furnished office, Helen Copley was a stark, faceless silhouette. As she led us to the other side of the room, her face, stern but pleasant, came into view. I guessed her to be about the same age as Neil Morgan. We were seated next to each other on a deep red leather couch. Copley sat across from us in a matching leather chair. One got the feeling the mahogany in this room had witnessed many meetings, both pleasant and otherwise, and was darkened by oily secrets.

After a few minutes of tea, cookies and light banter, mostly between publisher and editor, Copley turned to me and asked, Will we have any trouble with you?

I was supposed to say, No maam.

I should have said: YES! Im a cartoonist, dammit! If Im doing my job, youll have LOTS of trouble with me!

What I did say, ever-so politely, was If you ever have trouble with me, Ms. Copley, please feel free to come down to the office and give me a spanking.

Neil Morgans soul left his body and rose to the ceiling.

After the longest moment in the history of long moments, Helen Copley smiled and took a sip of tea. If I ever have trouble with you, young man, she said, glaring at the lifeless body sitting next to me, Ill deliver the punishment to Mr. Morgan.

After a round of obligatory nervous laughter, Morgans soul returned, we exchanged nods and the meeting was over.

I think maybe I had accidentally just been hired.

The San Diego Union and the Tribune were highly competitive newspapers under the same roof, with distinctive reputations. The Union was the staunchly conservative morning paper, guided by Helen Copleys heavy hand. The Tribune, the afternoon paper, was considered the step-child of the two. Under Morgans stewardship, it was known for a feisty reporting style and moderate voice. Steve Kelley was the Union cartoonist. The Tribune had been without a cartoonist for several years.

On the drive back, Morgan was giddy about his plans for me.

This had been a perfectly surreal sunny day full of serious surprises and deliciously awkward moments. But now the surreal had become a little too real a lot too fast. The discussion of salary and a start date was kind of a blur. It all sounded great, exciting  and scary. This morning I was playing with an eyepatch during an interview and now I have a job offer? How the hell did this happen? I felt like I was cheating on my Star-Telegram family. I wasnt quite ready to commit.

I need to go back to Fort Worth and give this some thought, I said.

Morgan took a moment to size up the situation. What can we do to make your decision easier?

I will accept this job on ONE condition, I said, taking my own moment. I want to meet Dr. Seuss.

Neil Morgan smiled his broadest Neil Morgan smile. I will make that happen.

My start day at the Tribune in San Diego was January 1, 1987.

A couple of weeks into a new year, I found myself riding with Neil Morgan in the Mercedes up the winding road to the top of Mount Soledad. The sun was bigger, the air lighter, the sky bluer, the road twisty-er as we corkscrewed up to the tippy top of the world.

Trees jumped from the pages of The Lorax and waved us into the driveway. 27-year-old me turned into a 5-year-old who was about to meet Santa Claus.

The view was breathtaking on this palatial perch high above the ocean. Brick paths wandered through manicured lawns, multi-colored flower beds and well-coiffed playful trees. Did Dr. Seuss draw inspiration from this place or was this place imagined into existence from Dr. Seuss drawings?

Theodor Geisel and his wife, Audrey, met us at the door and welcomed us into their mid-century modern home. Mid-century modern? Excuse me. This home was mid-century magic.

Neil, Ted and Audrey were carrying on like comfortable old friends as I stood in awe, gawking at the treasures that surrounded me.

The house was neat as a pin but loaded with weapons of mess destruction. Thousands of paintbrushes, pencils, pens and pastels lurked in hundreds of glass jars on tables and easels and easels and tables, just waiting to pop out and get busy. Audrey, sweet as pie, sensed my temptation to play and was keeping a watchful eye.

The walls were dripping with doodles, rough sketches, original paintings and too many characters to count. A Cat in the Hat here, a Grinch over there. A star-bellied Sneetch I see. Thing One and Thing Two. Is that a Thing Three?

This magical place on Mount Soledad was indeed Santa Seusss workshop. The best treasure of all was the feisty man himself. He had the look of a curmudgeon, but there was an elfin spring in his step that belied his age and exposed a jolly soul.

Dr. Seuss portrait

What I remember most about Ted Geisel were his eyes.

At 83, his bright blue eyes sparkled with little boy mischief. These laser sharp eyes left a mark on all they touched. They were locked in, piercing every moment and darting about, on high alert for the next inspiration.

Neil, Ted and I loaded into the Mercedes and drove into town. We were going to lunch at a high-falootin fine dining place in downtown La Jolla. It was a hot spot for celebrities and high society movers and shakers at the time. Neil parked out front and left Ted and I in the car while he went in to check on the reservation.

Ted looked at me with those twinkling eyes and said, Nows our chance! Lets get out of here! He was probably only half kidding. Mr. Geisel had little interest in hob-knobbing or making public appearances.

Once inside the restaurant, Ted sat on one end of the table and I quickly took the seat to his left. I think there were several other folks who joined us that day, but for the life of me I cant remember who they were. Raquel Welch, a La Jolla native, could have been sitting next to me and I wouldnt have noticed. I was chatting with Dr. Seuss.

We talked mostly about drawing cartoons. I think we both had the urge to take out our ink pens and go to town on the fancy linen tablecloth. It was a shame all that empty white space was going to waste. (We also had a few private snickers at the expense of other people in the room, whoever they were.)

As a young, dorky wet-behind-the ears editorial cartoonist, I was still experimenting with styles and trying to find my voice (same as today.) Back then, I added a little smart-ass rat to every drawing. It was usually in the corner offering a snarky comment about the subject du jour. Ted saw my stuff in the paper and was kind enough to offer a few tips.

I like the rat. You really have something there. But you gotta make it bigger!

I cant tell you who else was there that day, or what I ate, but that was one lunch Ill never forget.

Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham signature

Back on top of Mount Soledad, Ted took me into his studio and its jaw-dropping ocean view. He graciously signed some Green Eggs and Ham books for me and my young nephews in Kentucky. Then I watched as he personalized a Cat in the Hat print by drawing a speech bubble that read: I can lick any mouse in the house! But I wouldnt lay my paws on a J.D. Crowe rat!

I ran into him a couple more times before he died in 1991. And he occasionally sent notes to me via Neil Morgan. I still see his feisty blue eyes widen as he makes his point: Draw that rat bigger!

I should have listened.

The complicated relevance of Dr. Seusss political cartoons

For two years (1941- 42) Ted 'Dr. Seuss' Geisel drew over 400 editorial cartoons about WW II for the liberal New York newspaper, PM.

Check out more cartoons and stuff by JD Crowe

Doodling Dr. Seuss: If I Ran the Cancel Culture Zoo

No-excuse absentee voting is a no-go for no-excuse absentee Alabama leadership

Alabama basketball: SEC champs are Jonesing for respect

Will medical marijuana cure ignorance and apathy?

2020 Alabama Crimson Tide: lotta love for Nick Sabans greatest team

Nick Saban wins 7th championship; The Bear abides

Alabamas DeVonta Smith wins Heisman with one-handed grab

Will medical marijuana cure Alabamas ignorance and apathy?

Gov. Cuomos undercover work? Nursing home COVID deaths

2020 tributes: Gallery of heartbreak and heroes

JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com and 2020 RFK Human Rights Award winner for Editorial Cartoons. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix.
Johann Chuckaree is the epitome of the modern Indo-Trinidadian.

The 31-year-old is a proud descendant of East Indian indentured labourers. Prays to Jesus Christ. And plays the pan.

The Woodbrook-born musician exuded equal passion for all three during a virtual sitting with the Kitcharee on Thursday night.


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Ireland's immunisation agency has recommended the suspension of the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine following reports of a possible link with the vaccine to blood clotting.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ronan Glynn made the announcement in a statement issued by the Department of Health.

"Following new information received from the Norwegian Medicines Agency on Saturday evening 13th March and following discussions with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recommended that the administration of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca be temporarily deferred from this morning, Sunday 14th March.

"This recommendation has been made following a report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four new reports of serious blood clotting events in adults after vaccination with Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. It has not been concluded that there is any link between the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases.

"However, acting on the precautionary principle, and pending receipt of further information, the NIAC has recommended the temporary deferral of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca vaccination programme in Ireland," said the statement.

Dr Glynn said the NIAC is due to meet again on Sunday morning, March 14 after which further statement will follow.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use in Ireland after it was cleared for use by the European Commission after getting the safety green light from the European Medicines Agency.

Ireland decided not to administer the two-shot vaccine to over 70s.

There have been many supply problems in obtaining doses of the jab.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) provides evidence-based advice to the Chief Medical Officer to inform policies on vaccines and immunisation in Ireland.
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
Consumers experience new 5G handsets at a Huawei specialty store in Shanghai on Nov 28, 2020. Still struggling with the shortage of key 5G components, Huawei is striving to increase sales of its products other than smartphones. [Photo by CHEN YUYU/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Friday urged the United States to immediately stop wantonly suppressing Chinese companies and to treat them in a fair, unbiased and nondiscriminatory way.

Zhao made the remark in response to media reports that the US government this week amended licenses for Huawei's suppliers, further restricting them from selling items to the Chinese firm that can be used for 5G devices.

The changes could disrupt existing contracts with Huawei that were agreed upon under previous licenses that have now been changed, Reuters cited sources as saying.

"Facts have proved that the US is not a country to be trusted," Zhao said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

He said the US extended the concept of national security and abused national power to crack down on Chinese high-tech companies, which is a severe violation of the principles of market economics and fair competition.

The spokesman said that the US moves have damaged not only the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, but also the interests of enterprises in the US and other countries.

"It will severely disrupt the technological and trade exchanges between the two countries and the world at large, and will also undermine the global industrial and supply chains," Zhao said.

"China has made its position clear on multiple occasions," he said, urging the US do things that are conducive to China-US technological and economic cooperation.

Huawei was placed on a trade blacklist by the US Department of Commerce in 2019 over national security concerns after it was accused of being capable of spying on customers, as well as intellectual property theft and sanctions violations.

Huawei has denied any wrongdoing.

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The father of a man whose body was found in Michael Barrymores swimming pool nearly 20 years ago has said he has hopes that a witness with information might soon crack.

Terry Lubbock, whose 31-year-old son Stuart died following a party at Mr Barrymores then-home in Roydon, Essex, on March 31 2001, said some people who were at the party must be living under terrible pressure.

He said he hopes that the pressure might soon tell and persuade someone with information to come forward.

Its almost exactly 20 years since Stuart died, but to me it seems like last week, Mr Lubbock, 76, of Harlow, Essex, told the PA news agency.

I wouldnt be surprised if someone cracks soon under all this pressure and decides to get it off their chest once and for all Terry Lubbock

It must be exactly the same for all those people who were at the party on that night Stuart died.

One of them at least must know something which theyve never told, probably more than one.

This never goes away because Barrymore is so famous, I wont let it go away and media wont let go away, and it must be hell living with that every day and every night.

The pressure they must live under must be terrible.

The 20th anniversary is approaching, I imagine theres going to be a lot more publicity in the next couple of weeks, the pressures going to mount.

I wouldnt be surprised if someone cracks soon under all this pressure and decides to get it off their chest once and for all.

Mr Lubbock wants a coroner to oversee a new inquest.

He said he thinks information has now emerged which would justify a second inquest.

Expand Close Terry Lubbock, father of Stuart Lubbock (Harry Clichy/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Terry Lubbock, father of Stuart Lubbock (Harry Clichy/PA)

A coroner recorded an open verdict after an inquest in 2002 and, in January 2018, the then-attorney general, Jeremy Wright, refused to give Mr Lubbock the go-ahead to make an application to the High Court for a second inquest.

But Mr Lubbock said a fresh Essex Police appeal, which coincided with the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary Barrymore: The Body In The Pool, in February 2020, has changed the landscape.

A senior detective told reporters in early 2020 that he believed Stuart Lubbock had been raped and murdered and that one or more of the party-goers was responsible for that serious sexual assault.

He said lawyers, including barrister Alan Payne QC, are gathering evidence to support a bid for a new inquest. A friend of Mr Lubbock said supporters had provided money to fund lawyers.

We have some big guns working on this, added Mr Lubbock. Im hopeful that there will be a second inquest.

He added: Id like to see Barrymore and the people at the party questioned at a new inquest, and see what they say when all this new information is put to them.

Mr Lubbock said earlier this year that he had terminal cancer and doctors had told him that he might only have months to live.

No-one has been charged with any offence in relation to Stuart Lubbocks death.

Mr Barrymore, now 68, was arrested in 2007 but never charged with any offence.

In March 2020, Mr Barrymore spoke to ITVs Good Morning Britain programme and described the Channel 4 documentary as vile and vicious.

Mr Barrymore said nobody who was at his house on the night of Stuart Lubbocks death knew what happened.

Asked if he had anything fresh to offer the police, he replied: I honestly wish I did.

He said he had been through 20 years of hell.

Essex Police have said their investigation is continuing.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, say goodbye to law and order Joe.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kate Garraway has revealed she was told her ailing husband Derek Draper 'may have died' in a shocking hospital blunder as she called to check in on his progress.

The Good Morning Britain presenter's husband, 53, remains in ICU almost a year after he was admitted to hospital with novel coronavirus.

TV personality Kate, 53, has told The Times that she was not only told that Derek 'may' have died, but also had to wait 24 hours for confirmation he was still alive.

Shocking blunder: Kate Garraway has revealed she was told her ailing husband Derek Draper 'may have died' in a shocking hospital blunder as she called to check in on his progress

Recalling the blunder, which happened last year, she said: 'I was just sitting on the phone, waiting to know if hed died or not.'

She was told over the phone: 'He may have died. Somebody will call you back.'

Of waiting more than a day to learn Derek was still fighting, she recalled: 'Then it turned out that somebody had died who had a similar name to his.'

Kate has has said she's not sure if her husband will have 'any kind of life again', as he continues to fight the myriad of complications stemming from his COVID battle.

Heartache: The Good Morning Britain presenter's husband Derek Draper, 53, remains in ICU almost a year after he was admitted to hospital with novel coronavirus. Pictured in 2019

She said her husband's current state is something from a 'horror story,' as she tries to come to terms with the possibility that his health battle could leave him suspended between life and death.

The star said to The Times: 'The very worst moment was when they said he could be locked in forever. And I just thought, this is a horror story. I don't know if he'll ever have any kind of life again. We just don't know.'

Derek was admitted to hospital in March after contracting the respiratory illness and was subsequently placed in a medically induced coma before he awoke in July.

The virus has wreaked havoc throughout his entire body, resulting in kidney failure, and liver and pancreatic damage.

On more than one occasion his heart stopped beating, he battled bacterial pneumonia and fought multiple infections which punctured holes in his lungs. He is considered to be the longest surviving COVID-19 patient in the country.

Devastating: Kate has also confessed that she's not sure if her husband Derek will have 'any kind of life again', as he remains in hospital nearly a year after he was admitted with COVID-19

Kate  who shares children Darcey, 15, and William, 11, with her husband of fifteen years  admitted it is 'shocking' to see his current state, including his dramatic eight stone weight loss.

She revealed that on multiple occasions the hospital told her: 'Prepare yourself, he's going to die.'

But the worst was yet to come as Kate had to learn to accept the possibility that Derek could be frozen indefinitely between life and death.

'They said, 'It's highly unlikely he will make a good recovery,' Kate recalled the comment from doctors while they confirmed they couldn't rule out a 'reasonable recovery.'

When she asked what that would look like, the mother-of-two was told that being able to lift a hairbrush would be an example of a 'reasonable recovery'.

Trying to make sense of Derek's current condition, Kate said it appears he is in an 'ocean of unconsciousness,' and only manages to rise to the top for air on rare occasions.

However she did note some tentative progress with her husband during the Christmas period. As she pretended to forget her accountant's name, Derek was able to fill in the blank and vocalise the name.

He also heartbreakingly mouthed the word 'pain' in October.

By the end of last year, he had had reportedly made some small steps towards recovery. He was able to breath naturally throughout the day and was able to swallow his own saliva - despite still being fed by a tube through his stomach.

Derek no longer required kidney dialysis and had managed to increase his movement on one side, allowing him to move his glasses on his nose.

Sad: Kate  who shares Darcey, 15, and William, 11, (pictured in 2019) with her husband of 15 years  admitted it is 'shocking' to see his current state, including his eight stone weight loss

He was even able to recognise some faces and add snippets to conversation before sinking back into the deep waters of his unconscious mind.

She is still not allowed to visit her husband due to coronavirus restrictions.

Kate said she tried to keep his hopes up by promising things would improve, but tragically his only response was: 'How?'

When Boris Johnson enforced a new lockdown in December, Kate wasn't able to see Derek at all, as she revealed his health worsened 'dramatically,' counteracting the progress they had made.

'I have tried to sort of wake up from that and think about the future,' Kate added. 'But nobody can tell you what the future is.'

Kate is set to host an ITV documentary about her husband's battle with COVID-19.

Finding Derek will air on 23rd March, and will show Kate giving an 'unflinching account' on the past 12 months.

In the special one-off film, Kate will offer an 'intimate insight' into coping with the impact of Covid-19 on her family, as well as meeting survivors of the disease.

ITV said in a statement: 'Kate offers an unflinching account of the profound effects on her family and on others as she opens up on camera for the first time on the reality of the past 12 months.

'As Kate lays bare in the film, her family, along with many others who have suffered the effects of the virus, is now facing the reality of adjusting to a very different way of life to the one they lived before the pandemic hit.'

While Derek no longer has coronavirus, the disease has left him suffering from multiple health conditions including diabetes and holes in his heart and lungs.

Finding Derek: Kate is set to host an ITV special about her husband Derek's battle with coronavirus, and the programme is set to air on 23rd March

During one of her darkest moments Kate was told her husband may 'never come out of a coma' amid his ongoing battle.

Derek has regained minimal consciousness from his medically induced coma and while he has not been speaking, he heartbreakingly mouthed the word 'pain' in October last year.

Last week, the Smooth presenter shared her heartache about not being able to visit her husband due to coronavirus restrictions.

She said to her co-host Ben Shephard: 'Well, I haven't been able to see him, Ben. I haven't seen him since Christmas, which of course means he's back into a situation where he's looking at strangers in masks...

'And I think that's the situation for everybody, they've got somebody in the hospital at the moment, it's not unique. It's tough...

Worry: During one of her darkest moments Kate was told her husband may 'never come out of a coma' amid his ongoing battle

'It's also the same for people in care homes. And when you're someone like him who is dealing with a consciousness problem and trying to emerge, I can't help but fear it's not helpful.'

In September, Derek, passed the grim milestone of becoming the longest patient battling coronavirus in hospital in the UK, with doctors telling Kate that Derek's infection was the 'highest they had seen in a patient who had lived'.

Reflecting on her last hospital visit with their children in December, Kate admitted the family reunion was 'heightened with emotion' because they saw how Derek had been ravaged by the virus.

'It was very heightened with emotion, because he's very changed,' she told viewers.

'So all the routines that we'd normally do, it was one of those moments that it was so wonderful but also it amplified how sad everything was.

'And how different it is. But it was still fantastic, and we're very grateful to have had that opportunity.'
Daniel Andrews won't return to work for weeks after being discharged from hospital to begin a 'significant' stint of at-home rehab.

The Victorian Premier has been in hospital since last Tuesday when he fractured a vertebrae after slipping on wet stairs at a Mornington Peninsula holiday rental.

The Alfred Hospital said in a statement that Mr Andrews is making good progress, but again warns that he faces a lengthy time in rehabilitation.

'The Alfred's director of trauma services Professor Mark Fitzgerald said the team of specialists caring for Mr Andrews was pleased with his progress, though reinforced the importance of time in healing from such serious injuries,' the statement read.

'Mr Andrews has responded well without surgery so far, and the work to improve his strength and mobility must now begin,' The Alfred's director of trauma services Professor Mark Fitzgerald said.

The Victorian Premier has been in hospital since last Tuesday when he fractured a vertebrae after slipping on wet stairs at a Mornington Peninsula holiday rental

Mr Andrews, 48, released a statement on Monday morning saying he is now recovering at home. Pictured with his wife Catherine in 2018

'As the rehabilitation journey gets underway, we will watch closely for any signs of worsening spinal stability or alignment, as well as the development of other complications.'

The father-of-two will now begin his rehabilitation process at his Melbourne home through Alfred Health's Better@Home service.

Although Mr Andrews didn't require surgery while in hospital, Professor Fitzgerald didn't rule it out down the track.

'Any deterioration may lead to a need for surgery down the track; however, we are gradually progressing in the right direction at this time,' he said.

Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino said Mr Andrews would eventually return to lead the state but expects to be in the role for 'some time'.

Mr Merlino, who has been deputy premier since 2014, sought to reassure Victorians he would be able to fill Mr Andrews' shoes for a longer period if required.

'We made a commitment back in 2014 when we first came into government to not waste a day,' he said.

'Government will continue. I'll be the acting premier, leading cabinet.'

Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said she was surprised Mr Andrews was out of hospital so soon.

'We can take that a really positive sign. That's good news for him,' she said.

The father-of-two will now begin his rehabilitation process at his Melbourne home through Alfred Health's Better@Home service

Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino said Mr Andrews would eventually return to lead the state but expects to be in the role for 'some time'

'It has been really heartening to see the news come through this morning about Daniel's recovery. He obviously has a journey ahead, but he's recovering strongly.

'We'll hold the fort in parliament this week while he continue the important focus on his recovery.'

Mr Andrews will be required to wear a back brace and receive physiotherapy treatment.

Last week Mr Andrews said his doctors informed him that recovery and rehab is 'going to be a very long journey'.

Mr Andrews was initially treated at Peninsula Private Hospital but transferred to Alfred Trauma Centre in Melbourne after specialists assessed an MRI scan.

The 48-year-old was then transferred out of intensive care on Saturday.

'Good to get out of ICU and settled in new digs. Thanks for all your messages and well wishes. It really means a lot,' he captioned the picture,' Mr Andrews posted from hospital while wearing a neck brace.
(Newser)  A woman and her children stranded for two nights in the northwestern Colorado wilderness were found Thursday by aircraft after the 1-year-old daughter died, authorities said. The three were found about a mile away from their vehicle as the mother was walking among sagebrush and not close to any road, Moffat County sheriffs office Lt. Chip McIntyre said. The sheriff's office said Kaylee Messerly, 36, and her daughter, 3, were taken to the hospital with exposure-related injuries, KCNC-TV reported. The 1-year-old daughter had died before the family was found, the AP reports.

story continues below

The cause of the girl's death was not immediately known. McIntyre said an oil field employee, who was not identified, discovered the woman's vehicle about 6 miles north of Craig stuck in mud and snow. The worker called authorities Thursday around 8am. McIntyre said a search was launched immediately with the Moffat County sheriffs office and search and rescue. A company provided the aircraft that found the family. Deputies are investigating.

(Read more missing persons stories.)
Quarantine Hotel Worker in NSW Tests Positive for COVID-19

A person who works in two NSW COVID-19 quarantine hotels with overseas travellers and has already had their first-dose of the Pfizer vaccine, has come down with the virus.

The positive result was recorded after 8 p.m. on Saturday, meaning the states virus-free run will end at 56 days.

NSW Health said in a statement the source of the Sydney workers infection remains unclear and testing of their close contacts is underway.

There were no locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. on Saturday and three cases in travellers in hotel quarantine.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard will address the media later on Sunday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday told reporters the hotel quarantine worker had received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

There are no risk-free responses when you deal with COVID-19, it is unrealistic and naive to think so  there are always vulnerabilities, Morrison said.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said there was a time lag between receiving the vaccine and its protection kicking in, particularly with the Pfizer jab.

This is not a silver bullet that will fix everything right away, Kelly said. There will still be outbreaks, even as we go through this vaccination program.

NSW Health also said anyone who had arrived in NSW from Queensland since March 11 should follow the Queensland governments health advice and avoid NSW aged care homes and hospitals until further notice.

It comes after a doctor last week contracted COVID-19 from a patient at Brisbanes Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Those who have entered NSW and attended the Brisbane venues on the health alert list should immediately self-isolate and contact NSW Health.

The emergence of these new cases underscores the need for continued community vigilance for any signs and symptoms that could be COVID-19, NSW Health said.

It is critical that everyone continues to practise COVID-safe behaviours and that people come forward for testing if they have even the mildest of symptoms.

By Angelo Risso
Not at all. It just seems like a lot of back-and-forth talk.

Yes. I'm growing very worried over what might happen.

If it keeps up, I might be a little more concerned.

I think there are much larger things to concern us as a country.

It's hard to tell; I can't take the leader of either country seriously.

Vote

View Results
We have all been circling around the genesis of our society's ills since the COVID epidemic struck and the riots and peaceful protests began. It is not ironic that everything happened seemingly at once; rather, once the wound appeared, it became inflamed and infected almost immediately.

On the most fundamental level, we are suffering from a complete disrespect for boundaries. The idea of boundaries is fairly simple, yet its roots grow deep, indeed to the core of humanity. One of my favorite books describes the entire book of Genesis from the Bible as an ironic story about boundaries (The Book of J, Harold Bloom & David Rosenberg).

Genesis describes the boundaries of the land of Canaan, but it also explains the boundaries between neighbors, between enemies, between men and women, between tribes, and most importantly between God and man, Heaven and Earth. The boundary between God and man exists even for the atheist because his faith is rooted not in a divine being, but in something else. Whatever it is that he believes in matters not. Science, anti-science, political ideology  something gives him sustenance, and between him and that ideal, there lies a boundary. It may only be his own misery he has faith in. That is enough to create a boundary.

A crude explanation for the need of religion is that dogma explains boundaries to us in no uncertain terms. You can believe wholeheartedly in the right for women to have control over their own bodies, but you cannot say that by killing an innocent living human being, you have not crossed a boundary. So the argument is not whether the boundary exists or not, but do you respect it? I can think of no prose where a more fitting word has been chosen than in "forgive those who trespass against us." Trespass. The fact that this word was chosen informs you that its author was keenly aware of boundaries.

How we deal with boundaries is called "morality." You do not need to be religious in order to adopt a code of behavior and respect for a moral view of the world. You only need to see why morality is needed. As Jordan Peterson observes, even within packs and herds of animals, there is an instinctive morality that is observed lest the pack turn on the outlaw. Mankind boasts a most sophisticated moral view whose subtitles and gray areas have been adjudicated, been debated, and even led to war.

Our founding fathers understood the reality and the need for boundaries. They were tasked to create political limits among the branches of government and also to define the boundary between government and society. They could not make their population moral. But they could and did apply a moral code to their definitions. Those things that protect the individual from the State were called "The Bill of Rights." These rights derive from a commonsense notion that man is not the creator, but the created. Whether you believe solely in evolution or solely in creation or something between the two, humankind did not create humankind. That's common sense. There is a boundary between us and the nature of our creation. We did not create ourselves.

Therefore, the logic goes, there are certain things within the human being that make him sovereign, and those elements are endowed through creation in us. They are not subject to state authority. They "belong" to the individual.

Most notably, the human mind is the sole property of the individual, given him by creation. We did not create our minds or our bodies. Neither did the government. This fact should be part of "gender studies" as well as "race relations." Dialectic reason says that what comes from an individual's mind  i.e., what he thinks  is therefore also a gift of creation. It cannot be taken or abused or stifled by the government. We call this "freedom of speech" because what we say reflects what we think.

Freedom of speech becomes freedom of the press. When we shout down or cancel someone's speech, we are seriously crossing a boundary. In the old days  say, two years ago  there was always someone to stand up for this right. "Let him say his piece," we might say to a dissenter. "Then you can have yours." Sadly, that is not the case today. Mob mentality is taking over.

Why do the feds usurp authority from the states, and why do the states demand of the feds, and why do people trespass on someone's right to speak? Why does the Executive Branch make law when the Congress is constitutionally assigned that responsibility? Why are so many boundaries being invaded, and why is trespassing no longer a crime?

The answer is obvious. We no longer respect boundaries. We have become that tribal human animal before religion awoke us to the necessity of morality. The whole concept of existentialism rides on the concept of organized and lawful conduct. Some say "social contract." Pick your terminology; say it how you like. The ends are the same. This society is fracturing at an alarming rate. Nothing can turn the tide until boundaries are once again recognized and respected. There is no moral code without them.

There are other more powerful forces at work also. We call them Google and Facebook and Amazon, a dozen companies seeking to strike down freedom of speech on the altar of their self-righteous narcissism. They are zealots, worshiping the ideological god of Critical Theory and insisting you repeat their rhetoric lest you, the infidel, be canceled. They wish to control your thoughts.

This radical religion is devoid of wisdom from its founding presupposition. Critical Theory should deconstruct (their favorite word) its own thinking! Just as the ego of a narcissist knows no bounds (by definition), Critical Theory does not acknowledge the universal fact that boundaries exist. Move over, Google  you're crowding me! Why they wish to control your thoughts and opinions is anyone's guess. (Power, maybe?) How they are doing it is by algorithms, keywords, and the beginnings of artificial intelligence. What they are doing is crushing our right to hold thoughts that do not confirm to their dogma.

Anti-trust laws were put in place for this reason. Monopolies by their nature invade the boundaries of other businesses trying to survive. They can manipulate markets and apply irresistible pressure on groups and individuals. It's always the zealots who will not permit debate or dissension.

If we are to open our national borders and forgo immigration laws, we will no longer be a country. If we no longer protect the citizenry from criminals by arresting them and prosecuting them, there will be no justice, no peace whatsoever. If we allow Big Tech to censor the digital world, there will be no intelligent debate or truth-seeking. Without truth-seeking, we have no education, no possible way forward. At that point, can we really call ourselves "civilized human beings"?

Image via Pxhere.
After the CEC meeting held at the party headquarters here, BJP General Secretary and West Bengal in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the names of the candidates have been finalised for third and fourth phases.

"The names will be announced soon," he said.

BJP national Vice President and senior leader from the state, Mukul Roy, said that the name of actor Mithun Chakraborty was discussed in the meeting.

Vijayvargiya said that Chakraborty has expressed his desire not to contest the polls.

"The party will field Mithun Da if he is ready to contest the polls," Vijayvargiya said.

Elections will be held in 31 seats in the third phase of West Bengal Assembly polls, while 44 seats will go to the polls in the fourth phase. Earlier, the BJP had announced candidates for 60 Assembly seats where polling will be held in the first two phases.

Polling for the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in eight phases between March 27 to April 29. The results will be declared on May 2.

The CEC meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national President J.P. Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other members of the panel.

The BJP CEC also finalised the names of party candidates for the Assembly elections in Kerala, scheduled to be held on April 6.
Reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic and the rational path to modernisation By Sarath Amunugama View(s): View(s):

Despite the carping criticism, particularly from the social media, Sri Lanka is one of the few countries which have survived the Corona epidemic relatively unscathed. According to the latest figures available while writing this article, 85,695 persons have tested positive for the virus in Sri Lanka and more than 80,000 have finished their quarantine period. Some 502 deaths have been recorded.

While the numbers given daily of those infected are relatively unimportant since they are only a reflection of the numbers tested which are comparatively a small sample of the total population or universe  to use statistical phraseology. The more people are tested the more likely that the numbers would increase till the effects of isolation and vaccinations kick in. The number of deaths is relatively small when compared to the death toll in developed countries. Research has shown that Asians living in tropical zones are less likely to succumb to the virus. On the other hand with the onset of winter there was a steady increase of reported cases in countries with a cold climate.

The initial roll out of the vaccine has been quite successful with nearly seven hundred and thirty thousand people, especially in the At Risk categories receiving the injection. Unlike in many other countries, the numbers resisting getting the vaccine injection in Sri Lanka seem to be small  and this is a good sign. In many other countries in our region that is a major problem.

If we can rapidly vaccinate a large segment of the population the pace of testing need not be a priority. It would be more reasonable to deploy our limited medical services to administer the vaccine. The rumour that there will be insufficient vaccines to go round seems to be disproved by the regular shipments that are arriving.

Public health service

Sri Lanka is fortunate to have a good public medical service as the World Health Organisation has noted on several occasions. Since the introduction of the adult universal franchise, our political leaders of different persuasions have agreed on the need for an efficient public health service. The trauma of the Malaria epidemic of the 1930s led to the State Council supporting an extensive rural health programme which is associated with the name of George E De Silva, the State Council member for Kandy and Health Minister. He was supported by Dr S.A. Wickremasinghe then of the LSSP and later of the Communist Party. He became the Father of the Rural Health Scheme which transformed the health standards of the disadvantaged village people. It also laid the foundations of the Demographic surge of the forties and fifties, the results of which are seen in the overwhelming population configurations and economic planning dilemmas of our present times.

Under this initiative, rural hospitals were built all over the country. Midwives were appointed countrywide and pre-natal and post-natal care was undertaken by the state. As a consequence, there was a sharp drop in infant and maternal mortality and a rise in life expectancy. A world renowned economist summarised this situation when he said Sri Lanka is a third world country with a first world health service.

Social scientists are aware of a debate that took place many years ago in the Demography journal regarding the reasons for the population surge in Sri Lanka. Some argued that this was due to the discovery of DDT and the elimination of Malaria, particularly in the Dry Zone with the introduction of colonisation schemes. Others led by Ananda Meegama replied convincingly that this development was not mono-causal but depended on several innovations and policy packages associated with the rural health schemes which were put in place by the State Council and continued by Parliament after Independence.

This debate drew scholars attention to the welfare measures undertaken in our country. The Nobel prize winning Economist Amartya Sen wrote that Sri Lanka and Kerala had adopted a style of growth which could provide a model for the Third World. I must say, however, that whenever I met Dr Amartya Sen at meetings and discussed our situation, he would say that his sanguine prognostications about Sri Lanka had been derailed by the failure to address the ethnic issue. His bets on Sri Lanka were off because we could not solve our ethnic problem. I have always felt that George E de Silva had a raw deal in our history writing. If C.W.W. Kannangara has been lauded as the father of free education, De Silva should receive a similar accolade as the father of free health.

As shown above we have a health service we can be proud of. Even from the aspect of inoculations, our health services have administered the polio vaccine and the triple vaccine countrywide and have been lauded by the WHO. Today no Sri Lankan child dies of these infections. The best example of our able medical service is Dr Sudarshini Fernandopulle, State Minister of COVID prevention. She was my State Minister when I was Minister of Science and Technology. As a specialist physician, she boldly and courageously held her ground when other Ministerial bigwigs were throwing holy water into rivers and swallowing magical portions in front of television cameras. Never in the history of the Government Health sector has there been an exhibition of such stupid behavior by political authorities. Another Minister is reported to have generously provided government funds for a nutmeg crushing machine to make more of the anti-covid brew. A few intelligent journalists blew this snake oil salesmans credentials sky high when they reported that the gullible swallowers, including famously the lady Minister of Health, had contracted Corona and were hospitalised under intensive care. In a noteworthy coincidence two of the peni drinkers were struck by the virus within a few days.

The Speaker who hosted the swallowing session in Parliament in the glare of publicity was shown a few days later meekly getting the anti-corona jab. But what took the cake was his statement published in the newspapers that he agreed to be vaccinated because he wanted to set an example. As a former MP who was continuously in the House for twenty six years, I was dismayed to find the Speakers Office used to promote dubious products merely because an MP wished to accommodate one of his constituents. Of late, Speakers have tended to act as political leaders in waiting who have no hesitation in using their high office for personal benefit. That is another recent development contributing to public disenchantment with Parliament. [As a social scientist, I was intrigued by the discovery via a Baas Unnehe that the snake oil salesman, that Kali -- a fond abbreviation for Badrakali the demoness -- was a Tamil language speaker. When this Peniya salesman lost his cool with the throng of supplicants surrounding him at home, he, on behalf of Kali, shouted Poda Poda Poda at a woman who also responded in gibberish. A Tamil friend told me that poda is ungrammatical Tamil when addressing a female.]

While there may have been a few mishaps which have been reported in the media, the vaccination programme has been carried out smoothly, thanks to the public officials and the army. Many of my friends, admittedly over sixty, were anxious that they would not be able to access the vaccine but in a couple of days were able to get it without much difficulty. Whatever may have been the instructions in most centres there was a queue for over sixties and the Grama Sevakas could recognise the people from their divisions.

All in all the initial Roll Out seems to be successful without the usual absentees that have been reported in other countries. Presumably, it will be extended to other parts of the country so that the herd immunity would make it possible for us to open the economy and the social life of the country.

Medical Scientists have said that to reach such immunity, about seventy percent of the population has to be vaccinated. I read with interest that Basil Rajapaksa had said that we should aim at such an immunisation. As a small country we should find this possible and would help in positioning us as a lead country for investment and tourism. In this Israel provides us with a good model. Being a small country with good links to their compatriots in the scientific and business fields in the West, Israel has set a blistering pace in vaccinating its population. Sadly its racial policies have left out the Palestinians from the vaccination programme. This discrimination is so reminiscent of what Hitler did to their forefathers in the Thirties and early forties. What we can learn from their vaccination programme, however, is the clear prioritisation of access to the vaccine. They identified the over 60s as their target group based on demographic data and covered this category promptly. According to the Economist, hospitalisation of the over 60 cohort dropped substantially after seventy percent of the number in that cohort was vaccinated by the Israeli government.

One of the grumbles about our vaccination programme, as seen in the letters to Editors, is shifting attention away from the over sixty cohort which is abnormally large in our particular demographic profile. By uncritically following the WHO guideline in this matter, we seem to have ignored the ground realities of our demography. This was shown in the unanticipated demand from this category which had to be accommodated by hastily adding a separate queue for the over sixties in the vaccination centres. Let me now turn to some basic issues which came to the fore due to the Covid pandemic.

The first is the need to recognise the role of modern science. All too frequently our media have highlighted anti-scientific mumbo Jumbo to direct the conversation away from the need to establish a science-based society in our country. Many people supported President Gotabaya Rajapaksa because he was a tech savvy moderniser. Unlike our other leaders, he was not seen weighed against gold, half naked in a Thulbaram. [It is an irony that many of these godmen or poosaris died recently after contracting Corona.] Indeed unlike our politicians, GR knew that wars cannot be won by making Poojas. You need manpower planning and training, use of proper modern weapons, the latest communications technology, research and logistical superiority to overwhelm an opponent who had access to top weapons experts worldwide.

I was a minister when the LTTE with superior weapons such as MBRLs was on the verge of driving our armed forces out of Jaffna peninsula. One of the reforms introduced by the GR-Fonseka team was to immediately get the latest weaponry. Unfortunately the leaders of the UNP-led by Ranil, could not understand any of this and were setting up the media to question the financing of those planes and weapons.

The discovery of the Covid vaccine is nothing short of a modern scientific miracle. Says the Economist of February 2021: To call vaccination a miracle is no exaggeration. A little more than a year after the virus was first recognized, medics have already administered 148 million doses. Although the vaccines fail to prevent all mild and asymptomatic cases of Covid 19, they mostly seem to spare patients from death and the severest infections that require hospitalisation, which is what really matters.

Inefficient provincial system

Another problem which is facing the country is the inefficient provincial health system. Many of our chief ministers were small time politicians who had very little idea of management. I am now revealing a secret that President J.R. Jayewardene never wanted to appoint politicians as chief ministers. His idea was to appoint senior public servants with a proven track record of management to run the newly established provincial councils. I remember that politicians like Dissanayake of Gampola lobbied against this saying that officials had no political savvy. Instead he proposed himself for the post of chief minister of the Central Province and JRJ was made to change his mind by confidants like Gamini Dissanayake and Ronnie de Mel. Any investigation will show that the rural hicks who became chief ministers plundered the revenue of the provincial councils for salaries and perks for their colleagues. Money set apart for education and health were squandered to give jobs for the boys in order to get political mileage for their attempt to enter Parliament. This irresponsibility has led to a crisis in provincial education and health. Except perhaps in the North, the public in all other provinces want this subject reverted to the Central Government as the local education and health systems have broken down. The health services in the provinces can effectively function at present because fortunately the councils are dissolved.

It is upto the Government to make a realistic assessment of the Provincial council system which has been an utter failure in the Sinhala provinces. I would suggest the setting up of an international group of experts to evaluate the provincial council system which has been in operation for over thirty years. As I shall show later a streamlined health system will become a necessity in the Post-Covid World, a better framework for health and education, especially in rural areas must be evolved. An inquiry must be launched as to how the funds allocated to PCs have been misappropriated and wasted in political Gift giving.

Scientists and economists are now talking of the New Coronormal. The epidemic has created a new normal with which we have to live. Says the Economist, To the extent that medicine alone cannot prevent lethal outbreaks of Covid 19, the burden will also fall on behavior, just as it has in most of the pandemic. Habits like mask wearing may become part of everyday life. Vaccine passports and restrictions in crowded spaces could become mandatory. Vulnerable people will have to maintain great vigilance. Those who refuse vaccination can expect health education but limited protection. But even if Covid19 has not been completely put to rest, the situation is immeasurably better than what might have been. The credit for that goes to medical science.

Finally we cannot avoid the mega question of our attitude to the process of modernity. Though cranks and eccentric academics may muddy the waters, we cannot avoid the thrust of modernisation. All countries in this interrelated world follow a path to modernity which is time tested and, above all, practical. The covid virus has clearly shown the pathetic inability of non-science to address practical issues. While individuals may be delusional and call on gods like Natha to answer their prayers, real life is different and cannot succeed by rhetoric and speechification. We need to get our priorities right and seek rational solutions.

It is clear that countries that have successfully negotiated the modernisation process can give a better life for the people. Covid is a wakeup call. I invite all concerned politicians, administrators, business people and academics to begin a discussion on the rational path to modernisation which alone can lift us out of the morass in which we find ourselves now.
AFL great Adam Goodes got the call every landlord dreads - his multimillion-dollar investment property had been used to grow drugs.

The former Sydney Swans star bought the five-bedroom house in Kensington for $2.2 million in 2007, years before his retirement in 2015.

But after more than a decade of decent tenants, the Milroy Avenue home was raided by police as part of a $1 million cannabis bust across Sydney.

Inside, officers allegedly found a sophisticated hydroponic set up with 62 cannabis plants across the 692sqm property.

Adam Goodes with his wife Natalie, sources close to Goodes say he plans to renovate the house

The house was bought by Goodes reportedly after he won his second Brownlow medal in 2007

Task Force Grassy arrested 10 people across nine properties in dawn raids in Randwick, Rosebery, Chifley, Kingsford, Maroubra, West Hoxton, Kensington and Matraville on February 17.

The alleged drug dealers were charged after the plants and nearly $40,000 cash was found in the homes in Sydney's east.

Police allege they found sophisticated hydroponic cannabis set-ups where they seized 405 cannabis plants, about 3kg of marijuana, and $37,550.

They were charged with a long list of drug crimes and participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity.

Officers from Strike Force Grassy conducted the raid early on February 17 across Sydney's east and arrested a number of men (pictured)

Across the nine houses 405 marijuana plants were discovered worth about $1million (pictured)

Goodes unsurprisingly plans to renovate the property, according to the Daily Telegraph.

He bought the freestanding 1930s home on May 26, 2007, months after winning his second Brownlow Medal.

The house was last leased on July 10, 2019, for $1,250 per week, but only turned into a cannabis factory in recent months.

'Beautiful traditional family home in a quiet sought after street in Kensington, has close proximity to public transport, park and schools,' real estate agents gushed.

Goodes was a legendary AFL player for the Sydney Swans playing 372 games

The large property boasts a large backyard with a lock up garage and driveway space for three cars.

It sits on the leafy Milroy Avenue that is a short walk from Royal Randwick Racecourse and the University of NSW,

Goodes won two premierships with the Swans and AFL's highest honour the Brownlow Medal twice.

He was also awarded Australian of the Year in 2014 and has spent time working with troubled youth, including those in youth detention centres.
Exactly after a month of her arrest by the Delhi Police in an alleged toolkit case, 22-year-old climate activist Disha A. Ravi posted her maiden four-page statement on her Twitter account on Saturday evening revealing her trials and tribulations.

Asserting in her statement that she is still fighting for climate justice, she termed that her autonomy was violated when her pictures "splashed" all over news channels just for TRP.

She said that she had been pronounced guilty by ratings-hungry news channel.

The Delhi Police arrested her late on Friday 13 in the night from her Bengaluru residence in connection with an online document that canvassed support for the farmers' protest. However, 10 days later, she was granted bail by a Delhi court. The court also slammed the Delhi Police for their 'scanty and sketchy evidence'.

Along with her four page statement, she also wrote on Twitter that "I'm letting this out into the internet void in order to present a narrative that is my own".

"P.S. This is based on my personal experience and does not represent the opinion of any climate movement, group, or organisation," she tweeted as she narrated her experience through the court trials.

She ended her four page statement quoting Soni Sori, an adivasi school teacher turned political leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAM) in Sameli village of Dantewada in south Bastar, Chhattisgarh.

In her statement while recalling her ordeal, she pointed out how she was not provided with a lawyer in the first hearing in court and sent to police custody in a move that had appalled legal and civil rights experts.

"As I stood in that courtroom, desperately searching for my lawyers, I came to terms with the fact that I would have to defend myself. I had no idea whether there was legal assistance available. Before I knew it, I was sent to five days in police custody," she said.
Speaker upon speaker stood on stages across the nation during more than 40 Womens March 4 Justice rallies and described the atrocities they had been subjected to as women. Heres a snapshot of what they said:

Canberra

Brittany Higgins, former political staffer and the victim of an alleged rape: I watched as the Prime Minister of Australia publicly apologised to me through the media, while privately the media team actively undermined and discredited my loved ones. I tuned into Question Time to see my former bosses  people that I had dedicated my life to  downplay my lived experience.

If they arent committed to addressing these issues in their own offices, what confidence can the women of Australia have that they will be proactive in addressing this issue in the broader community?

This isnt a political problem. This is a human problem. Weve all learned over the past few weeks just how common gendered violence is in this country. Its time our leaders on both sides of politics stop avoiding the public and side-stepping accountability. Its time we actually address the problem.

Michele ONeil, ACTU president: We are here today for girls under covers listening to approaching footsteps. For every woman in a bar, street, in an office who feels that look, who feels that threat. We say to men in this place who are drunk on power, Dont think you will get away with it. ... Change is coming, its coming like a tsunami.

Saxon Mullins, co-director of advocacy at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy: One in five women have experienced sexual violence. Men, where do you think these perpetrators are hiding? They are your friends. They are your co-workers. They are your football mates, and they are your friends from school.

Korra Koperu says she is scared to walk anywhere alone. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Melbourne

Julia Banks, former Liberal MP: This is one of the most defining moments for Australian women because its driven by the most powerful force that makes up 51 per cent of our population: women.

Huong Truong, former Victorian Greens MP: Vote em out. Replace them and do not flinch. Double down. Stand witness. Lets give them hell.

Wil Stracke, assistant secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council: We are angry. And we are hurting. Its not just that we are not safe. Its not just that we are not respected. We are still not equal ... we still dont have equal pay. We are right to be angry.

Korra Koperu, 19, trans activist: I am not just scared to walk home at night. I am scared to walk anywhere.

Grace Tame at the Womens March 4 Justice rally in Hobart. Credit:Twitter

Hobart

Grace Tame, Australian of the Year: Ten years next month, actually, that I made a choice to stand up against a man who repeatedly raped me and used to boast to me about other girls that he had raped before he raped me. Im not going to name him  he doesnt deserve any air time. But I was afraid of doing something until a different kind of fear usurped that fear, and that was the fear of doing nothing. The fear of doing nothing should outweigh your fear of doing something.

You know, as is often the case when an issue that has been shrouded in darkness for such a long time is suddenly thrust into the light, theres widespread shock and disbelief over how something so evil could happen, and not just happen, but happen so ubiquitously. And the answer is plain and simple  silence. Evil thrives in silence. Behaviour unspoken, behaviour ignored, is behaviour endorsed.

Sydney

Dhanya Mani, former NSW Liberal staffer: Im so angry as well standing in front of this building because it isnt just about Scott Morrison, it isnt just about men, it is about every person in a parliamentary building who stood by and did nothing.

Matt Kean, NSW Environment Minister: This is not a Liberal issue or a Labor issue  its all of our issues. And this is about saying no to violence against women and saying yes to equality across our community, and thats something that we should all be a part of.

Debbie Fletcher addresses the crowd at King George Square. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia

Brisbane

Debbie Fletcher, Kalkadoon woman and social justice advocate: Im a grandmother, I am a mother, I am a sister and an auntie and a daughter ... Ive been a fighter all my life, I make no apologies for that. I will continue to raise my voice while women in Australia continue to be abused, raped and murdered.

Read more here.




Haiti - FLASH : Reaction of the Prime Minister to the bloody failure of the assault on Village de Dieu





Following the bloody failure of the anti-Gang operation in the Village de Dieu on Friday March 12, 2021 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33226-haiti-flash-failure-of-the-anti-gang-operation-in-village-de-dieu-several-police-officers-killed-others-injured.html , where 4 police officers lost their lives and 8 other wounded [latest report], Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe, reacted in a note that we publish in its entirety.



Reaction of Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe :

"It was given to us to live, with dismay, this current Friday March 12, through images published on social networks, the inhumanity and barbarism that inhabit the members of the armed gangs and their supporters in the Village de Dieu. Young police officers at the service of the Republic were massacred while carrying out their security duties; their corpse soiled by these lawless terrorists.



Their only action was to regain control of the security of the Village de Dieu and guarantee the safety of the population by seeking to subdue the members of the armed gangs which sow terror in the country.



These sickening acts are without justification. They can only revolt human conscience and lift up any man in love with the minimum of humanity and respectful of life. The Government of the Republic condemns them energetically and without any reservation.



Faced with this tragedy, the government salutes the courage of our valiant police officers who sacrifice themselves every day for our security and pays homage to these martyrs of freedom, murdered and fallen in the active service of the Republic. The population is invited to honor their memory by all means and thus show their solidarity with the Police and the rejection of armed gangs which sow death and desolation in families, their sponsors as well as their accomplices in whatever environment they are or belong.



The Government offers its heartfelt condolences to the parents, families, friends and colleagues of the murdered police officers, and takes this opportunity to thank all the citizens of goodwill, and particularly the nursing staff of the Bernard MEVS hospital, who have spared no effort to provide care and help to our police officers injured and traumatized during these unfortunate events.



This situation calls us all, citizens, political, social, religious, state leaders, to reflection, to decision, to solidarity to face this threat against what represents our most precious common good, security. The Government renews its commitment to prosecute all members of armed gangs, these terrorists, to assume its responsibilities and to take the necessary decisions.



Beyond well-founded or partisan criticisms, we must recognize that the Nation faces all dangers. A bundle of all the moral forces of society becomes necessary to save the Republic through this imperative agreement, through dialogue, as difficult as it may be, which is likely to sideline swimmers in troubled water and supporters of chaos and anarchy in favor of petty interests.



Port-au-Prince, March 12, 2021 Joseph JOUTHE"



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Expressing concern over spike in fresh COVID-19 cases, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Sunday said the pandemic seemed to be going out of control in the state and asked people to cooperate by adhering to the preventive measures if they don't want another lockdown.

"I appeal to the people with folded hands for cooperation.... if people cooperate I'm confident that without lockdown we can control," he said, announcing that he has convened a meeting of experts and officials on Monday in the wake of the spurt in fresh cases in recent days.

His appeal comes in the backdrop of lockdown being clamped in parts of neighbouring Maharashtra recently in view of sharp rise in fresh cases there.

Earlier, the nation-wide lockdown imposed in March last year was relaxed in phases under Unlock guidelines and the Karnataka has allowed almost all activities.

For the first time since January 22, the daily COVID-19 cases in Karnatkaa crossed the 900 mark on Saturday. It reported 921 cases with 630 of them from Bengaluru Urban district alone.

Since Monday last, over 4,300 new cases have been detected in the state, whose cumulative COVID-19 tally stood at 9,59,338 including 12,387 deaths and 9,38,890 discharges.

The active cases, which hovered around 4,000-5,000 last month, touched 8,042 active cases, reflecting the rise.

"Since last one month COVID seems to be going out of control, day-by-day the number of cases are increasing. So I have called a meeting of experts tomorrow," Yediyurappa told reporters here.

He also said the government has fixed a limit on the number of people allowed to attend gatherings like marriages, and action will be taken in accordance with law in case of any violation.

"My appeal to people is that if you don't want lockdown and want all activities to continue as it is going on now, people have to cooperate by wearing masks and maintaining distance," the Chief Minister said.

Noting that cases were increasing day-by-day in Maharashtra, he said, all efforts were being made to control the spread from travellers coming to the state from there.

Responding to a question whether the government is thinking about measures like lockdown or night curfew, Yediyurappa said, "as of now there are no such plans, if people cooperate and things come under control, we don't want to impose lockdown, as it will hamper day-to-day activities.

"We have suffered in the past (due to lockdown). I will not allow it, but people will have to cooperate."



The Chief Minister's office said he has called a meeting of officials and health experts at 5 pm on Monday at Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature and secretariat.

The government was thinking about stricter measures for those travelling from neighboring states to control COVID spread, Yediyurappa, in response to a question said, it will be discussed at the meeting.

"I have had a meeting with the Chief Secretary regarding measures that can be taken. We will tighten things as much as possible," he added.

The Chief Minister also said he has called a meeting of Ministers on Monday morning to discuss the functioning of the government and regarding the working together in responding to the needs of the people, as the legislature session is on.

In the wake of a spike in cases in the state, the government on Friday had put a cap on the number of people who can gather at events and celebrations like marriages.

Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Jawaid Akhtar in a circular has said the measure has been taken amid the emergence of new clusters and fear of a second wave of the pandemic.

As per new rules, 500 people will be allowed at marriages if it is an open space, and only 200 if it is a hall or a closed space.

Similarly for birthday celebrations, the limit would be 100 and 50 respectively for functions in open and closed spaces.

A similar cap has been specified for funerals. However, at cremations and burials, only 50 are allowed.

A maximum of 500 people will be allowed for religious and political gatherings in open spaces.

(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.)
For Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, returning to her hometown to start a business after graduating from university was the best decision she ever made.

Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong (standing) instructs her employees on how to pack macadamia nuts.  VNA/VNS Photo Hoai Thu

In 2014, after graduating from the College of Commerce in central Da Nang City, Phuong, from Central Highlands Dak Lak Province, stayed in the city to work.

However, she struggled to find a job that suited her and decided to return to her hometown in Phu Loc Commune, Krong Nang District.

After returning home when local people harvested macadamia, Phuong found they still faced many difficulties in selling their products.

Through research, she realised that this could be a good business opportunity and bought some machines for macadamia processing.

Initially, her products were damaged a lot because the machines, drying techniques and preservation were not correct. She lost nearly VND60 million (US$2,600).

After the first failure, she researched and tried again.

"My efforts have finally paid off and been recognised," Phuong said.

Her products received good feedback from local consumers, packaged under the trademark Damaca Nguyen Phuong and in 2017, the company sold 25 tonnes of macadamia nuts, earning VND450 million.

Phuong won the first prize in the first start-up competition in the Dak Lak Province in 2017.

She also received support with VND5 billion from Shark Tank Vietnam, the reality show for start-up investors, in 2019.

These two events were stepping stones on the path to Phuong's success, helping her company bring in a stable capital source to operate, expand production and win the brand's place in the market.

Over the past two years, the young girl has researched and launched several new products such as macadamia kernels, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, macadamia oil and is researching to produce macadamia milk.

Phuong has also reformed and applied international standards to production and product quality control.

She has invested VND4 billion to build a factory with a capacity of 300 tonnes of macadamia nuts per year.

About 70 tonnes of macadamia nuts had been consumed in 2020.

The company's products have been exported to South Korea, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, and France.

"Phuong is a good example of a start-up in Dak Lak Province. Over the past years, the province has supported her company to participate in trading activities to promote products and trade," said Pham Dong Thanh, head of the provincial Young Entrepreneurs Association.

"She is very quick, knowledgeable about the market and knows how to use her advantages. She has conquered a fastidious market like Europe."

In 2019, Phuong was one of 34 outstanding young people nationwide who received the Luong Dinh Cua Award, an annual honour sponsored by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and given to young people with outstanding achievements in manufacturing, trade, applying modern science technologies, protecting the environment and setting up new rural lifestyles.

2020 was a difficult and challenging year for Phuong and her company due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Many plans to expand production and launch new products have been delayed, Phuong said, adding that the company also had to cut operating costs and use online sale channels to cope.

"COVID-19 has caused many difficulties and it is also an opportunity, creating a time for the company to re-examine production, business processes, weaknesses that needed improvement, and business plans in the future," she said.

Phuong said she fears the brand name of Vietnamese agricultural products, including macadamia products, is not strong enough.

Many businesses and household businesses have yet registered their businesses and are unaware of food hygiene and safety requirements, leading to unhealthy competition in the industry and affecting the brand name of agricultural products, she added.

On her plans for 2021, the 29-year-old said the company will work with local people to form a 100ha raw material area and link with some groups which produce organic products.

"At the same time, the company will expand the factory, research demand, promote our brand and trade promotion activities to expand markets in Europe," she said.

According to Phuong, macadamia products of Vietnam still face great challenges to meet the requirements of the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement and to export products to the EU.

"Businesses must make efforts and move forward," said Phuong.

In addition to her own business, she is also the chairman of the Krong Nang District's Young Entrepreneurs' Association.

She has shared and supported young people with her start-up experiences.

According to chairman of Krong Nang District People's Committee, Truong Hoai Anh, Damaca Nguyen Phuong is a young and dynamic enterprise in the locality.

"The company not only gathers members and co-operatives to set up macadamia growing areas and ensure output for farmers but also creates stable jobs for nearly 30 local workers," Anh said.

The company's products recently received certification as 'One Commune, One Product' (OCOP) products.

"This is the good news not only for business but also for the local agriculture sector in the sustainable development of macadamia trees."

For Phuong, the fear of failure can hold people back from success.

"You must be confident, persistent and eager to learn," Phuong said.

VNS

How to make a breakthrough for Mekong Deltas agricultural products? For years, the supply chain of the Mekong Deltas agricultural products has remained fragmented, and the smallholders have been struggling to get wealthier, getting trapped in the vicious cycle with no way out. What could be the reasons?
Lille could be replaced by Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Ligue 1 on Sunday after the current league leaders drew 0-0 at title rivals Monaco.

Christophe Galtier's side stay in first place after the largely uneventful encounter in the Principality, three points ahead of PSG who host struggling Nantes later on Sunday.

However, reigning champions PSG will move to the summit of the French top flight on goal difference should they win, as expected, at the Parc des Princes.

Monaco remain seven points behind Lille in fourth after failing to pick up ground in the race for next season's Champions League.

Their coach Niko Kovac has said a return to Europe's top club competition is the priority this term but they remain four points behind Lyon, who occupy the last Champions League spot and could only draw 1-1 at Reims on Friday.

Monaco, who had a Wissam Ben Yedder goal ruled out for offside following a VAR check in the first half, almost snatched the points at the death through substitute Stevan Jovetic but the Montenegrin's close-range effort was well kept out by Mike Maignan.

"Jovetic is very disappointed. It was a big opportunity but Maignan is excellent," said Kovac.

"I'm satisfied with how my team played... My impression is that Lille came here to get a draw, as they played on the counter."

Sunday's draw may allow PSG to move top but it also extends to 11 matches an unbeaten league run for Lille that stretches back to early January.

Next weekend PSG travel to Lyon, themselves also three points off the lead while Lille host relegation-threatened Nimes.

td/bsp/jc


Australia's east coast is set to shiver through a week of miserable weather, with rain set to soak Sydney for seven days straight.

A rainband will move through NSW and Queensland during the week giving large chunks of both states a drenching.

After a wet Sunday, Sydney will get a reprieve of just one day on Monday with a possible afternoon of sunshine.

'There's a slight chance of an early morning shower on Monday but then it's a wet week,' said Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Adam Morgan.

Wet and stormy week on the way for eastern Australia. Rainband moving across #NSW today with isolated heavy falls, moves into Qld on Monday and Tuesday, spreads back into NSW by Wednesday.

Track the rain band https://t.co/WIHgklm0B6

Latest forecasts https://t.co/0UtHQJURPF pic.twitter.com/D6pt1Nlcdn  Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 14, 2021

The sun will shine on Perth this week while millions of people on Australia's east coast are rained on every day. Picture: West Australians enjoy Cottesloe Beach, Perth, in January

A high pressure system moving into the Tasman Sea will see the showers redeveloping along the NSW coast, he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Every day from Tuesday through to next Sunday there will be showery conditions,' he said.

'It's a wet week unfortunately, with the winds blowing in from the Tasman.'

Inland, NSW will see showers and thunderstorms developing mid-week with a risk of heavy rain later in the week.

Rain will stretch into next weekend for Australia's east coast from Sydney through Brisbane to the tropics. Sydney gets one day's reprieve on Monday. Pictured: Circular Quay, on Sunday

Sunday's cold snap saw the weather bureau warning NSW sheep farmers from the Northern Tablelands through the ACT to the Snowy Mountains that the chilly southeasterly winds and rain could kill their lambs.

Temperatures are expected to remain cool on Monday before rising through the week to reach 27C on Friday.

The rainband will shower across Queensland and the tropical north leaving Brisbane and Darwin with rain and possible thunderstorms for the entire week.

Scattered thunderstorms and isolated heavy rain falls are expected this coming week across much of NSW and Queensland. Pictured is a lightning strike over Sydney on Friday

On Monday and Tuesday the tropical northern storms are predicted from southeast Queensland to the Kimberly in Western Australia.

Meteorologist Dean Narramore said showers and thunderstorms would continue on Friday and into next weekend from Queensland back into eastern south Australia and across much of NSW and Victoria.

Melbourne will remain largely dry across the week with morning fog, while Canberra will get hit by the rain later in the week around Thursday.

The sudden cold snap on Sunday together with the wet saw the weather bureau issue a warning to NSW sheep graziers that their lambs and sheep could die of the cold

In good news for sheep, the temperature is set to rise in NSW reaching 27C in Sydney by Friday

A high pressure system moving into the Great Australian Bight will bring drier conditions to the country's west, centre and south this week

On Monday, a large high-pressure system will move into the Great Australian Bight bringing cool and partly cloudy conditions across southern Australia, Mr Narramore said.

Central, South and Western Australia can expect largely dry conditions as the high pressure system dominates the country's south and west.

Australia's west coast has a different story however with forecasts of hot and sunny conditions this week.

Temperatures are expected to top 30C every day, peaking at 36C on Friday.

A severe fire weather warning has been issued for Monday for the state's Coastal Central West - North district, where morning gusty winds will fan the hot temperatures.
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By Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways's new boss said vaccinated people should be allowed to travel without restriction and non-vaccinated people with a negative COVID-19 test, as he set out his ideas for a travel restart a month before the UK government finalises its plans.

Holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest, the government has said, but before that, on April 12, Britain will announce how and when non-essential travel into and out of the country can resume.

Sean Doyle, appointed BA's chief executive last October, called on Britain to work with other governments to allow vaccines and health apps to open up travel, after a year when minimal flying has left many airlines on life support.

"I think people who've been vaccinated should be able to travel without restriction. Those who have not been vaccinated should be able to travel with a negative test result," he said.

Doyle said the roll-out of vaccines made him optimistic BA would be back flying this summer, but added the recovery depends on what is said on April 12.

He wants government to give its backing to health apps that can be used to verify a person's negative COVID-19 test results and vaccination status.

Apps will be key to facilitating travel at scale, the industry has said. Airline staff checking paperwork takes 20 minutes per passenger and is not practical if large numbers of passengers return.

Britain has rapidly rolled out vaccinations and 44% of the adult population, mostly people over 60, have now had their first shot.

The government has said any return to travel must be fair and not unduly disadvantage those who have not been vaccinated.

Doyle expects Britain to bring in a tiered framework with destinations put into categories depending on risk, and that will determine BA's summer schedule.

Beyond saying there was "huge pent up demand", Doyle declined to forecast how strong the season could be.

Story continues

Budget rival Ryanair, Europe's biggest airline, has said it hopes to fly up to 70% of 2019 passenger numbers this summer.

BA has struck a deal with a testing kit provider giving its passengers 33 pound ($46) tests to take abroad.

Travel commentators expect most European airlines to focus on short-haul leisure routes this summer, and Doyle noted France, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and Spain had all sounded positive about welcoming British holidaymakers.

But he said BA was also looking further afield.

"We're already looking at new destinations over the summer that we haven't flown to before, and that could be across both long haul and short haul," Doyle said.

($1 = 0.7196 pounds)

(Reporting by Sarah Young. Editing by Mark Potter)
The silver chainmail dress she wore at her 21st birthday party in 2002 is considered one of her most iconic looks.

And Paris Hilton looked sensational as she recreated the look 19 years on ahead of Sunday night's Grammy Awards.

The star, 40, was keen to show off her sensational figure in an updated remake of the Julien McDonald gown, but left fans wondering if she'd shown off a little too much as she struck an unfortunate pose.

Stunning: The star, 40, posed in the snaps on Saturday as she commanded attention in the short dress which accentuated her svelte pins and petite frame

Paris posed up a storm as she spun around to show off the backless nature of her outfit, but her unfortunately placed elbow ended up giving the illusion that she was posing topless.

Yet, showcasing the look from the front, Paris proved this wasn't the case, but still ensured she'd turn heads in the low cut cowl neck number which featured cut out panels at the waist.

She commanded attention in the short dress which accentuated her svelte pins and petite frame.

Wow! Paris Hilton flaunted her enviable figure in a remake of the Julien McDonald gown she wore to her 21st birthday party (right) as she selected her look for the Grammys

The Stars Are Blind hitmaker sported a matching silver choker and metallic fingerless gloves to tie her look together.

She finished off her ensemble with silver sling-back court heels as she posed up a storm.

Paris styled her signature blonde locks in sleek lines which hung to her midriff and added a glamorous makeup palette to her features.

The socialite was said to be whittling down her outfit choices ahead of the socially distanced Grammy Awards, which will take place at the famed arena Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

Paris will not be attending the event in person, however, as the ceremony will take place with just the performers and nominees as each other's audience in order to adhere with Covid restrictions.

'Creepy': Paris recently recalled when she had a 'really scary' encounter with a fan in her own kitchen and said people would rummage through her bins for souvenirs

Meanwhile, Paris recently recalled when she had a 'really scary' encounter with a fan in her own kitchen.

She admitted she's always attracted unwanted attention, and found it 'creepy' when people would rummage through her bins for souvenirs.

Speaking to Sean Evans on his YouTube series 'Hot Ones', she detailed a more disturbing incident came when a man fooled a member of her staff into thinking he was one of her friends, leaving her terrified.

Paris said: 'I remember one time I came home and there were paparazzi there. They were like, "By the way, some guy was like, looking through your trash, taking everything with him, and he's been doing this a couple of times"...

'And it was just creepy that someone was doing that. My housekeeper at the time [let him in because she] didn't know, because this guy said he was my friend. He was just sitting in my kitchen waiting for me, which was really scary.'

Despite this, the star admits she likes interacting with her fans on Instagram and Twitter but she worries about the messages social media can send to young people, so warned them not to take the sites seriously.

She said: 'I can't even imagine being a 13-year-old girl and having these pressures of having to be perfect and care about likes and people trolling you and being mean.

'I just feel that anyone out there should know that you shouldn't base your opinion on yourself, or your self-worth, on the opinion of stranger... I think that's a really important message for kids to know.'

Paris recently got engaged to fiance Carter Reum, 40, after he proposed after a year of dating while the couple celebrated her 40th birthday on a private island last month.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday set a target of "zero infection" even as the COVID-19 tally in the state mounted to 3,38,192 with 71 fresh cases.

In a video message, Patnaik appealed to people to follow health safety protocols so that the state can achieve the goal and requested them not to be complacent with the daily number of new cases remaining below 100.

"With your support, the COVID situation is currently under control in The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised our initiatives to fight against the pandemic. Although the single-day spike in cases is below 100, zero infection is our target," he said.

The COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh has worsened due to a significant rise in the number of new cases, he said.

"Normalcy has returned to None of us wants lockdown to return. Wearing face masks is a must when going outside and hand washing should be practised after returning home. One must follow the social distancing norms," the chief minister said in his message.

Patnaik also sought people's cooperation in the ongoing vaccination programme.

"We have lost many lives in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. We will never let their sacrifice go in vain... All of us should be self-conscious," he said.

The CM also said he has already asked the civil administration and police to ensure strict implementation of the COVID-19 guidelines issued by both the state and the Centre.

Of the new cases, 43 were reported from quarantine centres and 28 detected during contact tracing.

Khurda district reported the highest number of fresh cases at 11, followed by Jajpur (7) and Mayurbhanj (6).

The coronavirus death toll remained at 1,918 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported since Saturday.

Fifty-three other COVID-19 patients have also died due to comorbidities.

Odisha now has 652 active cases, and 3,35,569 patients have recovered from the disease so far.

The state has so far conducted over 86.21 lakh sample tests for COVID-19, including 23,1773 on Saturday and the positivity rate now stands at 3.92 per cent.
Myanmar security forces opened fire on anti-coup protesters in the commercial capital Yangon on Sunday, and at least three people were killed, witnesses and domestic media said.

Video taken at the site showed protesters holding handmade shields and wearing helmets as they confronted security forces in the Hlaing Tharyar district of the city. Plumes of black smoke rose over the area and one report said two factories in the district had been set on fire.

The Irrawaddy media group said three people were killed.

At least two people were killed elsewhere in the Southeast Asian nation, a day after the acting leader of the parallel civilian government said it will seek to give people the legal right to defend themselves.

A young man was shot and killed in the town of Bago, near Yangon, witnesses and domestic media said. The Kachin Wave media outlet said another protester was killed in the town of Hpakant, in the jade mining area in the northeast.

More than 80 people had been killed as of Saturday in widespread protests against the militarys seizure of power last month, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group said. Over 2,100 people have been arrested, it said.

Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is on the run along with most senior officials from the ruling National League for Democracy Party, addressed the public via Facebook on Saturday, saying, This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close.

He said the civilian government would attempt to legislate the required laws so that the people have the right to defend themselves against the military crackdown.

The Monywa township in central Myanmar declared it had formed its own local government and police force.

In Yangon, hundreds of people demonstrated in different parts of the city after putting up barricades of barbed wire and sandbags to block security forces.

In one area, people staged a sit-in protest under sheets of tarpaulin rigged up to protect them from the harsh midday sun. We need justice, they chanted.

At least 13 people were killed on Saturday, one of the bloodiest days since the Feb. 1 coup, witnesses and domestic media said.

They are acting like they are in a war zone, with unarmed people, said an activist in the city of Mandalay, Myat Thu.

A spokesman for the junta did not answer phone calls from Reuters seeking comment. Junta-run media MRTVs evening news broadcast on Saturday labelled the protesters criminals but did not elaborate.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Minari continues to get buzz as awards season pushes on and this years Academy Awards approaches. In a recent interview, Steven Yeun talked about making history through this season and the potential of making Oscars history.

Steven Yeun | Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

What is Minari about?

A family drama film from director Lee Issac Chung, Minari features former The Walking Dead star Yeun in the lead role. He stars in the film with Yeri Han, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Scott Haze, with Yuh-Jung Youn, and Will Patton. The film first screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Heres the official description of the film from A24:

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

When the film remiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, it won both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award. By winning these prizes, Minari joined an elite group of seven films that have won both the grand jury prize and the audience award. Other films that have accomplished this feat include Ryan Cooglers Fruitvale Station, Lee Daniels Precious, and Damien Chazelles Whiplash.

Steven Yeun on the attention hes getting during awards season

In a lengthy interview with GoldDerby, Yeun talked about the fact that he could make Oscars history as one of the few Asian actors to ever be nominated. Yeun could be the first Asian-American actor to even be nominated for Best Actor.

RELATED: Minari: How to Watch the Korean Immigrant Drama Dominating Awards Shows

When asked about it, the actor explained, I think there was moments, especially in the larger discussion and the reality that were all collectively in in the last couple of years that made me consider it and say like, Hey, there are these things and precedents that havent been. I always understood and held them, but I try not to make them a central focus for the things that I chose or the way that I worked in this business, but its great. Its on one hand, really wonderful that we get to keep making things that challenge reality and challenge the way in which we all collectively understand things and create precedent because it opens doors for real, true things to get through.

He continued in part, It even feels honestly strange to talk about the idea of being nominated or those things just because I dont even know if thats real or true. So yeah, all of its strange, but all I know is at the end, all I can really hang onto is my own reality and where I speak from.

Minari is available everywhere you can rent and download films, as well as select theaters.
Lincoln Lewis is gearing up to appear on Channel Seven's Dancing With The Stars all-stars reboot this year.

And on Sunday, the Home And Away star, 33, shared the heartwarming reason why he chose to return to the franchise 12 years after his first stint on the program.

Speaking to the Courier Mail on Sunday, the actor said he hoped to bring joy to his young nephews, following the recent breakdown of his parents' marriage.

Family first: Lincoln Lewis, 33, has revealed his goal of bringing 'positivity' to his family by competing on Dancing With The Stars reboot, following his his parents' devastating split

'When they asked me I wasn't sure because I'm not the most naturally gifted dancer, but the main reason for me right now is because I've got nephews and when I first did it I didn't.'

Lincoln said he was 'really looking forward' to having his mother, sister, brother, sister-in-law and nephews watch him compete on the dancefloor.

'It's a really cool thing when [my nephews] get a kick out of seeing Uncle Linc on TV and listening to their dad (Mitch Lewis) on the radio, so if I can do something that's fun and high energy and positive that they can watch, then that really got me.

'I can do something that's fun and high energy and positive that they can watch, then that really got me': Lincoln said he was 'really looking forward' to having his nephews watch him compete on the dancefloor. Lincoln is pictured with his three nephews.

Back for a second chance! Lincoln first competed on Dancing With The Stars at the height of his Home And Away fame, in 2009. He and his partner Luda Kroitor (left) placed 7th in the dance competition

Lincoln made no mention of his father, NRL legend Wally 'The King' Lewis, 61, with whom he is reportedly not on good terms.

However, the hunk did admit that his life isn't as rosy as it may appear on Instagram.

'I'm always trying to put out as much positivity and energy as I can, but that's not to say that behind closed doors we don't struggle no matter how much we might filter something,' he said.

Lincoln also said he looked forward to his s mother Jacqui and siblings watching him perform - but made no mention of his father Wally. Pictured with mother Jacquie (centre) and sister Jamie-Lee (right)

No mention: Lincoln made no mention of his father, NRL legend Wally 'The King' Lewis, 61, with whom he is reportedly not on good terms. Pictured together in 2012

Lincoln's father Wally rocked the sporting world in early February when he confirmed his separation from Jacqui, the mother of his three children.

At the time, Wally released a statement revealing he quietly split from his wife-of-36-years last year, and was now in a new relationship.

'This is a deeply personal matter that we do not want to discuss publicly,' he said.

'That's not to say that behind closed doors we don't struggle': The hunk hinted that his private life isn't as rosy as it may appear on Instagram

Split: Lincoln's father Wally (right) rocked the sporting world in early February when he confirmed his separation from wife Jacqui (left), the mother of his three children

'I want to acknowledge the pain and upset my family has gone through since Jacqui and I separated last year. I hope over time we can rebuild our ties and move on with life... I will confirm I am now in another relationship and only ask for the media to respect our privacy.'

It later emerged he was in a new relationship with Lynda Adams - the former wife of a wealthy Townsville developer Mark Adams.

The breakdown of the marriage allegedly resulted in a strained relationship between Wally and his children - Mitchell, Lincoln and Jamie-Lee.

It is understood he has made unsuccessful attempts to reconcile with his three children, according to the Courier Mail.
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Some unknown gunmen have killed six members of the same family before daybreak in a community called Wasinmi, in Osun State.

The community is along the Ife/Ibadan expressway. Sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen invaded the community in the midnight shooting sporadically.

The reasons for the attack and the perpetrators of the crime could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

Our correspondent gathered that operatives of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and Hunters Group of Nigeria are currently in the bush in the area in search of the perpetrators.

The police public relations officer in Osun State, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the incident.

She told our correspondent that the killing happened in a community called Wasimi and all the people killed are family members. The commissioner of police is currently in the place as I speak to you and our officers have also been deployed to the place.

PREMIUM TIMES in the last two weeks has reported rising cases of kidnapping and killings in Osun State despite efforts by Amotekun Security Operatives to curb security challenges in the state.
AIADMK top leader and Chief



Minister would on Monday file his nomination for the April 6 assembly polls from Edappadi constituency, aiming for a hat-trick of wins from the segment in his home district of Salem in western

Palaniswami, who has been named the chief ministerial candidate of the AIADMK-led alliance, would submit his papers at the taluk office in Edappadi at 1 pm and embark on a campaign in areas including Nangavalli and Jalagandapuram in his constituency, a party release here said on Sunday.

The CM, who is also the AIADMK co-coordinator, has won from Edappadi four times (1989,91,2011 and 2016) and the region is among the strongholds of the ruling party.

Palaniswami had launched his campaign in December last and has addressed a slew of public meetings across the state.

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam filed his nomination to contest from Bodinayakkanur constituency in Theni district on March 12, the opening day to submit papers.

Panneerselvam had emerged victorious from Bodinayakanur in 2011 and 2016 and the segment has favoured AIADMK nominees in several polls including 1989, when late ruling party matriarch J Jayalalithaa won heading a separate AIADMK faction.

The ruling party is contesting in 179 of the 234 constituencies.

The last date to submit nomination is March 19.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
Marilyn Nieves/iStockBy MARLENE LENTHANG, ABC News



Kenneth Walker, the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department and the officers involved in the deadly shooting.



The suit, filed together by multiple law firms Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, accused the LMPD of violating his constitutional rights.



The lawsuit said LMPD's actions in the raid violated Walker's Fourth Amendment rights, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.



"This is a very important lawsuit to vindicate Kenneth Walker's constitutional rights under the U.S. Constitution," Cliff Sloan, a Georgetown University Law Center attorney representing Walker in the suit told ABC News. "We are seeking to ensure that there is justice and accountability for the tragic and unjustified police assault on Kenneth Walker and killing of Breonna Taylor."



The lawsuit was filed one day before the anniversary of Taylor's death.



On March 13, 2020, plainclothes LMPD officers Myles Cosgrove, Brett Hankison and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, executed a no-knock warrant at the apartment where Taylor and Walker were living in Louisville, Kentucky. The officers contended that Taylor's ex-boyfriend was shipping drugs to the address.



The officers broke through the door as the couple was sleeping. Walker, a licensed gun holder, said he thought someone was breaking in and fired a single shot that hit Mattingly in the leg. The officers returned with a fusillade of bullets that struck and killed Taylor, a 26-year-old medical worker.



The complaint names the Louisville and Jefferson County Metro government and officers Hankison, Cosgrove and Mattingly.



The complaint further accused the LMPD of "tacitly approving excessive use of force" in failing to "adequately train its officers in using reasonable (and not excessive) force."



"Although Mr. Walker had committed no crime, officers on the scene took him into custody. Defendant Hankison told Mr. Walker that he was 'going to jail for the rest of [his] life,'" the complaint, obtained by ABC News, stated.



The raid led Walker to suffer "mental anguish, emotional distress, trauma, humiliation, embarrassment, and reputational harm," the suit said. Walker is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.



The LMPD told ABC News the department does not comment on pending litigation but the department has defended the officers saying they knocked and announced themselves at Taylors door in the incident. Walker said he heard banging at the door but when he asked who it was, they did not hear the police respond, per the lawsuit.



In September, Mattingly defended his actions in an e-mail to more than 1,000 of his colleagues saying, I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night. Its sad how the good guys are demonized, and the criminals are canonized.



In an exclusive interview with ABC News and Louisville's Courier Journal in October, Mattingly offered empathy for Taylors death, saying, It was tragic. It's horrible. When asked what he would do differently he said he would've stormed Taylor's residence without giving her time to answer, claiming the shooting wouldn't have happened if that were the case.



Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer in the raid. He said he fired in self-defense. The charge was dropped this week.



Last year, Walker filed an ongoing state court lawsuit in Jefferson Circuit Court against the city and the LMPD.



That suit claimed Walker should be exempt from criminal prosecution under Kentucky's "Stand Your Ground" law which "protects all Kentuckians who seek to protect themselves or loved ones in self-defense," according to the suit.



Taylor's death sparked national protests decrying racism and police brutality. To this day, none of the officers involved in the raid have been charged in her death.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Photo: The Canadian Press In 2019 in Halifax, Gen. Jonathan Vance, centre, presided over the Royal Canadian Navy's change of command from Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd, left, to then-Vice-Admiral Art McDonald. Vance has retired as chief of the defence staff but faces allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies. McDonald, Vance's successor at the apex of the Canadian Forces, has stood aside while unspecified allegations against him are investigated. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Emerging allegations of sexual misconduct against senior members of the Armed Forces are raising concerns about the extent to which the top brass is tainted by such behaviour  and prompting sharp discussions about how to fix the problem.

The ideas include everything from restorative justice or even a truth-and-reconciliation commission to a marked change in how the military chooses its leaders and a shuffle in the top ranks.

Todays leaders came up through what retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps described in 2015 as an underlying sexual culture that was hostile to women and left victims of sexual assault and harassment to fend for themselves.

Its quite clear that most of the CAFs senior leadership began their careers around the same time, when sexual harassment and sexual assault were not taken seriously, says former air force reservist Christine Wood, co-chair of the military sexual-trauma survivors' group Its Just 700.

Royal Military College of Canada professor Alan Okros, whose work focuses on leadership, gender equality and diversity in the military, says the issue first emerged in 1998, which is when the first harassment- and racism-prevention training was introduced.

Deschamps herself found that while the so-called SHARP training was seen by some as effective, others, by contrast, viewed it as a caricature. Deschamps specifically noted that after a few years, the military stopped hiring outside experts to conduct the training.

The past few weeks have seen a number of allegations emerge against senior leaders. That has led to ongoing speculation within defence circles as to which top commander will be accused next.

It is impossible to tell just how widespread the problem is within the militarys top brass, but Queens University professor Stefanie von Hlatky, who studies gender in the military, says recent Statistics Canada surveys offer some clues.

The first of those surveys of military personnel in 2016 found 80 per cent had seen or been targeted by such behaviour. Nearly half of women who reported having been sexually assaulted in the previous 12 months said the perpetrator outranked them.

It's actually pretty astounding to just look at those numbers, von Hlatky said. If you've got this prevalence at all levels, then it's not just a question of generational change, but it's really something that has been left unaddressed for too long.

Okros and von Hlatky believe one way to start addressing the problem is to change the way the military selects its leaders, a process that places a heavy emphasis on what is called operational effectiveness, or accomplishing missions.

They went, they got the job done, Okros says. But some drove the team, drove their people, pushed them and got the job done, but left people in their wake that were broken.

While operational effectiveness is the core of how the military measures success in nearly every domain, Okros and von Hlatky say more emphasis should be put on how commanders have treated their troops.

But what to do about the problem right now?

Does the (chief of the defence staff) reset the standard? Okros asks.

Go out as a personal challenge to every general and flag officer, every chief warrant officer, and say: I want you to stop ... take a hard look in the mirror, think about your past, think about what you've done and think about your ability to lead the required culture change. And if now is the time for you to graciously retire, I'd be happy to take your letter.

The past week saw Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen appointed as Canadas first female vice-chief of the defence staff, the militarys second-in-command. Lost amid the applause was an unusually long list of generals and senior naval officers announcing their retirements.

While defence analyst David Perry says part of that because of a steady growth in the top brass over the past five years, which leads eventually to more generals and admirals on retirement lists, he says some of the retirements were unexpected.

Canadian Forces College professor Andrea Lane, who studies gender in security, believes there must be ways for victims of military sexual misconduct to come forward and tell their stories.

There is no mechanism right now for women or other victims to be able to say: You did something to harm me in the past and I would like you to acknowledge it and apologize for it, she said.

The only way for anybody to have any redress is this very punishment-focused military discipline system.

The federal government reached a settlement agreement in 2019 with survivors of military sexual misconduct who had filed a class-action lawsuit, which provided financial compensation as well as the promise of a yet-to-be-delivered apology and restorative engagement.

The details of that restorative engagement have not been spelled out, but they are expected to differ from typical restorative-justice initiatives in that victims will not directly address those who did them harm. They will instead relate their experiences to a senior military leader.

Its also unclear how that will feed into the broader fight against sexual misconduct in the Armed Forces.

Lane suggested what may be needed is something along the lines of a truth-and-reconciliation commission, which would help air the many grievances that exist within the military and start moving toward healing without senior officers across the board facing charges.

It could be solved by instituting a parallel restorative justice system for people to be able to come forward and say: Look, you did something bad and you're now in a position of power. And I don't think that you should be in a position of power if you can't accept responsibility for what you did. But at the same time, I don't think you should be demoted or fired.

Doodnath Maharaj was the general secretary of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union for nearly two decades. This is out of a total of 40 years service.

He was a dedicated and loyal comrade who did his best work away from the limelight. Indeed, he shunned it, embodying a self-effacing personality that was deeply mystifying to many who came to know him.
Instead of all the effort to ban government-issued photo IDs as a requirement to vote, which opens the door for voting fraud, why not instead protect the integrity of our elections and attack the problem itself by spending the time and money assuring that anyone who wants a government-issued photo ID has an opportunity to get one? I say the opportunity, because a little personal responsibility is not too much to ask.

There can be no logical argument that requiring a government-issued photo ID to verify identity when voting reduces the opportunity for voting fraud. None. The left screams that it is somehow voter suppression to require such, since, according to leftists, if you are poor, black, or Latino, there is some magic wall that makes it too difficult or expensive for you to get a photo ID. They cite such things as the cost of the ID, obtaining a birth certificate, getting to a location for the ID, etc. These issues are the same for everyone, regardless of race. Let's look at removing these alleged obstacles for all citizens.

Recent numbers from the ACLU claim that 11% of people in America do not have a government-issued photo ID, or about 21 million people. A photo ID is required in many day-to-day activities, such as buying tobacco and alcohol and entering certain buildings, to name a few. Since Social Security checks are mostly deposited directly to an account, as are many forms of welfare, how does one open a bank account to receive such payments without a government-issued photo ID? A government-issued photo ID would also help people in other ways.

Let's first look at who does not need a government-issued photo ID at our expense: non-citizens. It is a federal crime for a non-citizen to vote in a federal election. How many of the people without government-issued photo IDs are here illegally? Regardless, this group is not a factor at all in government-issued photo IDs and voting and can be ignored.

It would be money well spent for the USG to grant funds to the states to see that a citizenship-verified government-issued photo ID is available to all citizens. Use the media to educate people about the program. The activists opposing government-issued photo ID s could just as easily and more honestly identify those who need a government-issued photo ID and help them get one. Cover the cost of the government-issued photo ID, typically very inexpensive. Each state could provide a copy of a birth certificate at no charge if needed. If need be, transportation to a government office at certain times and places could be provided. For those unable to travel, send a worker to the nursing home, for example, for the photo itself once the supporting information is verified. This government-issued photo ID would also verify citizenship for voting in federal elections. The relatively small cost would easily be justified by improving our election integrity.

For those states who choose to allow felons to vote, the prisons can issue photo IDs.

Some say there are those who are afraid to get a government-issued photo ID. Why? What are they afraid of? If the person is an illegal alien, for example, he can't vote anyway, at least not legally. As to others, again, a little personal responsibility, please.

I submit that this is a better way to approach the alleged problem, but that is not to say it will not be opposed by those who do not care one bit about voting fraud, so long as it helps give them (undeserved) power. Nonetheless, this is a commonsense proposal that would draw support from both sides. It would be interesting and maybe even amusing to hear the arguments against it, likely the standard leftist talking points that such a law would directly address and render moot.

Let's focus on the positive angle of this issue, not the negative.

Image: Tom Arthur via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Associated Asphalt and Materials wants to consolidate its two asphalt plants located near Santa Fe Regional Airport at the south end of town, but opponents are calling the presence of the plants environmental racism.

On March 22, the New Mexico Environment Department will hold a public hearing for Associated Asphalts air quality permit. The company currently has two plants about half a mile from each other. The goal is to move the asphalt plant on Oliver Road north to co-locate it with the existing asphalt plant in the area.

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That means the plants would be moving 50% farther away from residential areas, Matt Lane, environmental manager for Associated Asphalt, said. It also means there will be a 50% reduction in the concentrations of emissions that reach residential areas, he said.

Lane said the move wouldnt allow the company to increase production rates  its simply a move to put two plants together for efficiencys sake.

The consolidated plant site would be located at 86 Paseo de River in Santa Fe County. If approved, Associated Asphalt would close its two existing air quality permits for the one consolidated permit.

The move would also allow the plants to be fully hooked up to the local electrical grid. Right now, the plant on Oliver Road uses diesel generators, and the move would eliminate the diesel exhaust in the area.

But Miguel Angel Acosta, co-director of Earth Care, which describes itself as a youth empowerment and community development organization, said the Associated Asphalt consolidation will bring the plant closer to the El Camino Real Academy, a school with about 800 students. He said the move will also bring the plant closer to a mobile home park.

Quality of life and standards need to apply not just to tourists and to north side elites, Acosta said. Quality of life and health standards need to apply to everybody.

He said his concern doesnt lie just with the consolidation, but with the fact that an industrial area is zoned right next to one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Santa Fe. This also happens to be an area home to low-income and immigrant communities.

More tracking mechanisms

Katharine Fishman, manager of Associated Asphalt, said the company would also be paving the road its trucks use, which would cut down on dirt and debris being spread in the area.

Right now, some of the permits that Associated Asphalt operates under are older permits, and they did not contain as many conditions as a modern permit does, Lane said.  By getting this new permit that (the New Mexico Environment Department) will issue, theres going to be a lot more tracking mechanisms in there (for air quality).

Fishman is the daughter of prominent business man Richard Cook, who died at the age of 91 in 2017. She inherited her fathers companies, including Associated Asphalt.

In 2014, Copar Pumice Co., owned by the Cook family, paid a $2.25 million federal settlement for alleged environmental mining violations in the Jemez National Recreation Area. Residents close to the mining site complained of dust, noise and traffic from the operations, according to previous reporting.

Maddy Hayden, a spokeswoman with the Environment Department, said the Santa Fe Associated Asphalt locations have not had any environmental violations. But she said that, in the past 20 years, the department issued three violation notices to other Associated Asphalt locations.

Hayden said the only way an air permit can be revoked is after issuing an Administrative Compliance Order, which follows violations of regulatory requirements and the companys failure to comply with the order. The Environment Department doesnt have the authority to shut down or force a company to move if it meets state and federal air regulations. Prohibiting operations can be addressed by county zoning requirements, she said.

Carmelina Hart, communications coordinator for Santa Fe County, said the county hasnt received a permit application for Associated Asphalt. She said the application process is public and that part of the process is getting feedback from area residents. The current asphalt plants are considered an allowable use for the area, she said.

Theres a pattern

Linda Marianiello, a resident of Tierra Contenta on Santa Fes Southside, said she thinks circumstances would be different if the area was wealthier and whiter. As an example, Marianiello mentioned that, a couple of years ago, MorningStar Assisted Living planned to build a facility on the wealthier Eastside off Old Pecos Trail. But neighbors complained about increased traffic and the facility was moved closer to the Midtown area on Pacheco Street.

Earth Cares Acosta said another recent example was the Flying J truck stop, proposed to be built near the entrance of the Rancho Viejo subdivision near the community college, also an area where whites make up the majority of the population.

So theres a pattern, Acosta said. Theres a pattern and we call it environmental racism.

He said he would like to see better air quality monitoring standards for the asphalt plants and more research into how the pollution affects area residents. That part of town has also been one of the communities hardest hit by COVID-19.

There are more lungs exposed to COVID-19 in the area and no data on how those lungs react to the asphalt pollution, Acosta said. He said he would like to do more research into the pollution reporting standards before another permit is issued.

Thats the kind of environmental racism that we keep running into, Acosta said. So its too burdensome to ask the company to monitor (air quality), but the burdens to community health are not an issue.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Italy's health minister said Sunday the government hoped new coronavirus restrictions imposed on three quarters of the country would allow a relaxation of measures in the second half of spring.

Roberto Speranza comments in Sunday's La Repubblica newspaper came on the eve of restrictions taking effect from Monday and running until April 6, which would cover the crucial Easter holiday period.

"The implementation of more stringent measures and the gradual increase in the number of people vaccinated make us think we will have improving figures by the second half of spring already," he said.

The new factor had been the recent mutations of the original virus, particularly the one identified in England, which now accounted for more than half the cases.

But he added: "Each dose of vaccine injected is a step in the direction of the way out of the crisis."

And although several countries have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine because of concerns over side-effects, Speranza expressed his confidence in Italian and European health authorities, both of which say it is safe to use.

Schools, restaurants, shops and museums will close across most of Italy on Monday, a year after it became the first European country to face a major outbreak.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Friday the surge in infections was fuelled by the new, more contagious variants.

Most regionsincluding those containing Rome and Milanbecome high-risk red zones, with all residents told to stay home except for work, health or other essential reasons.

The restrictions cover 48 million people and will last until Easterthen during the Easter weekend of April 3-5, the whole of Italy will become a red zone.

Italy has to date suffered more than 101,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

In the northern region of Piedmont meanwhile, the health authority briefly suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine Sunday after the death of a teacher who had received it the day before.

The woman teacher, whose age has not been disclosed, died Sunday at Biella, a town north of Turin.

A statement on regional health authority's website said vaccination had resumed "after a precautionary suspension of a few hours aimed at locating and isolating the batch from which originated the dose injected into the deceased teacher".

All other batches could be used except that one, pending a meeting of the health authorities, the statement added.

Already on Thursday, Italy decided to halt the use of a batch of the AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus vaccine because of fears over the formation of blood clots.

On Sunday, health ministry inspectors arrived in Sicily, in the south of the country, to investigate the death there of a 43-year-old soldier last Tuesday after having received the vaccine.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

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There is still a strong need to combat Islamophobia in Australia, with the increasing presence of far-right white supremacist movements across the world, the vice-president of the Islamic Council of Victoria says.

The groups Mohamed Mohideen said in 2017 he had started an annual mosque open day to break down myths and negative publicity about the Muslim community.

Prayer time at the Australian Bosnian Islamic Centre in Deer Park. The Mosque was taking part in the Islamic Council of Victorias Mosque Open Day on Sunday. Credit:Scott McNaughton

The motto of open doors, open hearts and open minds rang true on Sunday, as Victorian mosques opened their doors to the masses to break down stereotypes and mistruths about Islam.

With barbecues on and henna at the ready, 15 mosques from across Melbourne and regional Victoria took part, welcoming hundreds of people for tours and talks about the religion.
A Florida pastor grieving the loss of his two daughters and three grandchildren who were killed in a fatal crash said he has yet to share the tragic news with his wife, a stage-4 cancer survivor, who's in the hospital.

Just imagining that final impact and what my kids were going through and what my grandchildren were saying and I couldnt be there to protect them, Pastor Anthony Oliver of Taft Missionary Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida, told Fox 35 News. Because anytime anything happens, theyre always calling for me, Papa, Papa. And I could imagine them calling my name. Thats what hurts. That I wasnt there.

The accident involved two vehicles  a Hyundai carrying six people and a Suburban  occurred at the intersection of Clarcona Ocoee Road and Gaymar Drive in Orlando late Thursday evening, killing a 5-month-old baby boy and 5- and 4-year-old girls, as well as two women aged 30 and 25.

Last night was the last time my grandbabies talked to me and told me, Pop Pop, I love you. I wont hear that no more, the pastor said, according to Click Orlando. Any parent would rather their kids bury them than them burying their kids and now Ive got to bury five, Oliver said. Love on them while theyre here, because when theyre gone thats it.

Source:The Christian Post
A sadistic killer who raped a teenage girl before murdering her fiance has been released from jail despite being initially handed a life sentence.

Tameka Ridgeway and her husband-to-be, Dean Ally, then aged 17 and 22, were tortured in a 12-hour campaign of terror in February 1986.

As they slept, Jamie Curtis and a teen-aged accomplice, who can't be named for legal reasons, broke into their Hobart home before brutally raping Ms Ridgeway for several hours.

'They raped me multiple times, one after the other. It was so degrading. [They] tied Dean up and put him the bathroom, they bound his hands together. Just punched and kicked him and put boiling water on him in the shower,' she told 60 Minutes.

Tameka Ridgeway and her fiance Dean Ally (pictured together) were abducted and tortured for 12 hours in February 1986

The callous criminals then abducted the couple at knife point and drove them into dense bushland.

As Ms Ridgeway was ordered to get into the boot, she could hear her fiance begging for his life as they stabbed him to death.

A farmer who owned the property on which the car was parked heard the commotion and rushed to rescue Ms Ridgeway, and Curtis and his accomplice were subsequently arrested.

The pair were charged and convicted of a series of crimes including murder, rape, indecent assault, burglary and abduction.

Curtis was sentenced to life behind bars but was given the chance to apply for a fixed jail term after new legislation was passed in 2002.

His prison term was shaved to a non-parole period of 30-years, making him eligible for parole in 2016.

Curtis (pictured) and his accomplice, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested and charged with murder, rape, indecent assault, burglary and abduction

Two years later, Curtis was released after he was deemed a changed man - despite the fact he was knocked back in a previous parole application after being found to have an incurable personality disorder with many psychopathic traits.

Now, Curtis is back living in the community under strict parole conditions and is living with his new girlfriend Sharon.

Reporter Tara Brown approached the convicted killer on a Tasmanian street on Sunday's episode of 60 Minutes, where she asked: 'Can you please reassure the community that you are safe?'

But Curtis told her to 'f**k off', ignored her question, and walked away.

When Ms Brown asked Sharon whether her partner could be trusted to be back in society, she said Curtis had already served time for his crimes.

'He paid 33 years for what he did,' she said.

'And do you believe he is rehabilitated?' Ms Brown asked.

'Yes, I do. Would I be living with him?'

Curtis (pictured) was granted parole in 2018, but was sent back to jail weeks later after police issued a restraining order against him for Sharon - a breach of his parole conditions

Curtis' new girlfriend Sharon (pictured) defended his release, saying he had already 'paid' for his crimes

Shortly after leaving jail in 2018, Curtis met Sharon on a dating app, while using false names to conceal his identity.

A few weeks later, police issued a restraining order for Sharon against her new partner after her children claimed he had physically assaulted her.

Curtis was sent back to prison for breaching his parole conditions, before being released on January 27 this year.

He quickly picked things back up where they left off with Sharon, who denies that he ever assaulted her.

He is now subject to strict release conditions, which require him to be on parole for the rest of his life and forever wear an electronic monitoring device.

Ms Ridgeway, now 52, says Curtis has never showed any remorse and believes he should have never been allowed to walk free, especially after having already flouted his parole restrictions.

But lawyer Greg Barns, Chair of the Prisoners Advisory Legal Service in Tasmania, says parole boards make a calculated decision, based on balancing and managing risk.

He said while no system is perfect, and parole authorities do get it wrong, the majority of the time they do get things right.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

Mrs D.H. writes: After reading your recent report about Nectar, I hope you might resolve my problem.

I saved 43,000 Nectar points, worth 215, towards purchasing a vacuum cleaner. Suddenly, I noticed almost all my points had gone. I knew I had not spent them.

I am virtually housebound and had not physically shopped in Sainsbury's since the start of 2020.

Mrs H saved 43,000 Nectar points for a new vacuum  but almost all then disappeared

Tony Hetherington replies: Nectar told me this would be fully investigated, including examining CCTV footage.

However, it allowed so much time to pass that CCTV was no longer available. I spoke to Sainsbury's but they said it was up to Nectar to sort it out.

Lots of companies belong to the Nectar loyalty points scheme, including big names like Argos, eBay and Esso. But Nectar is owned by Sainsbury's, so for Sainsbury's to tell you that it is up to Nectar to investigate your missing points is just a brush-off.

My recent report told how a Mail on Sunday reader lost 6,000 Nectar points which were spent at an Argos branch he had never entered.

After I intervened, Sainsbury's told me it would investigate, and it did replace the missing points. But staff called the reader and told him they did not believe any fraud had actually happened.

The implication was that the reader had let someone use his card to spend the points, and then falsely tried to reclaim them. Sainsbury's knows the identity of the person who spent the points, but refuses to reveal it.

If anything, Sainsbury's response to your own loss is even worse.

It told me you had contacted it to ask for an additional cardholder to be removed from your account, and only three months later had complained about your missing 43,000 points which, Sainsbury's told me, the other cardholder had already spent.

Again, the implication was that you allowed your points to be spent, and were now trying to cheat Sainsbury's into replacing them. But what Sainsbury's told me was untrue.

Fortunately, you had saved a complete print-out of your online 'chat' session, asking where your missing points had gone.

This shows the Nectar representative telling you: 'I have checked this for you and I would like to inform you that the points were redeemed by the additional cardholder of the account.'

The print-out shows you telling Nectar that you do not have an additional cardholder.

Nectar tells you the name of the person, and says he spent your points at Sainsbury's in Burnley.

You recognise the name, but deny ever having authorised any such additional card, and Nectar tells you: 'Not to worry, I will remove him from your account.'

Sainsbury's knows the identity of the person who spent the points, but refuses to reveal it

You ask whether Nectar can reimburse you, but the representative explains he personally cannot do this.

So, a million miles away from the picture painted to me by Sainsbury's, which gave the false impression that you had cancelled the additional card, and only later complained about missing points.

The print-out shows the truth, that you made contact about the missing points and were only then told about the mysterious additional cardholder, with Nectar itself saying it would cancel it.

Sainsbury's has offered no explanation for why it tried to mislead me.

However, it has said that the additional card was issued in August 2014 'with the same security details' as your own card.

I have asked five times for a copy of the application for the additional card, so I can see who it came from. Sainsbury's has refused to produce it.

They were also supposed to be looking urgently into why they gave me false information about you, but they have gone strangely silent on this as well.

Nectar is a leaky ship. It claims to have its own fraud investigators, but cardholders repeatedly tell me they are instructed to ask the police to investigate, while Nectar seems to do its best to avoid replacing stolen points or helping cardholders themselves to investigate.

You are 215 out of pocket. I think if I were you, I would shop at a different supermarket.

One reader had her bank account shut down with no warning - with all her money still in there

Monese shut my mother's account...and kept 3,000

Ms V.A. writes: Card company Monese ruined our Christmas. On December 7, Monese emailed my mother to say it was closing her account and she should supply details of a bank account to receive her balance of 3,068.

She immediately replied with those details, but despite calls and emails, Monese did not transfer the money.

This was the only money she had available in the run-up to Christmas, but Monese said there was nothing it could do about that.

Tony Hetherington replies: You have told me that not only was your Christmas ruined, but by January your mother owed payments for rent, council tax and utilities.

Your mother never contested Monese's right to decide which customers it wants and which it dumps, but either way, it had no right to hang on to thousands of pounds.

With your mother's consent, I approached Monese, and a few days later it released all her money.

But it explained: 'Due to our regulatory obligations, we cannot comment further on, or disclose, the individual circumstances regarding the closure of accounts. In regards to this case, we have acted in line with our legal and regulatory obligations.'

Monese lists 13 reasons why it might close an account, such as a customer running up debts, or being violent towards staff. But the explanation it offered only applies to criminal offences such as money laundering.

I suspect Monese believed your mother was a crook but later changed its mind, though it will never confirm this.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
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The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Ibrahim Attahiru, on Sunday, assured that the war against insurgency would soon come to a successful end.

Mr Attahiru, who gave the assurance in Damaturu, Yobe, while addressing troops of Sector 2 of Operation Lafiya Dole, commended the troops for their recent gains in neutralising insurgents.

Im very pleased; your commanders have told me what you have done collectively, as part of Operation Tura Takai Bango, how you have pushed the Boko Haram insurgents.

We are so proud of you, and I believe that in the second phase of that operation, you will do more. Im sure you will go out there and push them so hard and bring this entire insurgency to an end, the COAS said.

Mr Attahiru, who said that he was at the sector to familiarise himself with the troops, conveyed the greetings of President Muhammadu Buhari to them.

We have come to the sector headquarters in Yobe to meet you; to get to know you and you know us as well.

I am bringing very special greetings from the President and Commander-in-Chief; he has been fully briefed and is aware of what you are doing and how you are doing them.

I am personally here to take cognisance of what you are doing, note the challenges you are facing and ensure that they are addressed for you to have the highest level of morale needed to do your job with pride, as Nigerian soldiers, he said.

(NAN)
Princess Diana with Prince Charles and her sons William and Harry in 1995. (Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)

It's Mother's Day in the United Kingdom and despite currently residing across the pond, Prince Harry arranged for flowers to be laid at Princess Diana's grave to honor his late mother.

According to Harper's Bazaar royal editor Omid Scobie, an official spokesperson confirmed that the Duke of Sussex, who was only 12 years old when his mother died in 1997, had a bouquet of flowers laid at Diana's final resting place on the Spencer family estate in Althorp, Northamptonshire in England. Harry is living in California with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their 22-month-old son, Archie. The couple are also expecting a baby girl in the coming months.

Harry's brother, Prince William, also paid tribute to the late Diana, sharing photos of handmade cards his three children, Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2, made in honor of their "Granny" in a post on the official Kensington Royal account.

"This year Mother's Day will be different once again. Many of us will be apart from our loved ones, but looking forward to a time in the not too distant future when we can give our mother a hug again," the caption read. "But for those experiencing bereavement, today may be particularly challenging.

"Each year on Mother's Day, George, Charlotte, and Louis make cards remembering their Granny, Diana, for William," the post continued. "Whatever your circumstances, we are thinking of you this Mother's Day."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The cards from the three children featured artwork, including a scenic drawing from George and drawings of hearts by Charlotte and Louis. The two eldest kids also wrote notes to their paternal grandmother.

"Dear Granny Diana, Happy Happy Mother's Day," wrote George. "I love you very much and think of you always. Sending you lots of love."

"I am thinking of you on Mother's Day. I love you very much," Charlotte wrote. "Papa is missing you. Lots of love."

Story continues

In last week's interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry reflected on how his mother would feel about him stepping away the royal family. Harry said that while his mom "would feel very angry with how this has panned out," he believed that "ultimately, all she'd ever want is for us to be happy."

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India steps in to help Sri Lanka out of debt abyss View(s):

India, in a latest change of slightly strained economic relations, is now holding close and constructive discussions with Sri Lanka on a US$1.1 billion swap facility, debt freezing arrangement, and development aid, official sources confirmed.

The Indo Sri Lanka technical level discussions on the postponement of debt repayment and the offer of $45 billion loan from Exim Bank of India for Kankesanthurai Port development have been concluded in favour of Sri Lanka, a senior official of the State Ministry of Finance told the Business Times.

Indian and Sri Lankan authorities will finalise the rescheduling repayment of loans and the countrys $1.1 billion currency swap facility which was pledged during President Gotabaya Rajapksas visit to India last year.

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay also held discussions towards this end at the senior level in Colombo on Sri Lankas requirements.

Sri Lanka is relieved to some extent in massive debt servicing problem with Indias positive response for necessary funding in the wake of Chinas approval of $1.54 billion currency swap this week,.

In another latest development, negotiations on Sri Lankas proposed controversial Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement Year (ETCA) with India is expected to resume possibly in April this year following a deadlock of over two years,

ETCA faced heavy opposition from professional bodies, particularly in the IT and healthcare sectors, over the past few years on the grounds that Sri Lankas skilled labour force would be relegated to a second choice with preference given to Indian workers.

Development of the Kankesanthurei Port will commence in early 2021, Chairman of the Ports Authority Retired General Daya Ratnayake said. (BS)
The contents relating to safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in the outline of the 14th five-year plan (2021-2025) for national Economic and social development and the long-range objectives through the Year 2035 reflects its importance to the development of the country and Hong Kong in the next five years, Secretary for security of the HKSAR government John Lee Ka-chiu said on Saturday.

The fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) adopted the outline of the 14th five-year plan (2021-2025) for national economic and social development and the long-range objectives through the year 2035 in Beijing on Thursday.

Lee said that the outline of the 14th five-year plan requires the special administrative regions (SARs) to implement and defend the legal system and enforcement mechanisms so as to safeguard national sovereignty, security, development interests and the social stability of the SARs as well as resolutely prevent external forces from interfering in Hong Kong and Macao affairs.

This fully reflects the actual situation in Hong Kong. When Hong Kong was faced with unrest and violence, the Standing Committee of the NPC passed the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR on June 30, 2020, which was promulgated and implemented by the HKSAR government on the same day. The law has had an immediate effect on curbing actions that endanger national security, Lee said.

Lee hoped that all the sectors of Hong Kong society will work together with the HKSAR government to safeguard national security and seize the opportunities generated from the 14th five-year plan so as to build a better future for the Hong Kong residents and the next generation.
He will be gone by the end of April at the latest, predicted one senior Liberal Party figure, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss internal matters. If Michael OBrien stays, the Victorian Liberal Party will get wiped out. Illustration: Matt Golding Credit:. Former leader Matthew Guy, the most likely challenger to Mr OBrien, has publicly denied any interest in returning to his old job. The West Australian election result, called by ABC psephologist Antony Green within 45 minutes of the polls closing, is the most dramatic demonstration yet of how the pandemic has sand-bagged governments and sidelined oppositions. Monash University political commentator Nick Economou said the pandemic had a profound impact on the West Australian election, where Mr McGowan, with his fortress WA border policies, had tapped a rich seam of secessionist nationalism.

Mr Kirkup, a first-term parliamentarian who took over the leadership in November, conceded the election midway through the campaign. He said hed gone up against a juggernaut. Dr Economou said while this was true, there also appeared to be a fundamental problem with the West Australian Liberals at a state level. In his most radical election pledge, Mr Kirkup promised to shut state-owned coal-fired power stations by 2025 and make the resource-rich state carbon neutral by 2030. Grilled: West Australias former opposition leader Zak Kirkup lost his seat and quit politics after Saturdays electoral rout. Credit:Matt Jelonek Zac Kirkup tried to take the Liberal Party way out to the comparative left on energy policy, Dr Economou said. That is a big mistake. If you want to really compound your political error, you do things that offend your base.

I dont think Victorian Liberals are likely to repeat that mistake. A Victorian Liberal MP said the mistake more likely to be made here was a return to the messiah complex; the notion that a change of leaders can fix deeper problems within the party such as the quality of candidates and absence of a clear, post-pandemic policy agenda. He said part of the push to replace Mr OBrien in the short term was the belief that, so long as he continued as leader, these other problems wouldnt be resolved. A senior Party figure predicted Opposition Leader Michael OBrien would be gone by the end of next month. Credit:Luis Ascui The appetite for organisational change within the Victorian Liberal Party will be tested when state president Robert Clark calls an AGM of the State Council. This could trigger a challenge to Mr Clarks position by forces aligned with Victorias most senior federal Liberal, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, and reshape the partys approach to preselections.

The political dominance of Mr McGowan in Western Australia goes beyond Saturdays crushing result. During the campaign, Liberal focus groups and pollsters reported a form of political capture, where the only thing that seemed to matter to voters was what they were being told by their Premier. This in turn meant that issues traditionally important to Liberal voters - economic management, cost of living and crime - failed to register on election day. Mr McGowan is the third political leader in our region to be returned to power off the back of a hardline, closed-border response to the pandemic. In October, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern went from minority government to a commanding parliamentary majority. In Queensland in the same month, Annastacia Palaszczuk won an election she was widely expected to lose before COVID-19 struck. In Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews continues to hold a commanding position in opinion polls despite presiding over the second wave epidemic that led to the deaths of 800 people and forced Victoria into Australias most protracted lock-down. He is currently off work recovering from a serious back injury sustained last week. Mr Kennett said it was natural during a time of crisis for people to look to their governments to solve problems but much could change between now and the November 2022 election, when the government would be principally judged on the performance of the state economy and the impact it was having on peoples livelihoods. If all that I have said above were to come to fruition, I genuinely believe regardless of what has happened in Western Australia that there will be a change of government here in November next year, he said.
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle thanks Pope Francis in the name of all Filipinos at the end of Mass in St. Peters Basilica for the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines.

By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peters Basilica on Sunday to mark 500 years since the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines.

At the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, formerly the Archbishop of Manila, expressed the gratitude of all Filipinos for the Popes gesture of closeness.

His voice filled with emotion, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples told the Pope that when Filipino emigrants miss their grandparents they can always count on the Holy Fathers nearness, as their Lolo Kiko.

Here are Cardinal Tagles words of greeting:

Holy Father,

The Filipino migrants in Rome want to express our gratitude to you for leading us in this Eucharistic celebration in thanksgiving for the arrival of the Christian faith in the Philippines five hundred years ago. We bring you the filial love of Filipinos in the 7641 islands of our country. There are more than ten million Filipino migrants living in almost one hundred countries in the world. They are united with us this morning. We treasure your concern for us and for all migrants in Rome, consistently manifested by Your Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, His Eminence Cardinal Angelo de Donatis and the Director of the Diocesan Office Migrantes, Monsignor Pierpaolo Felicolo, and the Chaplain of the Centro Filippino, Fr. Ricky Gente.1

The coming of the Christian faith to our land is Gods gift. That the Christian faith was received by the majority of our people and given by them a Filipino character is Gods gift. Now the Philippines has the third largest number of Catholics in the world. This is truly Gods gift. We attribute the enduring faith of the Filipino people only to Gods love, mercy and fidelity, not to any merit of our own.

From 1521 to 2021, we see gift upon gift. We thank God for the bearers of the gift these 500 years: the pioneering missionaries, the religious congregations, the clergy, the grandmothers and grandfathers, the mothers and fathers, the teachers, the catechists, the parishes, the schools, the hospitals, the orphanages, the farmers, the laborers, the artists, and the poor whose wealth is Jesus. By Gods grace, the Filipino Christians have continued to receive the faith, one of the sources of hope in facing poverty, economic inequality, political upheavals, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and even the current pandemic. As we confess our failure in living the faith in a consistent manner, we also recognize the great contribution of the Christian faith in shaping the Filipino culture and the Filipino nation.

The gift must continue being a gift. It must be shared. If it is kept for oneself, it ceases to be a gift. By Gods mysterious design, the gift of faith we have received is now being shared by the millions of Christian Filipino migrants in different parts of the world. We have left our families, not to abandon them, but to care for them and their future. For love of them, we endure the sorrow of separation. When lonely moments come, Filipino migrants find strength in Jesus who journeys with us, the Jesus who became a Child (Santo Nino) and known as the Nazarene (Jesus Nazareno), bore the Cross for us. We are assured of the embrace of our Mother Mary and the protection of the saints. When we miss our families, we turn to the parish, our second home. When there is no one to talk with, we pour our hearts to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and ponder His word. We take care of the children under our charge as our own children, and the elderly as our own parents. We sing, we smile, we laugh, we cry, and we eat. We pray that through our Filipino migrants, the name of Jesus, the beauty of the Church, and the justice, mercy and joy of God may reach the ends of the earth. Here in Rome, when we miss our grandfathers, we know we have a Lolo Kiko. Thank you very much, Holy Father.
The Speaker of Parliament, Right Honourable Kingsford Alban Sumana Bagbin, has asked the Government to provide adequate resources for the operations of Parliament and the Judiciary in the 2021 Budget.



He said Parliament and the Judiciary were arms of Government and should be strengthened to function efficiently and hold the Executive in check.



He noted that Members of Parliament (MPs) would not continue to work from their homes to do government business, hence the need to resource the Legislature to function effectively.



Mr Bagbin said this after the presentation of the Business Statement of Parliament for next week, ending March 20, ahead of the Budget Statement.



The Business Statement was presented by the Deputy Chairman of the Business Committee, Mr Affenyo Markin.



The Speaker warned that the House would not entertain noise-making and heckling by members during the debate on the Budget next week.



He asked the MPs to do proper analysis and scrutiny of the Budget in the best interest of the people of Ghana.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Victoria Elders Home residents happy to get jab By Kumudini Hettiarachchi, Ruqyyaha Deane & Meleeza Rathnayake View(s): View(s):

Fridays symbolic vaccination rollout is the harbinger of the elderly vaccination programme under the COVAX initiative in the high-risk Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) areas and the Colombo and Gampaha districts

Silver-haired elderly in wheelchairs in a line, all awaiting the COVID-19 vaccine  the symbolic vaccination using the first tranche of doses sent under the global vaccine initiative, COVAX, taking place at the Victoria Elders Home, Rajagiriya, on Friday (March 12).

It was also a symbolic day, for the home had been established 133 years ago on March 13, 1888 and now provides succour to 136 people, 61 men and 75 women, looked after by a staff of 51.

The first to get the jab was 68-year-old E. Jayasena from Avissawella who had been in the home all his life who tells the Sunday Times, tikak riduna (it hurt a little), followed by 74-year-old Sepali Meeriyagolla from Nawagamuwa who has been here since she was 37 years old.

Smilingly, Sepali says that she is very happy that she got the vaccine and hopes everyone in the country can get it. This is her wish for all as she pays homage to the bodhiya early morn the next day, she promises.

The vaccination rollout at the Victoria Home began in the presence of Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi; State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, Prof. Channa Jayasumana; Colombos District Secretary Pradeep Yasaratne; Health Secretary Major-General Dr. Sanjeewa Munasinghe; Director-General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena; National Vaccines Committee Head Dr. Lakshmi Somatunga and many other high-level officials including those from the National Secretariat for Elders and UNICEF representatives.

As Minister Wanniarachchi told the first to get the vaccine: Meka gehuwama ledey hadenne ne, the nurse gave the jab saying atha podi karanna epa.

Assuring that all eligible people will be given the vaccination in Sri Lanka, Dr. Somatunga said that there are roughly 2.65 million elderly (above 60 years old) in the country. This symbolic vaccination is the harbinger of the elderly vaccination programme under the COVAX initiative in the high-risk Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) areas and the Colombo and Gampaha districts.

The Health Ministry is to vaccinate the elderly, starting with 264,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVISHIELD, along with the wardens and management looking after the elderly in these homes.

COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access) works with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries worldwide equitable access to safe and effective vaccines once they are approved and licensed. It is co-led by GAVI (the Vaccine Alliance), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to 2014 statistics there are 327 registered elders homes in Sri Lanka, of which 170 are in the Western Province (Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts).
Threats from China and North Korea will loom large over the Biden administrations first cabinet-level trip abroad, part of a larger effort to bolster US influence and calm concerns about Americas role in Asia.

A senior administration official said the US had tried to reach out to North Korea through multiple channels since last month, but had yet to receive a response, making consultations with the reclusive countrys neighbours  Japan, South Korea and China  all the more critical.

Secretary of state Antony Blinken and defence secretary Lloyd Austin are heading to Japan and South Korea for four days of talks starting on Monday, as the administration seeks to shore up partnerships with the two key regional treaty allies.

Mr Blinken and president Joe Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will then meet with senior Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska.

Great to be back in Hawaii. Tomorrow, I kick off a week of meetings with my @INDOPACOM leadership, as well as my counterparts in Japan, the Republic of Korea, and India. We have many important issues to discuss to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. pic.twitter.com/FVAAF5Fx9n  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) March 14, 2021

Their first official overseas visits are intended to restore what Mr Biden hopes will be a calming and even-keeled approach to ties with Tokyo and Seoul after four years of transactional and often temperamental relations under the previous president, Donald Trump. He had upended diplomatic norms by meeting not once, but three times, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

In addition to their official talks, Mr Blinken and Mr Austin plan to hold virtual meetings with journalists, civil society members and others. After reassuring their counterparts of US commitments to Japanese and South Korean security, they plan to focus their talks on co-operating to confront an increasingly assertive China, the nuclear challenge from North Korea and the coronavirus pandemic.

In his first months in office, Mr Biden has already signalled his desire to return the Asia-Pacific  or Indo-Pacific, as has become more common in official laguane  to the top of the US foreign policy agenda. In keeping with his broader America is back diplomatic theme, Mr Biden has pledged to keep stability in the region at the core of his international initiatives.

On Friday, Mr Biden participated in a virtual summit with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia. A free and open Indo-Pacific is essential, Mr Biden told his fellow members of the so-called Quad. The United States is committed to working with you, our partners and all of our allies in the region to achieve stability.

Expand Close US president Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison (Alex Brandon/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp US president Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison (Alex Brandon/AP)

As part of that effort and to reduce the risks of escalation, the senior official said efforts had been made to connect with the North Koreans since mid-February, including through what is known as the New York channel. To date, the official said, we have not received any response from Pyongyang. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic outreach.

As the administration plots its strategy, the official said it would continue to consult with the Japanese and South Koreans, as well as with the Chinese, and had also reached out to numerous former US officials involved in North Korea policy, including from the Trump presidency.

Mr Bidens meeting with the Quad came less than a week after US and South Korean negotiators overcame years of contentious discussions under Mr Trump to reach a tentative deal on paying for the American troop presence in South Korea. That agreement, along with a similar one for Japan, will be front and centre in Mr Blinken and Mr Austins meetings.

As he had done with allies in Europe, Mr Trump threatened to reduce security co-operation unless host countries paid more, sparking fears of troop withdrawals at a time of particular uncertainty as China boosts efforts to dominate the region and North Koreas nuclear weapons remain a major source of angst.

Diplomacy is back at the centre of our foreign policy, and we are working to strengthen Americas relationships with our allies as well as the relationships among them, said Sung Kim, the top US diplomat for Asia. He served in the Philippines and Indonesia during the Trump administration and was also previously the special envoy for North Korea.
Kathmandu: At least eight persons were injured on Sunday (March 14) when a "pressure cooker bomb" exploded at a crowded government office in Siraha district's Lahan in south-eastern Nepal, PTI reported.

The pressure cooker bomb exploded on the first floor of the Land Revenue Office at 12.40 pm, Assistant Chief District Officer Krishna Kumar Niraula was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post newspaper.

Over eight employees, including five men and three women, of the land revenue department were injured in the blast.

"Three of the critically injured are undergoing treatment at Saptarishi Hospital, Lahan while the others are admitted at Lahan Hospital," said DSP Tapan Dahal.

Meanwhile, police said that they have recovered pamphlets published by the Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (Revolutionary), an armed outfit led by Jaya Krishna Goit, from the blast site.

According to police, several pieces of pamphlets were found from the blast site but it is hard to read what is written on them.

"We can, however, see the signature of Jaya Krishna Goit," a police officer said. Police have been investigating the case.

The Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha is a group agitating for greater political and economic rights for the people of the Terai plains bordering India.

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Ms Everard's remains were found in a woodland area in Kent on Wednesday. Photo: PA Media.

A crowd gathered at Clapham Common for a vigil for the late Sarah Everard last night. Photo: PA Media.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel and London mayor Sadiq Khan have called for an independent investigation into the Metropolitan Polices actions at a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard.

Ms Patel asked the Chief Inspector of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review after officers clashed with crowds who gathered to remember the 33-year-old on Clapham Common.

The Home Secretary spoke with the under-fire Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick on Sunday, having received her report into the events on Saturday night.

But in the interest of confidence in policing Ms Patel asked Sir Thomas Winsor to conduct an independent review into what happened, a Government source told the PA news agency.

A Home Office spokesman said Ms Patel felt there were still questions to be answered.

It came as Mr Khan said he would be asking HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to look into the events.

The mayor said the scenes at the vigil were completely unacceptable despite having received assurances from Scotland Yard last week that the vigil would be policed sensitively.

He said: I asked the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner to come into City Hall today to give me an explanation of yesterdays events and the days leading up to them. I am not satisfied with the explanation they have provided.

I will now be asking Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary [HMIC] to conduct a full independent investigation of events yesterday evening and in previous days. I am also asking the Independent Office for Police Conduct [IOPC] to investigate the actions of police officers yesterday evening.

It is vital that these events are not allowed to undermine the powerful calls since Sarahs murder for meaningful action to finally stop men inflicting violence on women.

It was clear before yesterday that there isnt adequate trust and confidence from women and girls in the police and criminal justice system more widely. Further steps must now be taken to address this.

Dame Cressida is facing calls to resign after the clashes in which her forces officers were seen grabbing several women and leading them away in handcuffs.

The Metropolitan Police later said four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on Dame Cressida to resign, while Womens Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was untenable.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Commissioner should not quit, but condemned the policing on Saturday as wrong.

He told reporters: I was very disturbed to see the police action. I think it was wrong and I am pleased it is now going to be reviewed.

In one video obtained by the PA news agency, a woman could be seen being shoved forcefully in the back by two officers after being lifted from her knees.

The woman, who has not yet been identified, then tries to bend down near the officers and is shoved back again. She can be heard shouting that she is trying to retrieve her glasses.

Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach in coronavirus restrictions.

It has asked Dame Cressida for an urgent meeting so she can explain the actions taken by the police last night, before she reports to the Home Secretary.

After the clashes, organiser Jamie Klingler said the forces handling of events was a sign of the systemic ignoring and oppressing of women.

The Fire Brigades Union added to criticism of the Metropolitan Polices handling of the vigil, saying it was shocking and unacceptable.

We utterly condemn the violence meted out by the Metropolitan Police last night on Clapham Common, the union said on Twitter.

Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council, said he would bring together police chiefs on Monday to discuss what more we can do to better protect women.

Hundreds of people converged on the south London park despite an official vigil being called off earlier in the day due to police warnings over coronavirus restrictions.

Vigils also took place in locations including Glasgow, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol.
Third-level students in Northern Ireland have reacted positively to plans to give them access to the Erasmus programme post-Brexit, Irelands Further and Higher Education Minister has said.

Simon Harris said talks have been under way between higher education institutions (HEIs) on both sides of the border about Northern Ireland students taking part in the EUs student exchange scheme through Irish colleges and that early indications are that students are interested in taking up the offer.

Guidelines are expected to be outlined in coming weeks.

The Fine Gael politician also said he wants to extend the programme to further education students.

There is a positive reaction from the NI HEIs to the proposal, with the early indications of student interest to pursue the Erasmus option Further and Higher Education Minister Simon Harris

The UK decided not to partake in Erasmus after Brexit. It has been replaced by a new scheme.

But the Irish Government announced late last year that students from Northern Ireland would be given access to the EU-funded scheme post-Brexit by allowing them to temporarily register with Irish HEIs and travel to an EU member state.

It is expected to cost about 2.1 million euros per annum.

NI students are set to be able to avail of the scheme from September.

Mr Harris told the PA news agency: Officials in my department have been engaging with higher education institutions (HEIs), north and south officers about the proposal in the first instance.

Overall, there is a positive reaction from the NI HEIs to the proposal, with the early indications of student interest to pursue the Erasmus option.

Meetings with all HEIs, north and south to address operational matters have taken place, which will lead to guidelines on the scheme.

Further meetings are planned for the coming weeks, with a view to having the scheme in place for the commencement of the 2021/2022 academic year.

Pleased to confirm this. We are determined to continue to find ways of working together on a north south basis in the higher education space post Brexit. This is a practical example of it https://t.co/PHE7tf6NF8  Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) December 26, 2020

The Wicklow TD also said his department was committed to exploring an extension to the initiative to include further education students.

Work on this is currently under way, he added.

It comes as the number of people applying to Irish universities from other EU countries has doubled compared with last year.

Mr Harris told the Irish parliament last week that the increase is most likely attributable to Brexit.

A total of 649 students and staff from Northern Ireland took part in the Erasmus scheme in the 2019/2020 academic year.

The most recent figures show students from Queens University Belfast and the University of Ulster account for more than 90% of all those partaking in Erasmus, while the remainder are students from the regional and other colleges across the region.

Erasmus allows third-level students to study part of their degree abroad or undertake a work placement in another EU country.

The exchanges usually take place in the second or third year of a course, and can last up to 12 months.

The UK Government has introduced its own study abroad scheme, the Turing scheme, named after the mathematician Alan Turing, to replace Erasmus.

Schools, colleges and universities can now apply for funding to allow students to study and work abroad as part of the programme, which will fund global exchanges for about 35,000 UK students from September.

It will target disadvantaged students and those from under-represented areas.

As part of the UK-wide launch, education ministers are visiting Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to highlight the advantages of the scheme and ensure wider participation for all students across the UK.

But the ruling institutions in Scotland and Wales want to continue using the EUs Erasmus scheme beyond the end of the Brexit transition period.

NI students will be able to access both the Erasmus and Turing schemes.
For 13 straight days, the acclaimed artist Dragon76 labored from dawn to dusk on a five-story wall in downtown Houston, armed with little more than paint, a vision and a message.

The Japanese-born and New York-based visionary, commissioned as part of the nonprofit Street Art For Mankinds six-city project, unfurled one of the citys largest murals. On the side of the Hampton Inn Houston Downtown, he depicted four precocious young Black faces in vivid blues, sharp oranges and pastel yellows, interspersing messages such as Zero Hunger and Food Justice.

Hopefully (my) artwork can influence people into taking action, having a conversation about hunger, the 44-year-old said via his daughter, who interpreted for an interview.

Now Playing: Video: Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle

As the second and final week of Dragon76s project came to a close, more than 100 people gathered Saturday afternoon in downtown Houston for the formal unveiling of the 13,000-square-foot mural facing La Branch Street.

City leaders, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, hailed the work as an inspiring contribution to Houstons art scene, lauding the message delivered as part of Street Art For Mankinds work with World Food Program USA.

Unfortunately, there are too many people who are walking in a city like even Houston that are hungry, Turner told the crowd gathered in a parking lot buttressing the work. Our goal is to reach the point where we dont need murals to remind us that no one should walk on the streets of Houston hungry.

The Miami-based organization, founded in 2016 by the married couple Audrey and Thibault Decker, aims to inspire change through artwork tailored around social justice issues, including racial equality, climate change and sex trafficking.

As part of its work addressing global hunger, Street Art For Mankind is planning a half-dozen similar murals centered on the same message, spanning from Houston to Oakland to Detroit. Kelloggs has donated enough money to cover materials, artists fees and other costs, which totaled about $25,000 in Houston.

The work arrives as President Joe Biden and leaders of Congress hailed landmark legislation that delivers billions of dollars aimed at maintaining federal programs that provide food to lower-income families. The third stimulus package, signed into law last week, also includes a one-time benefit of about $3,000 per child in the form of direct payments or tax credits for many families.

Thibault Decker said his organization wanted to create a Texas-sized mural in Houston, in part due to the citys size and large Black population. About 1 in 5 Houston residents lives in poverty, according the Census estimates.

I hope people will stop, pause, think and look around Thibault Decker said. We all know hunger exists. The question is when will we do something about it. And we think that really happens at the individual level.

While Houston boasts numerous murals across the city, few have topped the size and scope painted over the past fortnight by Dragon76, a three-time winner of the Art Battle New York competition. The massive space even challenged the artist, who said his largest mural to date was about one-fifth the size of his Houston work.

Dragon76 said he used bright colors and painted a mix of smiling and determined faces to leave on-lookers with a sense of uplift, rather than depicting the sadness of hunger.

If people can see them, maybe people can take and do something positive, he said via his daughter.

Nick Massad Jr., president and CEO of the company that owns the Hampton Inn Houston Downtown, said he was willing to dedicate space on the hotels west side after learning about the projects intent.

This was such an amazing opportunity for us to send a very important message that, hopefully, will change the lives of children not just here, but as this grows all over the world, Massad said.

While Street Art For Mankind does not have immediate plans for more projects in Houston, the Deckers have spent the past two weeks scoping out potential mural sites throughout downtown. Already, they have identified 27 locations primed for paint.

Were really seen the soul of Houston, Thibault Decker said. Its been a blast every single day.

Editors note: An earlier version of this article contained an inaccurate description of the size of the mural. It is among the city's largest murals painted to date.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com
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Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  A week after the 'Bloody Sunday' killings in Calabarzon, Vice President Leni Robredo urged members of the judiciary to be extra vigilant when issuing search warrants that are being used in the crackdown on activists.

In her radio show Bisersbisyong Leni on Sunday, she stressed the importance of imposing safeguards on law enforcers' during police operations, after nine members of progressive groups were killed and six others were arrested in simultaneous search warrants the previous weekend.

"Reminder ito sa mga members of the judiciary na nagbibigay ng search warrants. Siguraduhin nilang 'yung ibinigay nila hindi magagamit sa pagpatay, hindi magagamit sa pang-abuso ng kapangyarihan," she said.

[Translation: This is a reminder to all members of the judiciary who give out search warrants. They must ensure that what they're giving out must not lead to any killing or any abuse of power.]

"Maraming safeguards, hindi dapat ganoon kadali. Hindi dapat ganoon kadali makakuha ng search warrants. Kailangan may personal knowledge, may proper determination ng judge, ng circumstances. Pati yung araw at oras ng pagsilbi ng search warrant, may safeguards."

[Translation: There should be safeguards, the procedures should not be that easy. It should not be that easy to get search warrants. There must be personal knowledge, a proper determination by the judge on the circumstances. There should also be safeguards on the time and date of issuance of search warrants.]

In a statement last week, Robredo described the incident as a "massacre," as the crackdown took place two days after President Rodrigo Duterte told the military and police who encounter armed communist rebels "to make sure they kill them."

Laguna Police Spokesperson PltCol. Chitadel Gaoira had claimed the raids were "legitimate" as they seized explosives and assorted firearms during the operations, but Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes all the activists killed were unarmed.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra announced on Monday that they will look into the deaths through the agency's panel on extrajudicial killings. The Commission on Human Rights will also hold its own probe through its Calabarzon office.
For the rest of Latin America, has always been a nation apart -- a huge Portuguese-speaking powerhouse and trendsetter with sexy beaches and bewitching music. These days, its something else entirely: a Covid-spreading threat fast becoming a kind of regional leper colony.

Leading the world in daily deaths and the source of a worrying Amazonian variant thats more contagious and possibly deadlier, is a cause of deep anxiety for world health officials and its neighbours, who are barring their gates.

Peru has closed flights to and from the country, Uruguay is sending extra doses of vaccines to its border towns and Chile now sends anyone arriving from to special quarantine hotels. Colombia has not only banned flights in and out of Brazil but also to its own city of Leticia on the border, stranding hundreds of tourists since the end of January.

It feels like a jail without bars, said Gladys Cuellar, who with her husband Antonio owns Gavas Amazonas, a fast food restaurant in Leticia.

A town of 50,000, Leticia had a death toll last year almost three times higher than the national average. It lives off tourism and most of its food and supplies come from Brazil and Peru.

Its a difficult decision to make, said Julian Fernandez, director of epidemiology at Colombias health ministry, of the closure. While its virtually impossible to stop the Brazilian strain from spreading into the more populous interior of Colombia, we are trying to reduce the volume and speed at which it enters, to give us time to advance vaccinations.

With 50 million inhabitants, Colombia has only administered some 600,000 doses. Its paying special attention to its Amazon belt next to Brazil, offering shots to everyone over 18 in urban areas. In the rest of the country, other than health workers, only people over 80 are getting their first jab.

Global health officials have been expressing deep alarm over the risk posed to the region by Brazil while 17 countries have banned entries from it.

Argentina today canceled a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the Mercosur trade bloc that the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was scheduled to attend, citing the deepening health crisis in the region. The ceremony will now be held online.

The first week of March marked the worst days of the pandemic yet in Brazil, with more than 420,000 new cases and 10,000 deaths. Home to less than 3% of the worlds population, it accounts for about 10% of Covid cases and deaths.

Vaccinations are moving slowly. While some governors and mayors have imposed curfews and on rare occasions strict lockdowns, interstate travel remains fluid and airports open. Even in places with tighter restrictions, enforcement is rare.

President Bolsonaro has long insisted that the virus is given too much attention, that masks and distancing are for sissies, and life must go on.

Were very much concerned about Brazil, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization. And about Brazils neighbors -- almost the whole of Latin America. That means if Brazil is not serious then it will continue to affect all the neighborhood there and beyond. So this is not just about Brazil.

Uruguay, which closed its borders early in the pandemic, increased patrols along its 620-mile dryland border with Brazil last year. It sent extra doses from its first shipment of 192,000 Coronavac shots to those cities. The absence of a hard border separating its biggest frontier town Rivera from Brazilian sister city, Santana do Livramento, has driven new cases there to the countrys highest in the past week due to the flow of residents and day shoppers.

Today our main problem without a doubt is what is happening in Brazil, Rivera Province deputy governor Jose Mazzoni said by telephone.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said this month that 10 cases of the Brazilian strain have been detected and we have to cut transmission channels.

Argentina is limiting flights from several countries, including Brazil.

And while Chile hasnt gone as far as Peru and Colombia, it is requiring all passengers whove been in Brazil in the last 14 days to go to a residencia sanitaria where they will have a Covid test. If positive, the person stays. If negative, they have to do 10 days of quarantine at home.

In coming days, Colombia will carry out a humanitarian flight that will fly tourists stranded in Leticia back to Bogota.

Meanwhile Gladys -- the restaurant owner in Leticia -- is looking forward to getting vaccinated.

Were like Colombias lab mice, she said. Weve been isolated and now well get to see how things go with the Brazil strain.
Speakers at a culture symposium in Accra have urged stakeholders in the creative industry to join forces to harness the digital space to preserve the Ghanaian heritage and enhance their businesses.



They observed that the multibillion-cedi industry was fraught with challenges, and expressed the fear that it was on the verge of extinction despite the fact that the industry, in the recent past, had flourished at blazing speed.



Describing the digital space as potent and efficacious, they averred that the deteriorating condition of the sector could be reversed and revamped, especially with the involvement of government agencies operating within the ecosystem, given the platform at the disposal of the industry.



The speakers were the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Dr Afua Asabea Asare, who chaired the meeting; Professor of African and Gender Studies at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo; the Head of Office and Representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to Ghana, Mr Abdourahamane Diallo and the Chairperson of the Ghana Culture Forum (GCF), Mr Asare Konadu Yamoah.



Symposium



The symposium formed part of activities preceding the 10th edition of the GCFs Ghana Culture Day slated for tomorrow.



The annual event  which is organised in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, Ghana Tourism Authority, UNESCO and a number of partners  seeks to promote the cultural and creative economy and to project the Ghanaian identity.



Also present to support yesterdays programme were officials from the Ministries of Communications, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the National Commission on Culture among others.



The symposium was dubbed: "The relevance of culture in our ever-changing digital space".





In keeping with the COVID-19 restrictions, the event was carried live via Zoom and Facebook for a majority of the participants, with a few people joining the programme physically at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT.



Possibilities



Prof. Ampofo observed that in spite of the noise and sometimes toxic debate on social media in the digital space, there were also realities and several possibilities in that digital world.



Irrespective of our social, economic or cultural background, our religions, our ethnicity, our gender or our age, we connect and share ideas, know-how and experience through the internet and in real time. These exchanges are critical for the evolution and survival of our cultures, she said.



Governments role



Prof. Ampofo said for the creative industry to be able to harness the potential of the digital space, the government had to play a critical role by making the relevant technological devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones accessible and affordable.



We need reliable community broadband access and reduced cost of provider services, and it is only the state that can make this work, she said.



She added that the government needed to work towards the alignment of all the laws regarding the cultural sector to make them compatible with one another and to expand the rights of culture-based organisations.



Working in silos



For her part, Dr Asabea Asare advised industry players against working in silos, and stressed that it requires the collective effort of all of us, including and especially government agencies operating in this ecosystem.



She also urged players in the creative industry to take advantage of the various online platforms to promote their goods and services.



Dr Asabea said the players ought to put themselves in readiness because whether we like it or not, we are in the digital world. We dont even know where we are going every day; its galloping, so you better be part of it, and get used to it and learn to deal with it or be left behind.



She further implored banks to formulate affordable products for the creative arts industry just as they had done for other sectors of the economy.



So we are just pleading with them to start thinking about the creative industry when they are formulating their products so that they can create specific products to help to do interventions in this sector to help the industry grow, she added.



Deficiencies



Mr Yamoah expressed the hope that the industry would overtake many sectors in the country if the government addressed their deficiencies.



Mr Diallo encouraged the government and the culture fraternity to carefully consider and also mark the different international culture days to create awareness of culture and development.









Source: Graphiconline.com









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CWC wants Collective Agreement View(s):

The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), the largest trade union body in the plantations, continues to insist that they want the age-old Collective Agreement to be in place despite ensuring workers a wage of Rs.1000 through the Wages Board.

We have not said we are leaving the Collective Agreement, CWC MP M. Rameshwaran told the Business Times on Thursday.

He noted that the companies should consider the plight of the workers and pointed out that they were not willing to protest again on the plantation.

The MP said they were yet to receive letters repudiating the agreement and noted that any welfare benefits granted to the workers should continue.

Labour Commissioner Prabath Chandrakeerthi told the Business Times on Wednesday that there are two Collective Agreements in place. The one relating to the wages expired on January 28, 2021 when the parties differed on the terms and decided to go ahead with the Wages Board model.

The other agreement on facilities, he noted has been repudiated by the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) and in this respect the Employers Federation has handed over the documents.

Mr. Chandrakeerthi explained that one month after repudiating the agreement according to the Industrial Disputes Act it will be so gazetted.

Of the 44 wages boards in place, the Labour Commissioner noted that the tea and rubber board provides for the highest payment of Rs.900+ Rs.100 for daily wage earners.

Planters Association Spokesman Dr. Roshan Rajadurai said that all companies had sent their repudiation letters regarding the Collective Agreement.

He noted that only one method of payment was possible and that which was brought about is the Wages Board model. This is a clear departure from the Collective Agreement and the model that had been proposed by the RPCs calling for productivity based model. (SD)
She's a world-famous actress with a stellar resume.

And Zoe Saldana put her focus on family as she stepped out with her husband Marco Perego and kids in Montecito on Saturday afternoon.

The couple and their kids showed up at Lucky's in the affluent beach town before driving down the coast back to Los Angeles later in the day.

Family day: Zoe Saldana put her focus on family as she stepped out with her husband Marco Perego and kids in Montecito on Saturday afternoon

Saldana was dressed in a light yellow sweater, which she paired with a set of slightly distressed blue jeans and bright yellow sneakers.

The 42-year-old actress kept part of her typically free-flowing dark brown hair covered underneath a gray beanie during her time with her family.

Perego also kept it casual in a black hoodie, which he wore underneath a grey bomber jacket that was later removed.

The 42-year-old artist supplemented his top choices with a pair of jeans and a stylish set of leather boots; at one point, he was seen smoking a cigarette while enjoying the bright California sun.

Road trip: The group hit the open road for a quick trip from LA up to the coast

The couple and their children all wore facial coverings to keep themselves protected from COVID-19 while spending time in public.

Saldana and Perego began dating in March of 2013 and were married in July of that same year.

Before tying the knot with the native Italian, the Avatar actress was previously engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Keith Britton; the two separated in 2011.

She was also in a high-profile relationship with fellow actor Bradley Cooper, which ended in 2013; the two would go on to co-star in multiple Marvel films involving the Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Saldana and Perego share twin sons named Cy and Bowie, aged six, and a third son named Zen, aged four.

Fast romance: The Avatar actress and her husband began dating in March of 2013 and tied the knot that same year; the two are pictured together in 2019

Happy parents: The couple share three sons, including a pair of twins named Cy and Bowie; the family is pictured together in 2018

In addition to raising her three children, Saldana currently has several film projects that are set to be released in the near future, and she is notably set to appear in the upcoming sequels to the 2009 blockbuster Avatar, which she co-starred in.

The further entries in the James Cameron-led franchise have been in development since shortly after the first film's release, although the release dates for the first two have been pushed back multiple times.

After a protracted writing process, filming on the first set of sequels began in 2017 and wrapped up last year; they are both currently in post-production.

A fourth and fifth sequel to the original film are currently set to be released in the latter part of the decade as well.

Avatar recently reclaimed its status as the highest-grossing movie of all time; it was previously held by Avengers: Endgame from 2019 until earlier this month.

Staying busy: Saldana is set to appear in the upcoming sequels to the 2009 blockbuster Avatar, which she co-starred in; the actress is seen with her husband in 2019

Last weeks announcement that the Yallourn power plant will close earlier than previously expected raises some big questions: will it be replaced in time, and are more such announcements around the corner? The answers have serious implications for not just Victorians but all Australians.

Australias coal-fired power plants are ageing and will be progressively retired over coming decades. But the timing of individual plant closures is highly uncertain, and their sheer size makes it hard for the energy market to manage sudden closures. The abrupt closure of the Hazelwood plant in 2017 triggered political concerns about higher prices and reduced reliability. More recent announcements by AGL (that the Liddell power plant in NSW will be retired) and Energy Australia (Yallourn), added to those concerns, even though each announcement came with seven years notice.

EnergyAustralia will close the Yallourn power station in Victorias Latrobe Valley in mid-2028. Credit:Joe Armao

Unfortunately, governments have chosen to directly intervene in the market rather than address their concerns through their own agencies to ensure the energy market remains fit for purpose.

The problem has been years in the making and policy failure is at its core. During the climate battle fought by the Coalition under Malcolm Turnbull, a policy emerged that was designed to both drive down carbon emissions and ensure reliability of supply through the transition  the National Energy Guarantee (NEG).
(@FahadShabbir)

Tripoli, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2021 ) :Libya's interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah criticised on Saturday the outgoing government's management of the coronavirus outbreak and the delayed delivery of vaccines, promising to tackle the crisis.

"The people are very unhappy with the measures taken... against this illness," said Dbeibah in the capital Tripoli at the opening of a national conference on managing the health crisis.

Dbeibah was named interim premier under a UN-sponsored transitional political process and is set to be sworn in on Monday after parliament approved his proposed cabinet this week.

His government is tasked with unifying the country's divided institutions after a decade of conflict and ensuring a transition toward elections scheduled for December.

Oil-rich Libya descended into chaos after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, resulting in multiple forces vying for power.

The prolonged instability has left Libya's infrastructure derelict, its economy in tatters and public services wretched, including the health system.

Dbeibah said vigilance in the face of the health crisis had slipped and pledged to implement new measures.

"At the beginning, the awareness campaign was good, but we apparently forgot that we are living in the middle of a pandemic," the 61-year-old premier said.

He added that there would be a "new campaign with a new spirit" and that wearing "masks will again be compulsory".

Acquiring vaccine doses is "at the top of the government's priorities", he said.

"We have spent enormous amounts of money and we still don't have vaccines. We must have vaccines as soon as possible, no matter the cost. We are very behind." On Thursday, Dbeibah said he was unhappy with the management of budgets for fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

His predecessor, Fayez al-Sarraj, in February allocated 600 million dinars (around $133 million) for vaccines and isolation centres.

But the centres are now starting to reach capacity, with the main public hospital in second city Benghazi saying on Monday it was no longer able to accept new patients.

Libya, home to seven million people, has officially reported 143,671 coronavirus cases and 2,348 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
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Bhopal:

In a heroic act, a policeman ran with a 10-kg artillery shell, found at a school in Chitora village of Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh, for about a kilometre to save the lives of 400 students, officials said on Monday.

Head constable Abhishek Patel (rpt) Patel, posted at Surkhi police station in Sagar district, was honoured by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan this morning as a video of the cops action went viral on the social media.

A state public relations department official said the incident had taken place on August 25.

An anonymous caller informed the Dial -100 service of the state police at around 12.50 pm on August 25 that an unexploded artillery shell was lying in the backyard of the Middle School at Chitora village of Sagar district, the official said.

After reaching the spot, Patel got the school evacuated, as over 400 students were present there at that time. In the meantime, he picked up the shell, weighing around 10 kilograms, and ran for about a kilometre before dumping it into a nullah, the official added.

The army personnel of Mahar Regiment Centre at Sagar finally defused the shell on Sunday.

The Madhya Pradesh government on Monday presented a cash reward of Rs 50,000 to Patel here for his brave act.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan honoured the constable this morning with the cash prize at the CMs residence in the state capital, the official said.

R S Bagir, in-charge of Surkhi police station, under whose jurisdiction the school is located, said it is yet to be confirmed from where the shell reached the school.

It is not yet known from where it landed in the school backyard. This was an unexploded and old. It is possible that a villager might have brought it from a nearby army shooting range. We are investigating it, Bagri said.

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Sen. Cruz: US Military Launching Political Attacks Against Tucker Carlson, Requests Meeting

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he requested a meeting with the head of the U.S. Marine Corps after one of its units tweeted statements insulting Tucker Carlson, along with unusually bellicose comments about the Fox News host.

Under Biden, the military is launching political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions, Cruz wrote on Twitter, saying he requested a meeting with the commandant of the Marines. Officials in uniform are being used for the campaign. Ive demanded a meeting with the Commandant of the USMC to put a stop to it.

Over the weekend, a U.S. Marine Corps units Twitter accountthe II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Groupstated it messed up in its comments when responding to Carlson after the Fox host said the military should be focused more on adversaries like China rather than social issues.

We are human and we messed up. What was intended as a tweet in support of our female Marines and sisters serving in uniform was clearly not aligned with our standard practices or an appropriate representation of the Marine Corps. We will do better and serve the people, the Marines unit added.

However, Cruz made note of several seemingly unusual statements from the military, including one from the Space Force Commands senior enlisted leader, Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, who said in a video that Carlsons opinion is based on zero days of service in the armed forces. Stalker appeared to be wearing his uniform. Army Sgt. Major Michael Grinston also criticized the Fox host, while Defense Department spokesman John Kirby, a retired rear admiral and former CNN analyst, wrote a statement saying, Press Secretary Smites Fox Host That Dissed Diversity in U.S. Military.

Cruz, in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, wrote that he is deeply troubled by how the Pentagon has [mobilized] systematic, public attacks against television host Tucker Carlson that in substance, tone, and political resonance are inexplicably inappropriate.

Instead of allowing the debate to take its course in public among American citizens and their elected leaders, Cruz wrote, military officials over the last week have repeatedly launched attacks on Carlson, including through official DOD platforms and accounts while in uniform.

Tucker Carlson, host of Tucker Carlson Tonight speaks onstage with Nicholas Carlson at IGNITION: Future of Media at Time Warner Center in New York City on Nov. 29, 2017. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Cruz then stated that this spectacle risks politicizing the military after several centuries of efforts to keep military officials out of domestic affairs and undermines civil-military relations by having the military take a side in a contentious cultural dispute. Such behavior, he added, is more akin to what occurs in a Third World country rather than the United States.

Last week, Carlson said on his popular nightly program that the Pentagon had effectively declare[d] war on a domestic news operation.

How do sex changes in the military make this country safer? Thats not a trick question. Its not another volley in the culture war. Its the only question that mattersliterally, the only question that matters. But no one bothered to ask it, probably because no one can remember why the U.S. military exists, Carlson said, making note of the militarys increasing focus on identity politics.
In less than two months in office, President Biden proved he is guilty of rank malfeasance when it comes to the nation's security, and several of his civilian and military advisors totally refuse to listen to critics such as Fox News reporters who just may have our collective best interest in mind.

On Tuesday, Fox News's Tucker Carlson reported on the Pentagon's woke catering to pregnant service members' desire for more fashionable uniforms and stylish hair. The report was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but Carlson's broader point was dismissed by the Pentagon's chief spokesman, who said, "What we absolutely won't do is take personnel advice from a talk show host, or the Chinese military. ... We know we're the greatest military in the world today, and even for all the things we need to improve, we know exactly why that's so."

I'm not sure how much of this statement is spin or arrogance. However, it is disturbing that Pentagon spokesman John Kirby so quickly dismissed Carlson's comments because there are serious points to be made. For a long time, the politically woke crowd that often occupies the Pentagon's E-Ring refused to listen to contrary advice about social experimenting with our fighting force, yet Mr. Kirby boasts, "we know exactly why that's so."

Mr. Kirby continued that Carlson "demeaned the entire U.S. military, and how we defend and how we serve this country." Really? No, the Fox News report called into question the silliness of Pentagon priorities and not the dedication of our troops.

Our military abilities are fading, and it's because we dismiss criticism like that on Carlson's show. That reminds me of something former five-star General Douglas MacArthur said: "I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within."

The "insidious forces working from within" are the military brass like Mr. Kirby, who kept quiet over the past two decades as the left imposed a readiness-busting social agenda on our armed forces. President Bill Clinton pushed gays in the military, Barack Obama removed all combat exemptions for women (even ground infantry combat), and now Mr. Biden insists that our armed forces needs transgenders and non-warrior-experienced females running combatant commands. The rationale for these changes was allegedly equal opportunity and diversity, which totally ignores the realities of the battlefield and the purpose of our armed forces: to defend this nation by being ever ready to kill the enemy, free of politically motivated and socially engineered distractions.

Unfortunately, none of these leftist personnel changes earned true constitutional oversight hearings from Congress. Rather, our political "leaders" caved to faux allegations of bigotry and leftist intimidation. The fact is that when it comes to ideology versus readiness, even at the Pentagon and in the halls of Congress, the latter always takes a knee.

Further, it's a sad fact that the American armed forces, which Mr. Kirby labels the "greatest," will certainly be tested, and likely within the next decade or so, by a military not encumbered by such stupidity.

Mr. Kirby says he won't take advice about personnel matters from news reporters like Carlson or the communist Chinese. Would you "take advice" from the Pentagon's 2020 report on the People's Liberation Army? That report soberly indicates that China is ahead of the United States in key combat areas and showing no sign of slowing. Soberly, ever since Mao Zedong ruled China, the communists made no secret of their intent to destroy America.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is doing everything it can to weaken our national security, and that goes beyond the left's rancid social re-engineering of our ranks.

President Biden is turning our national security on its head and making us far more vulnerable. Earlier this month, Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden's national security adviser, published an interim national security strategy that lists the administration's top national security issues. Unlike President Donald Trump's 2017 strategy, which focused like a laser on Communist China, Biden's guidance focuses on racial justice, climate emergency, rising nationalism, and receding democracy.

The last of Biden's seven national security priorities is China and Russia. They don't even make the "biggest threats" list. The president wrote: "I direct departments and agencies to align their actions with this guidance[.]" That means we prioritize what the Pentagon report labels as an existential threat behind climate change. Then it gets worse.

Even though Mr. Biden's interim strategy promises to protect "the security of the American people" by fighting infectious disease and disinformation, it totally dismisses the importance of walls and borders, a back-hand at the Trump administration's success at securing our border with Mexico. This "guidance" comes just as the Biden administration lies about our southern border immigration crisis and as COVID-positive illegal aliens flood into the country aided by our tax dollars. Worse, there are likely many foreign characters among these invaders who plan to cause us harm and will quickly blend into the countryside.

Our national security is becoming threadbare thanks to Mr. Biden, and so are our armed forces, which stand between our population and a world ready to destroy this nation. Yet President Biden, his cabal of sycophant politicos in Congress, and others within his radicalized administration, along with a long list of present and former bobble-headed military brass, continue to march against science and history, trying to ruin the world's "greatest military" and our national security.

Speculation is increasing as to Biden's longevity as president being somewhere significantly less than his four-year term. Under a President Kamala Harris, we should expect our situation to be further degraded even to the danger point.

Sometimes even Fox News hosts have good ideas that look beyond ideology, Mr. Kirby. They too are Americans, and in the best interest of our national security, let's not be so dismissive and blinded by our own ideological lenses. We cannot afford to be distracted from the truth even if it is wrapped in sarcasm.

Mr. Maginnis is a retired U.S. Army officer and the author of Deadly Consequences: How Cowards Are Pushing Women into Combat (Regnery). His new book, Give Me Liberty, Not Marxism, comes out this spring and chronicles the Marxist threat and how China seeks to radically transform America.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
NSW Labor Leader Jodi McKay is under pressure after internal party polling revealed voters have abandoned the state opposition in droves - even after a decade in the wilderness.

The poll published by The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday was conducted by ALP pollster Redbridge for the Australian Workers' Union and the Health Services Union.

It predicted that if an election were held now Labor's primary vote would sink to just 23.9 per cent - an 8.4 per cent drop since the March 2019 state election.

That primary vote would be even worse than the 25.5 per cent showing of March 2011, when the last Labor premier Kristina Keneally led the party to its worst-ever defeat leaving it with just 20 seats.

NSW Labor Leader Jodi McKay is under pressure after internal party polling revealed voters have abandoned the state opposition in droves

The Liberal Party's primary vote increased to 36.5 per cent - up from 32 per cent at the 2019 poll, while 18.9 per cent of voters said they were undecided.

Taking into consideration a redistribution of seats, the swing of nine per cent after preferences would see Labor lose 12 seats - including Ms McKay's own Sydney inner-west seat of Strathfield in the 93-member lower house.

NSW opposition leaders haven't lost their seats since the 1978 and 1981 elections, when Labor's Neville Wran won back-to-back landslides that decimated the Liberal Party.

The poll of 1,982 people was conducted across the state over the past three weeks and is putting pressure on the leadership of Ms McKay, a former TV newsreader.

It followed a stunning Labor victory in Western Australia at the weekend which saw Premier Mark McGowan's government re-elected with the biggest state government majority ever seen in Australia, leaving the Liberal Party there with just two electorates as its leader Zak Kirkup lost his own seat.

WA Labor won at least 52 of the lower house's 59 seats, turning the regional-based Nationals into the new opposition party.

The Liberal party's primary vote increased to 36.5 per cent - up from 32 per cent at the 2019 poll, while 18.9 per cent of voters said they were undecided. Pictured is NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian

Opposition parties across the country are struggling to break through as voters endorse the status quo during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian government's handling of the pandemic was also lauded, with 72.9 per cent of people either satisfied or very satisfied.

Some 40.6 per cent of respondents credited her with that success.

The next NSW election is in March 2023.

The Coalition in 2019 won a third consecutive term for the first time since 1971.
APM Terminals Bahrain (APMT) will be hosting a live webinar under the patronage of Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Kingdom of Bahrain, and in partnership with the Supreme Council For Women (SCW) highlighting the importance of Promoting Gender Balance in Supply Chain and Logistics.

To be held on March 17 at 16:00 hours, the session will be attended virtually by local, regional and international experts in Supply Chain and Logistics. It will feature senior industry speakers from the private and public sector, who will examine the critical role that inclusion and diversity can play in driving ongoing and sustainable industry growth for years to come, a statement said.

The session will comprise a panel discussion and be followed by a Q&A. Speaking on the topic will be: Susan Hunter, CEO of APMT, MRania Al Jarf, Director of Gender Balance Centre at the Supreme Council for Women, Eman Ebrahim, General manager Supply Chain of Foulath Holding, Elizabeth Ndaire, Head of Human Resources - Africa, Middle East at APMT, Mr. Esam Hammad, Director of Partnership & Customer Engagement of Bahrain Labour Fund (Tamkeen) and Ms. Fatema Ahmed, Senior Ports Development Specialist for Ports and Maritime Affairs, Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications. The session will be moderated by Kalyan Krishnan, Head of Markets at KPMG Fakhro.

Speakers will take a close look at several important areas relating to the promotion of gender balance. This includes how it can enhance company culture and performance and how a diverse pool of talent can directly strengthen a companys relationship with its customers, authorities and partners. They will offer and examine relevant examples and case studies and discuss the steps that companies and management teams can take to achieve greater gender balance.

The session will also delve into how companies themselves and the industry collectively can encourage and attract many women to the sector. This includes the need to raise awareness of the many Gender Independent career opportunities within Supply Chain, Transportation and logistics, and how more women can enter the field and progress to senior positions.

Commenting, Susan Hunter, CEO of APMT, said: Were delighted to be hosting another forum dedicated to addressing pressing issues for our industry. Ensuring we are optimally staffed and structured is essential to the continued market leadership of APMT, our partners and the Kingdom of Bahrains position as a leading hub for transportation and logistics.

Collaborating with our partners at the forum, we will be discussing the vast talent within the industry and how by promoting gender balance, we can further accelerate growth, innovation and value creation for all stakeholders across the Supply Chain, Transportation and Logistics sectors. Once again, were extremely grateful to HE Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed and the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications for their support for the industry and the Supreme Council of Women for their partnership and initiatives to empower women. These initiatives are extended support to highlight and enforce values such as inclusion and diversity as precursors for success measures. Bahrain has long been a pioneer in supporting womens leadership across sectors and we look forward to hosting this event and working jointly as an industry to ensure even greater opportunity for women in the years ahead.TradeArabia News Service
A handful of community activists are talking up a plan to reopen Jing Fong, but the restaurants longtime owners say they have nothing to do with the proposal. [AMNY]

The loss of the massive Chinese restaurant Jing Fong, highlights the economic plight of one of the countrys most celebrated immigrant neighborhoods. Chinatown (which) has been pummeled by the pandemic longer and harder than almost anywhere else in the city. [The New York Times]

The Museum of Chinese in America cancels an exhibition showcasing the work of the artist collective Godzilla after 19 members of the group withdrew from the show due to concerns about the museums position on the proposed new jail in Chinatown. [Artforum]

The first resale at 215 Chrystie St. (the residences above the Public Hotel) sold for $18 million, a million bucks less than it went for in 2018. The penthouse unit, was most recently on the market as a $50,000 a month rental. While this price might seem high for the Lower East Side, one broker familiar with the building said it is quite popular with a certain type of buyer. People love the Lower East Side and the East Village, the source said. The grungier the better. It makes them feel alive.' [New York Post]

Julian Baczynsk of the East Village Meat Market has died at the age of 98. [EV Grieve]

The beloved old school lunch counter, Eisenbergs Sandwich Shop has closed, but there are at least faint hopes that it will be revived in some fashion. [Grub Street]

The San Francisco-based chain, Beloved Cafe, is entering the New York market with an outpost at 196 Allen St. [Commercial Observer]

Robert Sietsema checks out the new Lower East Side branch of Peppas, the Brooklyn-based jerk Chicken specialist. [Eater]
Robert Price is a journalist for KGET-TV. His column appears here Sundays. Reach him at RobertPrice@KGET.com or via Twitter: @stubblebuzz. The opinions expressed are his own.
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 36 Colleges In Oklahoma for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 165 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each institution is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 165 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 36 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-oklahoma/

2021 Top Colleges In Oklahoma featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Bacone College

Cameron University

Carl Albert State College

Community Care College

East Central University

Eastern Oklahoma State College

Family of Faith Christian University

Langston University

Mid-America Christian University

Murray State College

Northeastern State University

Northern Oklahoma College

Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma Baptist University

Oklahoma Christian University

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Oral Roberts University

Randall University

Redlands Community College

Rogers State University

Rose State College

Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Southern Nazarene University

Southwestern Christian University

Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Tulsa Community College

University of Central Oklahoma

University Of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

University of Oklahoma

University of Phoenix

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

University of Tulsa

Western Oklahoma State College

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
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.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  Vice President Leni Robredo reiterated her call to hasten the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, a day after the country saw a one-day increase of 5,000 in cases for the first time in seven months.

In her radio show Biserbisyong Leni on Sunday, Robredo said 30,000 weekly COVID-19 shots would not be enough to achieve the targeted herd immunity to further protect Filipinos from the virus.

"Kung 30,000 a week lang ang nababakunahan, ilang years bago ma-reach natin 'yung herd immunity? Dapat 70 to 80 million na mga Pilipino ang mabakunahan para magback to normal na tayo," she sid.

[Translation: If only 30,000 shots are being administered a week, how many years will it take before we reach herd immunity? We're supposed to target the vaccination of 70 to 80 million Filipinos in order for us to go back to normal.]

She added: "Sana yung deployent mabilisan. Hind pwede yung 30,000 a week na ginagawa natin ngayon."

[Translation: I hope they fast-track the deployment. We can't stick with 30,000 doses a week.]

The Department of Health previously set 2022 or 2023 to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, which would make most of the population immune to the infectious disease.

As of Thursday, more than 400,000 doses from British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca and Chinese-made Sinovac were already distributed nationwide but only over 35,000 health workers got their COVID-19 shots in 169 vaccination sites.

But in a statement on Saturday, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said almost 90% of the vaccines the government has on hand had already been deployed, even to far-flung areas, within the past two weeks.

"With these positive developments, the Duterte Administration is confident that it is on track in implementing its immunization program and optimistic that it would be able to achieve its target of inoculating about 70 percent of the countrys population within this year," he said.

Galvez and members of the vaccine experts panel previously met with the Serum Institute of India to secure short and long-term supplies of Covovax, developed by US drugmaker Novavax. He added that another team is expected to fly to Russia to further conduct a study on the Sputnik V vaccine produced by Gamaleya Research Institute.

In asthma, the airways become hyperresponsive. Researchers from Uppsala University have found a new mechanism that contributes to, and explains, airway hyperresponsiveness. The results are published in the scientific journal Allergy.

Some 10 per cent of Sweden's population suffer from asthma. In asthmatics, the airways are hyperresponsive (overreactive) to various types of stimuli, such as cold air, physical exertion and chemicals. The airways become constricted, making breathing difficult.

To diagnose asthma, a "methacholine test" is commonly used to determine whether a person is showing signs of airway hyperresponsiveness. Methacholine binds to what are known as muscarinic receptors in the smooth muscle cells lining the inside of the trachea. These muscle cells then begin to contract, causing constriction of the trachea.

In the new study, the scientists show that the airway hyperresponsiveness induced by methacholine is due partly to the body's mast cells. The research was conducted using a mouse model of asthma, where the mice were made allergic to house dust mites.

Mast cells, which are immune cells of a specific type belonging to the innate immune system, are found mainly in tissues that are in contact with the external environment, such as the airways and the skin. Because of their location and the fact that they have numerous different receptors capable of recognising parts of foreign or pathogenic substances, they react quickly and become activated. In their cytoplasm, mast cells have storage capsules, known as granules, in which some substances are stored in their active form.

When the mast cell is activated, these substances can be rapidly released and provoke a physiological reaction. This plays a major part in the body's defence against pathogens, but in asthma and other diseases where the body starts reacting against harmless substances in the environment, it becomes a problem.

In their study, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the mast cells contribute to airway hyperresponsiveness by having a receptor that recognises methacholine: muscarinic receptor-3 (M3). When methacholine binds M3, the mast cells release serotonin. This then acts on nerve cells, which in turn control the airways. Thereafter, the airways produce acetylcholine, which also acts on M3 in smooth muscle cells and makes the trachea contract even more. A vicious cycle is under way.

The scientists' discovery also means that drugs like tiotropium, which were previously thought to work solely by blocking M3 in smooth muscle, are probably also efficacious because they prevent activation through M3 in mast cells. Accordingly, the ability of mast cells to rapidly release serotonin in response to various stimuli, thereby contributing to airway hyperresponsiveness, has been underestimated.
Every morning, there is a moment of anxiety as I check to see what has happened overnight in Myanmar. Who has been arrested? Who has been killed? Are they someone I know?

Since the Myanmar military seized power on February 1, millions have taken to the streets in anti-coup protests to demand their elected leaders be reinstated. March 3 was the most deadly day yet as the security forces again used live fire, teargas and sound and stun grenades against largely peaceful protesters, killing 38 and injuring hundreds. The total death toll is now at least 79, at least four of them children.

Since the Myanmar military seized power on February 1, millions have taken to the streets in anti-coup protests to demand their elected leaders be reinstated. Credit:AP

Security forces have arbitrarily arrested activists, journalists, civil servants and politicians, and conducted terrifying raids on peoples homes. At least 2139 are detained, the vast majority without charge. Some are feared to be forcibly disappeared as their families have not been told where they are.

The intimidation and harassment by the security forces is relentless, yet countrywide strikes and anti-coup demonstrations continue.
I was first introduced to Danbury in the 1970s when my Mom would bring me and my brother to the State Fair. I have fond memories of the fresh ice cream and the nice folks who brought me to the lost child pen when I was distracted by some activity and lost track of Moms whereabouts!

As fate would have it, I again crossed paths with Danbury when I was recruited into the Union Carbide Law Department, where I was employed from 1993 until the Dow merger in 2000. I was disappointed that the State Fair had been displaced by a mall, even though it was pretty nice, I must admit. We lived at Deer Hill Arms for a time before buying our first home in New Milford. It was during this period that I became most acquainted with Danburys history as the center of the American hat-making industry.

My career next took me to a pharmaceutical giant in the Philadelphia suburbs, a copper and gold behemoth in Phoenix, Arizona, and then back into public service as an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation. I now reside in Bryan, Texas, and am on the faculty at Texas A&M University, which is where this story begins.

As a transplanted Yankee, I figured the quickest way to gain some Texas street cred would be to buy cowboy boots, belt buckles and, of course, appropriate cowboy hats. Id been informed that one of the best hatmakers in Texas was an outfit named Catalena Hatters and it was in nearby downtown Bryan. Catalena was founded in 1983 by Sammy and Carolyn Catalena, a rancher couple who had always been interested in custom hats. One day, Sammy came across a magazine advertisement for the sale of a hattery in Florida  conditions of sale, however, required that the equipment be dedicated to the manufacture of custom hats and not be folded into a large corporate entity. Sammy made the deal, traveled to Florida and drove a truckload of equipment back to Texas, opening the doors to Catalena Hatters in October 1983. Over the ensuing 38 years, the business has become a family love affair with sons Scott and Travis working on a daily basis with the custom hat operation.

I wound up purchasing two hats, a vented straw hat for the hot, sticky Central Texas summers and a 30X beaver felt hat for the cooler temps (and now, having survived a real Arctic freeze, I wish Id sprung for 100X!). Both crowns have been molded into the classic Cutter with a deep center crease flanked by side creases with notable temple bulges. Until I reviewed Catalenas stockroom, however, Id never realized that hats are produced as blanks with rounded crowns and flat brims and then sized and steamed according to the wearers wishes right in the shop!

I was pleased to work with Travis as he steamed and hand-bent my hats into their perfect shapes. He then treated me to a visit of the production area where hats go from wool and straw into finished blanks. But what amazed me most is that the vintage hat-making machinery they used bore the trademarks of machinery used by the great hat-making factories of Danbury, Connecticut, way back in the early 20th Century. I felt privileged to be one of the few individuals who had awareness of this connection and felt compelled to report back to my old stomping ground that that Danbury hat-making tradition lives on. Go Hatters! The accompanying pictures are of weavers, steamers, pressers, etc., utilized in the hat mills in Danbury  many still bearing long-extinct corporate badging  still in service to this day making world-class hat products for cowboys across the globe. Impressive history indeed.

Greg Winfree is a resident of Texas.
Red regions practically all close to the peak of infections, which should arrive in 7 days, then the national Rt index should drop and return below 1.

Therefore, considering Italy as a whole, the third wave will reach its peak in a week, "then the epidemic will begin to deflate by itself".

These are the calculations of Alberto Gerli, an engineer who developed a mathematical model for forecasting the epidemic that has already proved very effective both in the second wave of October and in February when - at the beginning of the month - he had predicted that around the end of February Milan would have exceeded a thousand cases, as it did then.

Apart from Puglia, the red regions are all close to the peak or with the epidemic already regressing, explains the epidemiologist Carlo La Vecchia to Corriere.

Gerli proposes a method to anticipate the epidemic, given that the Rt index underlying the decisions of the control room is calculated on old data. The "Gerli method" consists in considering the cases of the last two weeks and comparing them with those of two weeks backwards (between seven and 21 days ago.

"A calculation - he explains to the Corriere - that put together with the incidence of cases per 100 thousand inhabitants gives us the trend and tells us how serious the situation is".

The closures, as in October, came late: "By now we know that the curves of the epidemic last 40 days and that if you want to contain growth you have to do it in the first 17 days, otherwise the curves will follow their natural course".

According to the Gerli model, the epidemic is already regressing in Abruzzo, Molise, the provinces of Trento and Bolzano and Umbria.

Growth is decreasing and Basilicata, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Friuli, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Marche, Piedmont, Tuscany and Veneto are close to the peak.

In Calabria, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily and Valle d'Aosta the epidemic is growing. It should be noted that, apart from Puglia, we start from fairly low data. Especially on the island.

(Unioneonline / L)
China, North Korea loom as Blinken, Austin head to Asia View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  Threats from China and North Korea will loom large over the Biden administrations first Cabinet-level trip abroad, part of a larger effort to bolster U.S. influence and calm concerns about Americas role in Asia.

A senior administration official said Saturday that U.S. officials have tried to reach out to North Korea through multiple channels since last month, but have yet to receive a response. That makes consultations with the reclusive countrys neighbors, Japan, South Korea and China, all the more critical.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are heading to Japan and South Korea for four days of talks starting Monday as the new administration tries to shore up partnerships with the two key regional allies. Blinken and Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will meet with Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday.

The Cabinet members Asia trip is intended to restore what Biden hopes will be a calming and even-keeled approach to ties with Tokyo and Seoul after four years of transactional and often temperamental relations under Donald Trump. He had upended diplomatic norms by meeting not once, but three times, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Blinken and Austin also plan virtual meetings with journalists, civil-society members and others. After reassuring their counterparts of U.S. commitments to Japanese and South Korean security, they plan to focus on an increasingly assertive China, the nuclear challenge from North Korea and the coronavirus pandemic.

In his first months in office, Biden has signaled his desire to return the Asia-Pacific to the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. In keeping with his broader America is back diplomatic theme, Biden has pledged to keep stability in the region at the core of his international initiatives.

On Friday, Biden participated in a virtual summit with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia. A free and open Indo-Pacific is essential, Biden said. The United States is committed to working with you, our partners and all of our allies in the region to achieve stability.

As part of that effort and to reduce the risks of escalation, the senior official said efforts had been made to connect with the North Koreans since mid-February, including through what is known as the New York channel. To date, the official said, we have not received any response from Pyongyang. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the diplomatic outreach and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, U.S. and South Korean negotiators have overcome years of contentious discussions under Trump to reach a tentative deal on paying for the American troop presence in South Korea. That agreement, along with a similar one for Japan, will be front and center in Blinken and Austins meetings.

As he had done with allies in Europe, Trump threatened to reduce security cooperation unless host countries paid more. That led to fears of troop withdrawals at a time of particular uncertainty as China boosts efforts to dominate the region and North Koreas nuclear weapons remain a major source of angst.

Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy, and we are working to strengthen Americas relationships with our allies as well as the relationships among them, said Sung Kim, who is the top U.S. diplomat for Asia. He served in the Philippines and Indonesia during the Trump administration and was also previously the special envoy for North Korea.

For all of Bidens suggestions that he will reverse Trumps overt hostility to China, Biden has yet to countermand a single one of his predecessors policies. He has, in fact, reaffirmed several of them, including maintaining sanctions in response to human rights abuses in western Xinjiang and Hong Kong and restating a Trump-era decision to reject outright nearly all of Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Many of Chinas policies that the U.S. finds objectionable  including its crackdown in Hong Kong, stepped up rhetoric against Taiwan and actions in the South China Sea  began during the Obama administration. The previous Democratic administration took office promising a pivot to Asia after a period of what many saw as American neglect for the region during George W. Bushs presidency, which was consumed by the onset of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In fact, although some obvious circumstances have changed since 2009, Blinken and Austins trip mirrors in many ways the initial overseas journey of President Barack Obamas first secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, when she traveled to Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and then China in a bid to reassert U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific. Obamas engagement with China, however, did not produce the desired results, and the North Korean threat grew.

Although China is not on Blinkens itinerary, after wrapping up the stop in Seoul, he will fly back to Washington via Anchorage, Alaska, where he and Sullivan will meet senior Chinese officials. Austin will go from Seoul to New Delhi for meetings with Indian leaders.

Still, the administration is convinced that its domestic efforts to revitalize the U.S. economy and step up the fight against COVID-19 have put it in a better position both to blunt Chinese ambitions directly and leverage its partnerships to do the same.

After the work of the past 50 days, Secretary Blinken and I will enter the meeting with senior Chinese representatives from a position of strength, Sulllivan said Friday.

By MATTHEW LEE

AP Diplomatic Writer
By Colin Packham

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters are expected to descend on Australia's capital on Monday when the country's parliament resumes as part of nationwide demonstrations, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Spurred by rape allegations against Attorney-General Christian Porter and a former employee of Morrison's Liberal party, 43 protests are planned across the country on Monday to demand equality and justice for women.

Porter denies the allegation, which surfaced recently, of the alleged 1988 rape.

A March4Justice rally is expected to gather several thousand people outside parliament in Canberra, the largest of the demonstrations that organisers predict will have about 85,000 people nationwide.

The protests will fuel pressure on Morrison, who will be without two members of his cabinet when parliament resumes on Monday.

"People who aren't interested in politics are engaged and angry and numbers are growing," said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in South Australia. "Morrison can not afford for the issue to continue, he simply has to change the agenda."

Seeking to placate rising anger, Morrison said on Sunday he would meet with a delegation, although he would not attend the protest.

The allegations involving people in Morrison's government are expected to dominate proceedings over the next two weeks, with Morrison also facing a depleted front bench.

Porter and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds - who has been criticised for falling to report the alleged rape by an unidentified former staff member - are both on sick leave.

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by William Mallard)
New Delhi, March 14 : India's fund houses do not cross the threshold set by SEBI directive on restricting their exposure to additional AT1 and AT2 bonds, a Crisil analysis of February 2021 MF portfolios showed.

Recently, SEBI restricted the exposure of mutual funds (MFs) to additional Tier I and II (AT1 and AT2) bonds.

The move has been termed as a risk mitigation measure to reduce portfolio risk in debt MF portfolios and comes after write-offs hit investors in such bonds issued by two banks in the past year.

The analysis of February 2021 MF portfolios shows that none of the fund houses crosses the threshold of 10 per cent of such instruments at the asset management company (AMC) level.

However, 36 schemes spread across 13 fund houses breach the cap of 10 per cent per scheme in securities.

The latest directive caps investments by a mutual fund house under all its schemes in bonds with special features to not more than 10 per cent from one issuer.

It also specifies that no MF scheme can hold more than 10 per cent of its net asset value (NAV) of its debt portfolio in such bonds, and not more than 5 per cent of the NAV of the debt portfolio should be due to such bonds from one issuer.

Besides, the analysis found that banking and public sector undertaking (PSU) fund category has the highest number of schemes (seven) exceeding the 10 per cent cap in such securities.

This category is followed by the credit risk fund (five), medium duration fund (four), medium to long duration funds (four), and dynamic bond fund (three) categories.

"The regulator's move to 'grandfather' limits previously held is a positive move. In the medium to long term, with the restrictions in place, it could reduce appetite among MFs for these securities, thus limiting the risk for investors," said Piyush Gupta, Director, Crisil Funds Research.

"This is also prudent given the advent of hordes of individual investors in to debt funds. They may not have the ability to understand MF portfolios and gauge risk, especially in such type of bonds - we saw how they were caught unaware by the recent write-offs." Furthermore, SEBI has directed MFs to value perpetual bonds (AT1) based on a 100-year maturity - a change from the current methodology where the call option date of the bond was considered for calculation.

"This could cause volatility in pricing, especially of securities trading at a discount. It could also impact the portfolio maturity or duration considering the change of maturity date of securities to 100 years, and cause volatility in the categorisation of schemes within the specific maturity dates," the analysis report said.

Consequently, the Department of Financial Services had written to SEBI to withdraw the guidelines related to the change in valuation norms.

"From an investor's perspective, the latest move to limit exposure to these types of securities reduces the portfolio risk. Investors should continue to monitor their portfolios on a regular basis and invest as per their risk-return profiles to meet financial goals," the report said.
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A BROADFORD man licked his lips after being pepper sprayed by gardai, Kilmallock Court heard.

Kieran Coughlan, aged 30, of John Paul Terrace, Broadford pleaded not guilty to failure to comply with the direction of gardai and threatening / abusive / insulting behaviour.

The States case is that Mr Coughlan was exceptionally aggressive and intoxicated; pushed a garda; and used abusive language to a female.

Michael ODonnell, solicitor for Mr Coughlan, said his client was not charged with intoxication; was not violent; was leaving the scene and no complaints were made by a female.

His jaw was broken and he had six or seven teeth cracked, said Mr ODonnell.

The first person to take the stand was Garda Ken ODriscoll. At around 1am on November 12, 2017, he received a call for assistance due to a large crowd in the Square in Newcastle West.

There had been two Ireland matches on earlier. A lot of people were intoxicated. There was an unusual atmosphere. There were various people at the front door of Cronins. A male I now know as Kieran Coughlan arrived at the front door. He was demanding admission. He was extremely animated and using foul language. I attempted to calm him down and directed him to leave. He pushed me on several occasions, said Garda ODriscoll.

The garda said Mr Coughlan told him, I couldnt tell him what to do.

I pulled him away towards the patrol car. He did seem to calm down. We came to an agreement he was going to get a burger and chips and go home. We shook hands and he left, said Garda ODriscoll.

The garda said Mr Coughlan then used foul language towards a young lady sitting on a vehicle.

I informed the defendant I was going to arrest him. He became aggressive again towards me. I used a small amount of pepper spray to effect the arrest. He licked his lips and put himself in a defensive stance. It had no effect.

I deployed pepper spray again. I attempted to bring him to the ground. I was assisted by one of the door staff and a garda. I put the handcuffs on him and from there he was taken to Newcastle West Garda Station, said Garda ODriscoll.

Answering questions from Inspector Pat Brennan, prosecuting on behalf of the State, Garda ODriscoll said Mr Coughlan was exceptionally intoxicated, shouting in a loud and aggressive manner and didnt comply with his directions.

Mr ODonnell, who represented Mr Coughlan, said his clients jaw was broken and he had six or seven teeth cracked. Do you know this? Yes, said Garda ODriscoll.

CCTV from the night was shown to the court. Mr ODonnell said it shows his client waddling up the street with a friend away from gardai. Why was he arrested when he was leaving? asked Mr ODonnell.

Garda ODriscoll said this was after their initial interaction and Mr Coughlan agreed to get a burger and chips and go home.

There was a young lady sitting on the wing of a car. I cant recall what he said to her but it was fairly foul. If it was said to my daughter I would not be happy. I had to draw the line somewhere. He was under no illusion it was his last chance, said Garda ODrsicoll.

Mr ODonnell said there has been no complaints made by a female.

Mr Coughlan has never been in trouble in his life. You followed him up the street. You had no reason to arrest him in the fashion that you did. He was not violent and was not aggressive, said Mr ODonnell.

Garda ODriscoll said Mr Coughlan was exceptionally high risk.

The second garda to give evidence was Yohan Hunt. He said Mr Coughlan told them to f** off and wed do nothing about it.

Mr ODonnell said his client was walking away, gardai followed him and arrested him. Garda Hunt said Mr Coughlan was being dragged away by a friend and he continued to abuse us.

There would be no problem if he left, said Garda Hunt.

The next witness was a Polish security officer who Garda ODriscoll said assisted him with Mr Coughlan.

It was a very busy night  a lot of people were in the Square. There was a short man, not a very big man who was very aggressive. Guards tried to calm him down. He said something to gardai. He was very aggressive to gardai. He pushed the guard.

The guard defended himself. He used pepper spray. He (Mr Coughlan) stepped back for a second and then became aggressive again. It is my rule not to interrupt but the garda needed help so I gave him a hand to pull him down. He (Mr Coughlan) was very violent, said the security guard.

Mr ODonnell asked him if he heard Mr Coughlan say anything to girls that night? I dont remember any girls, he replied.

The third of four garda witnesses  Inspector Gary Thompson  said long before coronavirus gardai on the night were engaging, encouraging people to go home and, as a last resort, enforcing. He said Mr Coughlan was thrashing violently to resist arrest.

He was aggressive in the extreme. In my 23 years in the job it was one of the more exercised detainees Ive encountered. It was a three person job, said Insp Thompson.

Mr ODonnell said Mr Coughlans jaw was broken and teeth fractured.

We had no way of knowing that at the time. He was thrashing so we took reasonable force to bring him under control, said Insp Thompson.

The last garda witness was Garda Maurice OBrien, the member in charge of Newcastle West Garda Station. Mr ODonnell asked him if he saw any visible sign of injury when Mr Coughlan was brought in.

There was swelling on the left hand side of his face and his eyes were red. I was aware he had been pepper sprayed which causes red eyes and puffiness, said Garda OBrien.

Insp Brennan asked what was Mr Coughlans response when he was asked for the custody record, Are you injured? No, was the reply said Garda OBrien.

Mr Coughlan was the last person to give evidence. He said he had recently returned from Australia and went out that night with friends in Newcastle West.

I was meeting people I hadnt seen in years, said Mr Coughlan. He said that he was trying to get around a group of people who hadnt been let in.

A garda kept telling me to calm down. I was trying to leave. I was going to Superbites. I said why are you following me? They put me up against the wall. He was pushing me and then he sprayed me. I was taken to the ground, said Mr Coughlan.

Mr ODonnell asked if he said anything to young females?

No. I would never do that to strangers, said Mr Coughlan.

Mr ODonnell asked if he was being aggressive or violent? Mr Coughlan denied he was.

My jaw was broken in two places. I have screws inset. I dont have any feeling in my lip. I was trying to leave the scene. It was handled completely wrong, said Mr Coughlan.

Insp Brennan asked him what time he went out and how much did he have to drink.

Around 10. I had three pints and two shorts, said Mr Coughlan. Insp Brennan said that wasnt a lot.

It looked to me on the CCTV that you were unsteady on your feet and your friend was helping you, said Mr Brennan.

He was pulling me aside, said Mr Coughlan.

Judge Patrica Harney said she found Mr Coughlan to be an unreliable witness.

It appears to me from the CCTV to be extremely drunk, lurching to one side and propped up by his friend. The independent witness (security guard) was very clear and cogent. He said Mr Coughlan was very aggressive and gardai had grave difficulties in dealing with him. He said he had to weigh in to assist gardai. I am satisfied Mr Coughlan behaved extremely badly, said Judge Harney.

The judge said she was dismissing the failure to comply summons because it was common case that Mr Coughlan was walking away despite his behaviour.

Judge Harney found him guilty of threatening / abusive / insulting behaviour beyond a reasonable doubt.

In mitigation, Mr ODonnell said Mr Coughlan was a carpenter, was in a relationship and it was his first time before a court.

Judge Harney said: Quite frankly I dont believe him. The level of aggression to gardai was egregious. It took three people to subdue him. The security guard felt sufficiently concerned to weigh in. Given the level of aggression I am going to convict. I dont want to see him again. Due to his previously clean record I am going to fine him 200. He suffered fairly painful injuries.

Recognisance was fixed in the event of an appeal.
RAIDS: PSNI officers move into a property as part of money laundering operations

A convicted IRA bomber turned millionaire crime boss has been given to St Patrick's Day to pay a 600,000 confiscation order.

The outstanding order on Aiden Grew (64), of Benburb Street in Dungannon, was reviewed last week at Newry Crown Court.

The amount due to the court order has come about by way of evasion of tax duty on laundered cigarettes from over a decade ago.

The amount was previously appealed. However Lord Justice Deeny dismissed the appeal outright and refused to lower the amount.

At a new hearing, prosecution barrister Geraldine McCullough highlighted the outstanding confiscation order to Newry Crown Court on Friday.

"The confiscation order was granted many years ago," she said.

"We are now at the final stages of making the payment.

"There is a sale of a property due to be completed by March 16.

"A request has been made to adjourn for two weeks."

Grew, along with co-defendant Henry Patrick McLaughlin (55), from Coalisland, were convicted of smuggling millions of cigarettes in 2008.

Co-accused McLaughlin, unlike Grew, was successful in lowering his confiscation order for 77,000 to just 5,000 due to an appeal that he had an "unfair trial" and no evidence to suggest he benefited from criminal gains.

Grew previously served a 15-year sentence for his part in an IRA landmine attack on UDR soldiers in Co Armagh.

Two of his brothers, Seamus and Dessie, were killed in two separate security force shootings.

Grew is no longer affiliated to any republican grouping, having ditched the Real IRA after it joined with other republican gangs to form the New IRA.

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The now wealthy dissident smuggler is also at the centre of a 215m money laundering probe.

Security sources have linked the convicted IRA bomber turned millionaire crime boss to the cross-border scam, which led to eight arrests and raids on properties in Belfast, Ballymena, Banbridge, Newry and Omagh.

Following the searches, the PSNI confirmed the investigation is the second biggest money laundering operation ever uncovered in the UK.

The 2008 cigarette smuggling conviction came about by a joint police and customs operation three years previous, with almost 16 million cigarettes from Armagh city seized for non-duty paid.

At Newry crown court on Friday, His Honour Judge Ramsey adjourned the case to March 26.
She often shares snaps of her cheeky text exchanges with mum Judy.

So Kate Beckinsale tapped into their crude sense of humour as she paid tribute to the 74-year-old actress on Mother's Day.

The Hollywood star, 47, shared crude throwback snaps with her mum as they held up teacups, with Kate's reading 'D***head' and Judy's reading 'A***hole'.

Cheeky! Kate Beckinsale tapped into her shared crude sense of humour with mum Judy as she paid tribute to the 74-year-old actress on Mother's Day

Alongside the shot, Kate wrote: 'Happy Mother's Day to my absolute ride or die.I love you so much and I am so grateful every day that I landed in your pouch 

'And love to all the amazing mums. And to those missing their mums or who didn't have one or didn't have one long enough.

'And to those whose mums cause them pain and misery and to the mums whose kids don't like them at the moment. Love to all but most especially my Jude.'

Naughty! The Hollywood star, 47, shared crude throwback snaps with her mum as they held up teacups, with Kate's reading 'D***head' and Judy's reading 'A***hole'

Kate's cheeky post comes amid filming the dark comedy Guilty Party for the Paramount + streaming service.

She replaced Isla Fisher in the lead role, who Deadline reports was cast last March but pulled out due to COVID-19 concerns.

Kate is portraying Beth Baker, a discredited journalist who tries for a career comeback by following a unique story.

She latches on to a young mother who is sentenced to death for maiming and murdering her husband, though she claims she did not commit the crimes.

Baker tries to get to the bottom of the story, where she has to deal with, 'Colorado gun smugglers, clickbait culture, the doldrums of marriage and her own tarnished past.'

The series was written by Rebecca Addelman (Dead To Me), with Trent ODonnell (No Activity) attached to direct.

The writer and director will both serve as executive producers alongside Mosaics Sam Hansen and Jimmy Miller, Funny Or Dies Joe Farrell, Jim Ziegler, Mike Farah and co-executive producer Becca Kinskey.
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Marland Gov. Larry Hogan praised President Joe Biden for speaking up against the recent spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic, which he called "a serious problem."

In an interview with CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, Hogan, whose wife Yumi is a first-generation Korean-American, said he has felt the impact of racism against Asian Americans through his family and close friends.

"It really has been a serious problem," Hogan said. "My wife, my three daughters, my grandkids are all Asian. They've felt some discrimination personally, but they also have close friends - friends of my wife from church, some of my daughters' friends - who've really been treated pretty terribly."

Over the last year, Hogan said they've also experienced incidents including "people yelling about the 'China virus' even though they're from Korea and born in America."

The governor pointed to data from America's biggest cities from 2020 that while hate crimes overall decreased by 7%, show crimes against Asian Americans increased 150%.

"It's something we have to get under control, and I wish more people would be speaking out," Hogan said.

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During a prime-time address to the country on the first anniversary of COVID-19 on Thursday, Biden denounced the racist attacks towards Asian Americans.

"At this very moment, so many of them - our fellow Americans on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives - and still, still they are forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America," Biden said. "It's wrong, it's un-American, and it must stop."

Story continues

In the interview, Hogan said that he "appreciates" Biden for shedding light on the issue, doubling down on his tweet from last week in which he praised the president's comments alongside a photo of his family.

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Radhe Shyam: Prabhas Co-Star Pooja Hegde Reveals Details Of Her Dreamy Look With Quirky Elements

The gorgeous Pooja Hegde is undoubtedly one of the busiest bees in the Indian film industry. The beauty, who was last seen in the super hit Telugu action drama Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, has many exciting projects in her kitty at the moment including Most Eligible Bachelor with Akhil Akkineni, Acharya and Rohit Shettys Cirkus co-starring Ranveer Singh. However, one of her most awaited films is definitely Radha Krishna Kumars directorial Radhe Shyam opposite South superstar Prabhas.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pooja Hegde (@hegdepooja)

Set in Europe of 1970s, the film has been shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi. Well, one of the most eye-catching elements of the posters and teaser has been Poojas elegant look. In a recent chat with Pinkvilla, the actress opened up about the same and revealed some juicy deets! She was quoted saying, We have done period films in India, the 70s and 80s but we haven't done European period where its all like fluffy gowns, outfits.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pooja Hegde (@hegdepooja)

Pooja went on to add, There is a dreamy like element added...we have added lots of jackets, coats and hats...quirky little elements like the bag she carries and I think that is something fresh and new...It is probably something that audience has not seen yet in India. Fashion-wise, it is going to be very interesting. The beauty also shared that fashion plays a very important role in her career as the outfits they wear in films are like uniform for actors.
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Pilibhit, March 14 : In a shocking incident in Uttar Pradesh, a police officer, posted as a circle officer in Bisalpur police station, landed himself in a soup, for allegedly forcing the village head of Marauri Khas village, Sanjeev Awasthi, to rub his nose on the feet of an accused.

BJP MLA Ram Saran Verma said that circle officer Vineet Singh, accompanied by Bilsanda SHO Ravindra Kumar, had come to the village on Wednesday to resolve a dispute related to a temple's land.

Guddu, the accused, has been living illegally on the temple premises.

The police officer had come at the behest of Guddu, who Verma described as "a criminal involved in several nefarious activities".

The MLA claimed that Singh called the village 'pradhan' and directed him to first touch Guddu's feet and then made him rub his nose on them thrice.

MLA Ram Saran Verma said he had written to additional chief secretary, home, Avanish Awasthi, DGP HC Awasthi and Pilibhit SP Jai Prakash Yadav, seeking immediate legal action against the police officer.

He has also called for an urgent meeting of the Gram Pradhan Sangh to decide future course of action.

Condemning the incident, district president of Pradhan Sangh, Ashutosh Dixit, said, "We have announced to fight a decisive battle and it will continue till a stern legal action against the erring circle officer is ensured." Meanwhile, SHO Ravindra Kumar said he had taken over charge of the police station just four days ago and was not aware of Guddu's criminal activities.

Pilibhit SP Jai Prakash Yadav said he had ordered Additional SP, Pavitra Mohan Tripathi, to visit the village to probe the allegations and record the statements of all concerned.
Construction on the first phase of Grand Hogback trails, amounting to 6.3 miles, is about finished. Leaders and advocates in Rifle see the network, envisioned as about 18 miles once complete, as being a mountain biking destination. Photo courtesy Rifle Mountain Biking Organization, riderifle.com
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher appear to have officially turned their backs on Hollywood as they start a new life in Sydney, Australia.

The mega-star couple initially relocated temporarily to escape 'Trump's America', but it looks like they are now eyeing off a 'forever home' Down Under.

According to Lucy Manly's Emerald City this week, Isla and Sacha were spotted inspecting a luxury home in Sydney.

Calling Australia home! Sacha Baron Cohen, 49, and Isla Fisher, 45, have well and truly left Hollywood after being caught inspecting homes in Sydney

The home offered all the trappings a celebrity would seek, including sweeping harbour views, a home cinema, personal gym, and an indoor squash court.

The report went on to say Isla also inspected a cliff-side mansion, which was on a battleaxe block, named for its distinct L-shape

The English superstar and his Australian wife have been living in Australia for several months, having relocated from Los Angeles to Sydney in December last year.

Upmarket: The stunning mansion offered all the trappings expected from a celebrity couple including sweeping harbour views, a home cinema and a squash court

And while it's been widely speculated that they moved Down Under to escape the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the US, a recent report claimed they were actually fleeing America's tumultuous political climate.

'They didn't want to raise their kids in Trump's America,' an insider told The Sydney Morning Herald of the couple's decision to move to Australia on Sunday.

Isla met Sacha at a party in 2002 and wed in 2010. They are proud parents to three children.

Hot property: The report went on to say Isla also inspected a cliff-side mansion, which was on a battleaxe block, named for its distinct L-shape

The Confessions of a Shopaholic star told Australian Marie Claire in 2018 that meeting Sacha was like 'winning the lottery'.

Tellingly Isla, who relocated to Los Angeles early on in her career, admitted to the publication at the time: 'juggling a family in LA isn't easy.'

'There's not really a culture of bringing your kids to dinner parties or to restaurants past 6pm. I tend to entertain at home because I want to be with my family - it's easier to put your kids to bed and have a wine with friends.'
Migrants arrive aboard a dinghy accompanied by a Frontex vessel at the village of Skala Sikaminias, on the Greek island of Lesbos (Michael Varaklas/AP)

The European Unions border and coast guard has come under pressure following a series of allegations that it was involved in illegal pushbacks of migrants.

Frontex is an increasingly powerful agency that monitors the 27-nation blocs external borders.

An official inquiry cleared the body of links to the pushback claims but criticised reporting and monitoring failures.

In the European Parliament, calls have come for executive director Fabrice Leggeri to resign. Some legislators say he has mishandled allegations that the agency was involved in fundamental violations of migrants rights.

Charity groups and media outlets accuse Frontex of denying people their right to apply for asylum  which is illegal under EU law and refugee treaties. They say it was also complicit in, or failed to prevent, alleged pushbacks at sea by Greeces coastguard, where migrants were returned to Turkish waters.

An inquiry found no link between Frontex and Aegean pushbacks. But the parliament has set up a scrutiny group to delve into the reports and human rights concerns. The EUs anti-fraud office is also looking at them, and at claims of misconduct by senior managers.

Expand Close Migrants and refugees on a dingy arrive at the shore of the north-eastern Greek island of Lesbos (Petros Giannakouris/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Migrants and refugees on a dingy arrive at the shore of the north-eastern Greek island of Lesbos (Petros Giannakouris/AP)

Even as criticism mounts, Frontexs powers are growing. In coming years, the agency is projected to swell to a 10,000-strong standing force, with armed officers and hi-tech surveillance equipment. Its budget has ballooned to 5.6 billion euros (4.8 billion) over the next seven years.

In 2014, the year before the EUs migrant challenge hit its peak, the agency had an annual budget of around 100 million euros (86 million) and had to request border staff from member countries.

Its role is expanding too. Recently, when the United Kingdom left the EU, it insisted that Frontex handle border controls at the airport in the British territory of Gibraltar rather than Spanish officers.

But as Frontexs powers and duties grow, so does the need for oversight.

It is, in my view, the most important agency in the whole European Union. And with power and funding comes responsibility, and of course safeguards and scrutiny, EU migration commissioner Ylva Johansson told investigating EU legislators on March 4.

Moreover, any failures at Frontex are an added embarrassment for nations that for years have been deeply divided over who should take responsibility for people entering without authorisation and whether other member states should be obliged to help out.

In the absence of the EU agreeing on migration management, what happens on the ground firmly shapes how the EU is viewed from the outside, Hanne Beirens, at the Migration Policy Institute, told The Associated Press.

The question is: who exactly is at the helm when it comes to Frontex?

The agency is supervised by a management board of national interior ministry, police and border officials which establishes its work plan and operations. The commission, which supervises the respect of EU laws, has two of the 28 board seats.

Mr Leggeri, a French civil servant named executive director in 2015 just as hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees were arriving in Europe, is tasked with carrying out the boards strategy. The posts of deputy director and a number of other senior positions are unfilled.

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On paper, Frontex is legally accountable to the 27 member countries and the European Parliament. The commission, through Ms Johansson, has political but not legal responsibility for Frontexs actions.

Out on the sea, or at land borders, though, Frontex operations are controlled by the country whose territory they take place on. In the Aegean, where many pushbacks have been reported, that means the Greek coastguard. This is where the lines of responsibility get muddy.

Frontex and Greece vehemently deny carrying out pushbacks, and the inquiry cleared the agency, although it did expose monitoring and reporting failures. But Mr Leggeri requested twice last year that Athens probe the conduct of the Greek coastguard.

He also told the EU legislators that when Turkey waved thousands of migrants through to its borders with Greece last March, Athens decided in an emergency measure to make optimal use of the provisions on interception to stop the attempted influx.

That means, Mr Leggeri said, that in some cases the migrants boats can be instructed not to stay in the territorial waters or not to enter. To some, that might appear to be the very definition of a pushback, and it begs the question: should Frontex comply when an order to intercept a migrant boat might actually be breaking the law?

These blurred legal definitions, unclear lines of command and the conflicting interests of coastal or inland EU member countries make the Frontex ship a complex one to command.

German conservative politician Lena Duepont  a European Parliament scrutiny group member  told the AP that there is plenty of room to improve the management ecosystem of the agency, especially the way Frontex is growing.

Its the first time that we have someone wearing a gun, someone wearing a European uniform, as part of a standing corps rather than officers sent on request from member countries, she said.

Frontex is more European than ever before, and this is a drastic change within the agency.
She detailed her youngest child's learning difficulties in early February along with the challenges he faced as he sought a college place.

But Kelly Ripa and husband Mark Consuelos are celebrating this weekend after son Joaquin was accepted to the University of Michigan's wrestling program.

The university posted a photo to its Instagram showing the teen in the team colors and in the caption announced: 'SIGNED: Welcome to the family, @joaquinconsuelos! #NewBlue #GoBlue.'

College bound: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are celebrating after their youngest child, son Joaquin, accepted a place at the University of Michigan's wrestling program

Joaquin posted the same image on his own Instagram and wrote: 'Super excited to step into this next chapter with @umichwrestling! Honored to be part of this great program.'

On Sunday, Kelly, 50, shared a photo of Mark and Joaquin posing together wearing black UMich hoodies.

'Sunday vibes,' she wrote in the caption.

Go Wolverines: Ripa posted a photo of Joaquin with his dad to Instagram on Sunday showing the pair posing in black UMich hoodies

Proud mom: In February, Ripa spoke about Joaquin's learning disorders and how he had overcome dyslexia and dysgraphia through 'hard work, determination [and] remediation'

Celebrity couple: The TV host and the actor have been married since 1996 and have three children together

During Live With Kelly and Ryan on February 3, Ripa spoke about Joaquin's challenges since he suffers from the learning disorders dyslexia (difficulty reading) and dysgraphia (the ability to write).

Sharing that he had 'lots of options' when it came to a college place, she said Joaquin managed to overcome his difficulties through 'hard work, determination, [and] remediation.'

Kelly and Mark's eldest son Michael, 23, graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts last year and their daughter Lola, 19, is in her sophomore year at NYU.
POCATELLO, Idaho (AP)  Eric Barriere threw a career-high five touchdowns and his 6-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Boston with 25 seconds left capped Eastern Washington's 46-42 comeback win over Idaho State on Saturday.

Barriere also set a career high with 455 yards passing in 34 completions. Boston caught 10 of those passes for 143 yards and had two touchdowns.

Trailing 42-31, Barriere found a wide open Blake Gobel in the back of the end zone with 5:50 remaining. Barriere found Boston on the two-point conversion to reduce the deficit to 42-39. The Eagles' defense, which surrendered 502 total yards to the Bengals, stepped up and forced a three-and-out to get the ball back.

Barriere and Boston ended the way they started when on fourth-and-1 at the Idaho State 8-yard line, Barriere found Boston in the right corner of the end zone for a 7-0 lead on the game's opening drive. The Eagles finished 3 of 4 on fourth-down conversions and were 11 of 19 on third-down conversions.

EWU piled up 596 total yards. Barriere needs just three more rushing yards to pass Vernon Adams' 1,232 all-time school career quarterback rushing record.

Tyler Vander Waal threw for a career-high 409 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more for Idaho State.

Eastern Washington (2-1, 2-1 Big Sky Conference) now has won 12 straight over the Bengals (1-2, 1-2) and owns a 30-9 all-time series lead.

The Eagles moved their record to 32-30 all-time when playing in a dome stadium.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball
Deep in Del Norte County, nearly an hour from Crescent City, theres an underground Hobbit Hole where you can stay the night in a Lord of the Rings-inspired damp cave for $58 a night.

Hand-dug into the side of a mountain, supported by a rebar cage, and firmed up with concrete, the tiny, 260-square-foot Hobbit Hole is painted green, with a living roof, an atrium-style skylight, and a toadstool-shaped table out front. At its center, there's a concrete-and-rebar support pillar shaped like a tree trunk, with branches criss-crossing the ceiling. Completing the vibe is a collection of Lord of the Rings books, a sword, some rings, and a crystal ball hanging overhead. The tempurpedic Hobbit Love Nest Bed is round and looks up at a medieval Celtic Cross.

The creation of Dr.  Schultz, a chiropractor and advocate for permaculture and sustainable living, this odd little accommodation is just one piece of a larger vision: a 160-acre intentional community called Maitreya Mountain Village. Surrounded by the Six Rivers National Forest, Schultz initially envisioned the Hobbit Hole as a multi-purpose building, he told SFGATE over the phone. An underground structure, it could provide shelter during a forest fire. But during the hot summers, it's also a nice, cool place.

Twelve years into Schultzs experiment, the Hobbit Hole is one of five AirBnB rental cabins at Maitreya. The off-grid property is a working farm with seven dairy goats, chickens, turkeys, bee hives, and an orchard of fruit and nut trees: hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts and fruit trees...pretty much everything you can think of. Without electricity to the property, water is gravity-fed and light is by candle or lantern. We also live in the rainforest, said Schultz, who also forages for mushrooms, acorns and huckleberries in great abunce.

Dan Schultz

Maitreya takes its name from a Sanskrit word which, according to the communitys website, means loving-kindness. The term is also used by both Buddhists and non-Buddhists, the site goes on, to describe a collective consciousness, allowing the construction of a new and better world. What the community is not, however, is anti-capitalist.

It's not only a project in sustainable agriculture, but also in a sustainable community, said Schultz. And a part of that is, especially when you're going off grid and you're exiting the system, is developing an economy.

Cabin rentals were really the answer for us, said Schultz. He is, however, the first to admit, he was pretty dumb about it at first.

My girlfriend said, Hey, we should put one on the cabins on AirBnB. And I said, I said, Jane, no one is going to rent a cabin out in the middle of nowhere. And she said, I think they will. And I said, well, you can put it on there, but no one is coming out here. And now we have over a thousand reservations a year.

If all of this sounds like the imaginative thinking of an ambitious stoner, Shultz prohibits substance use, which he calls chemical dependency at Maitreya. One of the agreements we make is to live free from chemical dependency here on the mountain, Maitreyas website explains. This doesn't mean that you can never have your favorite chemical stimulant (or depressant) ever again, the site reads. You can shoot heroin into your eyeballs if you want, as long as its off-property. He includes alcohol, nicotine and caffeine in what he calls a Sacred Space for Health, but perhaps concerned it will turn away paying customers, theres no mention of this rule in his AirBnB posting.

Dan Schultz

Among the Hobbit Holes guests are an awful lot of 50-something, 60-something Lord of the Ring fans. Last summer, he said, there was one couple who was driving cross-country. They were in Utah, saw Schultzs AirBnB listing and just took a right turn and drove like 700 miles.

But the Hobbit Hole isnt for everyone. Its rustic, just a notch above camping, according to Schultz. We're very, we're very direct about the fact that we're not a resort, he said. The Hobbit Hole doesnt have a bathroom, so guests use shared bathhouses and a communal kitchen. Heat comes from a wood stove that dries it out and ventilates it. The wood stove really makes it in the winter, said Schultz. We have a fire ban in the summer, but November through April, you get it toasty warm and dry and it's way more comfortable.

When the pandemic started, Schultz braced himself to have no revenue at all, for nobody to show up. But 2020 was their busiest year. Everybody wants to get out of cities, he said. They wanted to get out in the fresh air, he said. Most of the people that came out are not your average germaphobe Americans, he said. Its nothing fancy, we live just a step above the Flintstones.

The campy, outdoorsy types are usually not scared of the coronavirus," said Dr. Dan. "And neither am I.
Soldiers and police officers shot and killed at least 51 people in Myanmar over the weekend, as they pressed their campaign of attrition against protesters who have defied them in cities and towns across the country.

Despite weeks of killings by the security forces, a nationwide civil disobedience movement  which has paralyzed much of the economy as well as the governments operations  shows no sign of waning, a month and a half after the Feb. 1 military coup that ousted the civilian leadership.

The world is upside down in Myanmar, said U Tin Tun, who said he saw military personnel in the city of Mandalay commandeer an ambulance and drive off with a woman who had been shot in the head by a fellow soldier.

We must fight until we win, said Mr. Tin Tun, 46. The regime must step down. There is no place for any dictator here in Myanmar.
China Is the Elephant in the Room as Quad Leaders Talk Vaccine

March 13 , 2021 (EIRNS)While National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the press at the White House on March 12 that China was not the prime focus of the talks among the leaders of the QuadU.S., Australia, India, and Japanit was clear that it was the elephant in the room. The U.S. and the Western oligarchs have been acutely aware of the speed with which China has provided its vaccines to the rest of the world. India, which is still suffering a major outbreak among its people, nonetheless has a huge capacity to produce medications and vaccines, and welcomed the U.S. and others to produce their vaccines for developing countries in India. The Quad basically affirmed this by giving financial and other support to India to produce Johnson & Johnson and other vaccines. Japan would help to bankroll the initiative and Canberra would provide logistical support. All well and good, as the world needs more vaccines.

Sullivan said that the fact the meeting was held among the four leaders was more important than the decisions taken there. Each of the leaders independently, in the course of the meeting, referred to this event as historic because it cemented a group of strong democracies that will work together going forward to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific, Sullivan said. Other issues were also touched upon, he said:

During the meeting, the leaders addressed key regional issues including freedom of navigation and freedom from coercion in the South and East China Seas; the D.P.R.K. nuclear issue; and the coup and violent repression in Burma. The President and his counterparts also spoke to the competition of models between autocracy and democracy, and expressed their confidence that, despite setbacks and imperfections, democracy is the best system to deliver for people and to meet the economic, social, and technological challenges of the 21st century.

More will be done to follow up in this vein. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be going to Japan and South Korea this week, after which Austin will be traveling to India, over March 19-21. And then finally, Blinken and Sullivan will be meeting on March 18 with Chinas top diplomats Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Anchorage, Alaska. Many people, both here and in China are trying to view the meeting as establishing a modicum of cooperation between the U.S. and China, but Sullivans comments that the U.S. will be coming to the meeting from a position of strength, does not bode well for a happy outcome, although it could simply be rhetoric to fend off the attacks from the anti-China crowd in both parties that Biden will be soft on China.
New strategy for gem and jewellery industry ensures shining future By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

Sri Lankas gem and jewellery sector is now poised for a glittering future with new efforts of the government to strengthen its position as an industry hub achieving a US$1 billion export target this year.

As per Department of Customs statistics, earnings from gem and jewellery exports recorded a growth of 2.59 per cent to $29.93 million in January 2021 compared to $ 28.20 million in January 2020.

A new strategy will be implemented by the State Ministry of Gem and Jewellery in collaboration with the Finance Ministry amidst gem traders facing a difficult operating environment from the economic slowdown.

The Presidential Task Force on Gems and Jewellery exports has met for the first time in Colombo recently under Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to fine tune this strategy aimed at achieving a target of $5 billion by 2025.

The urgent need of streamlining gem mining, tackling land issues and gem cutting as well as gem actions, certification, conducting auctions and creating international acceptance for local industry has been identified at the meeting.

The upgrading of the Gem Laboratory of the National Gems and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) to international standards and the setting up of three international quality laboratories in Ratnapura, Galle and Colombo along with mobile labs were also discussed.

Measures will be taken to conduct a special study on the industry in Thailand and Hong Kong and use it as role model for Sri Lanka soon while implementing a training programme for youth with private sector assistance.

Online gem and jewellery trading will also be promoted providing necessary assistance for local traders.

Arrangements are being made to set up Sri Lanka gem trading centres in Beijing and Shanghai in China.

The construction of the Gem Trading Complex and Training Centre in Demuwawatha, Ratnapura is to be launched soon, following budgetary allocations made by the Treasury, a senior Finance Ministry official who attended the meeting told the Business Times.

The government is currently building a Gem and Jewellery Trade Centre in Ratnapura to attract sales which now take place in Bangkok.

In addition, a proposal has also been made to consider the possibility of direct air connectivity between Sri Lanka and Madagascar.

Currently, most of Madagascars gems are imported to Sri Lanka for value additions, by way of cutting and polishing, before being re-exported to gem trading hubs such as Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Representatives of gem traders and exporters associations have proposed to conduct an international level gem auction with the participation of foreign buyers at the Mahinda Rajapaksa international Conference Hall in Hambantota.

Action will be taken to remove the barriers that obstruct the release of uncultivated lands with gem deposits belonging to plantation companies and to take over control of these lands for the benefit of the mining industry.

Sri Lanka is the ninth largest exporter of precious stones to the global market and one of the five most important gem bearing nations of the world at present.

The entire industry employs approximately 600,000 people, including miners, cutters and polishers, dealers, jewellery designers, manufacturers and craftsmen, and marketing resources.
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Half of business owners say they wont allow their staff to return to offices if they havent had a Covid-19 vaccine.

A survey of more than 300 bosses found that 51 per cent would allow only those who had been jabbed to visit company premises.

The study, which covered firms that employ fewer than 250 staff, comes as more companies prepare for a return to workplaces as lockdown eases.

A survey of more than 300 bosses found that 51 per cent would allow only those who had been jabbed to visit company premises. A man is seen getting a coronavirus jab in Chesterfield

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked Britons to work from home if they can until Covid restrictions are fully lifted in June.

But there is now hope that the over-40s may be vaccinated by Easter and all adults by the end of July.

Tycoon Charlie Mullins, who founded Pimlico Plumbers, has already said he will introduce a no jab, no job policy for new employees.

Tycoon Charlie Mullins, who founded Pimlico Plumbers, has already said he will introduce a no jab, no job policy for new employees

Meanwhile, other employers are considering using health passports so that only vaccinated staff or those who have tested negative for Covid can enter their offices.

More than 48,000 businesses have now signed up for free workplace checks being offered by the Government in a major victory for The Mail on Sundays Tests at Work campaign.

We called for rapid testing in workplaces to reboot the economy and get staff safely back to factories, plants, offices and shops. The Government scheme was extended to all companies in England earlier this month.

The latest data shows more than 9,000 firms are now receiving free rapid lateral flow tests under the scheme, up from fewer than 100 when the MoS campaign was launched earlier this year.

Thousands more of those that have registered an interest are in the process of setting up testing programmes.

The survey of small and medium-sized businesses by Yonder on behalf of Cignpost ExpressTest found 54 per cent had formulated a plan to return to the office.

The highest proportion are in London and the lowest in the east of England. Nick Markham, co-founder of Cignpost, which tests employees at Apple, Amazon and the BBC, said: With the end of lockdown restrictions on the horizon, this research shows that many businesses are confused about how to return their employees to the office quickly and safely.

The research also found that 63 per cent of firms believe they should organise regular testing.
People around the state are mourning the loss of the 10 people who were shot and killed at a King Soopers in Boulder last week.
Scott Stafford has been a reporter, photographer, and editor at a variety of publications, including the Dallas Morning News and The Berkshire Eagle. Scott can be reached at sstafford@berkshireeagle.com, or at 413-496-6301 and on Twitter at @BE_SStafford.
Democrats, Republicans Blame Each Other Over Border Surge

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) admitted there is a humanitarian challenge at the border but ruled out calling it a full-fledged crisis as throngs of illegal immigrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border, as a Republican senator said its the fault of the current administration.

This is a humanitarian challenge to all of us, Pelosi told ABC News on Sunday and echoed claims by the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) chief, Alejandro Mayorkas, in saying that its because President Joe Bidens administration has inherited [a] broken system at the border, and they are working to correct that in the childrens interest.

The DHS has confirmed that more than 3,400 unaccompanied minors are in custody inside detention facilities as of last week. And separately, Customs and Border Protection officials stated there were more than 100,000 attempted illegal crossings in February, an increase from 78,000 who individuals tried to cross in January.

It comes as the Biden administration on Saturday announced it would deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the border over the next three months.

This again is a transition to what was wrong before to what is right, Pelosi said of the development.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told Fox News on Sunday that the border situation is due to Bidens policies.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 12, 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Empirically it is entirely. You cant help but notice that the administration changes and there is a surge, Cassidy said. And so when people think they can get in, they begin sending their unaccompanied child on a train ride across Mexico where she may be kidnapped and trafficked, on the hope that theyre going to be waved through at the border.

The deployment of FEMA suggests that the administration believes the crisis will grow, Cassidy added.

Theyre sending FEMA for reinforcementsnot for today, not for tomorrow, but for three weeks from now, he said.

Another Republican, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, accused the administration of adopting a policy of open borders while adding that it promotes the spread of COVID, human trafficking, increase in drug trafficking, increase of crime, and just general chaos.

The DHS said FEMA will receive, shelter, and transfer unaccompanied minors who cross the border illegally, the agency said.

We are working in partnership with HHS to address the needs of unaccompanied children, which is made only more difficult given the protocols and restrictions required to protect the public health and the health of the children themselves. Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to HHS as quickly as possible, consistent with legal requirements and in the best interest of the children, according to a DHS statement.
Karla Jefferies stands in her kitchen in Detroit, Friday, March 5, 2021. Jefferies, 64, a retired state worker in Detroit, Michigan, tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020 and has been bothered by puzzling symptoms ever since. First it was fatigue, fever, and no taste or smell. Then came brain fog, insomnia, a nagging smell of something burning that only recently disappeared, and intermittent ringing in her ears. Now she can't hear out of her left ear. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

There was no reason to celebrate on Rachel Van Lear's anniversary. The same day a global pandemic was declared, she developed symptoms of COVID-19. A year later, she's still waiting for them to disappear. And for experts to come up with some answers.

The Texas woman is one of thousands of self-described long-haulers, patients with symptoms that linger or develop out of the blue months after they first became infected with coronavirus. Hers first arrived March 11, 2020.

The condition affects an uncertain number of survivors in a baffling variety of ways.

"We're faced with a mystery," said Dr. Francis Collins, chief of the National Institutes of Health.

Is it a condition unique to COVID-19, or just a variation of the syndrome that can occur after other infections? How many people are affected, and how long does it last? Is it a new form of chronic fatigue syndromea condition with similar symptoms?

Or could some symptoms be unrelated to their COVID-19 but a physical reaction to the upheaval of this past pandemic yearthe lockdowns, quarantines, isolation, job losses, racial unrest, political turmoil, not to mention overwhelming illness and deaths?

These are the questions facing scientists as they search for disease markers, treatments and cures. With $1 billion from Congress, Collins' agency is designing and soliciting studies that aim to follow at least 20,000 people who've had COVID-19.

Karla Jefferies sits in her kitchen in Detroit, Friday, March 5, 2021. Jefferies, 64, a retired state worker in Detroit, Michigan, tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020 and has been bothered by puzzling symptoms ever since. First it was fatigue, fever, and no taste or smell. Then came brain fog, insomnia, a nagging smell of something burning that only recently disappeared, and intermittent ringing in her ears. Now she can't hear out of her left ear. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

''We've never really been faced with a post-infectious condition of this magnitude so this is unprecedented,'' Collins said Monday. "We don't have time to waste.''

With nearly 30 million U.S. cases of COVID-19 and 119 million worldwide, the impact could be staggering, even if only a small fraction of patients develop long-term problems.

Fatigue, shortness of breath, insomnia, trouble thinking clearly and depression are among the many reported symptoms. Organ damage, including lung scarring and heart inflammation, have also been seen. Pinpointing whether these symptom are directly linked to the virus or perhaps to some preexisting condition is among scientists' tasks.

''Is it just a very delayed recovery or is it something even more alarming and something that becomes the new normal?'' Collins said.

There are a few working theories for what might be causing persistent symptoms. One is that the virus remains in the body at undetectable levels yet still causes tissue or organ damage. Or it overstimulates the immune system, keeping it from returning to a normal state. A third theory: Symptoms linger or arise anew when the virus attacks blood vessels, causing minute, undetectable blood clots that can wreak havoc throughout the body.

Some scientists think each of these may occur in different people.

Karla Jefferies is shown in her kitchen in Detroit, Friday, March 5, 2021. As an African-American woman with diabetes and high blood pressure, she was at high risk for a bad outcome from COVID-19 and knows she's lucky her initial illness wasn't more serious. But her persistent symptoms and home confinement got her down and depression set in. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Dr. Steven Deeks, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said researchers first need to create a widely accepted definition of the syndrome. Estimates are "all over the map because no one is defining it in the same way,'' he said.

Deeks is leading one study, collecting blood and saliva samples from volunteers who will be followed for up to two years.

Some people develop long-term problems even when their initial infections were silent. Deeks said some evidence suggests that those who initially get sicker from a coronavirus infection might be more prone to persistent symptoms, and women seem to develop them more than men, but those observations need to be confirmed, Deeks said.

Van Lear says she was in great shape when she got sick. At 35, the suburban Austin woman had no other health issues and was a busy mother of three who often worked out. First came a chest cold, then a high fever. A flu test came back negative, so her doctor tested for COVID-19. Soon after she developed blinding headaches, debilitating fatigue and nausea so severe that she needed emergency room treatment.

''I was very scared because no one could tell me what was going to happen to me,'' Van Lear said.

Over the next several months, symptoms would come and go: burning lungs, a rapid heartbeat, dizzy spells, hand tremors and hair loss. While most have disappeared, she still deals with an occasional racing heartbeat. Heart monitoring, bloodwork and other tests have all been normal.

Rachel Van Lear poses for a portrait at her home in Buda, Texas, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. On the same day a global pandemic was declared, she developed symptoms of COVID-19. A year later, she's still waiting for them to disappear. And for experts to come up with some answers. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Fatigue, fever, and no taste or smell were Karla Jefferies' first symptoms after testing positive last March. Then came brain fog, insomnia, a nagging smell of something burning that only recently disappeared, and intermittent ringing in her ears. Now she can't hear out of her left ear.

Doctors can't find anything to explain it, and she bristles when some doctors dismiss her symptoms.

''I understand that COVID is something that we're all going through together but don't brush me off,'' said Jefferies, 64, a retired state worker in Detroit.

As an African American woman with diabetes and high blood pressure, she was at high risk for a bad outcome and knows she's lucky her initial illness wasn't more serious. But her persistent symptoms and home confinement got her down and depression set in.

Political and racial unrest that dominated the news didn't help, and church servicesoften her salvationwere suspended. She knows all that could have contributed to her ill health and says listening to musicR&B, jazz and a little countryhas helped her cope.

Still, Jefferies wants to know what role the virus has played.

Karla Jefferies stands in her kitchen in Detroit, Friday, March 5, 2021. Doctors can't find anything to explain her lingering coronavirus symptoms, and she bristles when some doctors dismiss them as nothing serious. ''I understand that COVID is something that we're all going through together but don't brush me off,'' said Jefferies, 64, a retired state worker in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

"I'm a year in, and to still from time to time have lingering effects, I just don't understand that,'' Jefferies said.

Jefferies and Van Lear are members of Survivor Corps, one of several online support groups created during the pandemic and that have amassed thousands of members. Some are enrolling in studies to help speed the science.

Dr. Michael Sneller is leading one study at the NIH. So far, 200 have enrolled; they include survivors and a healthy comparison group.

They are being given a series of physical and mental tests once or twice a year for three years. Other tests are seeking signs of ongoing inflammation, abnormal antibodies and blood vessel damage.

Sneller said he's found no serious heart or lung tissue damage so far. He notes that many viruses can cause mild heart inflammation, even some cold viruses. Many people recover but in severe cases the condition can lead to heart failure.

Fatigue is the most common symptom in the coronavirus group, and so far researchers have found no medical explanation for it. Insomnia is common, tooin both groups. Sneller says that's not surprising.

Rachel Van Lear poses for a portrait at her home in Buda, Texas, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Van Lear says she was in great shape when she got sick. At 35, she had no underlying illnesses and was a busy mother of three who often worked out. First came a chest cold, then a high fever. A flu test came back negative, so her doctor tested for COVID-19. Results were positive. Soon after she developed blinding headaches, debilitating fatigue and nausea so severe that she needed ER treatment to replace fluid. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

"The whole pandemic and lockdown affected all of us," he said. "There's a lot of anxiety in the control group too.''

Many have symptoms similar to chronic disease syndrome; and to a condition involving fatigue and thinking difficulties that can develop after treatment for Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by certain ticks.

Researchers are hopeful that studies of long-term COVID-19 may yield answers to what causes those conditions, too.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
SP Jananathan, the director of the upcoming Vijay Sethupathi project Laabam, passed away on Sunday, March 14. The 61-year-old, who was found unconscious at his residence on March 11, breathed his last at a private hospital in Chennai where he was under treatment. The Tamil film industry is in shock and paying tribute to SP Jananathan through social media.

As per reports, the Laabam director was found unconscious in his room by his assistants, who visited his residence on Thursday. Even though SP Jananathan was immediately rushed to Apollo Hospital in Chennai, his condition deteriorated due to a brain haemorrhage. Reportedly, the filmmaker suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away at 10.07 am.

7Cs Entertainment, the production banner that has bankrolled Laabam, confirmed the shocking demise of SP Jananathan with a Twitter post. "Our director #SPJananathan, sir , who was in a critical condition and was undergoing treatment at the Apollo hospitals, passed away at 10.07 am today morning after suffering a cardiac arrest. May his soul rest in peace," the banner tweeted.

The director's last rites will take place today evening in Chennai's Mylapore.

Vijay Sethupathi, who is deeply saddened by the demise of the filmmaker, shared SP Jananathan's picture on his official social media page and wrote, "Love u sir." D Imman, the music composer of Laabam, took to his official Twitter page and wrote, "#Laabam director #SPJananathan , is no more... Incidentally he passed away on the death anniversary of social revolutionary #KarlMarx , who was his role model.We miss you sir. #RIP."

Read what the Tamil film industry members have to say about SP Jananathan:

It is with the heaviest Heart that We say good bye to #SPJananathan sir - it was a pleasure working with you sir Thankyou for your wisdom and kind words you will always be in my thoughts ! My deepest condolences to his family  pic.twitter.com/Ox1Ag0EEYE  shruti haasan (@shrutihaasan) March 14, 2021

We lose another gem. Extremely saddening to hear we have lost Director #SPJananathan He will always be remembered for his films made on social issues. Never wanted to be part of commerca cinema, he had carved a niche for himself on his terms. #RIPSPJananathan   KhushbuSundar  (@khushsundar) March 14, 2021

So heartbreaking this is..

RIP #SPJananathan sir..

Such an inspiration to me n many 

A great soul to be remembered always   Mohan Raja (@jayam_mohanraja) March 14, 2021

You had given me fond memories sir!

Couldnt accept the reality that youre no more..#RIPSPJananathan Comrade. pic.twitter.com/88xHjms3Qx  D.IMMAN (@immancomposer) March 14, 2021

#RIPSPJananathan

Your films will remembered as it reflected your conviction towards society .

May your soul rest in peace .  pcsreeramISC (@pcsreeram) March 14, 2021

May his soul rest in peace.

Also Read:

Vijay Sethupathi's Laabam Director SP Jananathan Hospitalised



Laabam Trailer: Vijay Sethupathi's Double Role Will Leave You Intrigued!
La Paz, March 14 : Former Interim President of Bolivia Jeanine Anez has been arrested on charges of "terrorism, sedition and conspiracy" due to her role in the events of November 2019 that ended with the resignation of then President Evo Morales, authorities said.

"I inform the Bolivian people that Jeanine Anez has been apprehended and at this moment she is in the hands of the police," Minister Carlos Eduardo del Castillo tweeted on Saturday.

The State Attorney General's Office ordered the apprehension of Anez and five of her former colleagues on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Television footage from the northern city of Trinidad showed that police officers and two prosecutors raided Anez's residence and arrested her.

There have also been arrest warrants issued for former military commanders Williams Kaliman and Sergio Orellana, and former police commander Yuri Calderon.

Morales agreed to quit the office in November 2019 after disputes over the October general elections prompted weeks of widespread protests in the country.

At least 30 people died in the crisis and more than 700 others were injured.

Anez served as the 66th President of Bolivia on an interim basis from 2019 to 2020.

She was Bolivia's second female President after Lidia Gueiler Tejada.
Just 15 months ago Birmingham council leader Ian Ward was in Hong Kong at the MIPIM Asia event (the Oscars of the Asian real estate world), trumpeting the virtues of his city. It was, he believed, the ideal inward investment location for Chinese and Asian investors due to the HS2 high-speed train link and the 2022 Commonwealth Games on the horizon.

Today, however, its like chalk and cheese, says one senior council official. The city centre resembles a ghost town with the heart of the showcase Bullring retail redevelopment gutted by the permanent closure of key anchor stores, John Lewis and Debenhams. The empty office blocks cast doubt on future plans for city centre redevelopment. It feels like were back to the 1980s.

The city is certainly in need of a pick-me-up. The Covid pandemic has devastated the local economy. By the end of 2020 more than 80,000 people were unemployed. The citys unemployment rate of over 15 per cent is double the UK average, while its youth unemployment rate is hovering around 20 per cent. The council official told The Independent that their focus at the moment is just on business survival. More than 100 council staff are dealing with the grant applications that have come in from businesses in the city, working out the variations that arise from five different grant regimes set up by the Treasury. The green shoots of recovery cannot come fast enough  and perhaps they are beginning to show.
Controversial French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has sparked outrage yet again for its latest front page cover that showed a cartoon of UK's Queen Elizabeth kneeling on the neck of Meghan Markle, referring to the death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis last year.

The title of the cartoon published on Saturday reads, "Why Meghan left Buckingham", to which the Duchess of Sussex, pressed under the Queens knee replies, "because I couldn't breathe anymore".

#CharlieHebdo, this is wrong on every level. The Queen as #GeorgeFloyd's murderer crushing Meghan's neck? #Meghan saying she's unable to breathe? This doesnt push boundaries, make anyone laugh or challenge #racism. It demeans the issues & causes offence, across the board. pic.twitter.com/ptNXs8RtuS  Dr Halima Begum (@Halima_Begum) March 13, 2021

The cartoon imitates the scene when George Floyd was killed after a White police officer pressed his knee against the 48-year-old man's neck for about nine minutes as he gasped for breath. The accused officer, Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder by a US court. Floyds death sparked a wave of Black Lives Matter protests across America, calling for action against police brutality and racial injustice, which went a long way towards finally dislodging Donald Trump from the US President's office as matters became heavily polarised before the recent elections.

Meghan Markle accuses Royal family of racism

The cartoon comes days after Meghan Markle an interview with Oprah Winfrey, accused the British press and the royal family of racism. The biracial American actor said when she was pregnant with her son Archie, a member of the royal family expressed "concerns... about the colour of his skin". She also revealed that she felt so isolated and miserable as a working member of the royal family, that she had suicidal thoughts.

The Buckingham Palace, in a statement, said Meghan's claims were "concerning" and would be investigated "privately." Earlier this week, Prince William defended the monarchy against the accusations, saying, "We're very much not a racist family".

The cartoon drew widespread controversy on social media, as many users called it offensive. Dr Halima Begum, CEO of the Runnymede Trust, a UK-based think-tank on racial equality, said the caricature was "wrong on every level".

"This doesn't push boundaries, make anyone laugh or challenge racism. It demeans the issues and causes offence, across the board," she tweeted.

Charlie Hebdo is well known for being provocative on issues, pushing the frontiers of what's considered permissable as free speech. It has in the past been targeted and attacked by terrorist outfits, most notably the attack on its office in 2015 in which almost a dozen staff were killed. However, whereas in the previous cases the outrage was driven by alleged insult to divine figures, here, the news magazine has combined the George Floyd death incident with what is being touted as an unmasking of centuries of racism condoned by the British royal family. Racism was predominant in the Colonial era with examples of this still being felt across the world.
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk has been sued by a shareholder who accused him of violating his 2018 settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over his Twitter use.

According to a complaint unsealed late Thursday in Delaware Chancery Court, which also names the electric car company's board as defendants, Musk's "erratic" tweets and the failure of Tesla directors to ensure he complied with the SEC settlement have exposed shareholders to billions of dollars of losses.

The complaint highlighted several Musk posts on social media platform Twitter, including his assessment last May 1 that Tesla's stock price was "too high," prompting a more than $13 billion tumble in Tesla's market value.

Chase Gharrity, the plaintiff, said Musk's actions and the directors' inaction have caused "substantial financial harm," and that they should pay damages to Palo Alto, California-based Tesla for breaching their fiduciary duties.

The lawsuit was filed even though Tesla's share price has soared nearly fivefold since Musk's "too high" tweet, giving Tesla a valuation well above $600 billion, and the SEC has not publicly accused Musk of recent violations.

"It could pressure the SEC into taking some sort of recourse," said Charles Elson, a University of Delaware professor and corporate governance specialist.

Tesla did not immediately respond on Friday to requests for comment. Gharrity's lawyers, Musk's lawyers in the SEC case, and the SEC did not immediately respond to similar requests.

The SEC settlement followed Musk's August 2018 tweet that he had "funding secured" to possibly take Tesla private in a $72 billion transaction. In reality, Musk was not close.

Musk and Tesla each paid $20 million in civil fines, and Tesla lawyers agreed to vet some of Musk's tweets in advance.

The settlement was later amended to clarify when pre-approvals were required, prompted by a unvetted tweet by Musk about Tesla's vehicle production forecast.

Story continues

Last April, a San Francisco federal judge said Tesla and Musk must face a lawsuit claiming Musk's going-private tweet defrauded shareholders. That case remains pending.

The case is Gharrity v Musk et al, Delaware Chancery Court, No. 2021-0199.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco, and Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Rosalba O'Brien)
Anthony Fauci on Sunday said President Joe Biden's prediction that coronavirus vaccines can lead to relative normalcy by July Fourth is "quite reasonable"  as long as states don't prematurely pull back public safety measures.

"If you wait just a bit longer to give the vaccine program the chance to increase the protection in the community, then it makes pulling back much less risky," said Fauci, the nation's leading infectious diseases expert, on "Fox News Sunday." "But if you do it prematurely there really is a danger of triggering another surge."

Fauci expressed concerns that plateaus in levels of infection are often followed by surges.

"When you see [infections] plateauing at a level of anywhere between 50,000 and 65,000 cases a day, that is absolutely no time to declare victory, because we know from previous surges that we've had over the year that when you see that leveling off at a high level, there's always the risk of a surge back up," Fauci said. "And in fact, unfortunately, that is exactly what's happening in Europe right now."

Fauci elaborated on his concerns about Europe in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union": "They had a diminution of cases, they plateaued, and they pulled back on public health measures. You see the pictures in the paper and on TV. They have opened the restaurants. They have opened some of the bars. The younger people particularly stopped wearing masks, and then, all of a sudden, you have a surge that went right back up."

Biden, in a prime-time speech on Thursday, asked states to make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1 and said that by July Fourth, there's a "good chance" Americans will be able to gather to celebrate Independence Day. While Fauci said he doesn't see any "stumbling blocks" in that, he cautioned that an increase in Covid-19 infections could push back when Americans can return to some of their normal routines.

Story continues

"If the surge back up comes, that would endanger the goal of getting people much more toward normal in the beginning of the summer," Fauci said on "Fox News Sunday." "It's not going to influence the vaccination program or the vaccination rate, but it could influence how soon we get back to normal."

Some states, including Texas and Mississippi, have lifted mask mandates and moved to fully reopen businesses, a move Fauci called "risky and potentially dangerous." Other states, such as Maryland, have retained mask mandates but removed limits on capacity for business.

"If you look at the numbers, we are not out of the woods yet," he cautioned.
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Chennai: The ruling AIADMK's rival Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam on Sunday concluded a seat sharing arrangement with actor-turned politician Vijayakanth-led DMDK and alloted it 60 Assembly constituencies for the April 6 Assembly polls.

Under the agreement, DMDK, which walked out of the ruling party led alliance recently would contest from city segments like Villivakkam, Egmore (Reserved) and Sozhinganallur besides constituencies in several parts of Tamil Nadu.

The DMDK, which demanded at least 23 seats from AIADMK snapped ties with it days ago after the ruling party declined to part with it.

Candidates previously announced by AMMK for segments now earmarked for DMDK would be withdrawn, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam top leader TTV Dhinakaran said.

In a statement he said that the nominees who have been withdrawan would be given opportunities in future. The decision to allot seats to DMDK was taken considering victory in mind, he said.

He urged party workers to slog to establish "Amma's true welfare government," in Tamil Nadu. The AMMK had already allotted six seats to Social Democratic Party of India and three segments to Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM.

BISHOP of Limerick Brendan Leahy has today paid tribute to the role of mothers in the pandemic, describing them as the "glue" that has kept families together in the most trying of years.

Speaking after Mass at St Johns Cathedral, Bishop Leahy said that in many ways mothers have carried the brunt of the restrictions that Covid-19 has drawn down on top of us in this past year.

"It is fair to say that over the past year, mothers have taken on so much more," said Bishop Leahy.

"From what Ive picked up talking with mothers and fathers, I want to acknowledge how women are yet again proving the great and selfless multi-taskers, the essential glue for families in all of this Covid crisis.

"On top of already packed lives of being earners, mothers, wives daughters, sisters and so much more, theyve become caregivers, home-schoolers, juggling child-care challenges with work responsibilities and multi-tasking even more than theyve done before.

"Yes, mothers have combined a new tapestry that has wrapped around families in this Covid year."

While grateful to them, Bishop Leahy said that out debt of gratitude must involve recognition also that this multi-tasking has come at a cost.

"Stress levels have been higher this year. Research indicates that mothers took on more household and childcare duties than fathers. First time mothers experienced isolation in giving birth and also throughout the first year of their childs development. They missed the support of immediate family, relatives and friends, especially the reassuring presence of their own mothers. It seems that in some cases some women ended up having to scale back and even leave the workforce during this past year.

"This year, then, and today, in particular, let us applaud mothers for their role in the pandemic, in being the glue in the family that is keeping so much of it together. They have contributed much. They are societys very first frontline workers, coming also with that unique maternal caring instinct that so often sees them be the first responders to others in the family enduring various impacts of this pandemic  fear, disarray, frayed nerves, boredom, cabin fever, isolation.

"We think, of course, of mothers whose home environment does not honour their incredible work  to the contrary. We pray for them especially. And let us pay particular attention to single mothers who have probably borne even greater burdens during this time. It is worth asking if we as a society or state can do more to help them."

Bishop Leahy also prayed for those who have been without the privilege of a maternal influence this past year or who have lost mothers during the pandemic.

He concluded: "Lets remember for all of us, we have a special mother in Heaven, Mary, the mother of Jesus and Mother of the Church. May she in her maternal care untie any knots that burden us at this time."
GP clinics and states that are hitting vaccination targets and using up supplies will be restocked with coronavirus vaccine vials ahead of those that fall behind, in an effort to speed up the process.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday after getting his second jab at Castle Hill Medical Centre in north-west Sydney that he had discussed with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian how her state had the capacity to deliver more vaccine doses.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison accompanies Jane Malaysiak, the first person to get the coronavirus vaccine in Australia, to get her second dose. Credit:Edwina Pickles

With the GP rollout, you know, well be sending doses to those who can get through them, those who are actually meeting the targets and ensuring the doses are administered, Mr Morrison said.

Now where there is spare capacity in states, well we will send doses there too on a dynamic basis to ensure that we are keeping pace, but its not a race, its not a competition, its about the health and safety of Australians.
Varanasi, March 14 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said the development of the country can never be complete without the progress of the tribal and the Dalit community.

Addressing tribal congregation 'Vanvasi Samagam' in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district, the President, stressing on the need of inclusive development, said just like Lord Ram triumphed with the help of tribals, the nation needs to take the tribal community along with it on the path of development.

On the second day of his tour to Uttar Pradesh, he visited the Chapki area in Babhni block of Sonbhadra district where he attended the 'Vanvasi Samagam' and inaugurated the newly constructed building of 'Seva Kunj Ashram'.

During his address, the President said these Seva ashrams have made great contribution towards education among the tribal community.

"People will recognize the name of Sonbhadra by their work," he added.

Kovind said the educational institutions working for the tribals are like temples. Children here would get blessings in form of education and prosper in different fields.

The President said there is a need to develop the art and rich culture of the tribals. He said if given a chance and support, these artists could showcase their performance in different parts of the country and even abroad.

On the occasion of 'Vanvasi Samagam', Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that his government would open a medical college in Sonbhadra which comprises more than half of the tribal population of the state.

He also assured to build an archery range for the players and students of the region which is quite popular here.
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New research conducted at the UNESCO World Heritage listed 'Plain of Jars' in Laos has established the stone jars were likely placed in their final resting position from as early as 1240 to 660 BCE.

Sediment samples from beneath stone jars from two of the more than 120 recorded megalithic sites were obtained by a team led Dr Louise Shewan from the University of Melbourne, Associate Professor Dougald O'Reilly from the Australian National University (ANU) and Dr Thonglith Luangkoth from the Lao Department of Heritage.

The samples were analysed using a technique called Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) to determine when sediment grains were last exposed to sunlight.

"With these new data and radiocarbon dates obtained for skeletal material and charcoal from other burial contexts, we now know that these sites have maintained enduring ritual significance from the period of their initial jar placement into historic times," Dr Shewan said.

The megalithic jar sites in Northern Laos comprise one to three-metre-tall carved stone jars, weighing up to 20 tonnes, dotted across the landscape, appearing alone or in groups of up to several hundred.

Dr Shewan and her team completed their most recent excavations in March 2020, revisiting Site 1 (Ban Hai Hin), and arriving back in Australia just before global pandemic international boarder closures.

Site 1 revealed more burials placed around the jars and confirmed earlier observations that the exotic boulders distributed across the site are markers for ceramic burial jars buried below.

Published today in PLOS One, Dr Shewan and collaborators present new radiocarbon results for site use and also introduce geochronological data determining the likely quarry source for one of the largest megalithic sites.

While geologists have used detrital zircon U-Pb dating for several decades, this methodology has recently been used to establish the provenance of ceramic and stone sources in archaeological contexts including Stonehenge.

Conducted at ANU by Associate Professor Richard Armstrong, the U-Pb zircon ages measured in jar samples from Site 1 were compared to potential source material, including a sandstone outcrop and an incomplete jar from a presumed quarry located some 8km away. The zircon age distributions revealed very similar provenance suggesting that this outcrop was the likely source of the material used for the creation of jars at the site.

"How the jars were moved from the quarry to the site, however, remains a mystery," Associate Professor O'Reilly said.

The next challenge for the researchers is to obtain further samples from other sites and from across the geographic expanse of this megalithic culture to understand more about these enigmatic sites and the period over which they were created.

Dr Shewan said this is not an especially easy task given the extensive unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination in the region where less than 10 per cent of the known jar sites have been cleared.

"We expect that this complex process will eventually help us share more insights into what is one of Southeast Asia's most mysterious archaeological cultures."

The full team of researchers includes La Trobe University, James Cook University, University of Gloucestershire and international collaborators from Laos, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

###
An Iowa jury Wednesday acquitted Andrea Sahouri, a public safety reporter for the Des Moines Register, of two misdemeanors by which police and reporters had attempted to criminalize journalism.

Polk County sheriffs deputies  agents of the government and employees of the public  doused Sahouri with pepper spray and arrested her May 31, 2020, as she covered a Black Lives Matter protest in Des Moines. Her acquittal  particularly on the cusp of national Sunshine Week  is welcome and a credit to sensible jurors who recognized the validity of news coverage of events of public interest. But the case meant not only that police viewed reporting as a crime but that a prosecutor assessed the case and brought it to trial.

And Sahouri wasnt alone. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 100 reporters were arrested last summer while covering protests that followed George Floyds murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers  including in Minneapolis. Charges remain pending against at least a dozen of those journalists.

Attacks on and imprisonment of journalists are a hallmark of repressive regimes rather than of those in democratic societies, in which the free press is a crucial democratic institution. In the United States, as the Committee to Protect Journalists put it, journalism is not a crime, period.

Arresting journalists for doing their jobs points to the need for better police training, the movement for which arose anew from Floyds murder. As instruments of democratic governments, police forces should not view democratic institutions, including the press, as enemies.

Their training should reflect that fundamental democratic value.
For much of the winter, Meryl Gordon worried about the people caring for her 95-year-old mother, who was rehabbing in a Manhattan nursing home after surgery for a broken hip.

Every week they sent out a note to families about how many staff members had positive COVID tests, said Gordon, a biographer and professor at New York University. It was a source of tremendous anxiety.

Gordon feels reassured now that her mother is fully vaccinated and has returned to her assisted living facility. But what about the two home care aides who help her 98-year-old father, David, in his Upper West Side apartment?

Neither has agreed to be vaccinated. David Gordons doctor has advised him to delay COVID-19 vaccination himself because of his past allergic reactions.

Meryl Gordon has not insisted that the caregivers receive vaccinations. Youre reluctant to do something that could cause you to lose the people you rely on, she said. But she remains uneasy.

Where the debate sits

Its a question that many long-term care employers, from individual families to big national companies, are confronting as vaccines become more available, although not available enough: In a pandemic, can they require vaccination for those who care for very vulnerable older adults? Should they?

Some employers arent waiting. Atria Senior Living, one of the nations largest assisted living chains, has announced that by May 1 all staff members must be fully vaccinated.

Silverado, a small chain of dementia care homes, most on the West Coast, mandated vaccination by March 1. Juniper Communities, which operates 22 facilities in four states, has also adopted a mandate.

We felt it was the best way to protect people, not just our residents but our team members and their families, said Lynne Katzmann, Junipers chief executive. Of the companys nearly 1,300 employees, about 30 individuals have self-terminated because of the vaccination requirement, she reported.

Junipers experience supports what public health experts have said for years: Vaccine mandates, like those that many health care organizations have established for the flu vaccine, remain controversial  but they do increase vaccination rates. As of Feb. 25, 97.7% of Juniper residents had received two vaccine doses, and so had 96% of its staff members.

That stands in stark contrast to staff vaccinations in many facilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that during the first month of vaccine clinics in nursing homes, only 37.5% of staff members received the first shot, along with 77.8% of residents.

The results of opinion surveys vary, depending on who is asked and when. In January, a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis found that 29% of health care workers expressed doubts about vaccination.

Uncertainty among staff

A national recruiting platform for health care companies, myCNAjobs.com, last month polled 250 companions, aides and nursing assistants in facilities and in home care; it interviews thousands more daily. It estimates that 35% plan to be vaccinated, 20% do not and more than 40% remain unsure.

These workers cant distance from the older people they help with tasks like bathing, dressing and toileting. As they enter and leave facilities and private homes, often working multiple jobs, these workers can spread the coronavirus, and they and their families are likewise vulnerable to its dangers.

Experts say it is probably legal for employers to make vaccination a condition of employment. The federal Equal Opportunity Employment Commission has agreed, so long as mandates permit health and religious exemptions. A University of Pennsylvania analysis found last fall that nationally, about half of American adults would consider employer mandates acceptable.

Waiting for full approval

Its unwise to mandate a vaccine while its under an emergency use authorization, as the three vaccines in use in the United States are, said Lawrence Gostin, a law professor at Georgetown University. Because mandates during an E.U.A. could bring legal challenges, he advised waiting for full Food and Drug Administration approval.

That could come as early as next month for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. After that, I would expect state or local governments might mandate that people working in health care be vaccinated, said Gostin, who directs a World Health Organization center on health law. Theyd have the right to do that.

Ethically, he added, its entirely justified. People have the right to take chances with their own health, but they absolutely do not have the right to endanger others.

Other public health specialists argue for incentives  carrots instead of sticks. With long-term care chronically understaffed, I dont think we want to do anything right now to push people out of those settings, said David Grabowski, a health policy researcher at Harvard Medical School.

He suggests far more substantial rewards than the gift cards or free meals some facilities are offering, as well as paid time off, so that employees can get inoculated and afford to miss a days work or two if they have reactions.

There are worse things than putting $500 to $1,000 into the pockets of workers whove been the backbone of long-term care before the epidemic and have had a terrible time since, he said. Its the most dangerous job in America right now.Paying employees to get vaccinated raises ethical issues, however, said Emily Largent, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania and author of a recent JAMA editorial.

She endorses reimbursing staff members for time and expenses. But, she noted: Theres good evidence from behavioral economics that offering money signals taking risks. These vaccines really are safe and effective, so we dont want to solidify peoples fears.

Caution still needed

Although COVID-19 cases and deaths are falling in long-term care facilities, even those with high vaccination rates will need to stay on guard. New residents arrive continually, and employees leave; turnover among nursing staffs in nursing homes is extraordinarily high, an annual average of 128 percent, a new study has found. That means that after a year, all the original nursing staff members will have left, and so will 28 percent of their replacements.

Probably the thorniest problem is vaccinating the largest segment of the nations direct care workers, the roughly 2.3 million people working in private homes.Its going pretty badly, said Vicki Hoak, executive director of the Home Care Association of America, which represents 3,200 home care agencies. Although home care workers are given priority for vaccinations in every state, they are struggling to get them, she said.

Like the rest of the direct care work force, home care workers are primarily women of color, many of them immigrants. At an average $12.12 an hour in 2019, they are the lowest-paid group, according to the research and advocacy group PHI. Almost half rely on some form of public assistance, like Medicaid or food programs.

Without a central workplace, they will be harder to reach, educate and vaccinate than aides in nursing homes and assisted living centers. (Some, privately hired by individuals and families through the so-called gray market, dont work for agencies at all.)

Vaccine hesitancy is absolutely a factor, but more so is the lack of easily accessible opportunities to get vaccinated, said April Verrett, president of S.E.I.U. Local 2015, the union representing almost 400,000 home care aides in

California.People working several jobs cant wait in long lines, she pointed out. They may not have cars for drive-through sites, or internet access for online portals. I dont think mandates would do anything to build the kind of trust and confidence needed to get people vaccinated, Ms. Verrett said.

Some individuals who hire home care aides privately, including Ms. Gordon, say they will require future candidates to be vaccinated.

Voluntary approach takenFor now, though, most employers seem to favor a voluntary approach: answering staff questions, combating disinformation, helping workers get access to vaccines through mobile and pop-up clinics, perhaps providing transportation. Local 2015 has adopted an updated Rosie the Riveter icon with a rolled-up sleeve as part of its campaign to encourage members vaccination.

We need to listen to peoples concerns, talk about what we know, Largent said. I think well continue to see hesitancy go down as they see people like them being vaccinated.
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A Eurosceptic MP has urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to stop payments to the EU until issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol are resolved.

The UK is currently still making payments to the EU as part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. 20bn is set to be paid to the bloc over the next two years, with more to follow.

Conservative MP Mark Francois leads the party's European Research Group and suggested the PM halt the payments until the protocol is addressed.

It has angered unionists in Northern Ireland who believe the agreement, to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, cuts the region off from the rest of the UK.

It keeps Northern Ireland in the European Single Market, aligned with the EU on trade rules.

Mr Francois told the Sunday Telegraph the money was "Danegeld", a land tax levied in Anglo-Saxon England during the reign of King Ethelred to raise funds for protection against Danish invaders.

"Since we left the transition period the EU's attitude has been increasing bellicose," he said.

"First they criticised our 'British' vaccine and then attacked us for not giving them enough of it, then they triggered Article 16, in some overnight spasm, to create a hard border they had sworn to avoid and now they are petulantly refusing to ratify a trade deal which it took a year to negotiate.

"As Brits, we traditionally honour our obligations but you have to ask yourself why are we continuing to pay this Danegeld to people who only treat us with open contempt in return?"

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During a visit to Northern Ireland on Friday the PM admitted that the current working of the protocol was unbalanced and said his Government was working to address unionist concerns.

The way its working at the moment is not adequate, taking proper account of the feelings and the attachments of one of the communities, I think we need to take a long, hard look at it. We need to make sure that its working in such a way as to operate with consent. Its currently not operating with consent, he said.

Unionists have rallied against the protocol with graffiti appearing across Northern Ireland. A legal challenge has also been launched.

The protocol has led to the Loyalist Communities Council, which represents paramilitaries including the UVF and UDA, to withdraw their support for the Good Friday Agreement.

Businesses have also complained that the protocol has created issues around importing goods from Great Britain.

The latest area to be affected by the protocol is the introduction of a more environmentally petrol, E10, in the UK.

The UK Government is set to legislate to allow E10 to be sold at UK petrol stations. However, it will not apply to Northern Ireland initially.

"The initial legislation will apply to Great Britain only. In line with our obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol, well also notify the European Commission of our intention to legislate for the introduction of E10 in Northern Ireland to ensure regulations are in place before the September 2021 change in petrol grade," the Government said in a statement.

UUP MLA Roy Beggs said he was shocked by the development.

As more and more problems arise it is becoming increasingly obvious that a border has been created in the Irish Sea and it may even have longer tentacles than unionists had feared," he said.

"Our UK Government cannot even unilaterally assist in reducing CO2 emissions in Northern Ireland by legislating for E10 petrol and making continuing provision for E5 petrol at the same time as the rest of the UK. Instead, because of the NI Protocol, they must contact the EU Commission.
Oslo: Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, Norwegian health authorities said.

Norway halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, following a similar move by Denmark. Iceland later followed suit.

Norway has halted its rollout of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Credit:Getty Images

We do not know if the cases are linked to the vaccine, Sigurd Hortemo, a senior doctor at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, told a news conference held jointly with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

All three individuals were under the age of 50.
Days after 'leg injury', Mamata participates in TMC's march on wheelchair

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Kolkata, Mar 14: Four days after she was injured and hospitalised during election campaign in Nandigram, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee Sunday attended her first public event, as she led a road show in Kolkata on a wheelchair.

Accompanied by senior TMC leaders, Banerjee was seen greeting the crowd with folded hands, with security personnel pushing her wheelchair.

Banerjee joined the five km road show from Mayo Road to Hazra More, as part of observation of Nandigram Diwas to commemorate the killing of 14 villagers in police firing during the anti-land acquisition protest in 2007.

Nandigram incident: EC rules out Mamata Banerjee was attacked, says no evidence,

"We will continue to fight boldly! I''m still in a lot of pain, but I feel the pain of my people even more. In this fight to protect our revered land, we have suffered a lot and will suffer more but we will NEVER bow down to COWARDICE! Banerjee tweeted minutes before arriving at the venue.

Banerjee was injured on March 10 following which she was admitted to SSKM hospital in Kolkata. She was discharged on March 12.

Carrying posters and placards hailing Banerjee as the "daughter of Bengal", TMC supporters raised slogans against the BJP and called for "defeating the outsiders" in the assembly elections.




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Teacher unions in the country have expressed concern over the delay in the supply of food items to senior high schools (SHSs) in the country.



The unions, made up of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers  Ghana, (CCT-GH), warned that any further delay would impact negatively on the smooth running of the Free SHS policy.



Disturbing



It is unfortunate, heartbreaking and disturbing that the schools have to look for funds elsewhere to cater for the SHS students until funds are disbursed from the Ministry of Education. We reiterate that any further delay will impact negatively on the smooth running of the Free SHS policy. Consequently, we call on the Ministry of Education and all the duty bearers to act swiftly to deal with the precarious and difficult situation currently confronting the schools by the close of Friday, March 19, 2021.



If by the close of next week we do not receive any favourable response, we shall determine the next line of action, they said in a statement.



Statement



This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the General Secretary of GNAT, Mr Thomas Musah; the President of NAGRAT, Mr Eric Angel Carbonu, and the President of CCT-GH, Mr King Awudu Ali.



They unions said in the statement that it had come to their attention that since the past eight weeks when the SHSs reopened for the 2020/2021 academic year, not only had the supply of food items by the Buffer Stock Company to the SHS stopped but also the Ministry of Education had failed to transfer the needed funds for the smooth running of the schools.



It added: We wish to state that the situation at the SHSs is critical and has brought the SHSs on their knees owing to the delays in releasing government funds, non-supply of food items by the Buffer Stock Company and compounded by the early reporting to school at the beginning of each term. Compared to the period preceding the Free SHS, now students no longer have to wait for school fees to be provided them before reporting to school.



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The statement said school feeding in Ghana had mostly operated at the primary school level with expected outcomes including poverty reduction, increased school enrolment, improved food security and improved nutritional status.



It said the programme had recorded marked increase in school enrolment, reduced the gender gap between boys and girls and improved nutritional status in the beneficiary schools.



It offers an excellent opportunity for targeted intervention to students not only as a means for improving educational outcomes but also enhancing nutritional outcomes.



In the light of these successes of school feeding in the primary schools, the government of Ghana introduced a policy on free school feeding in the SHS in September 2017, it said.



The aims, it said, were to increase enrolment and potentially improve the nutritional status of students in SHSs, adding that the policy included three square meals for residential students and a hot lunch for non-residential students.





Source: Graphiconline.com









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Measure taken as precaution after teacher died in Biella day after receiving the vaccine.

Piemonte, the north Italian region around Turin, has ordered the immediate suspension of a batch of the AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine amid a probe into the death of a teacher who received the jab yesterday, reports news agency ANSA.

The move has been taken out of "extreme caution" pending the results of an investigation into any possible link between the vaccine and the death of the teacher, who was born in 1963, said Piemonte regional health councillor Luigi Genesio.

The news comes a few days after Italy suspended a batch of AstraZeneca amid an investigation into the suspicious deaths of two men in Sicily who were recently inoculated.

However AstraZeneca continues to be administered in Italy and the country's medicines agency AIFA has stressed that at present no link has been established between the vaccine and subsequent adverse reactions.

The move by Piemonte comes the same day as the Republic of Ireland ordered the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of blood clots in vaccinated people.

Ireland is the latest European country to partially or fully suspend AstraZeneca over blood-clotting concerns.

"The vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing," the European Medicines Agency (EMA) stated on 12 March.
Chinas Ant Group chief executive officer Simon Hu has unexpectedly resigned amid a regulatory-driven overhaul of the financial technology giants business, the first top management exit since a scuppered $US37 billion ($47.7 billion) initial public offering.

Hu, who was named chief executive of the Alibaba Group Holding affiliate in 2019, will be replaced by company veteran and executive chairman Eric Jing, Ant said in a statement.

The change in management also comes days after some Ant staff expressed frustration on social media for not being able to sell the company shares they own after Chinese regulators abruptly halted the companys market debut. Credit:AP

Hus exit from the company comes as Ant is working on plans to shift to a financial holding company structure following intense regulatory pressure to subject it to rules and capital requirements similar to those for banks.

That pressure abruptly scuttled Ants IPO last year, which would have been the worlds biggest.
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A young man is fighting for his life after back pain he ignored and tried to push through turned out to be stage-four skin cancer.

Kyle Walker, 30, was delivered the heartbreaking news after weeks of tests and speculation from Brisbane doctors who initially dismissed it as a muscle strain.

He had just moved back to Australia from South Africa and found work when his life was turned upside down.

Kyle Walker, 30, was delivered the heartbreaking news after weeks of tests and speculation from Brisbane doctors who initially dismissed it as a severe muscle strain

Mr Walker had just moved from South Africa to Australia to pursue his citizenship and had found work when his life was turned upside down

'You feel devastated, scared, angry and helpless, all in a flood of emotions,' he told 7 News.

Mr Walker admitted when he first felt the pain he thought it was something he could easily treat with over the counter pain killers.

Though after eight days the pain became unbearable and he drove himself to hospital to get checked out.

Doctors gave him a muscle relaxant injection before sending him on his way and advising him to see a GP to get an MRI.

The scan indicated he may have a spinal infection and his doctor ordered more tests.

Each new test that was ordered led closer to the unexpected discovery of melanoma.

'From the ultrasound of my liver they identified three lesions and then informed me that cancer was now a major concern,' he said.

'I then went for a liver biopsy that week and it was determined one of the tumours on my liver was melanoma.'

Mr Walker, 30, was deemed by doctors as 'low risk' for cancer given his young age and good health

Mr Walker says he is remaining optimistic about his future, though finds it challenging to be going through the ordeal without his family, who are trapped in South Africa and New Zealand because of Covid-19 restrictions

Mr Walker was deemed 'low risk' for cancer given his age and health, so it took doctors longer to diagnose his condition.

The 30-year-old had only been living in Brisbane for 10 months, after travelling the world for five years.

Mr Walker says he is staying optimistic about his future, but finds it challenging to go through the ordeal without his family, who are trapped in South Africa and New Zealand because of Covid-19 restrictions.

His family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for their son, who has been forced to give up work to receive treatment.

'Having recently started a job at the end of last year, sick leave is limited, his company has been amazing with support, understanding and provided compassionate leave towards his situation,' the campaign reads.

'They are extremely understanding and have allowed him to work from hospital or home and attends meetings in the office where possible.

'However this will run out at some point soon.'

Mr Walker has begun immunotherapy and also received radiation to try to and beat the disease.
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Laois Offaly TD Charlie Flanagan has written jointly with other TDs to their Counterparts in Europe and the UK to ensure continued humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria.

Dep Flanagan, who chairs the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, has issued a letter that coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Syrian conflict.

It also urges parliaments throughout the European Union to ensure governments and the entire international community try to achieve a peaceful and lasting resolution to the conflict.

The Committee issued the letter to colleagues in Foreign Affairs and Defence committees across the European Union, the UK and the European Parliament.

The letter, which is signed by Dep Flanagan in his capacity as Chairman, notes that as a result of the on-going conflict in Syria, millions of women, men, girls and boys have had to endure living for years in horrendous conditions; forced to move to camps or sites of last resort.

He said their lives remain on hold with very uncertain futures.

The European community needs to ensure unhindered humanitarian access, particularly for aid workers, ensure that the UNHCRs principles for return of internationally displaced persons are applied and that funding is not only promised but available for humanitarian assistance and the reconstruction within Syria

We further call on support for the further renewal of UN Resolution 2533 extending the authorization of a mechanism that brings life-saving humanitarian aid into Syria.

To achieve a just and lasting peace, an inclusive political process is needed that is Syrian-led, represents all Syrians  including women  and commits to upholding their human rights. A lasting solution is dependent on European and global leaders prioritising an inclusive and stable Syria," he said.

The Joint Committee on Foreign and Affairs and Defence got an update on the conflict and issues facing the Syrian people, at a meeting this week, from representatives of organisations working on the frontline including Goal, Oxfam, World Vision Ireland, Concern, Trocaire and SAWA for Development and Aid.

Deputy Flanagan is a former Minister for Foreign Affairs.
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The White House is calling for a full, independent investigation into human rights abuses in the conflict in Ethiopias Tigray region. VOAs Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports on the ongoing violence in Tigray that has left 3 million people in need of food assistance
The leader of Ethiopian community in Yemen's capital on Saturday called for an international probe into the deadly fire that tore through a detention centre for migrants, leaving at least 44 dead. In a news conference in Sanaa, Othman Gilto, blamed negligence by the Houthi rebels who control the capital, as well as the United Nations, which has aid agencies present in Yemen. The fire also injured more than 200 people, he said.

Gilto then said the migrants were demanding their human rights, from the UN and other organisations in Yemen. Some 900 migrants, most of them from Ethiopia, were detained at the facility - including 350 inside a warehouse - of the Passports and Naturalization Authority complex in Sanaa when the fire took place on Sunday, according to the International Organization for Migration.

At least 43 of the dead were buried in a Sanaa cemetery on Friday amid tight security. Footage from Ansar Allah Media, a Houthi-run news agency, showed ambulances carrying the bodies of the victims of the fire that occurred last Sunday to the cemetery where they were buried. Women from the migrant community were seen screaming and crying while ambulances, carrying the bodies, arrived from a funeral service at a major mosque.

Abdallah al-Leithi, head of the Sudanese community in Sanaa, said many of the dead lacked IDs and could not be identified, adding that most "had not given their real names on documentation before the fire. There were no immediate comments from the Houthis. Survivors and local rights campaigners say the deadly blaze erupted when guards fired tear gas into the crowded warehouse, trying to end a protest against alleged abuses and ill-treatment at the facility.

(Image Credit: Twitter/@MwatanaEn)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
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OREGON -- The annual Oregon Cheese Festival went virtual this year once again because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Participants were still able to support local cheesemakers by purchasing a Fest To-Go tasting kit. The kits include 14 Oregon cheeses, as well as preserves, crackers and chocolates from vendors.

All 500 tasting kits were sold, according to the Oregon Cheese Festivals website.

During the event, cheese experts guided participants on how to pair their items together for a tasty experience.

Melodie Picard, owner of the Oregon Cheese Cave, says events like this one are vital to the community.

It just cheers everybody up. I think its the ultimate comfort food, Picard said.

Picard says its important to represent local vendors, especially during times like this.

For me, as a small, micro food business owner in the cheese industry, I try to always support as many local vendors as I can, Picard said.
More than 100 people fleeing Myanmar have crossed the border to enter a small village named Farkawn in the northeastern state of Mizoram. Speaking to Associated Press, Ramliana, the head of the village council confirmed that a total of 116 Myanmar residents crossed the Tiau River to reach the village. Myanmar, which is currently facing one of the biggest political crises, has witnessed hundreds of residents trying to flee the country in recent weeks. On March 5, at least 12 people crossed the Indian border and took refuge in Mizoram. Out of the total eight people entered the Serchhip district while four others reached the Champhai district of the bordering state.

India has already been tackling a migrant crisis on its Northeastern borders with hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees trying to enter the countrys territory fleeing persecution. Last week, the Home ministry wanted four Indian states bordering Myanmar - Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh - to take measures to prevent refugees from entering India except on humanitarian grounds. According to the letter written by the MHA to the states, the ministry asked the security forces to stay alert and take proper action.

"As you are aware, there is a probability of large scale illegal influx into Indian territory through India-Myanmar Border (IMB) due to the current internal situation in Myanmar. In this regard, MHA has already issued an advisory dated February 25 to Chief Secretaries of Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh and also to Border Guarding Force (BGF) along the IMB, and Assam Rifles to stay alert and take appropriate action to prevent a possible influx into Indian territory."

Myanmar's Coup d'etat

On February 1, Myanmars military took steps to undermine the country's democratic transition by launching a coup and arresting the nations de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and few other civilian officials in Burma. The sudden cease of power has led to nationwide protests. In the aftermath, several governments and human rights groups across the globe expressed concern and urged the military to immediately release all those who have been detained unlawfully.

(Representative Image/The Associated Press)
The developer of a 16-storey apartment tower in western Sydney, which has been singled out by NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler as one of the worst he has inspected, has been handed orders forcing it to fix serious defects.

The tower at 93 Auburn Road in Auburn has joined a growing list of apartment buildings to have been slapped with orders in recent weeks as the commissioner steps up efforts to weed out shoddy work and restore public confidence in an industry still reeling from structural flaws in Sydneys Opal and Mascot towers.

The 16-storey apartment tower in Auburn has been described by the NSW Building Commissioner as probably the worst hes seen. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The orders to fix serious defects in the Auburn tower have been slapped on Goldenia Developments, whose sole director is a founder of Sydney property developer and builder Merhis.

The building at 93 Auburn Road is one of two towers known as Aya Eliza on a site in Auburns town centre which Merhis dubbed architectural landmarks of the finest standard on its website last year. The companys website no longer makes any reference to the 251-unit development.
NEW DELHI : The Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan will meet here on March 23 and 24 to discuss a host of issues, including Islamabad's concerns to the design of Indian hydropower projects on the Chenab River, a top official said on Sunday.

This will be the annual meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission. Under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, both the commissioners are required to meet at least once a year alternately in India and Pakistan.

"The meeting will take place in New Delhi on March 23-24," PK Saxena, India's Indus Commissioner, told PTI.

This will also be the first meeting between the two commissioners after the nullification of special provisions under Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The state was later carved into two union territories -- Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Since then, India has cleared several hydropower projects in Ladakh.

They are Durbuk Shyok (19 MW), Shankoo (18.5 MW), Nimu Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW), Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) for Leh, while Mangdum Sangra (19 MW), Kargil Hunderman (25 MW) and Tamasha (12 MW) have been cleared for Kargil.

India had conveyed the projects to Pakistan and the issue is expected to come for discussion during the meeting. Saxena said that Pakistan's concerns to the design of Indian hydropower projects on the Chenab river will also be discussed.

The last year's meeting, which was earlier scheduled to be held in New Delhi in March 2020, was cancelled for the first time since the signing of the Treaty, in view of the pandemic situation.

India in July 2020 had proposed to Pakistan that the meeting to discuss pending issues pertaining to the Indus Water Treaty be held virtually in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but Pakistan insisted on holding the talks at the Attari check post.

However, India said it was not conducive to hold the meeting at the Attari Joint Check Post due to the pandemic.

With the improvement in the situation, this mandatory meeting is being held. All COVID-related protocols will be followed, Saxena said.

The meeting will take place after a gap of nearly two-and-half years. The last meeting took place in Lahore in August 2018.

The Indian delegation will be led by Saxena with his advisors from the Central Water Commission, Central Electricity Authority and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.

The Pakistani delegation will be led by Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah, Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters and his eight advisors.

Under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the waters of the eastern rivers -- the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi -- amounting to around 33 million acre-feet annually is allocated to India for unrestricted use and the waters of western rivers -- Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab -- amounting to around 135 MAF annually largely for Pakistan.

Under the Treaty, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through a run of the river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation. It also gives the right to Pakistan to raise concerns on the design of Indian hydroelectric projects on western rivers.

"India is committed towards full utilisation of its rights under the Treaty and believes in an amicable solution of issues through discussion," Saxena said.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 16:28:09|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 4,899 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 621,498.

The death toll climbed to 12,829 after 63 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 13,371 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 560,512.

The Philippines is experiencing a new wave of COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, similar to July-August 2020 when daily cases peaked.

On Sunday, contact tracing czar Benjamin Magalong urged local government units to ramp up contact tracing efforts amid the uptick in cases. Enditem
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It was easy to root for Phil Mickelson at the PGA Championship last weekend. The little boy who learned to play golf left-handed by standing opposite his right-handed dad and mirroring dads swing has long been a crowd favorite. He is not only immensely gifted; he is imaginative and willing 
Regional Communication officers of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described the hint given by Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader that Sammy Gyamfi would be dragged before the Privileges Committee over the latters bribery allegations as impotent.



Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in an interview a few days ago the said accusations levelled against the leadership of the minority caucus and the Speaker of Parliament by Sammy Gyamfi, was an attack on the entire House.



If you do something that brings disgrace to any of the senior figures in parliament, it does not bode well for the house. Someone will say its an internal party issue, but though the speaker is an NDC member, he no longer represents the party.



He is the third gentleman of the land so must be accorded the needed respect. If someone is attacking the speaker, we must all rise and defend him and the institution of parliament. That is what it must be, he said.



He said the leadership of the House would meet and decide the action that ought to be taken on the matter.



But the NDC communicators in their statement said: While we deem the Suame Legislators outburst to be malicious, vicious and to some extend ludicrous, it sounds quite ridiculous that Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu lurks around hoping to prey on the disagreement within the NDC to settle personal scores with the young brilliant lawyer.



Read the full statement below



*REGIONAL COMMUNICATION OFFICERS CAUCUS OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS.*_



*PRESS RELEASE*_*RE: SAMMY GYAMFI CROSSED THE LINE, LEADERSHIP WILL MEET AND DECIDE WHAT TO DO  OSEI KYEI MENSAH*



We the sixteen Regional Communication Officers of the National Democratic Congress have taken note of the impotent threat issued by Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu to our erudite and peerless leader  Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi (National Communications Officer of the NDC.).



The said threat, in which he gives indication that, the leadership of parliament will meet to decide on what to do with Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi , is published on Ghana Web (Thursday, 11/03/2021) and is purported to have been issued on Kumasi based Hello FM.



While we deem the Suame Legislators outburst to be malicious, vicious and to some extend ludicrous, it sounds quite ridiculous that Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu lurks around hoping to prey on the disagreement within the NDC to settle personal scores with the young brilliant lawyer.



As lead voices of the legion of communicators in all the sixteen Regions, we wish to humbly notify our Revered Parliamentary Caucus, particularly the leadership of the NDC front to be wary of Ahithophels  like the Hon. MP for Suame who in their treachery, will wish to fun into flames sparkles of fire in the NDC for their own whims and caprices. We are of the firm conviction that, the majority group leaders disposition of crying more than the bereaved in this matter is a calculated ploy aimed at exacerbating discontent within the rank and file of the NDC. It is not out of place for one to wonder why Hon Kyei Mensah Bonsu is so much interested in resurrecting a matter that is being carefully managed by the NDCs most respected Council of Elders and all concerned parties.



The climax of our bewilderment at the Majority group leaders outburst is in his hypocritical turn of pretending to show respect and camaraderie for the much Respected Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament. It is trite knowledge that, the night of 6th January, 2021 and early hours of 7th January, 2021 saw Hon. Kyei Mensah betray his long standing friendship with the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, by fighting feverishly to ensure that, Rt. Hon. ASK Bagbin never ascended the throne as Speaker. Though he wielded much experience in parliamentary affairs and exuded more competence than his sole contender, Hon Kyei Mensah preferred imposing President Akufo Addos poodle over parliament in lieu of the Venerable Rt. Hon. ASK Bagbin.



We deem his position in this matter as a face saving charade aimed at repairing his fractured ego in the face of his party, which he couldnt lead to win the speakership slot and also, before his age long friend whom he shamelessly back stabbed in the name of party loyalty. We wonder where he had left his voice of moral consciousness when Hon Kennedy Ohene Agyapong described him and all NPP faithful including President Akufo Addo as FOOLISH PEOPLE. It is thus our collective caution to him to mind his own business and learn to, remove the plank from his own eye to enable him see clearly, so that he could remove the saw dust from another mans eye.



We appreciate the difficult moment that the Party has been confronted with in the past few days. We however believe the horns are never heavier than the cow that is to carry them. We have outmost confidence in our leaders at the Functional Executive Committee, The Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament and our Caucus Leaders in Parliament to work under the supreme counsel of our Highly Respected Council of Elders, to find an amicable resolution to the difficulties that have come our way.



If Kyei Mensah Bonsu is concerned about what appears to be the deteriorating dignity of Parliament, he should start by causing a probe into the military invasion of the chamber of Parliament on the night of 6th January and the circumstances of ballot snatching by Carlos Ahenkora during the speakership election instead of wasting time on matters that dont undermine the image and dignity of Parliament in any way.



On this note, we humbly appeal to our rank and file and particularly, the masses of our support base to rally our unflinching support for our parliamentary Caucus as they lead the charge to hold the feet of the Akufo Addos regime to the fire of accountability. Thank you.



Long live the NDC, Long live Ghana! Signed wnfoba Kwesi Dawood RCO- Central Reg 0246388002 Darlas Ampomah Williams RCO- Eastern Reg 0545295731 Alhaji Saeed Ahmed Tijani RCO- Upper East Reg 0244176429 Sam Jerome Kweku RCO- Western North Reg 0244043482 Puo-Ire Prosper RCO- Upper West Reg 0204852735 Alhaji Abdul- Moomin Alhassan RCO- Northern Reg 0504068549 Hon. Jerry Johnson RCO- Greater Accra Reg 0244670391 Nana Abass Nurudeen RCO- Ashanti Reg 0243919746 Richard Kirk Mensah RCO- Western Reg 0244848891 Charles Akowuah Tuffuor RCO- Bono Reg 0244472659 Imoro Abdul- Razak RCO- North East 0245371809 Malik Basintale RCO- Savannah Reg 0540444414 Mobarak Abdul-Karim RCO- Oti Region 0248690371 Hon. Apraku Lartey RCO- Ahafo Reg 0244122511 Hon. Kwadwo Agyei-Dwomor RCO- Bono East Reg 0200200104 Sorkpa K. Agbleze RCO- Volta Reg 0241221762









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A dispute which led to the shooting of an innocent young mum last weekend was sparked over a hammer attack on her close relative, the Sunday World has learned.

Sinead Connolly (30) was shot multiple times as she sat on her sofa in her apartment in Bluebell, south Dublin following an altercation between five men and a neighbour she had come into in conflict with.

The young woman - the sister of IRA killer Sean Connolly - is still being treated in hospital for "catastrophic" injuries she sustained when a lone gunman entered her apartment last Saturday afternoon. Her seven-year-old daughter witnessed the horrific gun attack and narrowly escaped injury herself.

Sinead remains in intensive care at a Dublin hospital where the man suspected of shooting her is also being treated for apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

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Armed gardai are monitoring him and he is expected to be arrested as soon as he is discharged from hospital.

It's understood he accidentally shot himself while discharging up to eight bullets from a semi-automatic pistol into her flat where five men and her daughter were also present.

Two of those men, including Sinead's partner - convicted machine gun courier Vincent Kelly - are well known New IRA figures in the north. The pair had travelled with three others from west Belfast to her south side Dublin home in a bid to defuse a long running dispute between her and a man.

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But instead of cooling tensions, their involvement sparked the deadly gun attack.

Sources have claimed dissident republican figures and criminal gangs have now both vowed to exact revenge on those linked to her shooting, going against a heartfelt family statement which last week pleaded for no revenge.

Innocent mother Sinead has no involvement in crime or dissident activity.

In a statement issued by the Connolly family earlier this week, they said: "Sinead is a single parent, not a republican activist of any hue. Far from being the result of an IRA dispute the backdrop to the incident was a local culture of bullying," it stated

A source told the Sunday World that attempts had previously made to quell the long- running dispute between Ms Connolly and her neighbour.

"There was a row between this individual and a close relative of Sinead's and it became violent."

"This led to Sinead's relative being seriously assaulted, attacked with a hammer, something that left a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of close to this individual."

The source said Sinead became a target for the man, solely because she was a relative of the other woman.

"That was the starting point and then it became a neighbourly dispute. He lived above her, they'd regularly meet on the steps and it was nasty.

"Just before Christmas, another republican group, in no way connected to the New IRA, was asked to mediate in an attempt to resolve the issues.

"This individual was contacted and his reply to what was being put to him was....he had no problem with the girl, but he can't control it.

"It was advised at that point to drop it....and just to leave it.

"Plus, he was known in the area as having mental health issues and he had been in conflict with other criminals in the area.

"He was involved in crime himself and, in the months prior to Sinead's shooting, a friend of his had been seen in the area with a gun, so he was known to have access to arms."

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However, the source said that this was not the end of the dispute and other republican figures became involved. They couldn't let a thing go.

"The conclusion of that mediation was....we aren't going anywhere near him as it's putting her at risk.

Seconds after the shooting, the son of a major dissident republican in the north helped stem the blood flow from her wounds, saving her life.

The gunman escaped aided by a local criminal and another man who drove the pair away from the scene. Those men, sources say, are now under serious threat - despite a statement from the Connolly family stating they discourage any retaliation over the attack.

A well-placed source said: "The family issued a statement that there would be no retribution, but the reality is that there is going to be total and complete retribution, and it will be conducted in the same unprofessional fashion as Saturday.

"Ever since Sean Connolly was booted off the republican wing in Portlaoise and exiled by the IRA, he is protected and supported by major criminal gangs in Dublin.

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"The criminal fraternity are extremely upset that a woman has been targeted because it leaves the doors open to their wives, daughters and sisters and so they are going to take action."

Sinead's partner Vinny Kelly was arrested in Belfast seven years ago after police stopped a taxi he was travelling in and discovered he was carrying a sub machine gun.

Kelly was one of the top targets for the drugs gangs led by mob boss 'Mr Big'.

Mr Big's mob whacked Real IRA boss Alan Ryan, 32, in September 2012. Kelly was one of Ryan's closest associates and a member of the Real IRA colour party at the dissident's funeral.

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Kelly was one of four men, aged in their 20s and 30s arrested in relation to the shooting incident last week. Two others are from Northern Ireland and one is from Dublin.

The Belfast trio were released on Sunday while Dublin man Paul Mooney, 32, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.
Kabul, March 14 : The Afghanistan government has started finding ways and means to chalk out a comprehensive and inclusive plan to attend a UN-led peace conference scheduled to take place in Turkey within weeks.

Aimed at discussing and adopting a unified approach towards Afghanistan's lingering crisis and finding amicable solution to ensure lasting peace in the war-torn country, the proposed conference will be held in Istanbul next month with the participation of the Kabul government, the Taliban, and representatives from the US, Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and India, reports Xinhua news agency.

The conference, which is taking place in the wake of a letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, sent to Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, would encourage Afghan warring sides to give up violence.

Although there is no official reaction from the Presidential Palace, deputy spokesperson to the President of Afghanistan Dawa Khan Menapal had tweeted that the "letter of State Secretary of America has reached the government of Afghanistan".

Although the details of the letter have not been made public, Afghanistan's First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said "it will not change the position of the Afghan government towards peace talks".

According to local media reports, Ghani hosted a meeting of his administration's ranking officials and influential politicians in his palace on Thursday and discussed the upcoming peace conference in Turkey to adopt a unified and united platform.

On March 18, another meeting will take place in Moscow on the Afghan peace process.

The US and the Taliban signed an agreement in February 2020, which called for a full withdrawal of American military forces from the conflict-ridden country by May 2021 if the militant group meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with other terrorist organisations.

But administration of President Joe Biden had noted that the Taliban had not met its commitment under the US-Taliban deal.
Tilt Renewables Limited has entered into a Scheme Implementation Agreement (SIA) with Powering Australian Renewables (PowAR) and Mercury NZ Limited (Mercury) (together, the Consortium) under which it is proposed that PowAR will effectively acquire Tilt Renewables Australian business and Mercury will acquire Tilt Renewables New Zealand business.

This transaction will be implemented by way of Scheme of Arrangement (the Scheme) where Tilt Renewables shareholders will receive NZ$7.80 per share in cash.

Tilt Renewables decision to enter into the SIA with the Consortium follows a competitive sale process during which Tilt Renewables received multiple binding proposals to acquire the company.

Bruce Harker, Chair of Tilt Renewables, said This compelling acquisition proposal is a result of Tilt Renewables constant focus on delivering long-term value for shareholders and the Board is pleased that, with these new owners, the transition to renewables in Australia and New Zealand will continue to accelerate.

PowAR has entered into a voting deed with Infratil. Under the terms of the deed, subject to customary conditions, Infratil has agreed to vote its entire 65.5% shareholding in Tilt Renewables in favour of the Scheme.

Mercury, currently Tilt Renewables second largest shareholder, behind Infratil, with a 19.92% shareholding has agreed to vote its entire shareholding in favour of the Scheme, as a separate interest class.

In the absence of a superior proposal, and subject to the Scheme Consideration being within or above the Independent Advisers value range, the Non-Conflicted Directors of Tilt Renewables intend to vote their shares in favour of the proposed Scheme and recommend that other shareholders also vote in favour.

Tilt Renewables shareholders will have the opportunity to vote on the Scheme at a meeting likely to be held in around four months time. Therefore, Tilt Renewables shareholders do not need to take any action at this time. The Scheme is subject to customary conditions, some regulatory approvals (including Overseas Investment Office (NZ) and Foreign Investment Review Board (AU)), shareholder approval and ultimately High Court approval in New Zealand.

Please see the link below for details:

Board recommends acquisition proposal from a consortium of Powering Australian Renewables and Mercury NZ

SIA

Source: Tilt Renewables Limited

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MONDAY PUZZLE  Philip K. Chow, a civil engineer in New York City, makes his New York Times Crossword debut with a puzzle that taught me something that I did not know. You cant ask for much more than that, except maybe for a puzzle made of dark chocolate. But I digress.

Im going to be coy about the subject of Mr. Chows puzzle to avoid spoilers, but if you solved the theme and did not know all of the elements, dont feel bad. I didnt know all of them. A similar theme about the United States would probably be a lot easier even for international solvers, simply because of the relative simplicity of the item involved.

Tricky Clues

29A. The NAVI are a race with cyan-colored skin in the Avatar film series.

59A. An olla podrida is a stew with meat, vegetables and beans. If you are an expert in crosswordese, you know that the word olla means stew pot, which may have gotten you at least halfway there.

5D. This may or may not be tricky for some solvers, but I just want to put this out there: Isnt SPELUNK one of the most glorious-sounding words ever? I just love saying it.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  If you are receiving a COVID-19 vaccine at Cleveland State Universitys Wolstein Center, you will be able to park for free at a nearby lot, the city of Cleveland confirmed Saturday.

The city released a map of five parking lots near the Wolstein Center that will be free for those getting vaccinated. The map also outlines where street parking will be prohibited while the mass vaccination site is running.

Four of the parking lots are just south of the Wolstein Center, while the fifth is just east, on the opposite side of East 21st Street. The lots are closest to Gate B, where the general public will enter the arena.

You can get a more detailed look at the lots locations at the top of this post.

Additionally, street parking restrictions around Wolstein Center will be enforced from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day the clinic is open, a news release from the city of Cleveland says. Here is where you cannot park on either side of the street, starting Wednesday:

East 18th Street, between Carnegie and Euclid avenues

East 19th Street, between Carnegie Avenue and the Central Avenue extension

East 21st Street, between Carnegie and Euclid avenues

Carnegie Avenue, between East 18th and East 21st streets

Prospect Avenue, between East 18th and East 21st streets

Central Avenue, between East 18th and East 19th streets

The restricted parking areas are marked in red in the map at the top of this post.

Cleveland officials, as well as state and federal partners, had previously said there would be free parking available, but the list of parking lots was not completed and released until Saturday evening.

Officials are also encouraging those with appointments to take public transportation, like RTA, to get downtown. Laketran is also offering free transportation to the Wolstein Centers mass vaccination clinic from its newly opened Frank J. Polivka Transit Center at Lakeland Community College.

Read more Ohio coronavirus news:

Agoraphobia symptoms on the rise because of coronavirus pandemic

How close is your ZIP code to reaching the goal of 50 coronavirus cases per 100,000, set by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine?

A dream come true: Fully-vaccinated grandparents prepare to visit family for first time in a year
Washington, March 14 : The US administration has ordered "almost enough Covid-19 vaccine to fully inoculate every American adult twice," and its hoarding could fuel a vaccine gap worldwide, a media report said.

US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that his administration will double the order of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine to 200 million doses, which would bring the country's total vaccine order to 800 million doses, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The new order of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine "risks further exacerbating a vaccine gap between have and have-not nations," a media report said on Wednesday.

The report added that Washington rejected Mexico's request on sharing vaccine doses, while the European Union "has made similar appeals." On Thursday, Biden announced that he will direct all states, tribes, and territories to make all adult Americans eligible for Covid-19 vaccines by May 1.

"That doesn't mean everyone's going to have that shot immediately, but it means you'll be able to get in line beginning May 1," he said.

Over 133 million vaccine doses have been distributed across the country as of Friday, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Currently, there are about 35 million Americans fully vaccinated while nearly 66 million have received at least one dose, CDC data showed.
Sunday, March 14, 2021

Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it Once you learn that, youll never be the same again.

? Steve Jobs

Does anyone not know who Steve Jobs was? If you dont know who he was, you may have been living on another planet for the last 30 years.

Steve Jobs, of course, was co-founder with Steve Wozniak of Apple Computer which in 2020 had the third largest capitalization of any company in the world Not bad for starting out in 1976 building personal computers in Steve Jobs family garage in Mountain View, California. In case you are wondering, the number one and number two companies that had the largest capitalization in 2020 were Aramco and Microsoft in that order.

Steve Jobs led Apple Computer until 1985 when he was forced out due to boardroom decisions. However, he returned to Apple Computer in 1997 after the company he founded, NeXT was bought by Apple Computer. The rest is history.

Steve Jobs innovations after he returned to Apple (i.e., iPod, Macbook, iPad, iPhone, iMac) have since become legendary.

Sadly, Steve Jobs died on October 5, 2011 of respiratory arrest related to a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor at age 56. However, his legacy lives on as is seen by the market capitalization of Apple Computer.

The best inventions in history would hardly have become commonplace without someone convincing investors and the buying public to take a chance. Steve Jobs was a master of speaking. This is what this newsletter is about.

In 2010, Carmine Gallo, a columnist for Businessweek.com, wrote a book called The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience. The book was divided into three Acts like a play. Act I is CREATE THE STORY. Act II is DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE. Act III is REFINE AND REHEARSE.

Below is a synopsis of Steve Jobs Presentation Secrets in three Acts as described by Carmine Gallo and sprinkled with my own observations:

Act I  CREATE THE STORY

You started loving stories before you could read or write  Daddy, read me another story. You loved listening to the stories of your friends in grammar school and high school. You continued to love listening to your colleagues stories and the stories you immediate and extended family told at gatherings. In fact, you still love stories to this day. Admit it.

The Nobel Laureate in Literature, Maya Angelou, once said, People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

There is nothing like a story to reach your audiences emotions and change the way they feel. Weave stories into your words, act them out, and see how your message resonates with your audience.

According to Gallo, the seven chapters, or scenes, in Act I  CREATE THE STORY, will give you practical tools to craft an exciting story behind your brand. A strong story will give you the confidence and ability to win over your audience.

Below are the seven scenes in Act I  Create Your Story:

Scene 1  Plan in Analog

Scene 2  Answer the One Question That Matters Most

Scene 3  Develop a Messianic Sense of Purpose

Scene 4  Create Twitter-Like Headlines

Scene 5  Draw a Road Map

Scene 6  Introduce the Antagonist

Scene 7  Reveal the Conquering Hero

INTERMISSION 1  Obey the Ten-Minute Rule

So, now you have read Act I and know how to prepare your presentation. Now comes the part most people find the hardest about presentations  delivering them.

Act II  DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE

Comedian George Jessel once said, The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.

You probably know speaking in public is the number one fear of people even about the fear of death. For most people, it is difficult if not impossible to string three words together in front of an audience and make it sound intelligent.

If you were a gourmet cook, you wouldnt dream of starting to cook without a recipe. So, why as a speaker do you believe you will deliver a great presentation if you dont have a plan for your delivery? You should have a plan (recipe) for your presentation delivery just like a gourmet cook preparing a meal.

According to Gallo, the six chapters, or scenes, in Act II  DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE, will teach you practical tips to turn your presentations into visually appealing and must have experiences:

Scene 8  Channel Their Inner Zen

Scene 9  Dress Up Your Numbers

Scene 10  Use Amazingly Zippy Words

Scene 11  Share the Stage

Scene 12  Stage Your Presentation with Props

Scene 13  Reveal a Holy S*** Moment

INTERMISSION 2  Schiller Learns from the Best

If you just prepare and deliver your presentation, you will have missed your opportunity to keep making your next presentation better than the previous one. Read on to find out how to take advantage of this opportunity.

Act III  REFINE AND REHEARSE

The self-development expert, Brian Tracy, once said, Practice doesnt make perfect, but it does make permanent. When I was in the U.S. Air Force, we had a saying that says pretty much the same thing  We train the way we fight, and fight the way we train.

You have a natural ability to get better in your activities if you truly evaluate what you have done in the past, plan improvements, and then take action on those improvements.

The great thing about your human life is having the mindset of what Brian Tracy also said, There are no failures, just practice shots.

According to Gallo, the seven chapters, or scenes, in Act III  REFINE AND REHEARSE, will tackle topics such as body language, verbal delivery, and making scripted presentations sound natural and conversational. Even your choice of wardrobe will be address.

Scene 14  Channel Their Inner Zen

Scene 15  Dress Up Your Numbers

Scene 16  Use Amazingly Zippy Words

Scene 17  Share the Stage

Scene 18  Stage Your Presentation with Props

Carmine Gallo, in his book The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience tells us Steve Jobs three-part formula for speaking success: CREATE THE STORY, DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE, and REFINE AND REHEARSE.

When you think of a play, do you think of attending that play or acting in that play. You are probably thinking the former and not the latter.

I am asking you now to change your thinking and become the actor in your play using Steve Jobs outstanding speaking tips as outlined in Carmine Gallos marvelous book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience.

Speaking is not a spectator sport. You can only become a better speaker by speaking, evaluating your performance, and make the changes needed to make your next presentation better.

Carmine Gallo tells us, A Steve Jobs presentation is intended to create an experience  a reality distortion field  that leaves his audience awed, inspired, and wildly excited.

Isnt that what you want!

Call to Action

Use Steve Jobs great speaking techniques as outlined in Carmine Gallos fine book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience to

CREATE THE STORY

DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE

REFINE AND REHEARSE

Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But its worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.

Introducing a new book from Frank DiBartolomeo! Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Better Presentations Launched Saturday, January 30, 2021 online in a store near you! Available now at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

DiBartolomeo Consulting Internationals (DCI) mission is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence colleagues and other technical professionals through improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence. Contact DCI at

info@speakleadandsucceed.com or

Office  (703) 815-1324

Cell/Text  (703) 509-4424

? Steve Jobs____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Syria's British-born first lady Asma al-Assad who shopped for 4,000 crystal-encrusted designers while the country tipped into civil war could be prosecuted for war crimes in the UK for her role in the conflict.

Asma, 45, who is married to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, could also lose her British citizenship after the Metropolitan Police opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that she incited and encouraged acts of terrorism during the war.

The development comes after UN investigators said this month thousands of civilians detained by government and pro-government forces have been subjected to 'unimaginable suffering' including torture, sexual violence and death.

Over ten years, the Syrian civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, uprooted at least 11 million, and created one of the world's worst refugee crises, with the regime accused of using chemical weapons.

Syria's British-born first lady Asma al-Assad who shopped for 4,000 crystal-encrusted designers while the country tipped into civil war could be prosecuted for war crimes in the UK for her role in the conflict. Pictured: Asma and Bashar al-Assad with the Queen in 2002

A preliminary investigation has been opened by the police after Guernica 37, an international justice chambers, submitted confidential filings relating to Asma's alleged influence in the civil war.

Asma, a former banker who speaks four languages, is also accused by the opposition in Syria of complicity in the government atrocities and has been sanctioned by the US government for her alleged role in the regime.

Washington said last year that she had 'spearheaded efforts on behalf of the regime to consolidate economic and political power, including by using her so-called charities and civil society organisations'.

Asma, who been subject to UK and EU sanctions since 2012, is said to have incited and encouraged terrorist acts during the civil war.

Asma, 45, who is married to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, could also lose her British citizenship after the Metropolitan Police opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that she incited and encouraged acts of terrorism during the war

Syrians walk along a severely damaged road in the northeastern city of Deir Ezzor in this file image taken in January 2014

The Syrian civil war, which began on March 15, 2011 as part of the wider 2011 Arab Spring protests and involved a number of different factions including Assad's Syrian Arab Republic, Hezbollah, ISIS and the U.S.-supported the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, displaced millions of Syrians.

Asma's own family comes from Homs, the city at the centre of the uprising that has been brutally battered by her husbands regime.

Asma, who been subject to UK and EU sanctions since 2012, is said to have incited and encouraged terrorist acts during the civil war

Toby Cadman, head of Guernica 37, told The Sunday Times: 'Our legal team at Guernica 37 has been actively investigating this matter for several months and as a result have filed two confidential communications with the Metropolitan Police Service counter-terrorism command (SO15).

'It is important that as we approach the tenth anniversary of the conflict in Syria, there is an effective process aimed at ensuring those responsible are held accountable.'

Guernica 37 added in a statement: 'It is important to hold not only those who carry out these horrific crimes accountable but also those who promote, incite, encourage and glorify such acts.

'As the subject is a British national it is important that she faces prosecution if the evidence supports the allegation and not merely stripped of her citizenship.'

It is unclear whether Asma would attend a UK court and whether prosecutors would then continue with a trial in absentia. But if an Interpol red notice is issued, Asma would be unable to travel outside of Syria without risking arrest.

A Met Police spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'We can confirm that the Mets War Crimes Unit, part of the Counter Terrorism Command, received a referral on 31 July 2020 relating to the ongoing Syrian conflict.

'The referral is in the process of being assessed by officers from the War Crimes Unit.'

Asma is said to have been concerned with fine jewellery and swapping detailed with friends of crystal-encrusted designer shoes costing nearly 4,000 during which Syrians rose up against their bloodstained regime

Asma was embroiled in further scandal when a series of emails emerged in March 2012 which were sent between her and the president. She had been styled as her nations answer to Princess Diana  but she was cast in a far harsher light: as the Marie Antoinette of the Middle East.

Asma is said to have been concerned with fine jewellery and swapping detailed with friends of crystal-encrusted designer shoes costing nearly 4,000 during which Syrians rose up against their bloodstained regime.

Other purchases in the email traffic show how, in July 2011, Asma was placing an order for 10,000 worth of candlesticks, tables and chandeliers which were to be shipped from a Paris designer through a company in Dubai.

And in November 2011  as the violence tipped into armed conflict on the streets of Syria  Asma was asking a London art dealer about works costing between 5,000 and 35,000.

Mourners attend the funeral of civilians and fighters, who died during attacks by Turkish-led forces on the border town of Ras al-Ain, in a cemetary in Tal Tamr, near the Syrian Kurdish town of Ras al-Ain in October 2019

However, in January 2012 she was less than happy after unpacking a pair of bedside tables shipped by a Chelsea cabinet-maker as she complained they had different finishes and they have different colour draws (sic)!.

The electronic documents emerged on the first anniversary of the Syrian uprising and were apparently intercepted by the Supreme Council of the Revolution Group.

The emails were published by The Guardian, which admitted it has been impossible to verify whether all the messages are genuine.

This month, the United Nations investigators said that thousands of civilians had been subjected to 'unimaginable suffering' including torture, sexual violence and death in detention during a decade of conflict in Syria.

Thousands of civilians have been subjected to 'unimaginable suffering' including torture, sexual violence and death in detention during a decade of conflict in Syria, United Nations investigators said. Above, a file image of a boy being rescued from a building in Aleppo in 2014

The report said that men, women, boys and girls detained by government or pro-government forces had been subjected to inhuman treatment and torture, including rape.

'At least 20 different horrific methods of torture used by the government of Syria have been extensively documented,' the report said.

'These include administering electric shocks, the burning of body parts, pulling off nails and teeth, mock executions, folding detainees into a car tyre and crucifying or suspending individuals from one or two limbs for prolonged periods, often in combination with severe beating.'

Tens of thousands of civilians who were detained are unaccounted for, with no trace of their whereabouts, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria found.
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New Delhi, March 14 : In response to disappearing cultures due to increased urbanization and modernization, Nepal's Chaudhary Group, through its foundation, has established a 'Unnati Cultural Village (UCV)' at Harkapur, Nawalpur. The goal of the village is to offer a place where Nepali artists and writers can visit and create their art and literature, said the Chaudhary Foundation.

Spread across approximately six bighas of land, the village houses a Nepali Arts Museum. An Art Center has been set up for the promotion of art and literature. Kala Ghar, where artists can stay and create artworks can also be found once inside the Village.

There are restaurants, guesthouses and rooms that reflect Tharu culture at UCV. The structures are adorned with paintings of various Tharu festivals and celebrations. The essence of Tharu culture and community is engraved in this cultural village.

Located 12 kilometres away from Chitwan's Narayangadh Bazaar, it is a culturally significant Tharu Village with a Tharu Dabali and Tharu Bar within the premises. Other structures too have been named in Tharu language. Not just Tharu culture, other cultures too are represented in the Village.

Gol Ghar - Reception The UCV was inaugurated on March 12.

Speaking at the inauguration, Binod Chaudhary, Chairman, Chaudhary Foundation mentioned that UCV has finally come to fruition after years of tireless efforts. "Art, literature and culture are the foundations of any society. If we do not strengthen these foundations, the future generations will forget about it, "he said, adding, "We have established Unnati Cultural Village keeping in mind the present and future generations." Chaudhary mentioned that his interest in Nepali arts piqued around five years ago when he saw Nepali art at museums set up by World Bank sponsored Asian Heritage Foundation. The World Bank had provided financial support of 40 million dollars to Asian Heritage Foundation. "I saw some Nepali arts and crafts there. But, I could not find it in Nepal. That's why my efforts are directed towards conserving such arts".

Chaudhary stated that art, literature and culture can only be revived if they are linked to the economy, and UCV is a step towards that end.

The Foundation hopes to open cultural centres across all seven provinces and says that UCV is a pilot project.

Nirvana Chaudhary, Vice Chair of Chaudhary Foundation and Managing Director of Chaudhary Group, said that they have been trying to raise the living standards of Nepalis since the past three decades. He informed that Chaudhary Foundation has been working in the field of women's livelihood, self-reliance, and socio-economic upliftmentin collaboration with Bill-Melinda Gates Foundation and Tata Group among others.

"Since the beginning we felt the need to invest in society. We have been working in various sectors including arts and culture, social economy, disaster management," he said, adding, that Unnati Cultural Village is a continuation of those efforts.

An art gallery within the premises of UCV was also inaugurated. The Village will have a Cultural Multipurpose Hall, where cultural banquets, gatherings, meetings, and cultural exhibitions can be organized. A separate space has been assigned for 'Kala Batika', with 18 places identified for the 'Open-Air Museum'. Artists can create artworks and exhibit them here.

The Village will also produce various local handicraft tools. There are plans to produce skilled manpower and bring the handicraft products to the market. A 'History Museum' has also been set up to arouse interest in Nepali Arts and Crafts. The museum will showcase ancient, medieval, and modern Nepali crafts.

Besides Tharu community, the Village will also incorporate the cultures of other communities including Majhi, Bote, Darai, and Magar, from the Nawalpur region. Dances like Ghatu and Sorathi will also be performed at the Village.

While the concept of Village has led to job creation, it will also increase self-employment. The Village offers opportunities for self-employment. And, with the motive to involve the local population, the Village has employed local people and they are at the forefront from handicraft production to hospitality, said Chaudhary Foundation.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)
MIAMI, March 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Delaware Office will conduct a free webinar hosted by 360WISE and Wilmington District United Methodist Church. This free webinar will outline the Economic Aid Acts Small Business Support Programs, including the re-launched Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, the SBA Debt Relief Program, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program, including the Targeted EIDL Advance.



The SBA of Delaware will also field questions and answers regarding these programs and the rapidly approaching deadlines according to John L Banks, the Deputy District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration's Delaware District Office. In that role, John is responsible for the delivery and management of the Agencys programs throughout the State of Delaware.

This webinar is being hosted in partnership with the Wilmington District UMC. As stated by Rev. Joseph Archie, Superintendent of the Wilmington District United Methodist Church, I am excited to offer the resources and support of the church to work together with community and business leaders to help those who are struggling to put their lives back together after the devastating experience of this pandemic. Together, in solidarity, we can turn it around for those who have been affected. The interactive webinar will provide an opportunity for chat dialogue along with a question-and-answer session.

"As partner with this initiative, we take great pride in serving our community. All Cultures. All Colors. All Creeds. We have all suffered together from the grips of COVID-19 and we all shall rise from the strength of our unity from churches to barbershops, plumbers to realtors. Together we will rise, said Robert Alexander, Founder and CEO of 360WiSE.

You can attend this very important free event by registering at 360WiseEvents www.360wiseevents.com.

About

360Wise, an international trademarked media company that is ranked in the top 1% globally for social media influence and brand marketing of celebrities, public figures, and major brands.

For more information contact:

Tasha Alexander

1-844-360-WISE (9473)

tasha@360WiseMedia.com

360WiseMedia

360WiSE.com
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 20:17:44|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Iran's health ministry on Sunday warned against the resurgence of COVID-19 during the Iranian new year, Nowruz, ceremonies starting on March 20.

The observance of health protocols in the country has reached its lowest level in the past four months, said Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

Amid non-compliance with the health protocols and rising cases of COVID-19 variants, travels and gatherings during Nowruz would all be serious warning signs for a new wave of the disease, said Lari.

"We hope that all people observe the hygiene principles, and avoid unnecessary travels and gatherings to prevent another wave of this disease in the country," she noted.

Iran's health ministry reported 7,593 COVID-19 cases on Sunday, raising the total nationwide infections to 1,746,953.

The pandemic has so far claimed 61,230 lives in Iran, up by 88 in the past 24 hours, said Lari.

Of the newly infected, 748 were hospitalized, said Lari.

A total of 1,492,488 people have recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals, while 3,831 remain in intensive care units, she added.

Iran announced its first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19, 2020. Enditem
Reality star Lorinska Merrington has revealed she is 'disappointed' after it emerged Rebecca Judd had allegedly donated clothing from her range to The Salvation Army.

A post made by Instagram account Celeb Spellcheck on Friday claimed that part of a loungewear set from Royale By Lorinska appeared at a Melbourne charity shop just two days after Bec had posed in identical items on social media.

Footy WAG Bec, 38, donned a blue Royale By Lorinska outfit on Instagram Stories last week alongside her daughter Billie, seven, who wore a matching set.

Claims: Reality star Lorinska Merrington has revealed she is 'disappointed' after it emerged Rebecca Judd had allegedly donated clothing from her range to The Salvation Army. Rebecca is pictured last week in the Royale By Lorinska set with her daughter Billie

A fan spotted a pair of pants from the ensemble in a Salvation Army store in Hampton, a suburb near Brighton where Bec and her husband Chris Judd live.

Yummy Mummies star Lorinska, 35, explained to The Daily Telegraph she'd sent the items out to influencers ahead of the official launch.

'As part of the launch campaign, Royale products were gifted to a group of influential women as we have always been about supporting each other and our business ventures,' she said.

Hers? A post made by Instagram account Celeb Spellcheck on Friday claimed that part of a loungewear set from Royale By Lorinska appeared at a Melbourne charity shop just two days after Bec had posed in identical items on social media

'It's disappointing to see this overshadow such a successful launch week'.

Lorinska, who is the wife of footy player Andrew Merrington, added that the first 48 hours of the launch had seen 'an overwhelming customer response online, both locally and internationally'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Rebecca Judd for comment.

Same? A fan spotted a pair of pants from the $89.95 ensemble in a Salvation Army store in Hampton, a suburb near to Brighton where Bec lives

The 'blue frills' adult loungewear set from Royale By Lorinska sells for $89.95, while the matching 'mini' child sized version retails for $55.95.

The blurb on the Royale By Lorinska website explains the outfit is, 'Everyday comfort for the everyday Yummy Mummy.'

It is intended for mothers who 'want to add something elevated, something aspirational, and something classic to their everyday lives'.
If youre lucky to be Irish, then youre lucky enough!

Welcome, me friends, to Wanderin Around this fine Sunday. Tis meself, Vinnie the Leprechaun, here to entertain with jokes and stories. Tis traditional that meself show up this time of the year because of that dear old patron of Ireland. Of course, thats St. Patrick, the greatest saint that ever lived. Meself knows that some people may argue that point about him bein the greatest saint, but you can bet your shamrock that if ya disagree about that to an Irishman, expect an argument. A big one.

Meself is takin over for that Usalis fella this Sunday, which meself is sure is a wonderful break for anyone readin this column. Lets face it. Meself or Usalis? Not much of a competition.

This time around, Usalis said he was takin a break from work and was goin to take a long, long nap. Meself finds that hard to believe since meself always thought that takin naps was his job. Hes pretty good at it, too, from what meself has heard. So, let him get his beauty sleep. That should take a few years.

Isnt this weather wonderful? Snow piles are meltin. So warm and comfy in the daytime. Just great to go outside, though for meself tis a matter of keepin a low profile in public. But, hey, meself is a leprechaun! Cant do nothin else but keep a low profile. Meself is short of height and vertically challenged. Havent found any shamrocks yet, but meself will keep lookin.

OK. Got a story for ya. Father Murphy walked into a pub in Donegal, and said to the first man he meets, Do ya want to go to heaven?

The man said, I do, Father.

The priest said, Then leave this pub right now!

He approached a second man. Do you want to got to heaven?

Certainly, Father, was the mans reply.

Then leave this den of Satan, said the priest, and then headed over to OToole.

Do ya want to go to heaven?

No, I dont, Father, OToole replied.

Father Murphy looked him right in the eye and said, Ya mean to tell me that when ya die you dont want to go to heaven?

OToole smiled, Oh, when I die, yes, Father. I thought ya were gettin a group together to go right now.

No sense in bein in a rush.

Heres another story:

A man on his Harley was ridin along a California beach when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a boomin voice, God said, Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish.

The biker pulled over and said, Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can ride over anytime I want.

God replied, Your request is materialistic. Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertakin  the supports required reachin the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of somethin that could possibly help mankind.

The biker thought about it for a long time. Finally, he said, God, I wish that I, and all men, could understand women. I want to know how she feels inside, what shes thinkin when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothin is wrong, why she snaps and complains when I try to help and how I can make a woman truly happy.

God replied, You want two or four lanes on that bridge?

Aah, the differences of the sexes! Men and women look at things differently many times. Even somethin as simple as an oil change.

Oil change instructions for women:

1. Pull up to dealership when the mileage reaches 3,000 miles since the last oil change.

2. Drink a cup of coffee.

3. Fifteen minutes later, scan debit card and leave the shop drivin a properly-maintained vehicle.

Money spent:

Oil Change: $70.

Coffee: Complementary.

TOTAL: $70.

Oil change instructions for men:

1. Wait until Saturday, drive to auto parts store and buy a case of oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and a scented tree, scan debit card and leave.

2. Stop by the liquor store, buy a case of beer and drive home.

3. Open a beer and drink it.

4. Jack the truck up. Spend 30 minutes lookin for jack stands.

5. Find jack stands under kids pedal car.

6. In frustration, open another beer and drink it.

7. Place drain pan under engine.

8. Look for 9/16 box end wrench.

9. Give up and use crescent wrench.

10. Unscrew drain plug.

11. Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil. Splash hot oil on yourself in process. Cuss.

12. Crawl out from under truck to wipe hot oil off of face and arms. Throw kitty litter on spilled oil.

13. Have another beer while watchin the oil drain.

14. Spend 30 minutes lookin for oil filter wrench.

15. Give up, crawl under truck and hammer a screwdriver through oil filter and twist off.

16. Crawl out from under truck with drippin oil filter, splashin oil everywhere from holes. Cleverly hide old oil filter among trash in garbage can to avoid environmental penalties. Drink a beer.

17. Install new oil filter, makin sure to apply a thin coat of oil to gasket surface.

18. Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.

19. Remember drain plug from step 11.

20. Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.

21. Drink beer.

22. Discover that first quart of fresh oil is now on the floor. Throw kitty litter on oil spill.

23. Get drain plug back in with only a minor spill. Drink beer.

24. Crawl under truck gettin kitty litter into eyes. Wipe eyes with oily rag used to clean drain plug. Slip with stupid crescent wrench while tightenin the drain plug and bang knuckles on frame, removin any excess skin between knuckles and frame.

25. Begin cussin fit.

26. Throw stupid crescent wrench.

27. Cuss for additional five minutes because wrench hit truck and left dent.

28. Beer.

29. Clean up hands and bandage as required to stop blood flow.

30. Beer.

31. Dump in five fresh quarts of oil.

32. Beer.

33. Lower truck from jack stands.

34. Move truck back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled durin any missed steps.

35. Beer.

36. Test drive truck.

37. Get pulled over and arrested for drivin under the influence.

38. Truck gets impounded.

39. Call darlin wife, make bail.

40. Twelve hours later, get truck from impound yard.

Money spent

Parts: $50.

Beer: $20.

Impound fee: $75.

Bail: $1,500.

DUI: $2,500.

TOTAL: $4,145.

But ya know the job was done right!

Thats the truth, aint it, ladies?

One more story for the road. As soon as she had finished parochial school, a bright young girl named Lena shook the dust of Ireland off her shoes and made her way to New York, where before long she became a successful performer in show business.

Eventually, she returned to her hometown for a visit and on a Saturday night went to confession in the church where she had always attended as a child. In the confessional, Father Sullivan recognized her and began askin her about her work. She explained that she was an acrobatic dancer, and he wanted to know what that meant.

She said she would be happy to show him the kind of thing she did on stage.

She stepped out of the confessional, and within sight of Father Sullivan, she went into a series of cartwheels, leaping splits, handsprings and backflips.

Kneelin near the confessional, waitin their turn, were two middle-aged ladies. They witnessed Lenas acrobatics with wide eyes, and one said to the other:

Will you just look at the penance Father Sullivan is givin out this night, and me without me bloomers on!

Meself will leave ya with some good ol Irish wisdom:

A man may smile and bid ye hail

Yet wish ya to the devil;

But when a good dog wags his tail,

Ya know hes on the level.

See ya next time!!! Happy St. Patricks Day!!!

(Staff writer Usalis can

be reached at jusalis@

republicanherald.com)
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A Muslim woman wearing a hijab walks through a street near St Anthony's Shrine, days after a string of suicide bomb attacks across the island on Easter Sunday, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on April 29, 2019. (Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

Sri Lanka to Ban Burqa, Shut More Than 1,000 Unregistered Islamic Schools: Minister

COLOMBOSri Lanka will ban the wearing of the burqa and shut more than a thousand Islamic schools, a government minister said on Saturday.

Minister for public security, Sarath Weerasekera, said the new policy was based on considerations for national security during a news conference on Friday.

In our early days, Muslim women and girls never wore the burqa, he said. It is a sign of religious extremism that came about recently. We are definitely going to ban it.

The wearing of the burqa in Sri Lanka was temporarily banned in 2019 after the bombing of churches and hotels by Islamic terrorists that killed more than 250.

A salesman shows a full face veil, niqab, at a shop selling various kinds of coverings worn by Muslim women in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on April 29, 2019. (Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

Later that year, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, best known for crushing a decades-long insurgency by the Marxist militant group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the north of the country as defence secretary, was elected president after promising a crackdown on extremism.

Both Tamil leaders and Rajapaksa were accused by the United Nations human Rights Council and nonprofits of widespread rights abuses during the war. Rajapaksa denied the charges.

Read More UN Says it Failed to Protect Sri Lankans During Civil War (Photos)

Weerasekera said the government plans to ban more than a thousand Islamic schools, or madrassa, which teach Islamic law and are not registered with the authorities. The minister said the schools were flouting national education policy.

Nobody can open a school and teach whatever you want to the children, he said.

The governments moves on burqas and schools follow an order last year mandating the cremation of COVID-19 victimsagainst the religious wishes of Muslims, as well as some Catholics and some Buddhists, who bury their dead.

The government had said it was concerned burials could contaminate ground water.

This ban was lifted earlier this year after criticism from international rights groups and the United States.

By Waruna Karunatilake
LANSING, MI  Michigan announced 1,659 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, March 13, breaking a three-day trend of more than 2,000 new daily cases.

In addition to the new cases, Saturday saw 38 newly announced deaths from the virus, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Of those 38 deaths, 30 were identified during a Vital Records review.

(The above chart shows Michigans 7-day rolling average of new confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new cases reported by day.)

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday each recorded more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases. Friday in particular had 2,403 new cases, the largest single-day tally since mid-January. Prior to that, Michigan had fewer than 2,000 new cases for 46 straight days.

Michigan is averaging 1,573 new cases per day in the last week  the highest rate since late January. The seven-day average dipped as low as 814 cases per day in mid-February but has been rising ever since.

The state has had a total of 607,437 confirmed coronavirus cases resulting in 15,774 deaths.

(The above chart shows Michigans 7-day rolling average of deaths involving confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new deaths reported by day.)

Though updated figures werent available for March 13, the MDHHS reports 1,870,979 Michigan residents have been vaccinated as of March 11. About 23.1% of Michigan adults have received at least one shot.

Michigan has put more than 2.8 million shots in arms since vaccinations started in December  including nearly 1.6 million Pfizer shots, 1.3 million Moderna shots and 11,582 Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

State leaders announced Friday that anybody 16 and older will be eligible for a vaccine starting April 5. Also, eligibility will open earlier for people 50 and older, as well as people with disabilities or medical conditions.

Case reporting

First is a chart showing new cases reported to the state each day for the past 30 days. This is based on when a confirmed coronavirus test is reported to the state, which means the patient first became sick days before.

You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases.

(In a few instances, a county reported a negative number (decline) in daily new cases, following a retroactive reclassification by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In those instances, we subtracted cases from the prior date and put 0 in the reported date.)

The next chart below shows new cases for the past 30 days based on onset of symptoms. In this chart, numbers for the most recent days are incomplete because of the lag time between people getting sick and getting a confirmed coronavirus test result, which can take up to a week or more.

You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases.

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here.

To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Read more:

Michigan reports 2,403 new coronavirus cases Friday, March 12, highest mark since January

Michigan reports 2,091 new coronavirus cases, 23 deaths Thursday, March 11

Thursday, March 11, coronavirus data by Michigan county: Macomb, Calhoun and Van Buren now above 7% positivity rate.
Shamima Begum photographed at Roj camp in northeast Syria - Sam Tarling

Shamima Begum stands out from the crowd in the camp for Islamic State supporters and their relatives in northeast Syria.

With her straightened hair and Western clothing, Ms Begum today looks nothing like the niqab-clad teen who became the poster child for Britains so-called Isil brides after running away from her Bethnal Green school to marry a jihadi in Syria in Feb 2015.

Ms Begum, who was wearing trendy sunglasses and a striped T-shirt, shook hands with The Telegraph on Sunday but politely declined to be interviewed, due to legal advice.

Chatting with her friends by a row of concrete shops, the groups hoop earrings contrasted sharply with the head scarfs and modest Islamic dress of most of the women in the bleak detention centre.

By the time Ms Begum was discovered in another squalid detention camp for Islamic State supporters in Feb 2019, she was mourning the death of her two children after fleeing the final fighting that marked the collapse of the groups caliphate.

Since then her third child has died and the Government has stripped her citizenship on national security grounds, citing her as a threat to public safety.

Now 21, Ms Begum has languished in Roj for two years while her lawyers challenge the decision to revoke her citizenship. During this time her appearance has gradually changed as she first abandoned the black full length gown and later stopped wearing headscarves.

Today she looks more suited to a shopping trip on Oxford Street than life in a camp for hardened jihadists.

But knowing what Ms Begum thinks has become more difficult since she has stopped speaking to journalists following the frenzied media attention after her early interviews.

Ms Begum has been held in Syria for some two years - Sam Tarling

Initially Ms Begum said she had no regrets about joining Islamic State, though she later said that she had spoken while in shock and out of fear of retribution.

On Sunday she greeted The Telegraph with a handshake and a weary refusal to speak on record, though she did consent to be photographed.

Story continues

Ms Begums case has become emblematic of the fate of several dozen British women living in Roj camp, many of whom have also had their citizenship revoked, and many of whom have children.

Eight other British women declined interviews with The Telegraph on Sunday, several citing legal advice. All were polite, with one woman saying thanks for coming all this way.

Another woman said her son urgently needed to return home to seek medical care that was not available in the camp.

We hope to go back home soon, one said.

Camp manager Nora Abdo said the British women in Roj routinely decline media requests on advice from their lawyers. They are well-behaved and cause no problems at the camp, she added.

Women in the camp now exist on a spectrum from those who remained committed Islamic State ideologues and those who have totally rejected the ideology, but Ms Abdo said the general trend was towards a rejection of the group.

Weve noticed the change in their clothing, she said. They want to come home. They say theyre ready to pay the punishment for their crimes. Some are thinking about the future for their kids.

An academic who speaks regularly with Islamic State members and the women in the camps said that a woman forgoing the veil was a genuine sign that she no longer supported the group.

I dont think its a strategy, a woman who is pro-ISIS wouldnt take it off to get repatriated, said Vera Mironova, who is a research fellow at Harvard University.

Removing the veil comes at a cost, Ms Mironova said, as committed Islamic State supporters in the camp have better access to money and other contraband such as mobile phones through their networks.

Shamima Begum is being held at Roj camp with a group of other British wives of Islamic State fighters - Sam Tarling

Western women in the camp often have less access to money, Ms Mironova said, due to the threat of Western governments using anti-terror legislation to prosecute families who send funds to relatives in the camp.

One European woman in the camp told The Telegraph that after earlier removing her veil, she had taken to wearing it again to curry favour with the camps Islamic State supporters, who remain well-connected.

But Ms Begum and her group of friends  whose nationalities include Canadian, American, French and German  had nothing to do with the Islamic State supporters, the woman said.

File image of Shamima Begum wearing an Islamic head covering - Sam Tarling

Some people are still Daesh groupies, the woman said, using another name for IS. But I dont think theyre dangerous, and theyre very few. People are tired and most have changed.

Camp administrators say the 2,618 people living in Roj are more secure and better provisioned than the 62,000 people living in the sprawling Al-Hol camp, where a string of murders have been reported in recent months.

There are no tent burnings or violence here, said Ms Abdo, the manager.

Both Roj and Al-Hol are run by a Western-backed militia in a corner of Syria somewhat removed from the fighting that has destroyed much of the rest of the country in the past decade.

But during an Oct 2019 Turkish-backed military offensive against the Kurdish-led militia, an estimated 750 IS-affiliated women and their children were reported to have escaped from another camp at Ain Issa. Some women in Roj camp now say they pray that similar fighting nearby could offer them a chance to escape.

But Ms Abdo, the manager, said her biggest concern was the children growing up in the camp abandoned by their governments.

When they grow up they will hate their homeland, and this will have consequences, she said.

This should not be their life. What about their future?
Firefighters in Virginia responded to an apartment building to rescue a starling that ended up stranded on the roof with its head stuck in the siding.

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The Arlington County Fire Department tweeted photos from the rescue in the Ballston area, asking for assistance identifying the species of bird.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington identified the bird as a starling.

The starling was freed from its predicament and released.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 18:52:19|Editor: huaxia

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GHAZNI -- An official of a local court and a police officer were killed separately in Afghanistan's eastern provinces on Sunday morning, the latest in a string of targeted killings in the conflict-torn country.

In Ghazni city, the capital of Ghazni province, Quban Ali was shot dead by two gunmen in Police District 2 of the city when he was on his way to office, provincial government spokesman, Wahidullah Jumazada, told Xinhua. (Afghanistan-Targeted Killings)

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Saturday that he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help "safely receive, shelter, and transfer unaccompanied children" detained by authorities while trying to enter the country through the southern border.

The statement came amid the recent surge of the number of migrant children detained on the border, which has put pressure on the Joe Biden administration as its immigration policy has come under attack by Republicans, especially those in the southern states directly impacted by the influx. (US-Immigration-Children)

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MOSCOW -- COVID-19 infections in Moscow increased by 1,905 over the past 24 hours to reach 1,000,394, Russia's COVID-19 response center said on Sunday.

As the Russian capital is seeing a decline in COVID-19 cases since the start of mass vaccinations in early December, many restrictions have been lifted or relaxed in the city, the country's worst-hit region. (Russia-COVID-19-Caseload)

- - - -

ULAN BATOR -- Heavy dust and snow storms have been hitting large parts of Mongolia since Friday night, authorities said on Sunday.

The wind speed has reached 18 to 34 meters per second in large parts of the country, including in the western, central and southern provinces, the country's National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring said, warning citizens, especially nomadic herders and drivers, to take extra precautions against possible disasters. (Mongolia-Snow Storm). Enditem
Drink free beer, jam to live music, and get vaccinated! The Town of Breckenridge is offering free beer and live music for those who get a COVID-19 vaccine this Saturday, June 5. [...]
Police are investigating a fatal crash that killed a 28-year-old from New Brunswick on Route 27 in Franklin Township late Friday night, Franklin Township Police announced Saturday.

Rafaelo Peralta was driving southbound on Franklin Boulevard and collided with a Ford F-150 pickup truck that was turning left onto Franklin Boulevard from Route 27, police said.

Peralta was found unconscious and unresponsive, and police initiated live-saving measures until EMS arrived on the scene. Peralta died at the hospital.

The Franklin Township Police Departments Traffic Safety Bureau and Somerset County Prosecutors Office Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team are investigating the factors that contributed to this incident.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Sgt. James Raics of the Franklin Township Police Departments Traffic Safety Bureau at 732-873-5533 extension 3177 or james.raics@franklinnj.gov.

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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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Diplomatic win: How India ensured that Pakistan failed to move Kashmir resolution at UNHRC

Law violations cannot be condoned under pretext of human rights : India to UNHCHR chief

Her indifference to terror is not news: India hits out at UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Vote on resolution against Sri Lanka at UNHRC today

AIADMK wants PM Modi to keep promise, support UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka

Chidambaram attacks Centre for abstaining from voting on UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka human rights

UNHRC meet: Sri Lanka dials New Delhi

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 14: Sri Lanka has sought India's support and dialled Prime Minister, Narendra Modi ahead of the crucial vote at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Sri Lanka is facing the heat at the UNHRC over human rights violations during the civil war with the LTTE. The session of the UNHRC is underway and will continue until March 23.

During the session, the Sri Lanka issue has cropped up several times.

Pakistan 'pernicious cradle of terrorism': India at UNHRC

On Saturday, PM Modi spoke on phone today with H.E. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka.

The leaders reviewed topical developments and the ongoing cooperation between both countries in bilateral and multilateral forums. They agreed to maintain regular contact between relevant officials, including in the context of the continuing COVID-19 challenges.

Prime Minister reiterated the importance of Sri Lanka to India's Neighbourhood First policy.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 14:55:10|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- China has completed feasibility studies of the fourth phase of its lunar exploration program and is expected to build an international lunar research station on the moon's south pole in the future, said Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China's lunar exploration program.

In an interview with China Space News, Wu said that three missions are planned for the fourth phase of the lunar exploration program. The program includes the retrieval of lunar samples from the south pole by Chang'e-6, a detailed survey of the moon's south pole resources by Chang'e-7, and the testing of key technologies in preparation for the construction of the lunar research station by Chang'e-8.

Wu explained that there may be a polar day and night on the moon's south pole, like Earth's north and south poles. The moon's rotation period is equal to its revolution period, both of which are 28 days. Therefore, there may be more than 180 consecutive days of light on the moon's south pole, which would be highly convenient for astronauts carrying out scientific research.

On Tuesday, China and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to build an international scientific research station on the moon.

Wu said that within the MOU framework, China and Russia would use their experience in space science, research and development, and their space equipment and technology. The two countries will jointly formulate a roadmap for the construction of an international lunar research station, carrying out close cooperation in the planning, demonstration, design, development, implementation and operation of the project, Wu noted.

"If the lunar research station project can be successfully implemented, China will not be far away from achieving manned landing on the moon," said Wu. He added that Chinese scientists and engineers are study ing how to land on the moon.

According to Wu, China will consider landing on the south pole of the moon in the future, which is more complex but the environmental conditions are better. Once the landing is successful, construction of the lunar research station can be carried out gradually.

It will be a long-term lunar stay for Chinese astronauts, not short-term, said Wu.

He noted that in order to achieve a manned landing on the moon, it is necessary to ensure that the probe and astronauts can land safely and accurately.

In the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China will continue to promote the development of heavy launch vehicles and achieve breakthroughs in rocket body sizes and engine thrust to support deep space exploration, said Wu. Enditem
Ministers, Cabinet bypassed to fast track development By S. Rubetheesan State institutions could enter into agreements through Ministry Secretary; Treasury Secretary given more powers View(s): View(s):

The Government has decided to bypass the need to get approval of the minister and the Cabinet if two state institutions decide to enter into an agreement in the future.

In a circular, the Treasury Secretary S. R. Attygalle says the authority to enter into such agreements without the approval of the minister concerned or the Cabinet will now be vested with the Line Ministry Secretaries.

The Treasury Secretary has also been empowered to issue Letters of Credit (Collateral), Letters of Comfort and Treasury Guarantees within the applicable statutory limit.

In addition, the Treasury Secretary is also vested with powers to resolve issues with regard to Cabinet approved projects with the involvement of the bilateral and multilateral agencies through policy dialogues on operational and tactical matters. The Treasury Secretarys decision will be considered to be final, the circular says.

These decisions have been taken this week in what the Finance Ministry states is a move to simplify systems and processes to fast track implementation of development activities.

The new directives have been set out in the circular sent out by Treasury Secretary Attygalle this week after the Cabinet approved the proposals to achieve the Governments priorities such as ensuring access to water, rehabilitation, development of roads, improving connectivity, access to markets, irrigation and improving livelihoods and supporting agriculture.

The circular states these activities have been severely compromised due to existing an archaic regulatory framework requiring approvals from several entities and finally the Cabinet of Ministers.

Delays in payments to contractors have been identified as key impediments to fast track development activities. The delays result in cost escalations also, according to the circular sent to all Secretaries of Ministries, Chief Secretaries of Provincial Councils, Heads of Department and Local Authorities, Chairpersons of Government-owned Corporations, Companies and Statutory Boards.

Accordingly, when agreements are entered into between government agencies including ministries, departments and State Owned Enterprises the agreement could be signed with the approval of the Ministry Secretary keeping with the relevant Act of incorporation or the Companies Act.

Agreements between Ministries, Departments and otherwise when SOEs (state-owned enterprises) are a party to such agreements, the approval of the governing body as stated in the Act of incorporation or the Companies Act will suffice and should not be forwarded for the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, the circular says.

However, matters related to procurement of goods or services undertaken in line with the procurement guidelines issued by the government are excluded.

For the changes to be made on the ongoing Cabinet approved projects, a Committee headed by the Treasury Secretary is to be appointed along with secretaries of key ministries to look into the matters such as restructuring, additional financing, loan extensions and cancellation of projects. The committee decisions will be considered as final.
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By Tengku Zafrul Aziz

The year 2020 was an annus horribilis by any definition, and while there is now light at the end of the COVID tunnel with the arrival of vaccines on many shores worldwide,the world still has to grapple with its aftermath.

At the time of writing, slightly over a year has passed since I took office at the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Barely had the appointed cabinet members of the new Government warmed their ministerial seats when the MCO 1.0 announcement was made to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Our war against the pandemic took a heavy toll on the economy in the ensuing months. The peak of the economic fallout was in April 2020, when our GDP shrunk by 28.7%.Thankfully  four economic stimulus packages totalling RM305 billion, and numerous measures later  we had successfully maintained our COVID-19 mortality rate at around 0.4%, protected 2.7 million jobs, gave a crucial lifeline to businesses and micro SMEs, and helped cushion the impact to GDP, which was limited to a contraction 5.6%in 2020.

Despite what detractors have said, as it stands today, the Government has successfully prevented a catastrophic collapse of the economy, functioned well to support the vulnerable groups, and smoothly rolled out its National COVID-19Immunisation Programme. Based on various data points, it is probably safe to say that the worst is behind us.

With around 290,000 Malaysians (and counting) vaccinated since 24 February and as more are vaccinated, we can expect further easing of restrictions, and normalcy returning to our lives and the Malaysian economy. But where do we go from here?And what about our readiness for the post-COVID operating landscape?

We know things will never be the same again as COVID-19 has decidedly hastened the IR 4.0 era, with technologies like the Internet of Things, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence quickly being embraced and applied by the developed world. Are we ready to ride these waves, or will they sweep us away?

In November 2020, during the keynote address at the virtual APEC CEO Dialogue,Chinese President Xi Jinping's offered glimpses into what China's post-coronavirus era looked like. He made it abundantly clear that China had no choice but to vigorously speed up scientific and technological innovations to foster new growth drivers, never mind that it is already at the forefront of e-commerce (think Alibaba or Tencent) or even ahead of the West in fields like nanotechnology or big data.

This year, China embarks on its 14th Five-Year Plan and its "Made in China 2025" vision, through which Beijing seeks to expand the incomes of its 400-million strong middle class.

Malaysia, too, is all aware of the middle-income trap. Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in his speech at the Youth Economic Forum 2021 earlier this month, said that escaping the middle-income trap requires unconventional ideas and approaches. To this end, just last month, the PM had also unveiled the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint and MyDIGITAL that seek to expedite national connectivity and the adoption of technology to spur Malaysia's economic transformation.

Some key milestones have already been set. By end-2021, 5G technology will be available in stages. Apart from Telekom, the government has also given conditional approvals for Microsoft, Google and Amazon to operate cloud services in Malaysia. These tech titans' readiness to operate in Malaysia is a vote of confidence in the country's digital policies.

Nonetheless, a shift to a tech-driven economy cannot happen overnight. A year in office at the MOF has also taught me some key lessons in embracing tech-based solutions to facilitate our journey towards becoming a tech-driven economy.

Firstly, on big data being the new policy 'fuel'. Data is crucial for public policy to be more effective and innovative in helping the rakyat, particularly to formulate targeted, needs-based policies. Through big data and analytics, we can study behavioural trends, or identify recipients who are really in need of government aid. For example, for the Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat, MOF cross-refers data from over 20Government agencies to reduce inclusion and exclusion errors, ensuring that assistance reaches those that truly need it.

Secondly, it is crucial to deploy tech to assess the Return on Investment (ROI)on as many policy measures as possible. In business, it is always about reaping the most value from each capital outlay. Similarly, in terms of public policy, tech is the enabler to help us quantify measures and properly track ROI. To this end, our dashboard developed by LAKSANA has provided us with real-time data to help tweak policies, where necessary, to ensure the desired outcome is achieved.

Thirdly, as much as tech is an enabler for our efforts to transform the economy,people must always come first. After all, tech is merely a solution to better solve existing problems, and a shift to a tech- and data-centric economy will be driven by humans, not robots. I am also confident that with the deployment of more tech- and data-driven solutions, more new industries and higher-paying jobs will be created than those made obsolete.

Fourth, all parties must play their part in achieving Malaysia's My Digital Economy Blueprint objectives. In Budget 2021 alone, the Government has allocated at least RM4.2 billion to enhance digital connectivity and promote digitalisation. In addition, MCMC plans to spend RM7.4 billion in 2021-2022 to enhance and expand broadband coverage. The Government will lay out more tech-based solutions for individuals and businesses to recover, rebound and regrow post-COVID, but what is equally important is a mindset shift by all parties to meet the government halfway by also taking responsibility for their own (tech) growth and advancement.

As we shape our post-pandemic, more resilient economy by embracing digitalisation,the government is aware that ultimately, we must ensure all Malaysians can have a bigger share of the economic pie. This big push must benefit society, not just existing tech and digital players. If we can strategically and systematically capitalise on this,not only will we emerge as a modern and pandemic-proof society, but also a more equitable one in alignment with our Shared Prosperity Vision 2030.

I have learned that the Chinese character for "crisis", is one composed of"danger"and"opportunity". China is clearly seizing the opportunity from this crisis. MOF is also keen to seize this opportunity by, among others, embracing tech to facilitate long overdue reforms; formulating targeted and outcome-based measures;and ensuring future across-the-board resilience, particularly in today's hardest-hit sectors.

In hindsight, COVID-19 may well be the crisis that accelerates tech adoption in helping our people catapult out of the middle-income trap, and in shaping Malaysia into a fully digital economy in her own right. The moment is at hand.

(Tengku Zafrul Aziz is the Minister of Finance.)
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigerias National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is seeking a partnership with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) towards combating human trafficking in the country
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
UPDATE: Man who exchanged gunfire with state trooper charged with 11 felonies

FLINT, MI -- An investigation is underway after a Michigan State Police trooper shot a man during a traffic stop late Saturday night in Flint.

Troopers tried to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation shortly before 11:15 p.m. Saturday, March 13 at Brownell Boulevard and Pasadena Avenue when a 24-year-old Flint man exited from the rear seat on the drivers side, according to a Michigan State Police news release.

The suspect was observed with a firearm and began to run away from troopers, police said.

Troopers ordered the man to drop the firearm, but police say he continued to run away and fired a shot at them as they began to pursue him.

A trooper then discharged a department-issued firearm, striking the suspect. The suspect was secured and troopers began to render first aid, police said.

The suspect, whose name has not been released, is being treated at a local hospital. He is listed in good condition.

The vehicle fled from the scene, but it was located a few hours later, police said.

A two-year veteran with the Michigan State Police, the trooper is currently on administrative leave under department protocol.

Detectives from outside the district will conduct the investigation, which is still ongoing.

Once complete, investigative reports will be submitted to the Genesee County Prosecutors Office for review.

Read more on MLive:

Lawsuit by Lapeer County teen alleges rape by priest in 2010, claims coverup by Archdiocese of Detroit

Reward increased to $5K for information on man shot to death in Flint

Former Genesee Township police chief sues township claiming discrimination, forced resignation
Photo: The Canadian Press

The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association has released a snapshot of how the tourism industry is being impacted as a result of COVID-19 and an overview of how things are changing as the country begins moving through the first stages of recovery.

Since the pandemic began, the estimated losses in international travel revenues have decreased significantly due to COVID-19, with Canada losing about $15.7 billion. Ontario is estimated to have lost $5 billion, while British Columbia lost $4.8 billion and Alberta lost $1.6 billion.

B.C. residents seem to be concerned about welcoming in visitors from elsewhere, especially from the United States, with 75 percent of residents saying they're very concerned about people from the U.S. coming into B.C.

B.C. residents are also reluctant to travel. As of Feb. 23, 2021, B.C. and Saskatchewan residents feel less safe travelling compared to Alberta and Ontario travellers across all categories.

For example, nine per cent of B.C. residents feel safe to travel Internationally, compared to 20 per cent of Alberta travellers, 16 per cent of Saskatchewan travellers and 14 per cent of Ontario travellers.

There's no doubt the Canadian hotel industry took a hit during the pandemic, but there was has been a minor turnaround for B.C. The week ending Feb. 6, 2021, the province recorded the highest occupancy level (30.0 percent) among all provinces.

Also, the number of domestic overnight visitors dropped significantly since last year. From Jan. 10, 2020 - Feb. 14, 2020, B.C. saw a high of over 300,000 visitors. In the same week, this year, those numbers dropped drastically to a high of about 150,000.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's mansion in Southern California, was breached two times by the same intruder over the Christmas holiday, a new report claims.

Nickolas Brooks, 37, was first caught trespassing at the $14.65million property in Montecito on December 24, but officers with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office let him off with a warning, TMZ reported Sunday.

Two days later Brooks showed up again on December 26 and was subsequently arrested and charged with one count of misdemeanor trespassing.

Sources told TMZ that Brooks had driven all the way from Ohio. It's unclear why he went to the home or if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were there at the time.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's mansion in Southern California, was breached two times by the same intruder over the Christmas holiday, a new report claims

Nickolas Brooks, 37, was first caught trespassing at the $14.65million property in Montecito (pictured) on December 24, but officers with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office let him off with a warning, TMZ reported Sunday

News of Brooks' breaches comes a week after Harry opened up about being worried for his family's safety.

The Prince told of his fears during the couple's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Harry revealed how Buckingham Palace revoked their security detail when they stepped down as senior royals and moved to North America.

He said that he and Meghan inked their lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify because they needed money to cover their own security after being 'cut off financially' by the Palace after their departure from the UK.

'I've got what my mum left me, and without that, we would not have been able to do this.

'During COVID, the suggestion by a friend was, "What about streamers?"' Harry said, while Meghan added: 'We genuinely hadn't thought about it before.'

'We hadn't thought about it,' Harry continued. 'So, there were all sorts of different options. And look, from my perspective, all I needed was enough money to be able to pay for security to keep my family safe.'

The deals with Netflix and Spotify were said to be worth $100million and $25million, respectively.

Harry, 36, and his brother William inherited 21million ($29million) from their mother Diana. The money was held in trust until they turned 25.

Harry also received a smaller figure from the Queen Mother's will after she died in 2002, putting his total inheritance assets at around $32million, the Times estimates.

In the Oprah interview the couple revealed that Hollywood heavyweight Tyler Perry, who lent them his $18million Beverly Hills mansion when they first moved to LA, had paid for their security while they were living there.

'We needed a house, and he offered us security as well, so it gave us breathing room to try and figure out what we are going to do,' Meghan explained, while Harry hit out at the royals for removing his security at such 'short notice'.

'The biggest concern was that while we were in Canada, in someone else' house, and then I got told short notice that security was going to be removed,' he said, explaining that this news came shortly before the world went into lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

'So suddenly it dawned on me, hang on a second, the borders could be closed, we're going to have our security removed, who knows how long lockdown is going to be,' he said.

'The world knows where we are. It's not safe. It's not secure.'

News of Brooks' breaches comes a week after Harry opened up about being worried for his family's safety during the couple's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey (pictured)

At the time, it was estimated that security for the couple could cost upwards of $5.5million a year - a sum that was previously paid by British taxpayers through the Metropolitan Police budget.

Many critics insisted that the couple should have to pick up the bill themselves after they quit working royal life in favor of a move to the US.

According to Harry, the couple's police protection - which is given to all of the most senior working royals - was taken away because of their 'change in status'.

'Their justification is a change in status, of which I pushed back and said, "Well is there a change of threat or risk?"' he recalled.

'And after many weeks of waiting, eventually, I got the confirmation that, no, the risk and threat hasn't changed, but [it was] due to our change of status, which we would not longer be official working members of the royal family.'

The Duke admitted that the move came as a surprise to him, because he had thought that he would always be afforded protection because he was a royal by birth and therefore 'inherited the risk' that comes with being in that position.

'I never thought I would have my security removed, because I was born in to this position,' he said. 'I inherited the risk. So that was a shock to me.'

Meghan also said that she 'wrote letters' to the royal family in which she pleaded with them to keep Harry's security in place, but claimed that she was told it 'was not possible', despite her insisting that he was facing 'death threats' and 'racist propaganda'.

'I even wrote letters to his family saying, "Please, it's very clear the protection of me or Archie is not a priority. I accept that, that is fine. Please keep my husband safe. I see the death threats. I see the racist propaganda.

'"Please keep him safe, please don't pull his security and announce to the world when he and we are most vulnerable." And they said it's just not possible.'

Harry, 36, said that making deals with Netflix and Spotify were 'never part of the plan' but said 'all he needed was enough money to pay for security to keep his family safe'

Harry and Meghan's nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom mansion - which they bought with the help of a $16million mortgage last summer - is believed to have tripled in value over the past nine months, according to local real estate agent Sandy Stahl.

A fan, Anastasia Hanson, set up a GoFundMe campaign to help the couple cover their mortgage last week after they opined about financial struggles in the Oprah interview.

In the description of the campaign, 56-year-old Hanson wrote that the 'jobless' Duke and Duchess had been going through a 'very rough time' after having funding for their security and lifestyle pulled by the Royal family.

However the campaign didn't garner much sympathy and was ultimately closed down after raising just over $100.

Harry and Meghan's nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom mansion (pictured) - which they bought with the help of a $16million mortgage last summer - is believed to have tripled in value over the past nine months
As Brazil's hard-right president addressed the nation last week with an attack on his rivals, keen-eyed observers would have noticed a strategically placed globe on his desk.

Broadcast on Facebook, Jair Bolsonaro attacked the country's former left-wing leader, Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, who was cleared by a court to return to politics.

The addition of the globe was a direct response to claims in Lula's comeback speech that Mr Bolsonaro believed the Earth was flat.

Mr Bolsonaro has been condemned during his two years at the helm of Latin America's biggest economy for climate change denial and Covid scepticism.

The country is now gripped by one of the world's worst coronavirus crises. Hospitals are strained and death toll records are broken daily, while restrictions are loose.

A Supreme Court decision quashed Lula's corruption convictions and reinstated his political rights, setting up a showdown between the leftist icon and Mr Bolsonaro in next year's presidential election.

Lula, who served as president between 2002 and 2010, gave a widely praised speech, reinforcing the importance of vaccination and social distancing to help curb Brazil's Covid-19 crisis. Criticising Mr Bolsonaro's catastrophic pandemic response, the former president claimed Brazil "has no government".

In response to Lula's attacks, Mr Bolsonaro feigned an about-turn on his pandemic stance, claiming he had never called Covid-19 a "little flu" and had not cast doubt over the efficacy of vaccines.

In his Facebook live-stream, he barked back at Lula. "That sack of meat said yesterday that I should speak to [science minister] Marcos Pontes, who has been to space, and ask him if the Earth is round. Look at the quality of my science minister and that criminal's cabinet and then we'll talk."

With 19 months to go until the election, Brazil expects a fiery and polarised contest between the country's two most popular political figures.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
The four Coast Guard members on board Rescue 116: Dara Fitzpatrick, Paul Ormsby, Mark Duffy and Ciaran Smith.

The four members of the Rescue 116 crew that lost their lives four years ago are being remembered by colleagues and loved ones this morning.

Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Captain Mark Duffy, winchman Ciaran Smith and winch operator Paul Ormsby all lost their lives when their helicopter crashed into the sea off the coast of Mayo on March 14, 2017.

Rescue 116 responded to a rescue operation, along with Rescue 118, for an injured fisherman 250km off the coast of Mayo and was en route back to the mainland when it had to stop to refuel at Blacksod lighthouse, Co Mayo.

On approach to Blacksod, the helicopter reportedly clipped Blackrock island and crashed into the Atlantic.

Read More

Niamh Fitzpatrick, sister of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, paid tribute to Dara online last night.

Dara, 4 years gone from us today. No warning. No goodbyes. You died alone in the cold, dark seas ... I can only hope that in your final moments, your familys love wrapped you up & held you tight. You are loved & missed, today & every day, Niamh said.

The Irish Coast Guard also remembered their four lost years in a touching tribute.

Four years ago today our emergency rescue family lost four of the finest crew members from R116, Dara, Mark, Paul and Ciaran.

They will be forever remembered. Our thoughts today are with their families, friends and colleagues. Go Mairidis Beo, a post from the Irish Coast Guard read.

The National Ambulance Service were among the plethora of emergency response organisations to pay tribute to the ill-fated crew.

In the early hours of March 14, 2017, Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue116 crashed while supporting a rescue mission off the coast of Mayo, resulting in the deaths of Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby & Ciaran Smith. Tonight, we remember them. R.I.P.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County officials are criticizing a decision by Gov. J.B. Pritzker that could lead to parole for infamous child-murderer Paula Sims.

Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine on Friday said his office is ready to fight against Sims parole.

Life should mean life, Haine said. Two babies are dead. At the time of the trial, she insisted she was not guilty.

Sims was convicted of the 1989 murder of one child and eventually admitted killing another could get a chance at parole after Pritzker on Thursday granted her executive clemency. That changes her sentence from life without the possibility of parole to life with the possibility of parole.

Sims must now petition the Illinois Prisoner Review Board for a parole hearing.

Sims currently is serving a life sentence at the Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln. She was convicted of killing her six-week-old daughter, Heather, in 1989 in Alton.

She later acknowledged killing her first daughter, Loralei, in 1986 in Brighton.

Sims initially told police Loralei Sims  just 13 days old  had been abducted by a masked gunman. The childs body was found in a wooded ravine behind the rural Jersey County home Sims shared with her husband, Robert.

The couple later moved to Alton where, on April 29, 1989, Paula Sims said she was taking out the garbage when a masked man knocked her unconscious and, when she awoke, her 6-month-old daughter, Heather, was gone.

Robert Sims and the couples son, Randall, died in an automobile accident in 2015.

The crime was initially treated as a kidnapping but, according to court testimony, Paula Sims kept her deceased daughter in the freezer before dumping her in a park trash receptacle. She was convicted Feb. 2, 1990, after days of deliberation by a jury.

Both cases created a firestorm of media coverage, with Heather Sims disappearance and death leading to an unprecedented media presence in the Metro East.

At the time, The Telegraph had several teams of reporters working on various aspects of the story, with media outlets monitoring radio communications (how newspapers, radio and television stations kept in contact with reporters in the field at that time).

Eventually, former Madison County Assistant States Attorney Don Weber and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Charles Bosworth wrote a best-selling book, Precious Victims, about the crimes. A television movie was made based on the book.

In recent years Paula Sims attorney, Jed Stone, has sought a new trial or commutation of her sentence, citing laws allowing postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis to be introduced at a trial or sentencing. He argued the new law, and advances in the understanding of post-partum depression and psychosis, should be introduced in court to prove that Paula Sims had post-partum psychosis at the time of her childrens murders.

That issue had been raised a number of times since Sims conviction, but all previous attempts had failed.

Governor Pritzkers granting of a commutation to allow for parole is a giant step, both for Illinois law and for Paula, Stone said Friday. It recognizes that post-partum psychosis is a mitigating factor in tragic cases like Paulas.

Stone noted that most of his cases are not who done it, but rather how come they done it.

It is an important piece of trying to understand what a just and fair sentence would be, he added.

When Paula was tried, no one had heard about post-partum psychosis, he said, adding that post-partum depression was known, but was a relatively new concept.

Stone said they planned to meet with the Prisoner Review Board in September.

It is absolutely clear that Paulas crimes were precipitated by a post-partum psychosis, Stone said.

Haine agreed there have been advancements in how the subject is viewed, but noted that Sims continued to blame others for the murders.

Society has advanced in its understanding of post-partum depression since the time of this trial, Haine said. That being said, this is a terrible murder. She did not accept responsibility.

We dont have the death penalty in Illinois, and there has to be an ultimate punishment, he added.

Former State Sen. Bill Haine, Madison County States Attorney at the time of the trial, on Friday declined comment on the case. Others have been more outspoken.

State Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, a former Madison County prosecutor, said she was horrified by Pritzkers decision.

As a mother with 15 years of prosecuting experience in the Madison County States Attorneys office, I find Paula Sims charges especially disturbing, Crowe said in a released statement. In order to ensure justice for victims of violent crimes, vile actions must have equivalent consequences.

According to prosecutors, Sims fabricated a story under oath blaming masked intruders for her daughters disappearances, she added. Failing to take responsibility for her heinous actions, she showed no remorse while also delegitimizing mothers who suffer mentally from postpartum health issues.

Crowe said Sims was charged and imprisoned because she poses a significant threat to our community.

That she may soon be released to walk among us is not only insulting to those whose lives were destroyed by her actions, but also endangers the integrity of our criminal justice system as a whole, Crowe said.
Col. Wangyee Vang, who helped put the spotlight on Lao and Hmong veterans who fought in the "Secret War," was honored in a traditional three-day funeral in Fresno that started Saturday.

Vang died Jan. 18 at age 74.

He was honored in Fresno at the Faith Community Religious Facility, while simultaneously recognized at a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Vang was the founder and longtime president of Lao Veterans of America, a Lao- and Hmong-American veterans' non-profit organization based in Fresno.

He helped spearhead the Laos Memorial, a national monument in Arlington National Cemetery honoring Lao and Hmong veterans who helped the United States in during the Secret War.

The Secret War was a covert CIA-backed effort to seize power from Communists during the Vietnam War. Vang served in the "U.S. Secret Army" defending U.S. national security interests from 1961 to 1975.

He was also instrumental in passage of the Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act, which granted honorary American citizenship to tens of thousands of Hmong veterans and their families in the U.S.

His work with U.S. Congressman Jim Costa, D-Fresno, also led to permission for many Hmong veterans to be buried in U.S. national veterans cemeteries, noted Philip Smith, director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C.

At events honoring Hmong veterans, Vang would often reassure veterans in speeches that they would not be forgotten.

Smith repeated his words in an email to The Bee, aiming them at Vang this time: "We promised you that we would never forget you, and your sacrifices and suffering, so that is why we have come together here to honor and remember you."

This article is written by Bethany Clough from The Fresno Bee and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
Geneva Finance Limited now expects FY21 net profit before tax (NPBT) to be within a range of $6.3 million to $6.5 million (up 56% on last financial year), with trading results since September 2020 exceeding expectations across the consumer finance (New Zealand and Tonga), insurance, invoice factoring and debt collections business units.

Managing Director David OConnell said, While we were pleased with the September 2020 half-year result (NPBT +44% on previous year), and had reservations regarding the recurring risk of further lockdowns, the hard work from the management team has seen continued improvements across every business unit.

Each of the business units contributed to the profit increase, though the finance operations (invoice factoring and consumer finance) and Quest Insurance provided the majority of the uplift. New lending volumes are tracking well ahead of last year. The traditional seasonal spike in finance arrears has also been lower than previous years, reflecting continued improvements in ledger quality. The debt collections and debt litigation business are similarly showing consistent improvements.

In light of the improved trading position, the directors are of the view that the final dividend for the March 2021 year should be restored to 2.25 cents per share. This dividend was reduced from 2.25cps to 1.75cps following the March 2020 lockdown. The updated FY21 NPBT guidance implies that the indicative full-year dividend of around 3.50cps equates to a dividend pay-out rate of approximately 35% - 40% of NPBT, which the directors consider appropriate in the current environment.

Please see the link below for details:

Geneva Finance NZAX profit guidance media release March 2021

Source: Geneva Finance Limited

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For Subscribers Gov. Noem hires jet consultant to help South Dakota buy new aircraft

An out-of-state consultant has been hired for $195,000 by Gov. Kristi Noem's administration to help the state of South Dakota buy a new aircraft.
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Govt. accused of recognising Junta in Myanmar View(s):

A motley crowd led by onetime presidential candidate Siritunga Jayasuriya staged a protest last Tuesday outside the Myanmar Embassy at Flower Road in Colombo.

Their aim was to condemn the military coup detat in Myanmar (former Burma) on February 1. Troops captured power and arrested Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi whose National League for Democracy won a landslide victory at the general elections in November last year. Since then, there have been protests in the streets including the Myanmar capital of Naypidaw. Troops and Police are reported to be shooting the protestors, killing and wounding them.

Even before this protest, questions were raised over why Sri Lanka had not joined other nations in condemning this anti-democratic move by military dictators.

Amid this came a letter Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena wrote to H.E. Wunna Huang Lwin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

This is what the letter said:

Your Excellency,

It is with great pleasure I invite Your Excellency to participate at the 17th Ministerial Meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation to be held in the afternoon of April 1, 2021 preceded by a special Senior Officials Meeting on March 31, 2021 virtually in Colombo.

Despite the ongoing global challenge of COVID-19, BIMSTEC took the challenge and had several meetings to finalise documents for the consideration of the upcoming ministerial meeting. This is only evident of the resilience and unwavering commitment of all member states to ensure that the mandate of our leaders are (sic) fulfilled for the betterment of the region and its peoples.

The ministerial meeting will bring all our efforts to culmination before the 5th summit to be held later in the year by enabling us to formalise/endorse decisions that were taken at the 21st Senior Officials meetings (Soft) under the Chair of Sri Lanka.

The 17th ministerial meeting will greatly benefit from Your Excellencys valued participation, and I look forward to our close engagement over the course of the meeting. The programme of the ministerial meeting and the agenda will follow in due course.

Now, does this amount to Sri Lanka granting recognition to the government of a military junta in Myanmar? Sections in Colombos diplomatic community opine it does.

Otherwise, Sri Lanka should have addressed the invitation to the government of Myanmar and not by name, said one diplomat.

Added another Sri Lanka could have consulted member countries before the invitation was sent. This is because none has granted recognition so far.

The news of the invitation drew ire from the social media covering events in Myanmar now. Sri Lanka came in for bitter criticism.

The Foreign Ministry reacted with a statement which said:

There have been reports on social media platforms in regard to an invitation extended to the Foreign Minister of Myanmar to attend the 17th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting hosted virtually on April 1, 2021, in Colombo.

Sri Lanka as the Chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation (BIMSTEC) and the host of the Ministerial Meeting has invited all member states (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand) to participate in the discussions in order to finalise documents of the 5th BIMSTEC Summit expected to be held later this year in Sri Lanka.

Former Govt.s Gampereliya billboards removed secretly

The billboards erected along the streets under the Gampereliya village development initiatives by the previous Yahapalana government are being removed silently with the indirect support of local politicos.

The bill boards consist of project details and images of former heads of the government and local representatives. Since almost all of those featured in the billboards are out of office, the rival party politicos in the North gave the green light to remove them through their supporters in local government bodies.

Why the delay? The question is positively pregnant with possibilities

In the public sector female graduates and diploma holder trainees have so far not been allocated their full quota of maternity leave.

It was only last week it came to light where the delay has been.

This was when Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon wrote to his secretary J. J. Ratnasiri.

In a letter sent by the minister to his secretary, he said even though two reminders had been sent in November and December last year, the Cabinet paper to seek approval to give the full quota of 84 days of maternity leave, similar to what is entitled to all employees has not been prepared.

He expressed disappointment about the delay in preparing the Cabinet paper and said no explanation was given for the delay.

The Minister has now set a 14 day deadline to submit the draft Cabinet paper or if not explain if there were any obstacles in preparing the paper.

Hindu groups plant statues of Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva on main streets in Jaffna

This week as Hindus marked the Maha Sivaratri on Thursday, there were more than half a dozen incidents reported in the North alone, where certain groups have branded themselves to protect Hindus. They planted statues of Lord Ganesha and Lord Shivas Shiva Lingam along the main streets to create unnecessary trouble for local authorities when it comes to removing them.

One such statue of Lord Ganesha was placed on the busy street of Kantharmadam in Jaffna and another was planted at Sankupitty bridge by unknown persons at midnight.

The group claimed that the Hindu identity is under threat with similar tactics followed by those who planted Lord Buddhas statue at Bo trees in the province. The Jaffna Municipal Council is yet to decide whether to keep the statues or remove them since it is a sensitive subject to the locals.

Opposition accuses Speaker of masking his bias

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena came under severe criticism from Opposition parliamentarians on Wednesday as they accused him of bias following a row over wearing face masks in the chamber. The row however, overshadowed the fact that many MPs continue to flout face mask rules within the chamber.

Opposition parliamentarians were incensed after the Speaker warned Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Hesha Withanage to put on his mask when speaking but did not give the same warning to Minister Chamal Rajapaksa, who also spoke without a mask.

Face masks are mandatory in Parliament, but as with most things, the rules apply different to the powerful. The majority of MPs remove their masks when making their speeches. Even if one were to excuse that on the grounds that it makes it easier to hear clearly what the person is saying, what excuse is there for those who are sitting in their seats for not wearing masks?

Social distancing in the chamber is impossible on account of the seats being so close together, so one would think MPs would appreciate that the least they can do is wear their masks when sitting so close to each other. After all, seven of their number did contract COVID-19.

One wonders whether MPs think they are now immune after getting the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of other groups.

Businessman announces formation of BJP in the north

In recent weeks, there was much hype in local media on reports of leaders of Indias ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), suggesting it might contest elections in neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Last month, Indian media quoted Indias Tripura State Chief Minister Biplab Deb as saying that Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah intended to establish BJP governments in the two countries as part of an Atmanirbhar South Asia.

Last Saturday, a group of individuals led by a businessman held a media briefing at the Jaffna Press Club to announce the formation of a new political party named Sri Lanka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The representatives claimed the party would work for the betterment of the Tamil people in the country with a special focus on economic development.

Though the formation of the new Sri Lankan version of the BJP came as a surprise, if not coincidentally, local Tamil nationalist parties expressed concerns suggesting that certain elements are at play to exploit the people on religious and caste basis to engage in petty politics similar to the politics of South India.

The matter was raised at a Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF) media briefing given by its leader parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam last week. He said it was not surprising since almost all the Tamil nationalist parties are working on the agenda of a neighbouring country, now that same country has fielded its own direct representatives here to do politics. Anybody can engage in any political work here but it is up to the people to decide, he said.
Mumbai, March 14 : Fashion designer Masaba Gupta, whose series "Masaba Masaba" would soon be out with its second season, said the concept of the show would not work on the big screen.

The Indian audience is still looking for a "larger-than-life" experience when they go to watch something in the theatre, she added.

"A show like ours will not work on the big screen. I think it suits Over-The-Top (OTT) perfectly and so do I. We are a light-hearted show and we are reaching out to people who are able to understand what we are saying. The audience comes to the cinema to see a larger-than-life commercial potboiler. But there is a space for meaningful content today thanks to OTT. Some things belong in some places," she said.

In the show, Masaba and her mother and actress Neena Gupta play fictionalised versions of themselves. The show also stars Neil Bhoopalam, Rytasha Rathore, Smaran Sahu and Satyadeep Mishra.

Masaba said the masses would take time to accept these kinds of shows.

"The way we told our story and how real the show was, it was all meant to be like you are sitting in my living room. A large part of India is not ready for it," she said, adding,"Maybe in another decade or so they will be ready. I am happy to wait as these things take time." Masaba said thanks to OTT, a show like hers is no longer labelled as "non-commercial".

"There used to be a time when a show like "Masaba Masaba" would be put into a niche category and it would be said that it is not commercial. That gap between commerce and art is finished. That's the best about OTT," she said during a panel discussion held on the occasion of International Women's Day.

The second season of "Masaba Masaba" would be streamed on Netflix.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 07:25:15|Editor: huaxia

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A teacher introduces an exhibit to the visiting students at the Zu Chongzhi Memorial Hall at the Zu Chongzhi High School in Laishui County, north China's Hebei Province, March 13, 2021. March 14 is celebrated around the world as Pi Day, since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of the mathematical constant which denotes the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Zu Chongzhi, a Chinese mathematician and astronomer from the 5th century, had made a remarkable achievement by determining the Pi value with an accuracy of seven decimal places, between 3.1415926 and 3.1415927. His calculation remained the world's most accurate for nearly 1,000 years until the 14th century. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)
Schumer Obama & Clinton State of The Union

Illegal immigration is wrong, plain and simple People who enter the United States without our permission are illegal aliens and illegal aliens should not be treated the same as people who entered the U.S. legally.  Senator Chuck Schumer, 2009. "When we use phrases like 'undocumented workers,' we convey a message to the American people that their government is not serious about combating illegal immigration, which the American people overwhelmingly oppose."

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Nguyen Quoc Binh, former Principal of Hanoi-based Viet Duc High School, speaks on the positive side of teaching school pupils the Korean and German languages

Nguyen Quoc Binh, former Principal of Hanoi-based Viet Duc High School Photo kinhtedothi.vn

Do you support the Ministry of Education and Trainings decision to include the teaching of the Korean and German languages as an official subject in the general school curriculum?

I totally support the Ministry of Education and Trainings decision. As we all know, we are now in the age of globalisation and the English language is very important. Yet, quite many other foreign languages have also become very popular among developing nations and our country has established quite extensive relations with developing countries in many fields, including economics, culture, politics and others. Thats why besides common foreign languages which are being taught in Viet Nam like Chinese, Russian, French and Japanese, we should also include new foreign languages  including Korean, German and others.

Both Germany and South Korea are developed nations and Viet Nam enjoys good relations with them, particularly in the fields of economics, social affairs and diplomacy. So why shouldn't Viet Nam include the teaching of these languages in our general school curriculum?

Of course, some people may say that the Korean and German languages are not really common in many countries in the world. I say that when we have deep knowledge of a second foreign language, it will be very easy for us to learn the third foreign language. For example, if we want to work in Germany, no doubt we should learn German even if we can speak English very well. The same is true for the Korean language.

Do you think the teaching of Korean and German will be welcomed by both pupils and their parents?

The tendency of globalisation has won worldwide support, so if any country has a good national vision and strategy, Im confident the government of that country will adopt a strategy to teach Korean or German. Adding to that both parents and their childrens general knowledge nowadays is very good. Last but not least, Vietnamese schools now have good infrastructure as well as capable teaching staff.

I dont deny that in the past few years, Viet Nam didnt have many people who could teach Korean or German. But in recent years, the Ministry of Education and Training has opened many courses on teaching Korean and German at foreign language universities or colleges.

Can you share with us some of your experiences in teaching German as a foreign language?

Quite a few schools in Ha Noi have taught German as a foreign language. They include the Viet uc High School; the Trung Vuong, ong a and Chu Van An secondary schools already teach German as a foreign language. Right now, Korean is the second foreign language in quite a few schools in Ha Noi.

Lessons learned from Viet uc High School following their decision to teach, first, Japanese and then Korean languages for a few years, showed that good infrastructure is needed before launching the teaching and learning programme.

In 2008, when we first launched the programme, only some 20-30 students registered for the German course. However, the good news is that by the year 2018, more than 100 pupils registered for the course. In the beginning, the pupils had only two classes of German foreign language a week and each class lasted 45 minutes. However, later, the students decided to increase their class hours to between six and eight hours per week. It is very interesting that though German was their second foreign language, their learning results were much better than the first foreign language.

What would you say to parents interested in this?

Right now the teaching of either Korean or German is just in an experimental period. So it is up to the parents to make their own decisions on whether should they let their children learn either the Korean or German languages as a supplementary subject.  VNS
Dhaka, March 14 : Four people, including two Chinese nationals, were injured after a part of launching girder of the Bus Rapid Transit project collapsed near the Dhaka airport on Sunday.

The identities of the injured persons have not been ascertained yet.

Shortly after the accident, fire service personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the trapped people and sent them to hospitals, Shafikul Islam, an official of Kurmitola Fire Service Station, told IANS.

Chief engineer of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) project Abdur Rahman said that among the injured, three were admitted to Evercare Hospital and others to National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation (Nitor).

Islam added the launching girder collapsed at around 10.35 a.m. at Airport Railway Station area on tge Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway near the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Australians are free to travel across all interstate borders without undergoing quarantine for the first time since the coronavirus arrived.

Domestic borders are now fully open after Western Australia eased restrictions with Victoria overnight.

It is the first time WA has had no quarantine requirements for any state or territory since border restrictions were introduced last April.

All states are now classified as 'very low risk' under WA's controlled border system.

But a re-elected Premier Mark McGowan has warned he won't hesitate to bring back a hard border if needed to keep the virus out of WA.

Australians are free to travel across all interstate borders without undergoing quarantine for the first time since the coronavirus arrived

The premier was speaking after leading Labor to a landslide election victory which highlighted the popularity of his tough response to the pandemic.

Mr McGowan on Sunday said WA authorities were keeping a close eye on new hotel quarantine-linked cases in Queensland and NSW.

WA Health has identified three Brisbane venues attended on Thursday by a doctor who caught the virus from a hospital patient.

Anyone who has arrived into WA from Queensland in recent days has been contacted and advised to self-quarantine if they attended those venues.

All interstate borders across Australia are currently open, despite new cases in Sydney and Brisbane. Pictured are travellers in the Sydney Airport domestic terminal

The state's health department on Sunday issued advice for any recent arrivals from NSW, who had visited two Sydney locations on Saturday, to get tested for COVID-19 immediately and quarantine until March 27.

Mr McGowan said his government would continue to be guided by medical advice.

'What you've seen with the Commonwealth government is when necessary, they've shut the border to New Zealand,' Mr McGowan said.

'The borders work ... they've kept Australia safe and they've kept Western Australia even safer. So if we need to, we'd do it again.'
The federal government has slumped to its worst result in the voter polls in more than a year.

Labor has overtaken the Coalition for the first time in several months according to the latest survey of voters conducted last week.

The Opposition jumped two points to 52 per cent on a two-party preferred basis, a Newspoll published by The Australian on Monday shows.

The poll puts the Labor ahead as the Coalition battles a series of ongoing setbacks with absent senior ministers, delays in the coronavirus vaccine rollout and a rape allegation against Attorney-General Christian Porter.

The only good news for the Coalition is that Scott Morrison remains Australia's preferred Prime Minister well ahead of Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese.

Scott Morrison (pictured on Sunday) remains Australia's preferred Prime Minister, despite the federal Coalition recording a slump in voter confidence

The two major parties are locked at 39 per cent each on a primary-vote basis, with the Greens steady on 10 per cent and One Nation on three per cent.

The Morrison government has championed its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as it strides ahead with a national vaccine rollout, on top of recent announcements to help stimulate the flagging tourism sector and increased welfare payments.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds is on extended sick leave and faces pressure to leave the portfolio over her handling of a rape allegation in Parliament House.

Mr Porter is also on leave after outing himself as the senior minister at the centre of a historical rape allegation.

Only 30 per cent of voters surveyed listed Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese (pictured) as their preferred Prime Minister

While the Coalition might be losing favour among some voters, Mr Morrison remained a clear favourite in the 'better prime minister' stakes.

He attracted 56 per cent support compared to Mr Albanese's 30 per cent, with the remainder undecided.

Sixty-two per cent of respondents are satisfied with Mr Morrison's performance as Prime Minister, which has dropped by two points since February.

The Newspoll is based on an online survey of 1521 respondents between Wednesday and Friday.
COOS BAY, Ore -- A United States Coast Guard aircrew rescued a 50-year-old male hiker Saturday after he went missing in the Willamette National Forest near Oakridge, according to Coast Guard officials.

The man was dehydrated and had extreme hypothermia when he was rescued, officials said.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend received a request for aerial assistance from the Oregon State Search and Rescue Coordinator on Thursday after ground crews located the mans parked car and backpack near a trail head.

A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew started the search Thursday and into the night but couldnt find him.

Search and rescue ground crews found the missing hiker just before midnight on Friday and requested a Coast Guard medevac to be conducted the next morning.

The Sector North Bend aircrew arrived on scene at 7 a.m. and hoisted the man from the ground. He was then transported to the Eugene Airport where first responders were waiting for him.

The man was then transferred by ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center for further care.

"Effective coordination with our partner agencies ensured that this persons life was saved," Lt. Cori Sanchez, an MH-65 pilot said. Its lucky he was found in time and we could assist in getting him to higher medical attention rapidly.

The Coast Guard encourages hikers to take caution when venturing into the outdoors by always staying aware of surroundings and being mindful of dangerous terrain. Hikers should have the proper equipment and a reliable means of communication in case of an emergency.
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White House Wont Tell Officials How Many Illegal Immigrants Entering Texas Have COVID-19: Gov. Abbott

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that the White House has refused to tell Texas officials how many illegal immigrants who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border have tested positive for COVID-19.

When asked in a Fox News interview on Sunday about whether illegal immigrants are spreading the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, the Republican governor responded, I have not seen any data about what the COVID rate is while adding that agents have reported to his office that there are illegal immigrants coming across the border with the virus.

We need the total number of migrants who have been apprehended at the border who have tested positive for COVID-19, Abbott said, accusing the Biden administration of having refused and failed to give to our state the total number of migrants who have COVID-19.

We expect that data, Abbott added.

In recent weeks, the number of border crossings and the number of illegal immigrants held in federal facilities has sharply increased, with Republicans like Abbott saying that its being driven by President Joe Bidens relaxation in immigration policies.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on May 18, 2020. (Lynda M. Gonzalez/The Dallas Morning News Pool)

Border Patrol agents apprehend a busload of illegal immigrants in Penitas, Texas, on March 10, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that it had 100,441 enforcement encounters at the southwest border, which is almost triple the enforcement actions from February 2020 when Border Patrol encountered about 36,687 individuals. Its also significantly higher than the 76,545 encounters in February 2019, which was at the beginning of the last border crisis.

It comes as the Biden administration on Saturday announced that it has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the U.S. southwest border in response to the arrival of record numbers of illegal immigrants, including unaccompanied minors.

I am incredibly proud of the agents of the Border Patrol, who have been working around the clock in difficult circumstances to take care of children temporarily in our care. Yet, as I have said many times, a Border Patrol facility is no place for a child, Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

We are working in partnership with HHS to address the needs of unaccompanied children, which is made only more difficult given the protocols and restrictions required to protect the public health and the health of the children themselves. Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to HHS as quickly as possible, consistent with legal requirements and in the best interest of the children, Mayorkas added, referring to the Department of Health and Human Services.

And in early March, about 108 illegal immigrants released by Border Patrol into Texas over a several-week period tested positive for the CCP virus, officials said.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the DHS, which oversees CBP, for comment.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.
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The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to sell the 13 per cent stake it holds in Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (Bangalore International Airport, or BIAL) and (GHIAL) to raise funds.

The authority will soon appoint a transaction advisor to conduct a valuation of AAIs stake in the two airports in which Prem Watsa-owned Group and Delhi-based (GMR Infra) hold the largest stake.

According to the shareholding agreement, the largest shareholders have the first right of refusal on the stake. Industry executives and analysts tracking the two firms said while is a clear favourite to buy AAIs stake, for GMR Infra  which has a consolidated debt of over Rs 25,000 crore and is selling assets itself  it may be challenging to buy the stake if the price is high.

and Siemens hold 54 and 20 per cent stake in BIAL, while GMR Infra holds 63 per cent stake in GHIAL. The governments of Karnataka and Telangana each hold 13 per cent stake in the airports. Since the authority holds minority stake in the two entities and has gained neither meaningful return from the two airports nor any say over the management, it has been decided to monetise the stake. A board resolution was passed recently. Accordingly, an advisor will be appointed. It will do a valuation and guide the process, said a senior government official.

However, the official said there are no immediate plans to offload 26 per cent stake in Delhi International Airport (DIAL) or Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), given AAI holds 26 per cent stake in the two firms. This gives it the power to influence special resolutions, which require at least 75 per cent vote of shareholders. For DIAL and MIAL, AAI is not a passive shareholder and has significant say over the capex planned, which is not the case for BIAL and GHIAL, said a second official.





The monetisation is planned under the governments national asset monetisation pipeline through which the Budget has envisaged to earn Rs 2.5 trillion. The sale of stake will also help AAI shore up its finances, severely hit due to the impact of the pandemic. The government-owned airport operator  one of the rare profit-making public sector enterprises in the civil aviation sector  is likely to post a loss of over Rs 1,000 crore in FY21. The first time it will be in the red since inception.

Despite the loss, the finance ministry has asked AAI to continue with its capex programme, which entails an investment of around Rs 8,000 crore for FY21 and FY22. The capex is largely to develop new airports or upgrade existing airstrips and airport terminals. The public sector undertaking has raised around Rs 3,000 crore from external borrowings. But that may not be sufficient to undertake infra work, leading to the requirement of selling the residual stake in the two airports. AAI also plans to put on sale Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport (Amritsar), Biju Patnaik Airport, Tiruchirappalli International Airport, Swami Vivekananda Airport, Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport (Indore), and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (Varanasi) by Q1FY22.

Analysts and merchant bankers said that at the current valuation, the two stakes may fetch the government over Rs 3,000 crore  more than the amount it earned by selling the six airports.

Recently, Fairfax sold around 11.5 per cent stake to Canadian pension fund Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, valuing 100 per cent stake of BIAL at $2.9 billion. BIAL intends to list to Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Holdings  the holding company of BIAL  on the Indian stock exchanges.
A Canadian public health authority has ordered retail and e-commerce behemoth to shut one of its fulfilment centres owing to an increase in Covid-19 caseloads.

Peel Public Health has issued an order under the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act to Canada to require all individuals working at "8050 Heritage Road in Brampton to self-isolate for two weeks effective March 13, 2021."

In accordance with the order, all employees will be required to self-isolate through March 27, "unless they have tested positive in the last 90 days and completed their isolation period as directed by public health," the health authority said in a statement.

"This facility is in a vulnerable community and employs thousands of people. Immediate action must be taken to protect these essential workers and the community where they live," said Dr Lawrence C Loh, Medical Officer of Health.

"This was a difficult decision but a necessary one to stop further spread both in the facility and across our community," Low added.

In a statement to The Verge on Saturday, an Amazon spokesperson said the "company doesn't believe the data supports the closure, and that it plans to appeal the decision".

"This closure may have some short-term impact on our Canadian customers, but we will work to recover as quickly as possible," the company said.

Over the past few weeks, the rate of COVID-19 infection in Peel region has been decreasing while the rate inside this facility has been increasing significantly, the health authority said.

In March last year, Kentucky's governor ordered an Amazon warehouse in the state remain closed following an outbreak.

Amazon temporarily closed one of its warehouses in New Jersey in December.

--IANS

na/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
EAST ALTON  After nearly 70 years of standing, the last of the former Dynegy power plant in East Alton has come down.

The three remaining smokestacks at the Wood River Power Station, closed in 2016, toppled over at around 7:43 a.m. Sunday under cloudy skies.

Terry Kennedy, who works for Ameren, said he heard about the demolition through the grapevine at work. As he waited to witness history Sunday morning, he expressed disappointment at the thought of the plant being razed.

Its a shame the power plant couldnt last any longer, Kennedy said.  But with economics the way they are, they just couldnt make a go of it anymore.

The smokestacks of the former Dynegy Wood River Power Station in East Alton belched for the final time early Sunday morning as they headed for the ground.

A series of controlled explosions dropped the stacks onto the property. The two brick smokestacks fell quickly, but the stack made of reinforced concrete lingered for several seconds before finally falling.

Commercial Liability Partners (CLP) in St. Louis is planning environmental remediation at the site which then will be offered for development.

In the first week of February, the former Wood River Power Station in East Alton gently rolled over after explosives blew out the lowest level steel girders holding the building up. That work, and the smokestack demolition on Sunday, was by the Spirtas Wrecking Company.

Several people witnessed the early Sunday morning demolition.

I know people want to get rid of coal; its inevitable, Bob Mosby, a former employee of the power plant, said in February. But you have to have all your ducks in a row before you do that.

Mosby was a maintenance machinist a the former plant where he started working in 2004 before he was transferred to the Baldwin (Illinois) Generating Station.

Gene Leffler was a welder at the facility from 1989 to 2016. He said he constantly thinks about all the people that worked at the plant, how many left and the friends he had made

The 1950s-era coal-fired power plant was closed by Dynegy Midwest Generation Inc. in May 2016. On Sept. 13, 2019, CLP announced it had bought the site for an undisclosed amount, with plans for environmental remediation and future development.

The Wood River Power Plant included two coal-fueled units that began operations in 1954 and 1964, respectively. When it was closed in 2016, the 465-megawatt power station employed about 90 people.

Demolition of the site began in October 2019. CLP officials said the East Alton site, located near the Wood Rivers entry to the Mississippi River, needs remediation, groundwater monitoring, abatement and demolition of structures and coal ash ponds before it can be marketed for redevelopment.

Based in St. Louis, CLP redevelops underused, challenged and unique properties. Over the past five years, it has managed cleanup of more than 10 similar properties in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
At least 15 people were shot early on Sunday at a party in Chicago, and two of them have died.

At least seven of the people shot were taken to hospitals in serious to critical condition, fire department spokesperson Larry Merritt told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The shooting appears to have stemmed from a party, news outlets reported.

Two of the deaths were pronounced at the scene. One person refused treatment, WLS-TV reported.

Rayneesha Dotson, 30, and Lionel D. Darling, 39, died at the scene, ABC-7 reported, citing Cook County.

Rayneesha Dotson, 30, was one of two people killed at the scene, authorities said. She had returned to Chicago for a week's visit after recently moving to Texas to flee gun violence, ABC-7 reported

Lionel D. Darling, 39, also was killed at the scene, authorities said. It wasn't clear if there was a motive, or whether the shooting was just random violence

The Chicago Fire Department released this image on Sunday showing balloons and a shoe strewn across the sidewalk outside the South Side Think Tank at 6798 S. South Chicago Ave where police say at least 15 people were shot, two of them fatally

Chicago Police Department officers are seen above at the scene of the shooting on the city's South Side early on Sunday morning

Doston had returned to Chicago for a week's visit, ABC-7 reported. She'd recently moved there to 'escape the gun violence around her' in Chicago, the outlet said.

It wasn't yet clear a motive, or whether it was random violence, though community members said it appeared to be just an argument that escalated - not gang violence, according to interviews with FOX10.

According to the police, witnesses reported a disturbance on the 6700 block of South Chicago Avenue at around 4:41am on Sunday morning.

A total of 15 people whose ages range from 20 to 44 years old were struck by gunfire, according to officials.

'One of the patrons began to shoot inside the building striking multiple people,' the Chicago Police Department said in a statement.

The city fire department posted a photo on its Twitter feed showing balloons and a shoe strewn across the pavement outside the South Side Think Tank at 6798 S. South Chicago Ave.

Police vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks are seen above near the scene of the shooting on Chicago's South Side early on Sunday morning

Witnesses reported that most of the investigators were inside the building. Others reported what appeared to be a pool of blood on the sidewalk near the door of the building.

At least 16 other Chicagoans were wounded and in shootings across the city over the weekend as of Sunday morning.

A 17-year-old boy was in the backyard of a residence on the 12200 block of South Bishop Street at about 4:30pm on Saturday when a gunman driving by in a dark-colored sedan opened fire.

The teen was struck in the right thigh and rushed to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for treatment.

Earlier on Saturday at around 11:00am, a 32-year-old man was shot in the foot by a gunman near the CTA Red Line Station in the Park Manor section of Chicago's South Side.

According to police, the gunman approached the victim on the 6900 block of South State Street, pulled out a gun, and opened fire.

Officials said the victim was rushed to University of Chicago Medical Center, where he is listed in good condition.

A person of interest was questioned by detectives.

A few hours before that shooting, a 27-year-old man was seriously wounded when an unidentified assailant fired a bullet into his abdomen while the victim was in his garage at around 4:40am on Saturday on South Green Street.

The man was rushed to University of Chicago Medical Center where he was listed in serious condition.

Earlier on Saturday morning, a 30-year-old man who was walking along the 7900 block of South Coles Avenue at around 1:35am was shot in the leg, according to police.

A friend rushed the man to University of Chicago Medical Center, where he is listed in good condition.

At least 30 Chicagoans were wounded by gunfire over the weekend as of Sunday morning, according to police

The man told police he did not see the shooter or where the shots were fired from.

On Friday night, a 33-year-old man was shot and wounded in Portage Park on the Northwest Side of Chicago, according to police.

Investigators said the man was walking along the 6000 block of West Addison Street at around 11:05pm when he heard gunshots and then felt pain.

According to police, the bullet grazed the man's head. He was rushed to Community First Hospital, where he was listed in good condition.

Earlier on Friday evening, a 21-year-old man was shot and wounded in the Little Village section of the city's Southwest Side.

The man was driving along the 3600 block of West 26th Street at around 9pm when someone in a passing white sedan fired three gunshots at him, police said.

He was struck in the shoulder three times, though he managed to drive himself to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he is listed in fair condition.
This weekend brought good news to people across the country in the form of $1,400 direct deposits, sending the rest of us racing to our bank accounts to monitor for signs of life.

And what could herald the arrival of stimulus checks better than some A+ stimmy tweets?

In a time otherwise burdened by unemployment, eviction and great financial hardship, the tweets emphasized delightful fantasies of big spending.

They coalesced around a particular form, offering up some truly top-flight requests. Heres one example from @GayvidDowdle:

Direct deposit: $1400

Me, in burger king: Id like to speak to the king.

Direct deposit: $1400



Me, in burger king: Id like to speak to the king  david (@GayvidDowdle) March 13, 2021

@jamieingreenbay took a cue from Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation:

Direct Deposit: $1400

Me: Give me all the bacon and eggs you have.

@charliedayz went with Stanley Hudson from The Office, from a scene where Hudson asks a waiter for a side of lobster with his surf n turf order. The waiter notes that the meal already comes with lobster.

Not enough lobster, Hudson says. Side order.

Direct Deposit: $1400

Me: Give me all the bacon and eggs you have. pic.twitter.com/XPTqY5Cndr  Jamie in Green Bay (@jamieingreenbay) March 13, 2021

Some tweets mused that stimulus recipients would leave their dental needs unmet and bills unpaid so they could live a little. After all, it has been 12 months of ... pandemic. Why not buy out the whole store ... or its calling card?

How did @DrewSkywalker want to use the $1,400?

Asking for the large kickballs outside Target.

@stayfrea_ had an idea of how to approach Red Lobster, stimmy in hand:

uhh Let me get the whale.

For @soupinhercan, it was all about Chuck E. Cheese:

Fetch me the rat.

Others looked on longingly as people celebrated the stimulus drop, waiting for their direct deposits to arrive.

After Wells Fargo tweeted that customers eligible for the stimulus may expect it as soon as March 17, 2021, people cried foul for having to wait several more days, sending the bank into the trends.

Direct deposit: $1400

Me at Target: Give me the large kickballs outside pic.twitter.com/Q7tlq0zApg  Drew (@DrewSkywalker) March 13, 2021

Direct deposit: +$1400



Me at Red lobster: uhh Let me get the whale  Pre K (@stayfrea_) March 12, 2021

That root canal watching you spend your Stimmy #stimmy pic.twitter.com/FFCcHTYZZJ  Jordy (@jordddddd) March 12, 2021

How I'm walking into Dollar Tree after that #stimmy hits. pic.twitter.com/QOiCHY63q5  Trap Lord Supreme (@SolizSEO) March 12, 2021

Me watching my Amazon cart and my bank account on a split screen. #stimmy pic.twitter.com/gHZZxLrA9l  Monique McGee (@mo2the) March 13, 2021

Me when that direct deposit hits, coming back from the mall #stimmy pic.twitter.com/8SD31NgTqN  cesar (@Jebaiting) March 13, 2021

When the Stimmy, direct deposit & tax return are all lined up to hit in the same week pic.twitter.com/auYWDeO2CL  Tyler DeBlois (@TheDukeofDiesel) March 11, 2021

Direct deposit: +1400



Me at Cheesecake Factory: yeah Ill take one of each slice  Arslan (@thega1nz) March 13, 2021

Direct Deposit : +1400

Me : I know mom, bills and food only #stimmy pic.twitter.com/dhm5sbWTzI  cesar (@Jebaiting) March 13, 2021

Direct deposit: $1400

Me at Chuck e. cheese: fetch me the rat  soup (@soupinhercan) March 13, 2021

Watching every one tweet about their stimmy direct deposit hitting and mine hasnt  pic.twitter.com/pxmAsbqjeM  Edgar (@LifeOfEdgar) March 13, 2021

Everyone getting their stimmy checks direct deposit while I stare @ the mailbox like a damn pilgrim pic.twitter.com/2UahBMaOZd  Eli (@ElijahRoby_) March 13, 2021

Customers who are eligible to receive direct deposit of their stimulus payment may expect it as soon as March 17, 2021. https://t.co/ujd9oUUWmP  Wells Fargo (@WellsFargo) March 12, 2021

Wells Fargo will process all of the direct deposits according to the effective date provided by the U.S. Treasury. If you are eligible to receive a stimulus payment, you can check on the status of your payment using the IRS's Get My Payment tool. (https://t.co/Aibhew6SC5). -Sofia  Wells Fargo (@WellsFargo) March 13, 2021

People with Wells Fargo watching everyone else get their money.#stimmy pic.twitter.com/PDgfoY5093  Chicken Tenders (@xNoodlekingx) March 13, 2021

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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter.
(Reuters) - Panasonic Corp's outgoing Chief Executive Kazuhiro Tsuga said the company will need to reduce its heavy reliance on Tesla Inc by making batteries more compatible with electric vehicles from other global carmakers, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

"At some point, we need to graduate from our one-legged approach of relying solely on Tesla," Tsuga, who will step down after nine years as CEO from April 1, told the newspaper in an interview.

"We are entering a different phase and we need to keep an eye on supplying manufacturers other than Tesla."

The Japanese conglomerate announced in November that Tsuga would step down in April after nine years at the helm and that Yuki Kusumi, the head of its automotive business, would take over.

Under Tsuga's leadership, Panasonic has shifted its focus away from low-margin consumer electronics to batteries, factory machines and components. The company said last month it expects its battery business supplying Tesla to be profitable this fiscal year.

Panasonic has partnered with Tesla in a $5 billion battery "gigafactory" near Reno, Nevada.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
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Minister K T Rama Rao casts his vote for the MLC elections at Banjara Hills on Sunday (DC Photo: Pavan Kumar)

Hyderabad: A massive turnout of voters was witnessed for the Legislative Council elections to two graduate constituencies of Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy-Mahbubagar and Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda on Sunday.

The Election Commission has put the tentative polling percentage for the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda seat at 64 per cent and for Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy-Mahbubnagar seat at 59 per cent till 4 pm. The counting of votes will take place on March 17. The polling percentage was less than 40 per cent in 2015

The TRS is upbeat over the higher polling percentage, saying its micro-level booth management to ensure a higher polling percentage proved a big success and worked in its favour.

Contrary to fears that the polling percentage would be hit due to the long weekend (holidays from Maha Shivaratri on March 11 to Sunday on March 14), all the booths witnessed serpentine queues of voters even after the polling deadline of 4 pm. Officials allowed all the voters who were in queues before 4 pm to cast their votes till 7 pm.

The MLC polls covered 21 districts out of the 33 districts in Telangana state. The Hyderabad-RR-Mahbubnagar constituency covered nine districts with 5,31,268 registered voters and the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda constituency covered 12 districts with 5,05,565 registered voters.

Soon after the polling concluded, TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and party's working president K.T. Rama Rao held a teleconference with in-charge ministers, party MPs, MLCs and MLAs and obtained reports on polling trends in their respective districts.

According to party sources, the general feedback received was that the higher polling percentage was in favour of TRS candidates Surabhi Vani Devi and Palla Rajeshwar Reddy.

Ministers told the CM and Rama Rao that the party's poll strategy right from monitoring the enrolment of graduate voters to bringing them to the polling booths and ensuring that they cast votes without fail has worked wonders.

They said that due to the enrolment drive taken up by TRS leaders and cadre, the total number of voters had doubled this time to over 10 lakh voters against 5 lakh voters in 2015 polls.

They said over 2 lakh voters were enrolled by TRS alone who comprise party members and their family members and expressed confidence that TRS will win both the seats easily with the support of these voters.
China Needs 30 More Years to Become a Manufacturing Powerhouse, CCP Official Admits

A senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official recently admitted that because Chinas manufacturing industry was limited by Chinas social system, a lack of talents, and other factors, and because key technologies were controlled by others, China needs at least 30 years to achieve the goal of becoming a manufacturing powerhouse.

The statement was made by Miao Wei, deputy director of the Economic Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and former Minister of Industry and Information Technology.

He said at a CPPCC meeting on March 7 that in terms of global manufacturing industry, there are four different levels.

The first level is led by the United States because it is the global science and technology innovation center.

The European Union and Japan belong to the second level since they are at the high-end of manufacturing.

China and some other emerging countries belong to the third level, which is at the low- and mid-range of the manufacturing industry.

The fourth level mainly consists of resource exporting countries, including OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), Africa, Latin America, and other countries.

According to Miao Wei, Chinas manufacturing industry is big but not strong, comprehensive but not good, with weak basic capabilities, while key technologies are still controlled by others. Because of this, it will take at least 30 years for China to become a manufacturing powerhouse.

Si Zefu, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Harbin Electric Corporation, also admitted on the same day that Chinas manufacturing industry was not as good as others in three soft strengths: innovation capability and innovation level; product quality and brand; and management level and efficiency. The poor profitability is particularly prominent, he said.

Miao Wei also stressed that the manufacturing sectors contribution to the GDP recently fell very fast. This not only dragged down Chinas economic growth, but also affected urban employment. It will also bring industrial safety risks, weakening Chinas economys ability to resist risks and international competitiveness, he said.

Miao Wei said that as Chinas economy shifted to a service-based model, factories with polluting chimneys had been closed and manufacturing output as a share of the economy had declined. In 2020, Chinas manufacturing share of GDP was just over a quarter, the lowest level since 2012.

As to the problem of Chinas social system, Miao Wei believes that a lack of market-oriented reforms is the fundamental problem limiting the development of Chinas manufacturing industry.

He also thinks that apart from a lack of key technologies, China also lacks talents in emerging industries, and this has become an obstacle for improving the overall status of the manufacturing industry.

The CCP Seems to Have Abandoned Its Goal of Becoming a Manufacturing Power in 10 Years

In 2015, the CCP proposed the 10-year Made in China 2025 project, envisioning that by 2025, China would have transformed from a big manufacturing country to a manufacturing power, and that by 2035, the countrys manufacturing industry would surpass that of industrially advanced countries like Germany and Japan. The CCP hopes it will lead innovation in key manufacturing sectors by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the CCPs regime.

However, after the Made in China 2025 project became a sticking point in the trade war with the United States, Beijing has stopped talking about it publicly. The project disappeared from CCPs 2019 government work report.

In the meantime, according to the Wall Street Journal, the CCP has replaced its Made in China 2025 with the 14th 5-year plan drafted by Vice Premier Liu He.

Xi Jinping Feels Chokehold in Key Technologies by the West

In addition to the trade war, the Trump administration had imposed sanctions on the CCPs state-owned technology companies such as telecommunications giants Huawei and ZTE, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC).

As a result, the CCP has publicly admitted that China is suffering from a chokehold in the field of technology.

When hosting the CCPs Central Economic Work Conference in November last year, Xi Jinping admitted that innovation in Chinas manufacturing industry was far from enough. He said the countrys strategic science and technology forces should be strengthened to enhance Chinas capability to stay independent and take control of its own industrial chain in order to solve the chokehold problems with key technologies.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also stressed at the economic work conference in December last year that efforts should be made to solve the major problems that constrain national development and security, and China should focus on the weak links in the industry, implement core technology tapping projects, and solve a number of chokehold problems as soon as possible.

Current affairs commentator Zhong Yuan said in an article from the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times that Li Keqiangs speech revealed the reality that the CCP is lagging behind in science and technology.

Yuan said, although the CCP had stolen a lot of technology, it wasnt able to master the most important key technologies. It was eager to engage in the so-called Made in China 2025 plan, and even dreamed about monopolizing the world market. But all those dreams had proven to be for naught.

Huawei Turns to Smart Pig Farming Due to a Cut-off in Chip Supply

In recent years, China has become the worlds largest manufacturing country driven by domestic and international demand, but its industrys dependence on U.S. high-tech products such as semiconductors has become a strategic weakness.

For example, although Huawei has been backed by the CCP with full force, it was hit hard by the U.S. sanctions.

As a result, the CCP has started to promote scientific pig farming. Many high-tech enterprises have entered the pig farming industry.

Since the first case of African swine fever was confirmed in China in August 2018, the price of pigs has risen steadily.

Recently, when it became difficult to maintain its main cell phone business, Huawei was forced to announce its move into smart pig farming due to a cut-off in chip supply.

According to Sina.com, Huaweis smart pig farming solution includes providing dashboard monitoring, big data analysis, and digital management.

It also supports AI identification, AI learning, AI prediction, AI decision making, robot inspection, and remote control through standardization and programming.

In addition to creating identity cards for pigs, facial recognition technology was also applied to pigs. Facial recognition of pigs, or pig face identification and other technologies have also been adopted in Huaweis smart pig farming solutions.

An article by Radio Taiwan International mockingly says that whats disastrous for Huawei is, even after Huawei struggled to hold on until the White House changed hands, the Biden administration hasnt loosened the sanctions.

In February this year, Huaweis Chairman Ren Zhengfei vowed to survive without cell phones, and launched the Nanniwan projects to save itself. The projects include making breakthroughs in various fields such as coal and steel production, music, smart screens, PC computers, and tablets.

Nanniwan was the revolutionary base of the CCP located near Yanan in Shaanxi Province in China. In March 1941, the Eighth Route Army of the CCP carried out military reclamation in Nanniwan to provide supplies for the CCP.

Since then, Nanniwan has become a symbolic sacred place that saved the CCP. The spirit of Nanniwan is an important part of the spirit of Yanan, reads Baidu.coms entry about Nanniwan.
Spike in COVID-19 cases: Karnataka CM to hold meeting with officials, health experts

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Mar 14: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has convened a meeting of officials and health experts on Monday in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases in the state in recent days, his office said.

The meeting would be held at 5 PM in the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature and secretariat, the Chief Minister''s Office said in a statement on Sunday. For the first time since January 22, the daily COVID-19 cases in the state crossed the 900 mark.

It reported 921 cases with 630 of them from Bengaluru Urban district alone. Since Monday last, over 4,300 new cases have been detected in the state, whose cumulative COVID-19 tally stood at 9,59,338 including 12,387 deaths and 9,38,890 discharges.

The active cases, which hovered around 4,000-5,000 last month, touched 8,042 active cases, reflecting the rise. In the wake of a spike in cases in the state, the government on Friday had put a cap on the number of people who cam gather at events and celebrations like marriages.

Border row: Karnataka temporarily stops bus service to Maharashtra

Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Jawaid Akhtar in a circular has said the measure has been taken amid the emergence of new clusters and fear of a second wave of the pandemic. As per new rules, 500 people will be allowed at marriages if it is an open space, and only 200 if it is a hall or a closed space.

Similarly for birthday celebrations, the limit would be 100 and 50 respectively for functions in open and closed spaces. A similar cap has been specified for funerals. However, at cremations and burials, only 50 are allowed. A maximum of 500 people will be allowed for religious and political gatherings in open spaces.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 14:55 [IST]

Women have been urged not to allow unnecessary pressures from society to prevent them from quitting abusive and bad marriages.



Describing domestic violence in marriage as barbaric, unfortunate and unacceptable in the Ghanaian society, Nana Anima Ahwenepa, the Queen-mother of Dwenase indicated divorce remained the best option for victims of abusive marriages.



In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Dwenase near Bomaa in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region, the Queen-mother said domestic violence was the worst form of human rights abuse and women must not be allowed to go through such physical and mental torture in marriage.



Instead of helping spouses to solve marital problems, Nana Ahwenepa, also the Founder and Executive Director of Naky Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, expressed regret that many families and churches impressed on women to stay and go through several forms of human rights abuses in their marriages.



Naky Foundation works to seek the general well-being of vulnerable women and girls in society.



Nana Ahwenepa noted many women in the country were left in a traumatic condition, which affected them psychologically because of domestic violence and abusive marriages, saying victims sometimes had no other option than to stay in such bad marriages because of religion, faith and family pressures.



"You could easily see some married women and know they are not happy in their marriage. Some are going through serious mental and physical tortures but they cannot divorce because of religion and faith issues. This is extremely unacceptable and must not be allowed to continue in the Ghanaian society," she stated.



"Only victims know exactly what they are going through and it would be unfortunate for their families and churches to insist on them to stay without helping them to restore peace back to the marriage," the Queen-mother added.



Marriage in the Ghanaian traditional perspective, Nana Ahwenepa explained, was an agreement between the husband and the wife, noting if such union failed to work, then there was no need for families to allow both of them to continue, because most often, the women suffer the consequences.



"For marriages to work, men should regard their wives as helpers and younger sisters. If men see they cannot co-exist with wives any longer, then the best option was to send them back to their families instead of abusing them physically and emotionally".



"Marriage is not a mutual union between boys and girls, but rather reserved for the matured in mind," she said adding that, the youth must not rush into it. They need to prepare themselves well both financially and emotionally for their marriages to work in the interest of society and their unborn children.

Source: GNA









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Drs. Mark A. Keroack and Andrew W. Artenstein are almost ready.

Almost ready  but not quite, the Baystate Health executives and infectious disease experts say  to dine once again inside a restaurant, with the now standard precautions of wearing masks on the way in and out and frequent, thorough hand washing.

Thats a major statement from two people  among thousands  whove spent the last year on the front lines in the all-consuming fight against COVID-19 in the global pandemic that killed more than half a million Americans and more than 16,000 Massachusetts residents.

One year ago this weekend, Baystate was treating its first confirmed case of the coronavirus, a then rare pediatric case in a 9-year-old boy. Two dozen other patients were suspected of having the virus. And, recalls Keroack, It went from 1 to 180 in the space of four or five weeks.

There was no testing available, and no established treatment protocols. We couldnt know who was and who wasnt (COVID positive), recalls Keroack. It was a pretty scary time.

The numbers for Baystate alone over the past 12 months are staggering, even for the regions largest healthcare provider. The health system cared for 3,045 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and recorded 485 deaths. Baystate also performed more than 290,000 tests for the coronavirus.

Today, there are around 60 COVID-19 patients under care at Baystates hospitals. That number is about two-thirds of what it was two weeks ago as the numbers continue to decline.

One year ago COVID-19 changed the world as we know it. Healthcare workers did what they do, they stepped up, adjusted, put on their PPE, and saved lives. They were there in moments of triumph and there for loved ones in moments of loss. #AHeartfeltThankYou pic.twitter.com/yWjvJmOZG6  Baystate Health (@Baystate_Health) March 12, 2021

Those suffering the worst right now, according to Keroack, have things in common other than the virus: underlying conditions (or co-morbidities) such as obesity and related high-blood-pressure problems. We know (now) this is a virus that causes inflammation of the blood vessels, explains Keroack, Baystates president and CEO, in a meeting with The Republican.

Artenstein, Baystates chief physician executive and chief academic officer  and whose scholarly focuses include biodefense and emerging pathogens and vaccinology, warns that no one should expect COVID-19 to go away completely. This virus is not going to go away into the hinterlands. Its going to become endemic, he says, a part of our viral landscape.

As of this week, Baystate has administered 46,000 vaccination shots, and 80% of the health systems 12,000 employees are now vaccinated.

As more and more vaccines are administered across the state and around the country, it will mean fewer deaths and fewer restrictions. But we are not there yet, Artenstein cautions, and the enemy now, one year into the pandemic, is as much our own collective fatigue and creeping carelessness as it is the virus itself.

Weve gone this far. Its been a year plus, Artenstein says. Its been terrible, exhausting, exhilarating, difficult. Were three quarters, 85% through the race here. Weve got to just get the last few miles.

Adds Keroack, If we just hold on a little bit more, this is where caution is the better part of valor.

In a Thursday night address from the White House, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. called on states to make every adult American eligible for the vaccine by May 1 and predicted small gatherings would be permissible by July 4.

In their interview earlier in the day, Artenstein and Keroack predicted that with vaccine supplies ramping up in April, the adult population of Massachusetts should be largely immune either by vaccination or infection by June or July. And, the waves of infections could be over by Labor Day. Thats the finish line they envision.

The hurdles to reaching those mileposts, the doctors say, include reluctance among some, including minority populations already hard-hit by the virus, to get vaccinated. Among its community outreach over the past year has been an effort focused by Baystate within urban neighborhoods it serves where there are significant communities of color and also in rural communities in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

The vaccines work, Keroack says. For proof, he points to the widespread vaccination of the states nursing homes where both residents and workers were among the first to receive shots. We dont even talk about nursing home COVID anymore, he said, because thats where people have gotten the vaccine.

Keroack and Artenstein say the statistics among Baystates own staff reflect what is being seen within the community in terms of accepting the vaccine. Among Black and Latino employees, vaccine acceptance is closer to 50%, Keroack notes, but a few weeks ago it was 35%.

Baystate is part of a statewide effort via TV and print advertising and social media to get the word out about the vaccine and how it can protect against COVID. People are suspicious of how fast (the vaccines were approved) and that it was Trump pushing it, Keroack said. They want to hear from a trusted medical professional who looks like them.

That means Black and Latino doctors sharing why they trust and have taken the vaccine, as well as Spanish-language messaging. In Springfield, Baystate is working with Black pastors and civic groups, including members of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. We have been trying to chip away and push things out, he said.

The city of Springfield has undertaken a similar effort with its Vax Force Committee and on Friday announced a series of community-based clinics to get shots in the arms.

Another hurdle in reaching the finish line with the pandemic is resistance to or fatigue from precautions like mask wearing. (Mask-wearing) works, Artenstein said. We have not had an influenza season. Theres the proof you need.

In a photo provided by Baystate Health, a worker administers the first COVID-19 vaccines to employees of the health system on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020.

Among some of the key lessons from the pandemic for Baystate has been making workforce wellness a key in its future strategic planning. Weve been focused on patients, but its just as important to focus on the wellness of our employees, said Keroack.

Keroack described doing rounds that very morning in the COVID intensive care unit and seeing the strain on employees faces. Its kind of like looking at soldiers who have been through five years of war...We cant wait for it to be over for their sake, he said.

In a blog post to staff on Friday, he described the pandemic as a mass trauma event, one that folks must process and learn from in order to not suffer long-lasting consequences and to be prepared should another be encountered. Hes challenged the health systems leaders to reflect on the past year and work together to facilitate conversations by all employees, from support staff to the medical team.

The challenges moving forward, says Keroack, include the impact Baystate practitioners are seeing among the young. There is a mental health toll, he said, to the isolation as much among children as older adults. Which is heartbreaking to see, Keroack said. Im glad to see school open.

One thing Baystate had going in its favor going into the pandemic, Keroack said, was having established a Medicaid Accountable Care Organization. As a result, Baystate was responsible for the overall health of about 44,000 Medicaid recipients and did much outreach and education even before the pandemic, including having workers visiting homes for the improvement of living conditions to address the potential for health care concerns.

Then, as the pandemic unfolded, those same workers were ready to deliver disinfectant wipes and cleaning supplies, room dividers and air mattresses to prevent at-home spread of the virus. It means that we were a trusted health care provider when it came to decisions about vaccines, Keroack explained.

Another positive from the pandemic was having been involved in developing a Massachusetts-made supply chain for some PPE and other medical equipment. Keroack pointed to Boyd Technologies in Lee and 99 Degrees (medical gowns) in Lowell as examples. Security and reliability are something were willing to pay a price for, he says. The ability to pivot our supply chain to domestic sources came reasonably quickly.

Adds Artenstein, who at one point last spring was involved in a covert, spy-like operation to secure a shipment of Chinese-made KN95 masks, This wont be the last time  maybe the last in my career of this magnification  of a worldwide outbreak. The supply chain issues are instructive because theyre not going to go away.

The two doctors credit Baystates having assembled well before the pandemic a really dynamite team  Artensteins words  with expertise in infection, communicable diseases and epidemiology, along with a great communications network from top to bottom and being well known and trusted in the community among the key factors in having weathered the pandemic as well as they have. Trust is everything, Artenstein says.

We were prepared for this years ago, said Artenstein. You can never totally prepare for something of this magnitude...but we were prepared for ebola, for pandemic influenza that always knocks on door...those same preparations are always dual and multi-use.

Both physicians are optimistic moving forward, and their advice remains much as it was a year ago, with one added note. Said Keroack, Get any vaccine you can. Do not wait for what you think it is the premier or Cadillac vaccine.

I suspect by Labor Day adds Artenstein, we are likely to be nearly clear of this thing unless there is some catastrophic event that occurs...If we can just hold on for a little bit more, its for the sake of all those who havent been vaccinated and who are still at risk. We have to care a little bit about each other and stick with the program a little bit longer.

Related Content
Replace land minister to prevent speculation



Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Byeon Chang-heum offered to resign over the mounting land speculation scandal involving a state housing developer Friday. President Moon Jae-in expressed his willingness to accept Byeon's resignation, but not immediately.



It is inevitable for the minister to step down to take responsibility for the scandal. Byeon's offer came 10 days after the country's two civic groups raised allegations that some employees at the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) and their family members bought farmland for speculative gains.



The allegations have turned out to be true. On Thursday, the government announced the interim results of its ongoing probe into the scandal. It said 20 LH employees were found to have purchased land in Gwangmyeong and Siheung in Gyeonggi Province before the land in the two cities was designated last month as the site for a urban development project to build about 70,000 apartments.



The public's outrage is mounting over the scandal because the LH officials allegedly used insider information for speculation. Critics demand a more thorough investigation to check if there are more LH workers, government officials or lawmakers who purchased land not only in the two cities, but also other regions such as the new administrative town of Sejong for illicit profit.



Minister Byeon cannot shirk responsibility for the scandal. Eleven of the 20 LH officials accused of speculation were found to have bought land while Byeon was serving as the LH chief between April 2019 and December 2020. That's why he is under fire for having failed to prevent LH employees from engaging in land speculation.



More embarrassing are Byeon's recent remarks apparently aimed at defending the suspected speculators. He told a media outlet that the LH employees did not appear to have acquired land for speculative purposes. In a testimony to the National Assembly, he also said land speculation was a "deviant act" committed by only a few people. Such remarks have inflamed public anger further. All this has resulted in the loss of public trust in a set of anti-speculation measures to stabilize runaway housing prices.



Byeon should have resigned immediately after the scandal emerged. Yet President Moon is putting his resignation on hold despite holding him accountable. Moon seems hesitating to sack the minister to minimize the scandal's fallout on his leadership and the upcoming April 7 mayoral by-elections in the country's two largest cities  Seoul and Busan.



Moon reportedly wants Byeon to quit later, sometime before the by-election campaign begins so that the minister can outline the details for a government-led project he announced Feb. 4 to build 836,000 homes around the country, including 320,000 in Seoul. But it would be better to sack Byeon immediately as he cannot carry out his duties anymore due to his loss of public trust. Replace him with a new minister who can reform the LH, prevent further speculation cases and regain public confidence in housing policies.


Scotlands faint Guinness Six Nations title hopes were snuffed out as Gregor Townsends team found themselves smoked by Ireland yet again.

The Dark Blues needed to turn around a woeful run that had included just one win in 10 against the Irish if they were to cling on to hopes of catching frontrunners Wales.

But a brave second half fight-back proved to be for nothing as Johnny Sextons late penalty snatched a 27-24 victory at Murrayfield.

Andy Farrells visitors were firmly in control following tries from Robbie Henshaw and Tadhg Beirne, plus 17 points from Sextons boot.

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Scotland had been inactive for more than a month following the postponement of their trip to Paris and their rustiness showed in a wretched set-piece performance.

But they burst back into life as Huw Jones and Hamish Watson followed up Finn Russells first-half try to draw level with six minutes left.

But a mistake by Ali Price allowed Ireland to claim the win as Scotland suffered more disappointment at home following defeat to Wales last time out.

Irelands Championship plans had also been derailed by early defeats to Wayne Pivacs Grand Slam-chasers and France but there was no shortage of intent as they arrived in Edinburgh.

And it made for an enthralling clash which quickly boiled down to a slugfest with both sides trading hit for hit  and spill for spill.

Sexton opened the scoring with a penalty and there was worse to come for the Scots as they lost the opening line-out of the half  a story that would be repeated over and over before the interval.

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Sexton hung a high cross-field kick into the air. With Stuart Hogg and Duhan Van Der Merwe struggling to track its flight amid a swirling wind, Keith Earls got in between the Scots.

He could not gather as the ball bounced loose in the in-goal area but Henshaw was quickly on the scene to flop over it for the opening score on eight minutes, which went unconverted as Sextons kick slammed into the post.

Scotland roared back from the restart, immediately claiming three points back with a Russell penalty.

Story continues

But Ireland were still busy throwing punches. Jamison Gibson-Park sniped off the base of a scrum looking to score from close range  only for Watson to win a huge turn with his feet planted on the whitewash.

That was standard fare for the Edinburgh flanker  one of the best breakdown burglars in the game. What was more unusual was the sight of Ireland prop Furlong sidestepping two opponents inside his own 22 with his dancing feet.

However, Ireland could not play their way out of trouble and a madcap first half was summed up as Scotland nudged in front in the 28th minute.

Finn Russell scored a fortuitous try (Jane Barlow/PA)

Skipper Hogg got lucky when the bounced off his chin after charging down Garry Ringroses kick. He swung a boot at it, sending it towards Russell. He had another hack at it and got another fortunate bounce as it bounced over Lowe, allowing the Racing 92 man to run in and dot down.

But when yet another line went stray, so did some decent territory. Ireland countered and nudged back in front with a Sexton penalty.

A Russell kick then slipped by as Ireland ended the half four ahead as Sexton split the posts again.

It took just nine minutes for them to add another seven.

James Ryan was having the time of his life, plucking Scotland hooker George Turners line-out throws for fun.

And when he collected one from Rob Herring five yards out it released a fresh green wave crashing down on Scotlands line, with Beirne eventually barging over.

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The Scotland penalties were now flowing thick and fast  with 10 coughed up by the hour mark. Sexton was merciless, firing over again to make it a two-score game.

Townsend knew he had to roll the dice if Scotland were to get back into it. The introduction of Jones provided the spark they needed as the Glasgow centre drove through Lowe and Hugo Keenan to score his first Test try in three years.

The loss of Russell to a head knock was not ideal but as Hogg was forced to step up to 10. But the pack that had struggled so badly at the set-piece came up with a brave surge as Watson did just enough to get the ball over the line as Hoggs conversion drew the scores level with six to play.

But the celebrations were cut short as Ireland immediately won a penalty as Ryan Baird charged down Ali Prices kick  leaving Sexton to coolly nail a tricky kick from out wide to snatch the win.
President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the Kaduna State Government and the military for the rescue of 180 students, including eight staff members of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Kaduna.

Mr Buhari also warned terrorists and bandits to stop targeting schools, saying the country will not allow the destruction of the school system.

Mr Buhari stated this in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, on Saturday,

The president however urged that the others declared missing be found and returned safely to their families.

Gunmen stormed the school at about 11.30 p.m. on Thursday and abducted the students and teachers.

Bandits had recently abducted students and staff of some schools in Katsina, Niger and Zamfara States. They were subsequently freed.

There were similar abductions in Borno and Yobe States by terrorists.

Read the full statement below:

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT BUHARI COMMENDS THE MILITARY FOR THEIR PROMPT RESPONSE TO KADUNA ABDUCTION

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday issued a stern warning to would-be terrorists and bandits targeting schools, saying the country will not allow the destruction of the school system.

President Buhari commended efforts of the Kaduna State government and early response of the military which led to the rescue of 180 students including eight staff members but urged that the others declared missing be found and returned safely to their families.

The President also commended efforts and contributions of local intelligence in significantly thwarting the kidnappers, saying that a country which has an efficient local intelligence network is a safer country.

Our military may be efficient and well-armed but it needs good efforts for the nations defense and the local population must rise to this challenge of the moment.

President Buhari expressed sympathy with the victims of this incident and hoped for an early end to the ordeal of those still held captive.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

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March 13, 2021
Mumbai, March 14 : Mumbai Police's Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze -- nabbed by the NIA minutes before Saturday midnight in connection with the case involving an abandoned SUV found near the home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani -- was on Sunday sent to the agency's custody till March 25.

Arrested after nearly 12 hours of grilling by the NIA team, Vaze underwent the mandatory medical checkup and a Covid-19 test this morning before he was taken to the special NIA court under tight security.

Vaze, 49, has been booked by the NIA in connection with the SUV and he is also being simultaneously probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad for the mystery death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren - two cases which sparked off a nationwide political furore.

Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that the action in the case involving the planting of a SUV Scorpio with gelatin sticks and the subsequent death of Hiren "would be based on truth".

"The matter of the gelatin sticks found in a Scorpio vehicle near Ambani's residence and the Hiren murder cases are being investigated by NIA and ATS. Action will be taken based on the truth that comes out of it," he said in brief comments this morning.

While the ruling Shiv Sena slammed the Centre's moves to unilaterally takeover important cases as demoralising for the Mumbai Police, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party launched a fresh attack on the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said Vaze's arrest is merely the beginning and it is necessary to probe who are the people behind him, supporting him in the government, since the involvement of police officials in crimes will shake the people's faith in the police.

Suspecting that it is not a small matter, but "a larger plot" in which the truth must come out, he said it is "a serious matter that the person who was the investigating officer has been arrested".

Leader of Opposition in the Council Pravin Darekar demanded answers from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray since he was seen defending Vaze last week.

Demanding a narco-test on Vaze to unravel the names of the 'master-conspirators', BJP city spokesperson Ram Kadam asked whether the MVA government was worried that the policeman's revelations could create problems for the ruling dispensation.

BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya demanded the sacking of Home Minister Deshmukh and Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh in the wake of Vaze's arrest.

"The Thackeray government is protecting Vaze. I expected arrest of more members of the Vaze 'gang'. What discussions did the CP (Singh) hold with Vaze for 3 days," Somaiya sought to know.
Lee Bul's early soft sculptures, from left, "Untitled (Cravings Red)," (1988/2021), "Monster: Pink" (1998/2021) and "Untitled (Cravings Black)" (1988/2021) are on view at the "Lee Bul: Beginning" exhibition at Seoul Museum of Art through May 16. Courtesy of SeMA



By Kwon Mee-yoo





Artist Lee Bul / Courtesy HO-AM Foundation

Lee Bul is one of the most internationally established Korean artists, best known for her utopian explorations through sci-fi imagery. Ralph Rugoff, curator of the 2019 Venice Biennale and director of the Hayward Gallery in London where Lee held a solo show in 2018, described Lee as "truly one of the most compelling and inventive artists of her generation."



The 57-year-old artist, now a prominent figure in the international art scene, had a beginning just like everyone else. Her earlier works can be revisited in her retrospective exhibition "Lee Bul: Beginning" at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA).



The exhibit centers on Lee's early works from 1987 to the late 1990s when Korean society went through a point of inflection with the rise of popular culture, internationalization and end-of-the-century unrest as well hopes for the new century.



Lee studied sculpture at Hongik University, one of the top art schools in Korea. However, she was not satisfied with art education at the time, which forced students to adhere to traditional materials such as marble and bronze.



In defiance, Lee experimented with soft materials such as fabric, fiberfill and synthetic hair and came up with her "soft sculpture" in grotesque shapes that are reminiscent of human body parts and later evolved into more abstract forms.



On view are "Untitled (Cravings Red)" and "Untitled (Cravings Black)," two 2011 reconstructions of Lee's 1988 work originally introduced in her first solo exhibition, and "Monster: Pink," a 2011 recreation of here 1998 work.



"Lee's renowned cyborg series is also an extension of these sculptures, transcending the human body," Kwon Jin, curator of the exhibit said.



Lee's drawings for the soft sculptures are also on display, giving a peek into how she envisions these monstrous shapes.



"Drawing is an important process for Lee as she visualizes her expressive sculptures and performances via brainstorming," Kwon explained.





Installation view of "Lee Bul: Beginning" featuring documentations of the artist's 12 performances from 1988 to 1996 at Seoul Museum of Art / Courtesy of SeMA



The exhibit continues into a black box featuring videos of 12 among the 33 performances Lee staged from 1988 to 1996.



The Korean art scene witnessed the emergence of a new generation rejecting existing norms and embracing diversified values in the 1990s. And Lee was at the vanguard of that movement. She focused on the body as a medium for experimenting and explored new materials and spaces.



She held a series of performances at art galleries, theaters, on the streets of Korea and Japan and other unexpected places.









"Her performance can still be considered avant-garde these days. Over 30 years ago in conservative Korean society, her works were considered much more strange and weird," Kwon said.



Lee wore her soft sculpture like a costume and performed in it, moving around and making sounds. Lee's outdoor performance, "Cravings," wearing one of her first creations, was held in Jangheung in 1988 and another "Cravings" performance took place at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon in 1989 as part of "The Korean Young Artists Biennial," signaling her entry into the history of performance art in Korea. Those events are also shown in the exhibition.



"Though largely incomprehensible, Lee recites Choi Seung-ja's poem 'My Poem That Doesn't Want to Be My Poem' in her 1989 performance, 'Untitled.' The inspiration from the feminist poet is one of the importance references to Lee's early works," Kwon said.



In her iconic 1989 performance, "Abortion," Lee was naked and hung upside down from the ceiling, licking a lollipop and speaking about her autobiographical experience. She said, "This act of mine would help everyone become free of guilt," before being taken down by the audience who could not watch her screaming in pain anymore.



Lee openly discussed abortion in her art over three decades ago, but the oppression of women today is not much different from the day she performed "Abortion." The Korean government partially lifted its ban on abortion last year, but many people still view the practice through colored lenses.





Lee Bul's 12-day performance "Sorry for suffering  You think I'm a puppy on a picnic?" (1990) / Courtesy of the artist



"Sorry for suffering  You think I'm a puppy on a picnic?" is an epic performance she held for 12 days crossing borders in 1990. Beginning at Gimpo Airport in Korea, Lee in "Cravings" continues to roam around Narita Airport and urban areas and shrines of Tokyo, ending up at Tokiwaza Theater, where she reenacted "Abortion."



Lee's 1994 performance, "Laughing," at A Space in Toronto, Canada shows how she awakens traditional perceptions of women. In this four-part performance, Lee changes from a hanbok (Korean traditional costume) into a white slip and finally becomes naked, while dancing "buchaechum" (fan dance), blowing a balloon until it pops and laughing hard between parts.



In the third gallery are records of Lee's performances as well as her major works.



"The artist documented her studio damaged by flood in 1990. She said she felt devastated for a while, but it later freed her from the burden of storing all of her previous works," Kwon said.





Detail of Lee Bul's "Majestic Splendor" (1991/1997) displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York / Courtesy of the artist



Another notable record is "Majestic Splendor," the notorious artwork removed from the Museum of Modern Art in New York for its smell when first shown in 1997. Marquette of sequin and bead ornaments for the rotting fish sculpture are on display to give a glimpse of Lee's nod to the cheap labor of women.



The exhibit begins and ends with "Hydra (Monument)," a participatory sculpture in which audiences pump air into the balloon sculpture to inflate it, in the lobby.



Part of Lee's balloon monument series debuted in 1996, and the piece is an extension of Lee's early performances. After becoming fully inflated, the sculpture reveals a portrait of the artist wearing various elements representing images of Asian women, such as a buchaechum doll, queen, goddess, geisha, shaman and wrestler.



"The struggle of Lee from a young, rebellious artist to the current position of the most successful artist of the time is still valid. Her early works still resonate as the social perspective on women did not change fundamentally," Kwon said.



The exhibit runs through May 16.




No more chasing of non-problem elephants into Wilpattu: Experts By Malaka Rodrigo Let science drive the solutions, president told View(s): View(s):

President Gotabaya Rajapaksas offer of driving elephants away from a village area into the Wilpattu National Park has been cried down by prominent conservationists who say such drives have achieved nothing and the government should use its own science-based action plan, lying in limbo since last December.

At a recent meeting with villagers of Karuwalagaswewa in the Puttalam District, the president was heard instructing officials to look at the possibility of driving elephants out of the area into Wilpattu and fencing them off.

The meeting was the 11th in the series of Gama Samaga Pilisandara (Dialogue with Villages) discussions initiated by Mr. Rajapaksa. It was held on February 20 in the village of Karuwalagaswewa. About 1533 people live in the area, and their livelihoods mainly depend on paddy and chena cultivation.

One of the main demands put to the president was that elephants be chased away from the village and that an electric fence be erected to keep the animals out of homes and farms.

We cannot even step out of our homes after 6 p.m. as elephants roam in the area. What we cultivate is also often destroyed by the elephants, one villager complained.

President Rajapaksa expressed sympathy for the villagers plight, saying they suffered from an endless tug-of-war between officials, their respective institutions and local elected officials and that human-elephant conflict needed a permanent solution. He was afterwards heard asking his officials to consider driving the animals out of the area.

Elephant experts said large-scale elephant drives would not work and begged the government to follow the recommendations of the Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation Action Plan submitted by a government-appointed presidential committee last December.

Elephant drives are not a successful solution, the convener of Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle of Sri Lanka, Supun Lahiru Prakash, said. The government would just waste public money for solutions proved to be a failure.

Lone male elephants are the main crop raiders, he explained, but it was mainly the herds, consisting of females and young animals, that were targeted in drives.

So, the trouble-makers stay in the area and the others become trapped in the wilderness, starving, as there is a limit to what an ecosystem can support, Mr. Prakash said.

While it is a large sanctuary, the habitat of Wilpattu National Park is not suited to supporting a high density of elephants, Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya, the former director-general of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) pointed out.

Studies done in Sri Lanka and India show that the density of elephants in primary and secondary forests such as Wilpattu is in the range of 0.2-0.3 elephants per square kilometre, while the density of elephants in scrub jungle and savannah grasslands is around three elephants per square kilometer, Dr. Pilapitiya said.

There have been many attempts to drive elephants into Wilpattu over the last 40 years, and fences have been erected to keep the elephants in the park. Had these drives and fences been successful we should not have any elephants outside Wilpattu, he remarked.

Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando of the Centre for Conservation and Research (CCRSL), who has conducted extensive research on Asian elephants, pointed out that an elephant drive was carried out in the same area as recently as November-December 2020.

Going by the results of that and all the previous drives that have been done there and elsewhere, we can only expect the same results, he said.

No drive has been able to eliminate elephants from a drive area, but as a result of being driven the elephants that remain (or return) become much more aggressive towards people and, therefore, conflict increases, according to Dr. Fernandos research.

If large numbers of elephants are driven out of their home ranges and fenced into protected areas the herds, invariably composed of non-problem-causing females and young, could starve to death inside the protected area, he said.

In addition, the herds that used to be entirely inside the protected area, also starve to death because the carrying capacity is exceeded by the forced influx of elephants.

If the elephants seem to be a problem to village communities and agriculture, then without trying to confine elephants to Wilpattu National Park, which is tried, tested and failed solution, why not fence the villages and agriculture? Dr. Pilapitiya queried.

This has been successfully pilot tested in the Anuradhapura and Kurunegala districts by CCRSL for more than eight years, so in my opinion, community-based village and seasonal agricultural fences should be erected to solve the problem faced by communities in the Karuwalagaswewa area, he added.

The government has the option of trying a successfully demonstrated model or trying a tried, tested and failed model. It is unfortunate that the government appears to be choosing the tried, tested and failed model of elephant drives into Wilpattu National Park, the former DWC chief said.

He said even if the government still believed  without foundation  that drives were the solution, the least it could do was monitor the translocated elephants by fitting radio collars on some males and females in herds to ascertain the success of the project.

He referred to the presidential committee report on the best ways of resolving the issue, pointing out that the report had been initiated by this government and that the committee had comprised many stakeholders.

The committees suggestions include constructing community-based electric fences such as village and paddy field fences to prevent elephants entering and causing damage to settlements and crop fields, Dr. Pilapitiya said.

A roadmap for addressing human-elephant conflict comprehensively has been given to the government by experts.

Based on my experience of working on human-elephant conflict issues in Sri Lanka and in many Asian and African elephant range countries, I think that this Action Plan is among the best and most practical plans I have seen.

If the government does implement this plan fully, even on a district-by-district basis, I am very confident that we can get the conflict under control in a few years, and farmers and their crops would be protected, Dr. Pilapitiya emphasised.
For Mendon author Michael J. Tougias, boyhood in the 1960s and 70s was a time for exploration and mischief, a time when he found more than his share of misadventures in the woods and on the water  some life-threatening but others innocently hilarious.

Up until age 12 many of these adventures were along the Connecticut River in an area we called The Meadows and is now known as The Fanny Stebbins Wildlife Refuge in Longmeadow, he said.

In his teenage years he spent more and more outdoor time in Vermont and the Berkshires, along with a few hitch-hiking trips to Maine and Cape Cod.

I was impulsive, and that almost cost me my life when a friend and I took my cheap inflatable rubber raft (bought at Bradlees) and decided to raft down the Huntington River in Northern Vermont, he recalled.

It was April, and there was still snow on the ground, and the river was roaring with white water. The first few minutes of the ride were exhilarating, but we soon realized we had no control over the raft, he said. We were hurled over a small waterfall, flung out of the raft and then were in the grip of a whirlpool, being pulled under.

In his new book, The Waters Between Us: A Boy, A Father, Outdoor Misadventures, and The Healing Power of Nature, from Lyons Press, Tougias writes of the incident: Every neuron in my body screamed up, up, up. I flailed, kicked and twisted, so terrified of not surfacing, I never realized how cold the water was. But the river held me underwater, as if to say, You fool, you thought this was a game.

Published in March, the book is told from his perspective with memories from age 12 to 22, but a good portion of it is about his father, Arthur Tougias, with parts about other special people in his life, including what he learned by observing them. Readers will get a glimpse of what it was like to grow up in the 1960s and 70s  as young adults we had what seems like unlimited freedom, independence, but also held down many part-time jobs while going to school, he said. I think all of that gave me, and people of that generation, a feeling that we could figure our way out of most problems without involving our parents.

Much of the book takes place in Springfield and the Pioneer Valley, the authors home waters.

Tougias, a former outdoors columnist for The Republican, Tougias makes his home in Medon.

Over time  and after reading a multitude of adventure books  his youthful experiences took shape in his quest to be a mountain man, owning a cabin in the forest and living off the land. Part of that dream would come true, but only after a family tragedy that shook his world and forced changes in his life.

His sister Lynn, when she as just 22, was in a car accident, hit by a drunk driver; she suffered severe brain damage. Its hard for me to talk about even today, Tougias said. My parents response was remarkable. They cared for my sister  a 24/7 job  for 30-some odd years, and they never complained, showing only love. The entire experience made me mature in a hurry, and it brought my father and I much closer.

His father gave him a loan to buy the cabin in the mountains that he dreamed about. I think we both realized how a persons life can change in an instant, so go after your dreams, he said.

In The Waters Between Us, Tougias channels the character Bryson to mix laugh-out-loud humor with insight into the natural world through the eyes of a curious boy.

Michael Tougias with his brother, Mark, and a fish they caught at Lake Morey.

He wrote one other memoir titled Theres A Porcupine In My Outhouse about living at his cabin; it won the Independent Publishers Best Nature Book of the Year.

Tougias is a New York Times bestselling author and co-author of 31 books, including The Finest Hours (the inspiration for a 2016 Disney movie), Above & Beyond, So Close to Home, Ten Hours Until Dawn, Fatal Forecast and A Storm Too Soon. He has received numerous writing awards.

Henry Holt Publishers launched his series called The True Rescue Series for middle readers, ages 8-14. There are four books released in the series; the latest one is Attacked At Sea: A True WWII Story of a Familys Fight for Survival. Tougias now is working on the fifth and sixth books for children.

Although he did not write The Waters Between Us: A Boy, A Father, Outdoor Misadventures, and The Healing Power of Nature, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the type of book we need during challenging times, he said. Half the book will make the reader laugh, a chapter or two will make the reader cry, and the rest will inspire based on how my Dad handled adversity with grace and devotion.

For more information  including photos from the book and where the author will be speaking about it  visit michaeltougias.com.
A niece of the late Mayor Toby Powell celebrated a new beginning Saturday with a reveal of her homes construction in Conroe.

He would have been so excited about this, so happy, Deanna Fallin, 43, of Conroe, said, fondly remembering her uncle who lost his battle to cancer in September 2020 after a legacy of service that helped shape his hometown community. I bet he is smiling down from heaven.

Standing next to her son Preston, 8, who has autism, Fallin was also all smiles. The single mother said she has faced adversity throughout her entire life and has been living at the Montgomery County Womens Center for more than two years since her divorce.

She has risen above a pattern of abuse, trauma and difficult circumstances since she was a child which ultimately led her to the center, where she learned about Habitat for Humanity.

I feel like I am more than a survivor, I am an overcomer, Fallin said. Its overwhelming because I am not use to good things happening to me.

Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County and Lowes are partnering to raise awareness of the global need for safe and affordable housing for women during International Women Build Week. Lowes sponsored the building materials for the Fallin family home.

In a time when there is a boom in housing across the nation, affordable housing is still such a great need, said Executive Director for Habitat Montgomery County Vicki Johnson. When we get a chance to partner with city leaders and sponsors like this, it makes just such a difference, Johnson said. We really want to continue to raise the awareness about the critical importance of affordable housing stock. We need more affordable housing.

Fallin, who was living with family before she came to the womens center, believes self-esteem issues and not feeling worthy enough also make it challenging for women to have their own independence and home. She said this experience has helped her persevere and build her character while laying a foundation for her and her sons future.

I want to empower women that they can be independent, they can make it as a single woman, they can own their own their own home, Fallin said. So many women that were married, whether they were widowed or going through divorce, are learning to do things on their own for the first time, so this is definitely a confidence booster.

I feel like once I do this, I can do anything, I can conquer the world, she continued.

After contributing sweat equity by working at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore off Texas 242, the unemployed mother, who dreams of becoming a missionary, was finally able to reveal to her son on Friday night that they were going to start building a brand new house of their own in the 37-acre Cedar Creek community.

Preston has been praying for a house, Fallin said. God has answered his prayer. He even asked me a couple of times, Hey mom, what if we built a house? And he had no idea. So, this a total God thing, you know. Its prophetic, actually.

Preston expressed excitement about the new home, including the option of having a pet, riding a bike, playing with other children in the neighborhood and more.

Picking my own room, and also I might have enough room to move around in the yard, he said.

The home is one of 300 Women Build projects supporting women-led households across the United States, Canada and India to drive awareness and address the need as well as COVID-19s impact on women.

According to information about the project, women have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, from job loss to evictions and foreclosures. According to The National Womens Law Center, 80 percent of U.S. jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic were held by women. The United Nations (UN) has reported that 40 percent of all employed women globally work in the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson stated in a release that the partnerships initiative addresses the critical need to bring attention to the disparities that so many women face as it pertains to employment, pay equity, economic security and housing affordability.

Last year, Habitat MCTX became an official Women Build with Habitat International, while a dedicated group of pink hard hat wearing women from the community, called the Can Do Crew, have already been raising funds for years to build homes in the Cedar Creek community. She invites women from the community to join their efforts to frame the future and empower women.

Despite the unprecedented challenges women are facing, women remain on the frontlines of the pandemic as essential workers, and caretakers within their households. They often have to make the difficult decision between maintaining a place to call home and paying for food, health care, childcare, education or reliable transportation, event information stated.

Harvard Universitys State of the Nations Housing 2020 report revealed that 37.1 million U.S. households spent more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing in 2019, including 17.6 million spending more than 50 percent. The effects of the pandemic have further highlighted the need for safe and affordable housing, as 29 percent of renters and 36 percent of homeowners experienced employment income loss between March and September of 2020, the event release said.

According to housing data provided by Habitat for Humanity Montgomery County, the Texas A&Ms Texas Real Estate Research Center stated that purchase affordability was declining in Montgomery County prior to the pandemic, especially for lower-income cohorts.

The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 Recession on low-income households dictates that purchase affordability will further decline for these folks, the information stated. Moving forward, anticipations for strong population growth will bolster demand for homeownership.

The pandemic has had an impact on Habitat for Humanity in Montgomery County. The builds normally only take about four to six months, but due to COVID-19 limitations, including for the number of volunteers allowed and mask requirements, they are taking longer. The nonprofit organization also lost six home sponsors for 2020-21, and it is seeking sponsors who are interested in getting involved on a smaller scale, Marketing Manager Nicole Davis with Habitat for Humanity said, noting the nonprofit is on its fourth build for the year.

One way to get involved is by purchasing and decorating a wooden beam for $100 as part of Framing the Future. The three-bedroom homes require approximately 250 beams.

Wrights Media and Printing sponsored the $60,000 project and participated in a short ceremony held shortly before volunteers and construction works began the build.

I am proud to be a part of the organization and help out, Richard Wright said. It has been a long journey. It has been almost a year and a half to finally get the build up. I appreciate all of the volunteers full time, my employees for coming out and helping, and I am just really glad to be a part of a great organization and were ready to get going.

Fallins mother, Sue Price, shared pride in her daughters progress as the family looks forward to the new home which is expected to be completed in six to eight months.

She has come a long way from where she first had to be out on her own, Price said. She has grown so much, learned so much, so she is a real inspiration. I can see so many strengths in her now that I did not see before.

Price also believes her late brother-in-law, Powell, would have been thrilled by the community project.

I feel like he is here in spirit because Habitat for Humanity is a community, Price said. He loved every good thing that went on in Conroe, Texas. He absolutely loved Conroe and seeing people help each other.

mellsworth@hcnonline.com
Schapelle Corby's half-brother wishes he took the blame for the 4kg of marijuana found in his sister's boogie board bag that had her jailed in Bali.

James Kisina was with Ms Corby when Balinese authorities discovered the illicit drugs at customs in Denpasar Airport in 2004.

He was thrown into a jail cell overnight with his half-sister and released the next day after Ms Corby told police she owned the boogie board bag.

Ms Corby was jailed for 20 years, eventually serving nine, while her brother, who was just 16 years old at the time, was released.

He said he repeatedly came back to the same thought while he was living a life of freedom: 'What if he had taken the blame for the drugs, just to spare his sister the anguish of prison life?'

James Kisina was with Schapelle Corby when Bali authorities discovered the illicit drugs at customs in 2004

Schapelle (pictured with James when he visited her in jail) was given a nine year sentence while James, who was just 16 years old at the time, repeatedly came back to the same thought while he was living a free life: what if he had taken the blame for the drugs, just to spare his sister the anguish of prison life?

'Now thinking, I would have put my hand up for it,' the now-32-year-old told podcast The Clink.

Mr Kisina maintains his and his half-sister's innocence and has finally opened up about the terrifying ordeal at Bali customs more than a decade ago.

The then-teenager decided to go to Bali with Ms Corby and two other friends to meet his half-sister Mercedes.

It was his first international trip and Mr Kisina said he was tired and eager to get out of the airport and rest after a long flight.

He says he grabbed the boogie board bag from the excess baggage area and left it behind with his sister at customs when they asked to inspect it.

'He (the customs officer) has opened up the boogie board bag and Schapelle helped. I walked off, I'm like "this is going to take ages",' he said.

Mr Kisina says authorities then led him and Ms Corby to a Bali watchhouse where the bag was inspected again.

He said neither he nor Ms Corby understood the gravity of the situation at the time and believed they would soon be released as both maintained their innocence.

'I'm pretty sure she was thinking the same thing, they can finger print it or get some forensic stuff,' he said.

His other half-sister Mercedes had translated for the pair when they were questioned and informed them they would be kept overnight.

Schapelle pictured shortly after she was jailed in Bali

James is now 32-years-old and maintains his and his half-sister's innocence. He has decided to open up on the podcast 'The Clink' about the terrifying ordeal at Bali customs more than a decade ago

Though what followed was an intense media storm and court trial that saw Schapelle sentenced to nine years in prison

Mr Kisina was released the next day and believed Ms Corby would follow shortly behind before he turned to her and said: 'I'll see you soon.'

Instead, what followed was an intense media storm and trial that saw Ms Corby sentenced to 20 years in prison.

'The sentencing that's what really hit, plus being televised,' he said.

'Now looking back, that's why I'm tearing up, because I felt helpless, like I had no platform to express. All these people can talk about my family and have an opinion, but I can't.'

Mr Kisina's life spiralled out of control following the media storm and he served 10 months in prison over a home invasion. He was also caught with cocaine and fined $750 in 2015.

He frequently returned to Bali to visit Ms Corby and after she was released, decided to turn his life around.

He gave up his job as a labourer and opened up a German sausage restaurant called King's Footlong in Loganlea in Logan, Brisbane.

He now has four children and has made plans to become more involved with the community.

'I'd like to give a lot more back and do a lot more things, but for that you need money. So for now I want to build my company up,' he said.
Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Henry Cuellar toured a detention facility for migrant children in Carrizo Springs on Friday morning. Capacity there was meant to be limited to 40% due to COVID-19, but they are now operating at 100% capacity as the number of unaccompanied migrant children has surged in the last month, Cornyn said.

One of the people there responsible for taking care of these young men, these unaccompanied minors who are being processed at that facility, said, This is a category 5 hurricane in the gulf with tropical storm-force winds on the coast. Its coming, Cornyn siad.

But in Laredo, where the congressmen hosted a round table discussion following their tour, officials and advocates on the ground report that there is no immigration crisis.

From the numbers were receiving now, its only 20 to 30 (migrants) a day. I dont see that as a crisis, Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz said.

In February, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 1,569 unaccompanied children in the Laredo Sector, a 20% increase over February 2020. The surge is much more severe in the Rio Grande Valley, Del Rio and Big Bend sectors.

However, there has been a 146% increase in family unit encounters and a 147% increase in single adult encounters in Laredo compared to last February. The majority of these people being are expelled back to Mexico under Title 42, a program that allows Border Patrol officers and CBP agents to expel migrants for fear of spreading COVID-19. Only unaccompanied children are not sent back under Title 42.

Currently, the Holding Institute in downtown Laredo has been receiving many of the family units who are being released from detention centers, released for humanitarian parole or were waiting in Matamoros to have their asylum case heard and have now been allowed into the U.S. as they pursue their case.

Pastor Mike Smith, executive director at Holding Institute, said they are not at surge levels yet. But he estimates that within a month theyll be receiving 100 individuals a day.

They are also preparing for the 2,500 asylum seekers waiting in Nuevo Laredo to be processed and released into the U.S. in the near future. The Department of Homeland Security has not yet made a final decision about expanding these asylum releases in Laredo, according to a DHS official.

Officials noted that the number of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. is not currently at the heights of previous surges, such as in summer 2019 and 2014. But as we approach summer again, they fear the trend will overwhelm local resources.

And although theyve been through surges before, never so in a pandemic, Cornyn said.

Sister Rosemary Welsh, executive director of Mercy Ministries of Laredo, noted that Border Patrol is conducting only temperature checks on the migrants that they drop off at their shelter. Mercy Ministries, which accepts victims of domestic violence, is tasked with getting them tested for COVID-19 and moving them to a motel if they test positive.

Every shelter along the border is at its wits end due to social distancing mandates, which cuts their number of beds in half, noted Smith. And although the Holding Institute has received help from the Laredo Fire Department and Police Department, they are not receiving any monetary aid from FEMA.

Right now were operating kind of under an unfunded mandate, Smith said. ... Were under a lot of pressure and under a lot of stress, more than ever before.

Mayor Saenz noted that Laredo is the recipient of Washingtons policies, and the city accommodates and changes to fit the bill. But this takes money and resources, he said.

The policy being what it is, just package it for us, prepare it. Dont expect the city to start acting like the federal government. The federal government needs to step up, be it Trump or President Biden now. Thats the message I want to send, Saenz said.

The No Border Wall Coalition met virtually Friday prior to the round table. They argue that the migrant crisis that was discussed is manufactured for political reasons.

We dont need politicians from D.C. to come to the border and use us as a backdrop to misrepresent the reality of our situation. Migrant numbers, as we all know  those of us who live here  theyve always ebbed and flowed with temporary spikes, said Tricia Cortez, co-founder of the No Border Wall Coalition. But theyve always been used to stoke fear in order to push pet projects and policies that dont actually serve our community.

Officials also discussed the push and pull factors that lead migrants to make the journey to the U.S. border. Push factors stem from their home countries  violence, poverty, natural disasters. Pull factors are the success of other migrants, possibly friends and family members, making it across the border for a better life.

But these push factors, noted Sister Rosemary, are the result of U.S. policies.

This has been going on for years, and whats happened in those countries, I think, is our fault, she said.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Threats from China and North Korea will loom large over the Biden administration's first Cabinet-level trip abroad, part of a larger effort to bolster U.S. influence and calm concerns about America's role in Asia.

A senior administration official said Saturday that U.S. officials have tried to reach out to North Korea through multiple channels since last month, but have yet to receive a response. That makes consultations with the reclusive country's neighbors, Japan, South Korea and China, all the more critical.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are heading to Japan and South Korea for four days of talks starting Monday as the new administration tries to shore up partnerships with the two key regional allies. Blinken and Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will meet with Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday.

The trip is intended to restore what Biden hopes will be a calming and even-keeled approach to ties with Tokyo and Seoul after four years of transactional and often temperamental relations under Donald Trump. He had upended diplomatic norms by meeting not once, but three times, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Blinken and Austin also plan virtual meetings with journalists, civil-society members and others. After reassuring their counterparts of U.S. commitments to Japanese and South Korean security, they plan to focus on an increasingly assertive China, the nuclear challenge from North Korea and the coronavirus pandemic.

In his first months in office, Biden has signaled his desire to return the Asia-Pacific to the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. In keeping with his broader America is back diplomatic theme, Biden has pledged to keep stability in the region at the core of his international initiatives.

On Friday, Biden participated in a virtual summit with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia. A free and open Indo-Pacific is essential, Biden said. The United States is committed to working with you, our partners and all of our allies in the region to achieve stability.

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As part of that effort and to reduce the risks of escalation, the senior official said efforts had been made to connect with the North Koreans since mid-February, including through what is known as the New York channel. To date, the official said, "we have not received any response from Pyongyang. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the diplomatic outreach and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, U.S. and South Korean negotiators have overcame years of contentious discussions under Trump to reach a tentative deal on paying for the American troop presence in South Korea. That agreement, along with a similar one for Japan, will be front and center in Blinken and Austins meetings.

As he had done with allies in Europe, Trump threatened to reduce security cooperation unless host countries paid more. That led to fears of troop withdrawals at a time of particular uncertainty as China boosts efforts to dominate the region and North Koreas nuclear weapons remain a major source of angst.

Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy, and we are working to strengthen Americas relationships with our allies as well as the relationships among them, said Sung Kim, who is the top U.S. diplomat for Asia. He served in the Philippines and Indonesia during the Trump administration and was also previously the special envoy for North Korea.

For all of Biden's suggestions that he will reverse Trump's overt hostility to China, Biden has yet to countermand a single one of his predecessor's policies. He has, in fact, reaffirmed several of them, including maintaining sanctions in response to human rights abuses in western Xinjiang and Hong Kong and restating a Trump-era decision to reject outright nearly all of China's maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Many of China's policies that the U.S. finds objectionable  including its crackdown in Hong Kong, stepped up rhetoric against Taiwan and actions in the South China Sea  began during the Obama administration. The previous Democratic administration took office promising a pivot to Asia after a period of what many saw as American neglect for the region during George W. Bush's presidency, which was consumed by the onset of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In fact, although some obvious circumstances have changed since 2009, Blinken and Austin's trip mirrors in many ways the initial overseas journey of President Barack Obama's first secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, when she traveled to Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and then China in a bid to reassert U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific. Obama's engagement with China, however, did not produce the desired results, and the North Korean threat grew.

Although China is not on Blinken's itinerary, after wrapping up the stop in Seoul, he will fly back to Washington via Anchorage, Alaska, where he and Sullivan, will meet senior Chinese officials. Austin will go from Seoul to New Delhi for meetings with Indian leaders.

Still, the administration is convinced that its domestic efforts to revitalize the U.S, economy and step up the fight against COVID-19 have put it in a better position both to blunt Chinese ambitions directly and leverage its partnerships to do the same.

After the work of the past 50 days, Secretary Blinken and I will enter the meeting with senior Chinese representatives from a position of strength, Sulllivan said Friday.
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Secretary of Education nominee Miguel Cardona testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 3, 2021. (Susan Walsh/Pool/Getty Images)

Many Students Could Be Back at School 5 Days a Week by Spring: Education Secretary Cardona

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has said hed like to think that, in many places in the United States, schools can re-open for in-person education five days a week this spring.

The comments were in response to a question from CNN host Jake Tapper about when the secretary thinks school can return full time. As soon as possible, Cardona said.

He added that he believes in-person learning is not substitutable.

According to research presented to Congress on Friday by nonprofits the COVID Collaborative, the Walton Family Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, and others, Closing schools should be a last resort and done only after all other community mitigation measures have been deployed. In such cases, there should be extreme urgency to reopen schools as quickly and safely as possible.

According to data from Burbio, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming, and Florida had 100 percent re-opened all their schools by February. Meanwhile in Oregon, California, New Mexico, and Maryland, around 85 percent of schools still teach remotely.

I know [there are] schools that are functioning all day, every day, five days a week, for all students currently, and we need to continue to grow and make sure that were giving students an opportunity to be in school as much as possible, Cardona told Tapper.

My biggest priority is making sure that were doing everything we can to move from remote learning to in-person learning, five days a week, as quickly as possible, across the country, he added.

Cardona added that he was confident in getting more schools re-open after the passing of President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

The Biden administrations efforts to re-open schools has been heavily criticized by conservatives.

Former President Donald Trump said at the Conservative Political Action Conference two weeks ago that Bidens White House was selling out Americas children to the teachers unions and has shamefully betrayed Americas youth.

Just a few days before Trumps comments, Biden has promised again that a majority of elementary schools will be re-opened five days a week by the end of his first 100 days in office.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 22:24:15|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's culture and education sectors have voiced their full support for the decision by the National People's Congress (NPC) on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Problems in Hong Kong's education sector have shown it is imperative and critical to implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," figures from the sector said, urging efforts to enhance patriotism and cultural recognition in the younger generation.

Secretary for Education of the HKSAR government Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said the Education Bureau will strive to foster more capable and patriotic talents for Hong Kong and will give priority to national education.

The bureau will help students strengthen their national identity through learning more about national history, culture, economy, technology, political systems and laws, Yeung said.

The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers said fostering more talents who love the nation and Hong Kong is crucial to the implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the education sector should strive to improve the students' understanding of the HKSAR Basic Law, "one country, two systems" and national security.

Hong Kong's New Territories School Heads Association said the improvement of the electoral system will reduce the political impact and push the education sector back on track so that students can focus on their studies and teachers can concentrate on fostering more talents.

Ho Hon-kuen, chairman of Education Convergence of Hong Kong, said the improvement of the electoral system is necessary to Hong Kong's development and will ensure the steady advance of Hong Kong's school education.

Shi Zhu, chairman of the China Culture Foundation, said the improvement of the electoral system will help Hong Kong overcome current difficulties and continue its prosperity in the future.

Shi hopes Hong Kong will complete the related legal work so that Hong Kong's politics can return to a healthy track, which will provide a guarantee for resolving the deep-seated problems in housing, economic structure and youth development, among others.

The Hong Kong Culture Association said the NPC decision will ensure the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems", and urged efforts by people from all walks of life in Hong Kong to jointly safeguard "one country, two systems" and Hong Kong's stability and prosperity. Enditem
Samsung was first with the Phablet form factor which started off slow in the market and is now the norm. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold2 is another new form factor. Currently it's not exactly a runaway hit but could gain traction once the kinks are worked out, especially the fragility of its larger display. Last week a new patent filing from Samsung was published by the U.S. Patent Office that reveals a brand new display support system that could be in the works.

Samsung states in their patent filing that while a foldable display device has an advantage of a large screen, it also has a disadvantage in that a risk of damage and deformation due to an external impact is increased.

In particular, when the external impact is applied to a corner of the foldable display device, not only an area of the foldable display device, to which the impact is applied, but also a folding area of the foldable display device, to which the impact is transmitted.

The patent covers a method of preventing the damage. Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a foldable display device in which a rail is disposed between a display panel and a support member, thereby preventing damage to the display panel caused by an external impact.

An exemplary embodiment of a foldable display device includes a first support member and a second support member separated from each other and each including a short side and a long side, a display module disposed on the first support member and the second support member.

Samsung's patent FIG. 4 below is an exploded perspective view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the foldable display with new supports highlighted in yellow; FIG. 16 is a transparent plan view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a state in which an external impact is applied to the foldable display device.

Samsung's patent FIG. 13 above is a perspective view illustrating a rail shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the rail shown in FIG. 13.

Samsung's patent FIG. 21 is an alternative design illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a state in which an external impact is applied to the foldable display device. Here, we see new corner support structures that could better protect the display in a fall event.

Samsung's patent FIG. 18 above is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a coupled state of a rail; FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the rail shown in FIG. 18.

With Samsung acknowledging that their Galaxy Z Fold2's display carry's a risk of damage and deformation in a fall event, it's expected that their new display support structures should be coming to market in the not-too-distant future. However, this is a patent and one never knows which patents that Samsung has prioritized for the future.

Though if you're thinking of purchasing a Galaxy Z Fold2, just know that Samsung is well aware that in a fall event, their large phone display is likely to get damaged badly, much more than their standard Galaxy phones because of the type of display being used in the Galaxy Z Fold2. It's just another reason to hold off on purchasing a $2,000 smartphone until this form factor has worked out more of its negative foibles.
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The police in Lagos have arrested an armed robbery suspect at Ijanikin area of the state during a street robbery.

Muyiwa Adejobi, the police spokesperson, said the arrested suspect is an ex-convict who was released from Kirikiri Correctional Centre in November 2020, after serving a five-year jail term.

The suspect, Taiwo Sunmonu, was arrested on Saturday by operatives attached to Ijanikin Division.

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested one Taiwo Sunmonu, m, 23, on 13th March, 2021 at 11.30pm, for armed robbery after he was released from the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in November, 2020, having served five (5) year jail term.

The suspect was arrested by the police operatives attached to Ijaninkin Division, while responding to a distress call, as the suspect and his gang members were robbing unsuspecting Lagosians at Ajayi Street, Oto Awori, Ijannikin in Lagos State. But other members of the gang escaped.

The suspect has confessed to the crime and other crimes he had participated in. After the arrest, one locally-made pistol and live ammunition were recovered from him, Mr Adejobi said in a statement.

He said the suspect had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for diligent investigation and prosecution.

In another development, the police said a brave victim of armed robbery attack, George Bankole, has recovered a locally-made pistol with live cartridges from armed robbers who attacked him at Federal Cooperative Estate Ikorodu.

ALSO READ: Man sentenced to death for armed robbery

The victim, Mr Bankole, struggled with the armed robbers after they dispossessed him of his valuables, the police said.

The victim informed the police that the armed men dispossed him of his mobile phones and bags before they eventually escaped. He summoned the courage to proceed to Ikorodu Division, Igbogbo, to report the incident and hand over the arms for further investigation, the police spokesperson said.

Mr Adejobi said police operatives in the area have embarked on discreet investigation into the matter with the aim of apprehending the suspects.

The Chief Superintendent of Police emphasised that the police officers in the state are ready to reduce the activities of criminals and hoodlums, through effective policing strategies.
At the heart of House Bill 3296 is a legitimate question deserving legislative attention: As alcohol addiction exacts an increasing toll on Oregons communities, should the states beer and wine industries contribute more for services that counter their products harmful  even deadly  downsides?

Unfortunately, any discussion over that reasonable premise gets quickly tanked by the particulars of the bill, which drops a massive tax proposal on the beer and wine industries. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, calls for hiking the states excise tax on beer by 2700%, from $2.60 to $72.60 per barrel. The proposal also seeks to increase wines excise tax by 1500%, from 65 cents to $10.65 per gallon. The proposal comes as many breweries, wineries and hospitality businesses are struggling from the past years pandemic losses and closures.

The bill has certainly has grabbed peoples attention. But that may be its lone victory as even one of the bills original chief sponsors, Rep. Rachel Prusak, D-West Linn, has pulled her name from the legislation. No other legislators have signed on as sponsors, perhaps recognizing what advocates should also see: the size, timing and consequences of this proposal are spelling its doom.

While this particular bill should not advance, debate over how to solve the underlying question should  with industry commitment to find an answer and deliver a bill for raising funds in the next legislative session.

Advocates, led by Oregon Recovers Executive Director Mike Marshall, rightly point out the states puny response to the public health crisis fueled by alcohol addiction. An EcoNorthwest report concluded that excessive alcohol consumption costs Oregon $2.6 billion a year in criminal justice, health care, education and social service expenditures and another $2.2 billion in lost productivity. From 1998 to 2017, the rate of alcohol-induced deaths has nearly doubled to 21.2 per 100,000 people, according to the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission. Alcohol abuse runs through some of Oregons most intractable problems, from child abuse and neglect cases to homelessness.

While the voter-approved Measure 110 may improve funding for substance abuse programs, Marshall contends that will largely move around existing money, when more resources are needed. Meanwhile, Oregon has not raised its excise taxes on beer and wine in decades, with the beer tax lower than nearly every other state. The wine industry benefits from other favorable treatment including a law that exempts wineries producing less than 40,000 gallons a year from paying the state excise tax at all.

But advocates must not let their passion interfere with seeking reasonable compromises. The mechanics of distributing beer and wine ensure that the tax hike would increase prices to consumers far higher than the 21 cents per beer/31 cents per glass of wine that advocates claim. The tax would factor into how much breweries charge distributors; how much distributors charge retailers; and how much retailers charge customers. A big increase will drive off not just underage and excessive drinkers, but responsible customers as well.

Its also unclear why the advocates would seek a proposal that propels Oregon excise taxes to the highest in the nation by several multiples. That they would do so when many are trying to get through the pandemic only turns its controversial proposal into an incendiary one.

Without a doubt, this state needs a serious conversation about the health and safety consequences that substance abuse is having on Oregonians. Craft beer and wine industry representatives told The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board that their members care about their communities and are open to exploring the issue. Advocates and industry alike should show their commitment and start those serious conversations now.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Sign up for our free weekly Oregon Opinion newsletter. Email:


Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 06:30:45|Editor: huaxia

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LISBON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa expressed thanks on Sunday to medical teams sent by France and Luxembourg in assisting the country to fight COVID-19.

"My thanks to the team of health professionals from France, which in the last month has given concrete expression to European fraternity and solidarity in one of the most difficult moments in the fight against the pandemic," Costa tweeted.

Composed of a doctor and three nurses, the French team arrived in Portugal on Feb. 15 to work in the intensive care unit of Hospital Garcia da Orta, in the metropolitan region of Lisbon, when the country recorded its worst number of hospitalizations.

In another message posted on Twitter, Costa also thanked the team sent from Luxembourg on Feb. 16 to help fight COVID-19 at Hospital Espirito Santo, in the Alentejo region.

Portugal registered 15 more deaths and 541 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the respective total to 16,684 and 814,257 since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to the Portuguese Directorate-General for Health, 976 patients are hospitalized, the lowest figure since Oct. 14, 2020, with 242 being in intensive care units.

Portugal currently has 1,163,873 people vaccinated against COVID-19, 824,313 with the first dose, 339,560 with the second dose.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 263 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 81 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on March 12. Enditem
David Lammy has announced Labour will vote against the governments new policing bill, claiming it imposes disproportionate controls on the right to protest as a leading civil liberties group raised alarm.

It comes as MPs prepare to debate the governments police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, which contains contentious new powers for officers and the home secretary to impose conditions on public assembly, including the use of noise.

Ministers have argued that recent changes in tactics used by demonstrators, including gluing themselves to buildings and vehicles or obstructing access to buildings such as Parliament, have highlighted gaps in the existing legislation.

But as the government faced a backlash over the plans, Mr Lammy, the shadow justice secretary, said Labour would be whipping its MPs to vote against the bill at second reading in the House of Commons.

This is no time to be rushing through poorly thought-out measures to impose disproportionate controls on free expression and the right to protest, he claimed.

Now is the time to unite the country and put in place long overdue protections for women against unacceptable violence, including action against domestic homicides, rape and street harassment. And we must tackle the misogynistic attitudes that underpin the abuse women face.

Instead, the Conservatives have brought forward a bill that is seeking to divide the country. It is a mess, which could lead to harsher penalties for damaging a statue than for attacking a woman.

It comes amid anger from politicians of all stripes at the Metropolitan police response to a vigil for Sarah Everard in south London on Saturday evening, though a Home Office minister argued the new legislation was for very, very different scenarios and the most disruptive protests.

Campaigning group Liberty, who accused of Priti Patel of relentlessly demonising protesters, insisted: Protest isnt a gift from the state  its our fundamental right.

Priti Patel warned: Protest isnt a gift from the state -- its a fundamental right (REUTERS)

Interim director Gracie Bradley said: Not content with all but banning protest during the pandemic, the government is now using this public health crisis as cover to make emergency measures permanent.

Its new policing bill is an all-out assault on our right to protest. Its those of who are most at risk of having our rights abused who will find were even less able to hold the powerful to account.

Notes alongside the bill outline that the bill will broaden the range of circumstances in which the police can impose conditions on the use of noise at a public procession to include where police reasonably believe the noise generated by persons taking part may have a significant detrimental impact on persons in the vicinity or cause a serious disruption to the running of an organisation.

It will provide powers for the home secretary to make provisions about he meaning of serious disruption to the life of the community or serious disruptions to the activities of an organisation which are carried out in the vicinity of a protest.

And it will enable ministers to expand the controlled area around the Palace of Westminster so that entrances are not blocked by demonstrators.

In a letter to Ms Patel, the Liberal Democrats described the legislation as plans to crackdown on protests, urging the home secretary to think again.

The partys home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: The Met got it badly wrong in Clapham. A peaceful vigil highlighting violence against women ended in scenes of mishandled women. How on earth can the government give the police even more powers to clamp down on protests?

The right to peaceful assembly and protest is a fundamental human right. It is a crucial part of our democratic society. These new laws undermine that right.

Questioned on the legislation, Home Office minister Victoria Atkins told the BBCs Andrew Marr that the most disruptive protests, which she stressed were very, very different from the scenes witness on Clapham Common on Saturday evening, were very different from what was anticipated by Parliament in 1986 Public Order Act.

Pressed on whether the government was going to take powers to stop protests it doesnt like happening in a much wider way, she responded: Most certainly not.

We absolutely support and recognise the right to peaceful protest. We do have a proud history in this country of protesting and indeed if one looks at some of the protests that unions organise, for example, they can be very, very powerful events.

But they dont inhibit day-to-day lives of people in the way some of the protests weve seen in recent years have done. I think its just trying to get that balance between allowing peaceful protests and allowing members of the public to go out and get on the bus to go to work.
Sundiata Acoli has been denied parole eight times and is serving a life sentence

Lawyers for Sundiata Acoli, born Clark Edward Squire, have moved to have the former Black Panther party member released from prison after he has served decades behind bars.

Acolis legal team said that last year, Acoli contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized, which resulted in dramatic weight loss. They also said he suffers from hearing loss and early-stage dementia. In total, since his 1974 conviction, Acoli has been denied parole eight times, according to the Washington Post.

Read More: A history of radical Black self-care and the impact of the Black Panther Party

You can have someone elderly who may still be dangerous in some rare cases, but that is not this man. I mean, he has not had a single problem of any kind in prison for 25 years, said Acolis attorney, Bruce Afran, according to the news outlet. Frankly, the reason theyre denying him parole is because a state trooper was killed. I can think of no other reason for this treatment.

Image via SundiataAcoli.org

In 1973, Trooper Werner Foerster was killed during a shootout during a traffic stop. Acoli was in the car, along with two passengers, Assata Shakur and Zayd Malik Shakur. Trooper James Harper, who stopped the vehicle for a damaged taillight, called for backup and was joined by Foerster, who found an ammunition magazine for an automatic pistol on Acoli, according to the report.

A gun fight between the three people in the car and the officers resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries. The Post reported Foerster was shot four times  twice in the head by his own service weapon and Harper was wounded. Assata Shakur and Acoli were later arrested and Zayd Shakur was found dead.

Acoli and the surviving Shakur were both convicted of the murder of Foerster in separate trials. According to the news outlet, Shakur claimed she was shot and wounded with her hands up and was unable to fire the fatal shots. Acoli said he too was shot and blacked-out with zero memory of the nights events.

Story continues

Read More: Oakland, Calif. mural honors women of the Black Panther Party

In 1974, Acoli was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 25 years. He entered prison at 36 and is now 84-years-old as he pleas for his freedom to the New Jersey Supreme Court. According to Afran, each time he is denied, the reasoning is the same: he hasnt done enough psychological counseling; he doesnt fully admit to his crime, or he hasnt adequately apologized for it, according to the Post.

Tony Ciavolella, a board spokesman, said, Denials of his parole were decided upon impartially, fairly, and . . . in accordance with statutory and administrative regulations, according to the outlet.

In 2014, a state appellate panel ruled he should be released, however, the state Attorney Generals office contested. The case was sent back to the board, and again, denied. He is now appealing that decision.

Sundiatas case is a glaring example of the need for parole reform in New Jersey and throughout the United States, said Joseph J. Russo, Deputy Public Defender in the New Jersey Office of the Public Defenders Appellate Section.

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Al Della Fave, spokesman for the New Jersey Association of Former Troopers, said that in its December 2019 decision, the New Jersey Appellate Court backed-up the parole boards conclusion that Acoli, lacked insight into his criminal behavior, denied key aspects of his crimes and minimized his criminal conduct and anti-social behavior, according to the news outlet.

The Former Troopers Association of New Jersey finds it is extremely difficult to believe that in less than one-years time, Inmate Acoli has miraculously found remorse, accepted rehabilitation, or even offered a sincere admission of his actions in the inhumane murder of Trooper Foerster.

According to the Sundiata Acoli Speaks website, he was declared a political prisoner in September 1979 by the International Jurist.

Words for Acoli from Assata Shakur are presented on the site:

I want so much for Sundiata to know how much he is loved and respected. I want him to know how much he is appreciated by revolutionaries all over the world. I want Sundiata to know how much he is cherished by African people, not only in the Americas, but all over the Diaspora. I want him to know how much we admire his strength, his courage, his kindness, and compassion. Sundiata loves freedom and we must struggle for the life and freedom of Sundiata, she said.

NEW YORK, NY  JULY 29: Noname performs onstage at the Pavilion during the 2017 Panorama Music Festival  Day 2 at Randalls Island on July 29, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Panorama)

In 1979, Assata Shakur escaped prison and fled to Cuba where she was granted political asylum. Rapper Noname recently shared petitions on social media for Sundiata Acoli and others after the film Judas and the Black Messiah sparked new-interest in the Black Panther party.

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I hope we use this renewed interest in prominent black radicals as momentum to get all political prisoners FREE! Hollywood wont advocate for them. thats up to us! sign petition below, she wrote on Twitter, sharing a thread of resources. She continued, Sundiata is a former Black Panther Party member, who at every stage in his life has worked to help people. Sundiata, like so many others, is a victim of the FBIs COINTELPRO efforts.

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The post Former Black panther member seeking parole after almost 5 decades appeared first on TheGrio.
New Delhi:

Yet again, the capital city has been clinched by the vector-borne diseases, chikungunya, dengue, and malaria and a few days back a 12-year-old boy had succumbed to dengue shock syndrome at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.



Going by the reports, the number of people affected by malaria till August 26 has gone up to 473 while the number of those affected with chikungunya stands at 339.



Vector-borne diseases are reported from mid-July to November-end but this year the cases of all the three vector-borne diseases were reported much earlier which doctors attributed to the early arrival of the monsoon.



Reports say that breeding of mosquitoes has been reported at 1,27,334 households in Delhi and all three municipal corporations have intensified awareness drives, distributing pamphlets and plying vehicles with loudspeakers issuing dos and don'ts for prevention of the diseases.



Delhi Government has banned over-the-counter sale of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and brufen as their use may "pose a threat" to dengue and chikungunya patients.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The CDC now says it can be safe to reopen schools, and some local districts are agreeing. Theyre vaccinating their teachers and planning to bring kids back to the classroom this Spring, for the first time since last March.

This is all good news, but there are still so many hurdles, and we are unlikely to see a return to anything like normalcy until the fall.

Our schools continue to face enormous challenges, including this: A survey just found that most parents of color in New Jersey dont actually want to return to in-person schooling. In the poll of 960 voters, just 24% of Black parents said theyd send their child back to in-person learning, compared to 73% of white parents.

People do change their minds, of course. But let this be a warning flare: Districts need to communicate better, demystify their safety practices, and listen to parent preferences. Those hoping for better remote instruction cant be left out of this conversation, as teachers now prepare to juggle students in person. We need to ensure their kids are a priority too.

The governor has announced that the digital divide is now closed, because every kid has a laptop and Internet access, a claim that deserves more scrutiny. In a recent poll, 36 percent of Black parents still say they lack sufficient Internet, compared to 13 percent of white parents. The problem isnt solved.

Were focused on groups of students who are even further behind in their learning and are getting lost in the system, says the pollster, Shennell McCloud, of the Newark nonprofit Project Ready. We need to be sure were amplifying and learning from parents and families in these communities.

* * * * *

They also have a range of opinions. Newark charters are now reporting 60 percent of their parents want to send kids back, a reversal of their numbers in the fall, says Kyle Rosenkrans of the New Jersey Childrens Foundation. But the district says only about 38 percent of its parents want in-person.

In Camden, its hard to tell. About 58 percent of parents support a move from virtual to hybrid, but the district only got a third of its surveys back.

Whats clear, though, is that despite the millions of dollars spent on personal protective equipment, the ongoing vaccination effort and the argument that children of color are disproportionately suffering from virtual learning, a significant number of their parents still want to keep them home.

This is reflective of a national trend, one thats gotten a lot less attention from politicians than the parents fighting to reopen classrooms in towns like Montclair or Maplewood. In the broader debate, I think its been skipped over, McCloud says.

It isnt just Black parents, either. In her survey, Latino parents were also less likely than white parents to send their children back. And Asian American parents are similarly choosing virtual learning at disproportionately high rates, the Washington Post reports, for many of the same reasons: Theyre more likely to have seen COVID deaths up close, and more distrustful of promises to make their aging or crowded schools safe.

The CDC is recommending six feet of distance between students, and given the size of most classrooms, schools have to rely on hybrid scheduling  just two days a week in person in the classroom.

Tiffany Love, a Newark mother who serves as a parent advocate at a charter school, is among those unconvinced. It typically takes kids weeks to get acclimated, she says, and her children would likely have a different teacher and be with a new group of students  all for just 12 days in person, if you add it all up from April through June. Why bother? she asks.

But her concern runs deeper. Her best friend lost nine relatives to COVID in the span of two months, and Loves priority right now is to keep her own family safe. Why give up what little control she has over that, for the benefit of just 12 days? One hundred percent, my children are staying home, she said. You will not use my children as guinea pigs.

* * * * *

Virtual learning is already hard, and much is at stake. Low income, Black and Hispanic students, who are more likely to be in virtual school, appear to be suffering the worst learning loss, a recent analysis of initial data by McKinsey & Co found. By summer, they could end up as much as a full year behind.

It doesnt help that about a third of Black families still have faulty Internet, as McCloud reports. I pushed really hard on ensuring that we phrased the question in a way that got to the root of the issue that currently exists in remote learning, she says. The question becomes, is the device reliable?

When multiple families live in the same building, or children and parents working remotely are all trying to sign on at once, kids get kicked off in the middle of a lesson. Not everyone can afford a booster, notes Sen. Troy Singleton, who has five people in his own house who need the Internet for work or school.

Were able to pay for higher boost, to get all the extra pods to boost your signal, he says. We do all of that, and we still have a challenge.

Now, pulling the trigger on a hybrid schedule without proper planning and training for teachers could end up further shortchanging the kids at home.

* * * * *

Consider the challenges. It may still take a while to get all teachers vaccinated, and some might refuse. If districts allow teachers with medical conditions to teach virtually, kids could end up with instructors teaching out of their subject areas.

Teachers will also need to juggle the kids in the room and the kids at home, somehow reaching both audiences at the same time, all in a mask that could make it hard for the kids at home to hear. It presents special problems for young kids learning to read, since studies show they rely on watching the shape of a readers mouth and seeing how the lips and the tongue move. Thats impossible when your teacher is wearing an N95 mask.

If districts are unable to find effective workarounds to this, they should strongly consider dedicated virtual instructors for the kids learning at home.

Mike Flynn, who designed a hybrid live learning model at Mount Holyoke College before the pandemic, has been training districts on transitioning to hybrid. The key is helping teachers develop good virtual habits, he says, to offload all the techie concerns so they can focus on all students.

Like getting students at home to angle the cameras on their laptops down on their tables, so you can also see them working on a math problem. The more teachers are familiar with these practices, the easier it is for them to develop the kind of attention to the online students that they need, so theyre not overlooked, he said.

* * * * *

Above all, though, districts need to do a better job of selling this to parents. Some have communicated extensively about their safety plans. Others, not so much.

And for the parents still weighing their misgivings against roughly 12 days in person, heres something else that might ultimately change the equation: Summer school.

Districts need to be communicating about this to parents right now, says Sen. Teresa Ruiz, whos pushing to mandate summer school for all districts. She knows not all parents want in-person. But those options have to be afforded to all families, she adds, so they can make their own personal decision.

Right. And no matter what they decide, districts need to draw in parents of color, and listen to their priorities too. Reopening wont work if it ends up neglecting their kids.

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Sen. Robert Menendez wont confirm it, but several reliable sources say he has asked President Biden to nominate Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez to be the next U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, the top federal prosecutor in the state.

Its an awful choice, and one of grand consequence.

Suarez has no experience in federal law enforcement. Its extremely rare that this top job goes to a newcomer who would have to master federal statutes and procedures on the fly, while managing more complex federal cases. In selecting Suarez, Menendez is passing over more qualified candidates, including Latinos like Ricardo Solano Jr., a widely respected private attorney with deep experience in federal and state law enforcement.

Suarez would be in charge of investigating political corruption in New Jersey, and it is there where her shortcomings are most glaring.

She has ethical problems of her own, for one. She was treasurer of a political group in Hudson County and failed to disclose its donors until after the votes were cast, which drew a penalty of $9,325 from the Election Law Enforcement Commission in 2004. She has close political ties to the Democratic machine in Hudson, which has long been ground zero for corruption in New Jersey. And she worked for years as counsel to Bergen County during the reign of the notoriously corrupt political boss Joe Ferriero, who was ultimately convicted on racketeering charges. His sleazy fund-raising practices helped inspire the states pay-to-play laws.

None of this makes Suarez corrupt. The campaign violations may have been unintentional. And serving as an advisor to corrupt players like Ferriero doesnt constitute a crime. But there are many highly qualified lawyers in this state whose integrity is beyond question, and the next U.S. attorney should be among them.

Finally, Suarez mishandled the investigation of Al Alvarez, a senior official on Phil Murphys 2017 campaign staff, who was accused of rape by Katie Brennan, a campaign volunteer. In the end, no charges were filed. Suarez concedes that she knew Alvarez personally, but claims she had no idea her office was investigating him.

There is no proof Suarez is lying about that, but leaked e-mails revealed that she was copied on memos discussing the case in detail. Suarez says she never read them, and while Attorney General Gurbir Grewal moved the case to another county to avoid any conflict, his office later concluded that Suarez never read the substance of the memos and cleared her of wrongdoing.

Call me a skeptic. At that time Suarez was in the running as a possible nominee for attorney general, so it strains credibility to think no one in her office would have mentioned a rape investigation involving a senior member of Murphys campaign team. And if she is telling the truth, and really didnt know, that suggests she was a detached manager, to put it politely. Is that the hands-off management style we want in the fight against terrorism, organized crime, and corruption?

Menendez and Suarez wont discuss any of this, another bad sign. If there is a good answer to these concerns, the people of New Jersey deserve to hear it.

President Biden could reject Menendezs suggestion and pick someone else, but that would risk opening a rift with an important Senate ally who serves as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Cory Booker could stop this, too. By tradition, the senior senator makes this choice, but junior senators like Booker do sometimes put up a fight. Booker wouldnt discuss this either, turning me down flat for the first time in 25 years.

My guess is they both want to keep this under wraps as long as possible, hoping to build support by whispering in Washington hallways before the public has a chance to offer timely and meaningful input. Its a bad reflection on both of them.

One final thought: Menendez has his own troubled history with the U.S. Attorneys office. He was investigated during his 2006 campaign when the office was run by Chris Christie and was charged in 2015 by the Washington office of the Department of Justice.

After the case resulted in a hung jury, Menendez lashed out at prosecutors and vowed revenge against unnamed political opponents he said were rooting for his demise so they could replace him.

The way this case started was wrong, the way it was investigated was wrong, the way it was prosecuted was wrong, and the way it was tried was wrong as well, he said. To those who were digging my political grave so they could jump into my seat, I know who you are, and I wont forget you.

The vindictiveness is chilling. So is the thought that Menendez could soon have a close ally with questionable ethics in a position to investigate other political players.

The job of U.S. Attorney is arguably one of the four most important public jobs in New Jersey, along with the governor, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and the attorney general. We can do better than Esther Suarez.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said the 2015 investigation of Menendez was conducted by the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman in Newark. It was handled out of Washington.
United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions, has given a call for a two-day strike from tomorrow (March 15) to protest against the proposed privatisation of two state-owned lenders.

"About 10 lakh bank employees and officers of the banks will participate in the strike," All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) general secretary C H Venkatachalam had claimed, news agency PTI reported.

SBI, Canara Bank branch services may be hit

Most of the banks, including the State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank have informed their customers about the impact on the functioning of branches and offices.

Banks have also informed that they are taking necessary steps for the smooth functioning of bank branches and offices on the days of the proposed strike.

In the Union Budget presented last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the privatisation of two public sector banks (PSBs) as part of its disinvestment plan.

The government has already privatised IDBI Bank by selling its majority stake in the lender to LIC in 2019 and merged 14 public sector banks in the last four years.

Who all are participating in the 2-day bank strike?

Members of UFBU include All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Confederation of India (BEFI). Others are the Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO)

Why are they protesting?

The bank employees' unions have called a strike to protest against the government's move to privatise public sector banks. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the privatisation of two more public sector banks (PSBs) in the Union Budget 2021.





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TMC Birbhum president Anubrata Mondal to be under strict EC surveillance from 5 pm till Fri 7 am: Official

High drama in Kolkata: TMC workers pelt stones at CBI office over arrest of Bengal ministers

West Bengal assembly polls 2021: TMC postpones manifesto release for third time

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Kolkata, Mar 14: The Trinamool Congress on Sunday postponed the release of its manifesto for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal for the third time but did not cite any reason for the deferment.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee was scheduled to release the manifesto at her residence in Kalighat this evening.

"The manifesto release has been postponed for the time being. It will be released soon," a senior TMC leader said.

Chose to fight anti-Bengal forces in Nandigram as mark of respect to martyrs: Mamata Banerjee

The TMC had announced it will release its manifesto on March 9 but later decided to postpone it to March 11 due to the Kolkata fire incident which claimed nine lives.

The ruling party had not released its manifesto on Thursday, following the alleged attack on Banerjee during a campaign in Purba Medinipur''s Nandigram on March 10.

The TMC supremo had released the party''s list of 291 candidates on March 5.

West Bengal will be voting in eight phases, beginning March 27. Votes will be counted on May 2.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 13:20 [IST]
San Antonio police released video footage of a missing local mother on the day she was last seen.

DLanny Chairez, 20, and her 18-month-old son, James Avi Chairez, are believed to have been missing since Jan. 4. But police say there have been possible sightings since then, including surveillance footage of the mother on a VIA Metropolitan Transit bus late last month.

On Saturday, the department issued a news release saying Chairez had been seen Feb. 24 at a bus station near U.S. 90 and S.W. Military Drive. It wasnt immediately clear whether her son was with her at the time. Chairez is known to frequently use San Antonio public transportation, police said.

Police later confirmed that Chariez rode the bus for several hours that day before exiting at the North Star Transit station. Investigators believe D'Lanny could still be in the area.

More than 60 San Antonio Police Academy cadets and police officers aided by helicopters and four K-9 teams scoured 500-acre Pearsall Park on Saturday, searching for signs of the missing mother and son.

An FBI team specializing in finding missing children and Park Police also joined the hunt, but it was to no avail.

Were asking for anyones help, SAPD Officer Alisia Pruneda said Saturday. This is a very, very active, fluid case. Its changing hour to hour, and we need everyones help so we can make contact with DLanny and James.

Detectives believe the mother and child are still alive but could be in danger.

Few details have been provided about the disappearance, but Pruneda said detectives have been investigating for several weeks.

The police department released photos of the two last week and initially said the last time they were seen was Jan. 4 at an unnamed neighborhood drugstore in the 7100 block of Marbach Road. Security video shows the woman and the boy walking into the store, police said.

Family reported the two missing, police said.

At a news conference Saturday, Pruneda said the department had received a credible tip placing Chairez and her son in the 5000 to 5100 block of Old Pearsall Road in early February during the late evening but declined to say what day. That area includes Pearsall Park and a Leon Creek trailhead, prompting the massive search.

The team combed the area from 9 a.m. until about 2 p.m. Police didnt say whether they would return to the site to continue searching later.

Establishing a timeline is key in missing person cases, police said, and even small details provided by the public can help.

So far, police have not found anyone who has talked with Chairez.

Chairez is described as 4-foot-11 and weighing 210 pounds. She has brown hair and eyes. Her son is 2-foot-6 and weighs 28 pounds. He has brown eyes and blond-brown hair, officials said.

Officials said they plan to send out a CLEAR alert soon, which helps law enforcement find and rescue missing, kidnapped or abducted adults or adults who are in immediate danger of injury or death.

To provide information about the whereabouts of the mother and son, call SAPDs Special Victims Unit at 210-207-4093 or 210-207-2325. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway
According to information published by the U.S. Department of Defense on March 12, 2021, the United States Coast Guard has commissioned the USCGC Robert Goldman (WPC 1142), Patrol Forces Southwest Asia's second Sentinel-class cutter at Coast Guard Sector Key West.

According to information published by the U.S. Department of Defense on March 12, 2021, the United States Coast Guard has commissioned the USCGC Robert Goldman (WPC 1142), Patrol Forces Southwest Asia's second Sentinel-class cutter at Coast Guard Sector Key West.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

The USCGC Robert Goldman (WPC 1142) crew mans the rail on March 12, 2021, in Key West, Fla. The Robert Goldman was officially commissioned into service and will now transit to Bahrain for service as part of Patrol Forces Southwest Asia. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Sara Muir)



The Robert Goldman is the second of six FRCs (Fast Response Cutters) to be homeported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110-foot Island Class Patrol Boats built 30 years ago. Stationing FRCs in Bahrain supports PATFORSWA, the Coast Guard's largest unit outside of the U.S., and its mission to train, organize, equip, support and deploy combat-ready Coast Guard forces in support of Central Command and national security objectives.

The Coast Guard took delivery of Robert Goldman on Dec. 21, 2020, in Key West. They will transit to Bahrain later this year with their sister ship, the Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141), delivered on Oct. 22, 2020, and commissioned on Jan. 21, in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The Coast Guard has ordered 64 FRCs to date. Over forty are now in service: Charles Moulthrope and Robert Goldman, 12 in Florida, seven in Puerto Rico; four in California; three each in Hawaii, Texas, and New Jersey, and two each in Alaska, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Two FRCs arrived in their homeport of Apra Harbor, Guam, in 2020, with one more to come.

The fast response cutters are designed to patrol coastal regions and are operating in an increasingly expeditionary manner. They feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment and launch and recover standardized small boats from the stern.



The FRC also known as Sentinel-class cutter, is the latest generation of ships that entered service with the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship is built by the Louisiana-based firm Bollinger Shipyards, using a design from the Netherlands-based Damen Group, with the Sentinel design based on the company's Damen Stan 4708 patrol vessel.



The Sentinel-class cutter is powered by two 4,300 kW (5,800 shp) MTU diesel engines and can reach a maximum speed of 28+ knots with a cruising range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km). She has a crew of 24 people with an endurance of five days.



The FRC has a length of 46.8 m, a beam of 8.11 m (26.6 ft), and a depth of 2.9 m. She is armed with one Mk 38 Mod 2 25 mm automatic cannon and four crew-served Browning M2 heavy machine guns.
Agartala, Mar 14 (UNI) The trade of natural rubber between Tripura and Nepal was launched yesterday here with the movement of first consignment of rubber to Eastern Nepal.

The Rubber Board officials here along with Director Industries and Commerce Dr P K Goel flagged off the latex sheet laden lorry in a simple ceremony.

According to officials, usually, Nepal imports raw rubber from Vietnam and Malaysia but Rubber Board of India (RBI) owned marketing company Manimalayar Rubbers Pvt Ltd in collaboration with a Nepali company based in Biratnagar of bordering Bihar has imported 18 MT rubbers in the maiden consignment from Tripura.
Top banks have been accused of leaving vulnerable customers at risk of fraud after failing to implement vital safeguards.

TSB, Virgin Money and Metro Bank are among those criticised for not using confirmation of payee (COP) checks, which were introduced by most rivals last year.

They aim to stop fraudsters from pretending to be someone else and tricking victims into sending them money. The checks mean that those sending cash must enter the recipient's correct name. If account details do not match, the bank can block payment.

Failure: TSB, Virgin Money and Metro Bank are among those criticised for not using confirmation of payee checks

This should, for example, prevent criminals contacting victims and telling them they need to pay money to a legitimate-sounding account such as HM Revenue & Customs.

But TSB, Virgin and Metro have all failed to put the extra safeguard in place, prompting concerns among other banks.

The issue not only affects customers of the banks but also anyone who sends them money. James Daley, of Fairer Finance, said the 'time for excuses was running out' for banks that were yet to implement the safeguards.

Rival banks feel frustration at TSB because it processes a higher number of transactions. TSB was discussed in a meeting between banks and Home Secretary Priti Patel, who quizzed them last month on how they were stopping fraud funding organised crime.

The conversation focused on COP checks, according to a person familiar with the talks. One industry source claimed: 'TSB are the bank most likely to be the weak link. We can't flag fraudulent payments to a TSB account if they aren't in the COP system, because we can't see there isn't a match.'

Losses to so-called authorised push payment fraud, where the victim is tricked into approving a payment, totalled 207.8m in the first half of last year.

Referring to the fact that TSB's parent, Spanish bank Sabadell, put the UK lender up for sale at the end of last year, the banking source added: 'You have to wonder if TSB are not bothering to put the technology in for COP checks because they know they are going to be sold.'

A spokesman for TSB denied this and said: 'We are aiming to introduce confirmation of payee in the coming weeks.' Virgin said it plans to implement the checks 'later this year'. Metro has said it has no plans to introduce them.
Courtesy of d & k Photography / Submitted by the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce

Tomball City Manager Robert Hauck died Saturday afternoon in a single-vehicle crash in Waller County, city officials said.

The circumstances of the crash were not immediately clear. Hauck previously served as the citys police chief from 2008 to 2014 before being assistant city manager from 2014 to 2018, when he was selected city manager, officials said in a Facebook post announcing his death.

We regret to inform you that Tomball City Manager Robert S. Hauck passed away today, officials wrote. Rob Hauck will be missed dearly by all.

Hauck left behind his wife, Kathleen, and their three children.

alejandro.serrano@chron.com
A missing elderly man was found dead in a Morris County lake Sunday morning, officials said.

The man was discovered in Budd Lake in Mount Olive following an overnight search, the Morris County Prosecutors Office said. His identity is not being released.

Parsippany police contacted the Mount Olive police requesting assistance Saturday night in searching for the man, whose car was found in a private parking lot near the lake. His body was recovered from the icy lake Sunday morning.

Its not clear how long he was missing. An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death, police said.

The death remains under investigation, but is not considered criminal, police said.

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Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
French Ambassador to South Korea Philippe Lefort, left, and Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Hwang Ki-chul, right, pose with Korean War veterans Park Dong-ha, second from left, and Park Mun-joon after awarding them with military decorations from France at the French Embassy in Seoul, March 11. In their 90s, the two veterans received the highest medal of merit awarded to non-commissioned officers and enlisted service members in France for fighting in a French battalion of the U.N. Forces during the war. Yonhap
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Bill Fujioka said as a child growing up in Los Angeles, a week rarely went by when he wasn't taunted or beat up for being a "Jap." Still, he kept his dream of Asian Americans gaining acceptance and respect in this country as he ascended to the top administrator post for L.A. County, overseeing a multi-billion dollar budget.

The past year has shattered any illusion.

Anti-Asian attacks around the country have surged during the pandemic, with racists blaming Asians for introducing coronavirus into the U.S.

Hundreds met by the steps of the Japanese American National Museum to condemn anti-Asian attacks. (Josie Huang/LAist)

Los Angeles has seen reported hate crimes against Asians more than double, from seven in 2019 to 15 last year -- a number that is believed to be an undercount by both law enforcement and community groups.

Speaking to hundreds at a rally against anti-Asian hate in Little Tokyo on Saturday, Fujioka said he has been accosted by strangers accusing him of bringing disease. He fought them off with "vulgar" language, but said that Asian Americans shouldn't have to stand alone, and called on all communities and elected officials to step up.

"Ignoring it, denying its existence, or refusing to speak up, is almost as bad as participating in this disgusting behavior," Fujioka said.

Bill Fujioka, former CEO of LA County, was called Jap & beat up as a kid. He says now during covid, strangers tell him he brought the virus. He asked all communities & officials to take action. Not speaking up is almost as bad as participating in this disgusting behavior. pic.twitter.com/iBIezT3UrM  Josie Huang (@josie_huang) March 14, 2021

The rally was organized by 10 local Asian American organizations and hosted in the courtyard of the Japanese American National Museum, which was built near a spot where, during World War II, Japanese Angelenos were made to wait for buses to take them to camps. Here is the link to the livestream.

Join our communities THIS SAT 3/13 @ 3:30PM @JAMuseum for LOVE OUR COMMUNITIES: BUILD COLLECTIVE POWER a grounding, healing space in response to anti-Asian violence.



ADA accessibility & virtual attendance (strongly advised for COVID safety) deets to be announced via FB event - pic.twitter.com/iNa7J8aDLu  CCED  (@ccedLA) March 11, 2021

Tiffany "TiDo" Do, an organizer with Chinatown Community for Equitable Development, expressed outrage at the attacks on seniors throughout the pandemic, but also because she believes the media and wealthier Asian Americans were paying more attention to poor Asian elders because some of the perpetrators recorded on video are Black. She said the true culprit is white supremacy, and that more needs to be done about "economic violence" that Chinatown seniors experience at the hands of developers and gentrification.

"Ask yourself, are we making the same noise and paying attention when our elders and families are being evicted from their homes, especially during a pandemic?" Do said.

Several speakers so far from Chinatowns @ccedLA including Tido who says shes so f*cking pissed that although elders have been targeted thru the pandemic, the media & more privileged Asian Ams started to pay more attention when video recorded perpetrators who are Black. pic.twitter.com/ILlQpelo0b  Josie Huang (@josie_huang) March 14, 2021

As Do spoke, several men walked through the crowd holding a sign encouraging people to volunteer for foot patrols they are trying to get started in Little Tokyo and Chinatown.

Two of the men wouldn't give their full names because foot patrols are controversial and seen by some in the community as leading to racial profiling. But a third man, David Monkawa, said that's not what is happening.

"We are not anti-Black and we're not vigilantes," he said. "We are trying to protect the people because our current institutions are failing us. And we have to fight because unless we communicate to the public that we're going to hit ... back, we're going to be hit by a lot of racists and a lot of crazy people.

None of the men want to give their full names except for David Monkawa bc foot patrols are a source of controversy in the community, seen by some as anti-Black and vigilantism. He says its impt to communicate to racists that Asians are going to hit you back. pic.twitter.com/WGUhTwNtvJ  Josie Huang (@josie_huang) March 14, 2021

Saturday's rally was also intended to be a space for healing. Tanny Jiraprapasuke took to the steps of the museum to share her experience with a verbal attack on the Gold Line early in the pandemic.

A man went on a tirade for about 15 minutes as she stayed frozen in her seat, listening to how every disease came from China. In the ensuing months, she's been nervous going out in public, yet she expressed forgiveness for the man and read a tender letter she'd give him if she ever saw him again.

Take a listen to this. Tanny Jiraprapasuke, who was verbally attacked with racial slurs on the metro early in pandemic, reads a tender letter to the man who yelled at her and has made her scared to go out in public. pic.twitter.com/dqatpmTx8k  Josie Huang (@josie_huang) March 14, 2021

"I saw the pain that overtook you and understood because it is the same pain that I see in all of us who have been dismissed, underestimated, or pressed, oppressed and abused by a system that denies our human dignity," Jiraprapasuke said.

She wrote about how he was wearing an L.A. Kings T-shirt, and how she could tell he was a true Angeleno. "That's enough to tell me that we have more in common than what sets us apart," she said to applause.
Sir Keir Starmer faces a bitter backlash from Labour MPs for wobbling over Meghans racism claim about the Royal Family and for bungling the partys tax plans.

They say their leader misjudged the public mood by appearing too sympathetic to the Duchess of Sussexs explosive claims in his first reaction.

They claim that sent a terrible message to patriotic voters in the so-called Red Wall in the North and Midlands that Labour must win back from the Tories.

Sir Keir infuriated some Northern Labour MPs with his initial reaction to Meghans accusation of racism within the Royal Family

But Labour MPs are also furious that they were initially told not to oppose Tory income tax hikes in the Budget only to be ordered last week to vote against them.

The angry mood comes amid predictions that the party faces disastrous results in the May local elections, with insiders even fearful of losing overall control in Wales and failing to win the key West Midlands mayoral contest.

Last night, even one member of Sir Keirs frontbench team admitted that the leaders operation had to improve dramatically.

But the Shadow Minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity, dismissed talk of a challenge to the leader after the May elections as ridiculous.

Sir Keir infuriated some Northern Labour MPs with his initial reaction to Meghans accusation of racism within the Royal Family.

Speaking in East London on Monday, the Labour leader said the issues of race and mental health were really serious and said: Its a reminder whether you are in East London or in Meghans situation, too many people still experience racism in 21st Century Britain.

They say their leader misjudged the public mood by appearing too sympathetic to the Duchess of Sussexs explosive claims in his first reaction

Asked whether the Royal Family as an institution was fit for purpose, Sir Keir replied: Well have to see how the institution reacts to this . . .its bigger in a sense than just the Royal Family.

His remarks sparked mockery from some Labour MPs as a pale imitation of Tony Blairs famous Peoples Princess intervention after the death of Diana in 1997.

Later in the week, Sir Keir appeared to row back by declaring that the Palace had now responded to Meghans allegations, and I do think it is a matter now for the family.

But one former Shadow Minister told The Mail on Sunday that his party leaders initial comments sent a terrible message to many traditional Labour voters who respect the Queen.

He said: Keir already had a problem with many voters in our heartlands areas because he was so anti-Brexit and hes a southerner who represents a North London seat.

The lesson of the last election was that many of our traditional voters turned away from us because they didnt like Corbyn because they didnt see him as patriotic.

If this was Keir taking sides, he picked the wrong side for many people we need to win back, the former Shadow Minister added.

But there is also anger at Labours last-minute U-turn over Rishi Sunaks Budget plan to freeze income tax thresholds as the first stage of clawing back pandemic costs.

Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds had initially signalled Labour would not oppose the move.

But 48 hours before the key Budget vote, Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the party would vote against the plan.

Last night, one party insider said there were lots of to-ings and fro-ings between Keirs office and Anneliese Dodds and eventually Keir over-ruled her. But we should have acted sooner.

Labour sources insisted Sir Keir had not overruled his Shadow Chancellor, saying they had worked closely over the Tories plans to raise taxes on families during the middle of an economic crisis. Sir Keirs office declined to comment.
The Fortune 500 company P&G has planned to launch an intelligent technology innovation center this year in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, another move of expanding the investment in the country after setting up a digital innovation center in 2017.

"The digital innovation center was established just within four months in Guangzhou. Since then, the center has invested 100 million U.S. dollars in strengthening innovation in big data, artificial intelligence and other areas," said Matthew Price, president of P&G Greater China in an interview with Xinhua.

"Our business achievements over the years have fully proved that P&G's choice of long-term investment and development in Guangzhou is a very correct decision," Price noted.

P&G is just the epitome of global leading companies ramping up investment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and beyond in recent years.

As China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) kicks off, investors from all over the world reckon that China's strong growth prospects, the promise of further opening-up and improvement of the business environment are attracting them to increase investment in the world's most populous market.

Expanding investment

P&G, one of the first Fortune 500 companies to invest in Guangzhou, established its first joint venture and production base in 1988, which was put into production two years later.

Following more than three decades of development, China has become P&G's second-largest market in the world after the United States and P&G's largest e-commerce market.

"About 10 percent of our business in the United States is done through e-commerce, while the number in China is 45 percent," said Price. "The innovation in big data and artificial intelligence will help us better serve the consumers in the Internet era."

Like P&G, a growing number of foreign companies are now beginning to set up R&D and innovation centers in the Greater Bay Area.

In January, NCS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fortune 500 company SingTel Group, launched NEXT Shenzhen Innovation Centre (SIC), its first innovation center in China. Siemens Energy also launched an innovation center for advanced energy technologies in Shenzhen in January.

"The new innovation center in Shenzhen is another lighthouse project to promote the China-EU green partnership and digital partnership," said Christian Bruch, CEO of Siemens Energy AG, adding that "this will bring us closer to the most dynamic energy market and, together with Chinese partners, create technologies and innovations that have an industrial and social impact."

Meanwhile, since the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was released in February 2019, more and more multinationals have moved their headquarters or regional centers to this more inter-connected area.

In January, New World Development Co., Ltd., one of the largest real estate developers in Hong Kong, signed a cooperation agreement with the Guangzhou municipal government to settle the headquarters of New World China, its flagship property arm, in the city, marking the company's new stage of layout in the Greater Bay Area.

AstraZeneca, a multinational pharmaceutical company, will also establish its south China headquarters in Guangzhou this year, with a focus on R&D, operation management and innovation incubation in the Area.

Improving business environment

Guangzhou and Shenzhen, two major cities in the Greater Bay Area, are lauded by foreign firms for their efforts to foster an enabling business environment.

Huang Shaomei, executive director of New World Development Co., Ltd., said that the company decides to invest in Guangzhou due to its continuous improvement of the business environment.

"If you invest in the city back in 2013, approval of a real estate investment project involved 100 procedures and at least 799 working days. However, the time has been reduced to 50 days in 2018 and 35 days in 2019. And now, it only takes 11 days to get approved for low-risk industrial projects," Huang said.

According to a report on China's business environment in 2020 issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, Guangzhou was rated as a "benchmark city" in all the 18 assessment indicators and won the title of "best practice" in four indicators.

Growing foreign investment is the attestation of a city's notable business environment. With the first business license for foreign-invested enterprises issued in 1981, Shenzhen has approved 96,000 foreign direct investment projects in total, and its accumulated use of foreign capital has reached 120.5 billion U.S. dollars.

Early this year, two workstations were established in Shenzhen, aiming to provide foreign enterprises with services including business guidance, policy interpretation, investment consulting and complaint acceptance.

In addition, a plan for helping overseas professionals better work and live in Shenzhen was formally issued in January. According to the plan, foreign nationals engaged in finance, construction, cultural tourism, medical and health care and other 11 fields will enjoy more facilitations in the city.

"Shenzhen is on the way to build itself into a city with a more fair and internationalized business environment," said Guo Xiaohui, executive chairman of the Shenzhen Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment.

Promising Greater Bay Area

According to the outline of the new five-year plan, China will promote the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in an active and prudent manner.

While applauding the adoption of the plan, leaders of foreign enterprises said that the Chinese market remains appealing to global investors and the investment layout in the Greater Bay Area is just in line with their development prospects.

Leon Wang, executive vice president, international and China president with AstraZeneca, said the Guangzhou International Bio Island, where its south China headquarters is located at the core of the Area, is a highly innovative area. The setup of the headquarters is of great strategic significance in further expanding its market in the southern part of China.

Frances Yu, president of Amway China, also said that Amway will firmly seize the strategic opportunity of building a healthy China and leverage Amway's advantages to help develop the health industry in the Greater Bay Area and enhance the international competitiveness of the entire industrial cluster.

The southern region of China, especially the Greater Bay Area, is where most of the EU companies set foot in China. It is renowned for its highly developed and fully competitive business environment and transparency of government policies, according to George Lau, vice chairman of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.

"As outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan, China pledges to reduce the intensity of carbon emissions, and achieve the peaking of carbon emissions by 2030, which will unleash opportunities for the EU companies with an advantage in the field of renewable energy," said Lau.

Also, a report released by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China said that about 70 percent of surveyed American companies considered the Three-Year-Plan (2018-2020) for the development of the Greater Bay Area helpful.

"The Greater Bay Area is going to be a massive growth dynamic for the development in the southern region of China," said Harley Seyedin, president of the chamber.
Danielle Armstrong said she felt 'very spoilt' after being treated to expensive gifts for her first Mother's Day with her nine-month-old daughter Orla, and fiance Tommy Edney.

The former TOWIE star, 32, made sure to document the special day to social media on Sunday as she cuddled up to her little one and thanked her partner for going above and beyond.

In a video uploaded to her Instagram Story, Danielle sported pastel striped pyjamas which matched Orla's, as she said: 'Is it our first Mother's Day together? Have you written me a card Orla?'

Blessed: Danielle Armstrong said she felt 'very spoilt' after being treated to expensive gifts for her first Mother's Day with her nine-month-old daughter Orla, and fiance Tommy Edney

She proceeded to capture a transparent balloon which encapsulated pink balloons and featured a personalised message from her family.

Entranced by the object, Orla perched on the kitchen counter of their Essex home as Danielle joked: 'You've been a very cute girl, hey, doing all of this by yourself!

'I feel very spoilt,' she added as her tiny tot picked up a Louis Vuitton envelope from the top of a gift box by the designer brand.

Danielle was also gifted a bouquet of lilies and roses , and a mouth-watering selection of pastries and chocolate treats from The Graze Guys.

Love: The former TOWIE star, 32, made sure to document the special day to social media on Sunday as she cuddled up to her little one and thanked her partner (pictured) for going above and beyond

Bond: In a video uploaded to her Instagram Story, Danielle sported pastel striped pyjamas which matched Orla's, as she said: 'Is it our first Mother's Day together? Have you written me a card Orla?'

Her nine-month-old tucked into the scrumptious spread as Danielle said: 'Orla, they're supposed to be for mummy.'

Sharing another clip of her adorable blue-eyed baby, the mother-of-one wrote: 'What An Honour It Is To Be A Tiny Somebodys Everything 

'Our First Mothers Day... Thank you @tommyedney for making it so special LOVE YOU x'. (sic)

She also shared a sweet selfie with Orla and her mother, Debbie Armstrong, while penning a touching tribute.

Thoughtful: She proceeded to capture a transparent balloon which encapsulated pink balloons and featured a personalised message from her family

Caught her attention: Entranced by the object, Orla perched on the kitchen counter of their Essex home as Danielle joked: 'You've been a very cute girl, hey, doing all of this by yourself!'

Intrigued: 'I feel very spoilt,' she added as her tiny tot picked up a Louis Vuitton envelope from the top of a gift box by the designer brand

Danielle said: 'Happy Mothers Day To The Lady That Has Taught Me So Many Life Lessons. You Are The Reason I Am The Woman & Mother I Am Today ...

'Just A Few Of My Mums Sayings...To Always Be Yourself. To Never Settle For Anything Less. To Know Your Worth. To Always Be Kind BUT To Not Let People Take Your Kindness For Weakness. You Cant Buy Happiness So Make Sure You Do Everything With LOVE @debbie.armstrong_2017.

'Thinking of those that cant be with their mummys today '.

On Friday, Danielle marked one year since her childhood sweetheart proposed.

Blooming marvellous: Danielle was also gifted a bouquet of lilies and roses

Hungry baby: Her nine-month-old tucked into the scrumptious spread as Danielle said: 'Orla, they're supposed to be for mummy'

Grateful: She also penned a sweet Instagram caption expressing gratitude towards her family

The former TOWIE star took to Instagram once more to share a slew of throwback snaps of their engagement, which happened during their Dubai babymoon when Danielle was pregnant with her daughter.

Danielle captioned the post: '1 Year Today My Best Friend Asked Me To Be His Wife. I Cant Wait To Become Mrs Edney. L O V E Y O U.' (sic)

The throwback snaps showed a heavily pregnant Danielle flashing her diamond ring just moments after the proposal.

The reality star displayed her baby bump in a nautical striped bikini and clutched a bouquet of red roses after Tom popped the question during the romantic boat trip.

Celebrating mothers: A few hours prior, Danielle shared a sweet selfie with Orla and her mother, Debbie Armstrong, while penning a touching tribute

In September 2019, the blonde beauty confirmed she had found love again with Tom shortly after splitting from her boyfriend of two-and-a-half years, Daniel Spiller.

Danielle and Tom had been friends for 22 years at the time they got together and had a fleeting relationship when they were younger.

Two months after going official, Danielle and Tom announced they were expecting their first child together.

Danielle was previously in a relationship with businessman James Lock, 32, who she dated on and off from 2014 until 2016.

Engagement anniversary: On Friday, Danielle marked one year since her childhood sweetheart proposed

Memories: The former TOWIE star took to Instagram once more to share a slew of throwback snaps of their engagement, which happened during their Dubai babymoon when she was pregnant
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While 26 percent of recipients of AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine in Vietnam have exhibited mild to severe local reactions, a health official reassured the reaction rates observed so far are equivalent to those in other types of inoculation.

COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam began on Monday, and by Friday about 5,300 people in 12 provinces and cities had received their first jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Among them, 26 percent exhibited local reactions, according to the countrys Preventive Medicine Department (PMD) vice-director Nguyen Minh Hang.

Only 12 recipients, or 0.7 percent, suffered severe reactions including narrow pulse pressure, swelling at the injection site, difficulty breathing, and hives, Hang said.

All of the 12 cases, including six recorded in Ho Chi Minh City, five in the northern coastal city of Hai Phong, and one in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, required hospital treatment for their reactions, the health official added.

The PMD, under the Ministry of Health, has issued formal requests that the health departments of these three localities verify the information and form councils to assess post-vaccination complications under their authority.

Conclusions on the causes of such severe reactions are to be reached and appropriate measures taken in accordance with regulations, the PMD asked.

According to Duong Thi Hong, head of the Office for the Expanded Program on Immunization  the unit put in charge of Vietnams COVID-19 vaccination campaign  the reaction rate observed in AstraZeneca vaccine recipients is equivalent to other vaccines already in circulation in the country.

Vietnam has yet to record increased blood viscosity as a postvaccinal side effect similar to cases recently reported in Europe, Hong said.

Life-threatening reactions such as high fever, seizures, and anaphylaxis are also not documented in Vietnam, she added.

Dang Duc Anh, director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said Vietnam is putting in place its highest level of vaccination safety monitoring.

As such, any investigation or assessment of the cause of post-jab severe reactions is considered normal activity, Anh said.

COVID-19 inoculation in Vietnam will go ahead without interruption in the coming days, with Quang Ninh, Dien Bien, and Dong Thap being the next provinces to begin vaccine roll-outs, he added.

Vietnam will have over 5.6 million more AstraZeneca vaccine shots in March and April.

The country expects to obtain 150 million doses this year, with 60 million already secured from AstraZeneca and the COVAX scheme co-led by the World Health Organization.

The Southeast Asian country received its first COVID-19 vaccine shipment on February 24  a batch of 117,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.

Vaccine passport on the horizon

As Vietnam is on track to have millions of people vaccinated against the coronavirus by May while vaccine roll-outs are also picking up speed in other countries, a 'vaccine passport' policy to shorten the mandatory quarantine period for those entering Vietnam already inoculated is on the table.

At a recent meeting of Vietnams National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the committee asked the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Information and Communications to coordinate a solution and technical preparations for such a scenario.

By April, an appropriate policy on foreign arrivals should have taken shape in line with the safety of each COVID-19 vaccine and the risk level of travelers from each country, facilitating Vietnams dual goal of maintaining growth while staying coronavirus-safe.

All arrivals to Vietnam currently have to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine at a cost of at least VND120,000 (US$5.20) per day.

Second Vietnamese vaccine enters human trial

Vietnams National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and Hanoi Medical University have announced they will begin human testing of Covivax, a COVID-19 jab developed by the Nha Trang Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals, starting Monday.

This is the second Vietnam-made coronavirus vaccine to enter human trials after Nano Covax, developed by Ho Chi Minh City-based Nanogen, was first tested on 60 volunteers last December.

One-hundred and 20 volunteers aged 18-59 will take part in the Covivax trial, with an additional 300 set to participate on a later date.

The Covivax vaccine was previously deemed remarkably effective during animal testing evaluations conducted in Vietnam, the U.S., and India.

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MELBOURNE, Australia  Momofuku Seiobo, the acclaimed restaurant that David Chang opened in 2011 in a back hallway of the glitzy Star Casino in Sydney, will close at the end of June.

Mr. Chang said in an interview last week that when the restaurant lease came up for renewal recently, he and his team decided it was time to close. He made the decision with the chef, Paul Carmichael, and the general manager, Kylie Javier Ashton. When asked for a specific reason, all three said their goal was simply to end the life of the restaurant on a high note.

We had many conversations about what the future of Seiobo would look like, Mr. Chang said. The restaurant is their baby. When you eat there you understand how personal this is for them. There is no Seiobo without them. Theyve given so much to the restaurant  especially this year  and when they said they wanted to go out on top, I supported them completely.

The restaurants last service will be June 26. The staff, who are employed by Star Casino, will have the option to be placed in other restaurant jobs at the casino.
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The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) has warned its customers against illegal connection of pre-paid meters, saying the act was both illegal and dangerous.

Chioma Aniwe, PHEDs acting manager of Corporate Communications, in a statement, on Sunday, in Port Harcourt, said the companys investigation revealed that many of its customers, in its franchise area were bypassing their meters, using ceiling and roof as cover.

So, this dangerous trend among our metered customers in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers states has become a source of concern to us.

This trend involves the illegal passing of wires through the roof and ceiling before connecting to a pre-paid meter.

We wish to state that this unsafe act is dangerous to both the customers and the people living around.

We, therefore, advise customers to immediately desist from this practice as defaulters will be disconnected based on Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) regulations, Mrs Aniwe said.

The PHED spokesperson said the company should not be held liable for any damage or loss of lives and property that may occur from such illicit acts by some customers.

She said the company would, on April 1, commence disconnection of customers who bypassed wires to their pre-paid meter.

(NAN)
PRISTINA -- Kosovo has officially opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, six week after it formally established diplomatic relations with Israel.



"The Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in Jerusalem will be strongly committed to increasing bilateral cooperation and strengthening the international profile of the state of Kosovo," Kosovo's Foreign Ministry said in a press statement on March 14.



The new embassy was opened by Ines Demiri, Kosovo's charge d'affaires in Israel, because representatives from Kosovo were unable to attend due to the coronavirus pandemic.



In September 2020, former U.S. President Donald Trump gathered the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia at a White House summit meant to work toward the long-stalled normalization of ties between the neighbors.

The summit was somewhat overshadowed by a White House announcement that Kosovo had agreed to recognize Israel.

At the meeting, Belgrade also agreed to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, something it hasn't yet done.

The Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in late 2017 and moved the U.S. Embassy there in May 2018.

That decision prompted criticism from the Palestinians, most Muslim-majority countries, and many states in Europe, concerned that it would undermine prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Last year, Trump brokered a series of deals to establish diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab states, including Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates.

However, the Arab parties to the accords have all maintained that their diplomatic missions in Israel will be in Tel Aviv.

Most Western countries have recognized Kosovo's independence, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China have not.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nine years after NATO conducted a 78-day air campaign against Serbia to stop a bloody crackdown against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
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Police surround the bandstand on Clapham Common as people gathered despite the cancellation of the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard in London, Saturday (local time). Hundreds of people in London defied coronavirus restrictions Saturday to pay their respects to a 33-year-old woman who disappeared while walking home and was found dead a week later. The case, which sent shockwaves across the U.K. because a police officer has been charged with her kidnapping and murder, has also spurred a national conversation about violence against women. PA-AP-Yonhap



London's police force which dragged mourners from a vigil for a woman whose suspected killer is a police officer faced a backlash from the public and politicians on Sunday, with the government demanding it account for its actions.



The disappearance of Sarah Everard, 33, as she walked home on the evening of March 3 has provoked a huge outpouring of grief and dismay in Britain at the failure of police and wider society to tackle violence against women.



Police had denied permission for a vigil on Saturday evening at London's Clapham Common, near where Everard was last seen alive, citing regulations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.



But hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered peacefully at the park in defiance of the ban to pay their respects to Everard throughout the day, including Kate, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge.



Footage shared on social media from late Saturday showed dozens of police officers marching into the crowd to shouts of "shame on you," as well as scuffles breaking out and officers dragging women away from the scene.



An image of officers handcuffing a woman as she lay screaming on the floor was shared widely and condemned on social media.



"Last night people were very, very upset, there was a great deal of emotion, completely understandably, and the police, being as they are operationally independent, will be having to explain that to the home secretary," Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding Victoria Atkins told Sky News.



Home Secretary Priti Patel, the minister in charge of policing, described footage of the incident as "upsetting" and said she had asked police for a full report on what happened.



Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball defended the officers' actions.



"Officers on the ground were faced with a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting COVID-19," she said in a statement.





A woman is led by police during a vigil by a band stand in Clapham Common, London, after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially canceled, Saturday (local time). Serving police constable Wayne Couzens, 48, has appeared in court charged with the kidnapping and killing of Sarah Everard who went missing while walking home from a friend's flat in South London. EPA-Yonhap
Global Times"Don't behave like CNN" is the lesson the Chinese people has learned after the news network's truth-twisting approach in its coverage and analysis of the unrest in Tibet in 2008. Thirteen years have passed, and it seems that CNN has made few improvements, and this perception still holds. "With fewer academics willing to travel to China, and those who do make it after the coronavirus pandemic encountering a more closed nation, the result could be fewer Western minds reporting on and studying China firsthand at a time when, arguably, the world has never had a greater need to understand the country."





Here are a few lines from yet another China-bashing article published by CNN Wednesday titled "Westerners are increasingly scared of travelling to China as threat of detention rises," which is an all-too-familiar attempt to vilify China. But what is ironic is that if we replace "China" with "the US," the article works perfectly. "Chinese people are increasingly scared of travelling to the US as threat of detention rises." This is actually very true.

The US should look into the mirror to see who indulges in arbitrary detentions. As the US ramps up its efforts to crack down on China in recent years, there has been a significant number of Chinese being arrested by manipulating the excuse of national security.

In October 2020, the FBI arrested five Chinese on charges they were part of China's "Operation Fox Hunt" anti-corruption campaign and "harass, stalk and coerce" certain residents in the US. The Department of Justice said in a statement that in many instances the targets of the campaign were "dissidents" and "critics," who, however, were economic criminals in China.

In 2015, the FBI arrested Zhang Hao, a Tianjin University professor, who landed at Los Angeles International Airport, on charges of economic espionage. The arrest was an apparent trap set by the FBI and a ploy by the US to suppress the Chinese chip industry. Zhang was forced to stay in the US for the following years and sentenced to 18 months in prison with restitution last year. The US targets also expand to the group of Chinese students screened for hours at US airports for their alleged potential involvement in China's "economic espionage."

The most prominent case of "arbitrary detention" in the world could be Canada's arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou directed by the US. Canada is helping the US open Pandora's Box. While Canada took the initiative to woo dozens of countries to sign a declaration denouncing the arbitrary detention of foreign citizens, it is slapping its own face. The Chinese are increasingly wary of going to not only the US, but also its hatchet men, including Canada, Australia and the UK.

Now, Washington is standing with evils and what it has been doing is sheer political persecution. If CNN thinks China's action of protecting its national security is threats, but turns a blind eye to US suppression and arrests of Chinese people using national security as an excuse, it is exercising double standards.

China encourages normal exchanges between the Chinese people and Westerners. As long as they abide by China's laws, any Westerner in China need not worry about their security. It is the US that dares not encourage communication between Chinese and its citizens and tries to isolate China by hyping fears toward China. It is the Chinese people that should have security worries in the US.
In this March 1, 2021, file photo Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, is visible as President Joe Biden, right, holds a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. AP-Yonhap



U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to embark on a trip to Asia on Sunday to discuss major challenges in the region, including China and North Korea, with two key U.S. allies there  Japan and South Korea.



The top U.S. diplomat will first visit Tokyo where he will be joined by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for a Two-Plus-Two meeting with their Japanese counterparts.



Austin left Saturday for a stop in Hawaii before his trip to Japan.



Both Blinken and Austin will visit South Korea beginning Wednesday for talks with their counterparts there that will also include a Two-Plus-Two meeting.



The State Department has said the secretaries will discuss a wide range of regional and global issues while visiting the two key U.S. allies in Asia, including how to deal with North Korea.



The U.S. is currently undergoing a comprehensive review of its North Korea policy that it says will create a new and different approach toward the North from those in the past.



A senior U.S. diplomat said Blinken's trip to Asia will provide an important chance for U.S. allies to put their input into the U.S.' policy toward North Korea.



"Because we want to make sure to incorporate their input as we review all of the important aspects of our North Korea policy, and, in fact, when the secretary is in the region, I think this will be another great opportunity for our allies to provide senior-level input into our process," Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said earlier.









Kim said the review will likely be completed within weeks.





In this Feb. 19, 2021, file photo Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens to a question as he speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon in Washington. AP-Yonhap
New Delhi:

Eminent economist and Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus asked management students to design a banking system that would benefit all particularly the poorer section of the society during an interactive session at Xaviers School of Management (XLRI) in steel city Jamshedpur.

Yunus said, The seed of poverty prevails in the system and it can be broken by reversing the system.

He asked the future managers to build a system that will help the weaker section of the society.

The Nobel laureate further said, The banks are for rich people. It does not exist for the poor class. More than half of the world population has nothing to do with the banking.

Yunus pointed out the difficulties he had to face while he worked for the welfare of the poor in his country  Bangladesh.

Talking about business the Nobel laureate said, Business is a medium for solving problems and reducing disparity between the various economic sections of the society.

He went on to talk about the problems encountered in his crusade against loan-sharks and his commitment to serve the destitute who lacked access to basic financial services.

Yunus illustrated the progress that societies can make through entrepreneurship by citing various examples from different parts of the world.

The Nobel laureate advocated about helping the downtrodden sections of the society through business which makes money and ensured sustainable progress.

Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding the Gramin Bank and pioneering the concepts of micro-credit and micro-finance.

(With PTI inputs)
BACKED BY Mayor Joyce Craig, Manchester school Superintendent Dr. John Goldhardt has gone big in an attempt to restart high school in the Queen City. To be sure, Manchesters schools are struggling but Goldhardt and Craig would have us believe that the way to turn things around is to lau
Today

Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. Very hot. High 106F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny skies. High around 105F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
A Brisbane Covid-19 quarantine hotel is in lockdown as health authorities investigate how an infected traveller contracted the virus.

The infected person was staying on the same floor as at the Hotel Grand Chancellor as another infected traveller now at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

That patient had contact with a doctor who later became infected with coronavirus, forcing the hospital into lock down.

'Case one is the person brought into the hospital on the March 9, case two was the doctor who got it off the person who came in on the 9th,' Health Minister Yvette D'Ath told reporters on Sunday.

'Case three is a person in hotel quarantine on the same floor as case one.

Hotel Grand Chancellor is in lockdown as health authorities investigate how an infected traveller contracted the virus

'We're assessing that at the moment. We've got CCTV footage... to try to identify why this transmission might have occurred.'

No guests will leave the hotel and no new guests will be checked into the site until the health officials have completed their investigation.

About 240 people linked to the infected doctor have been traced, with virus test results due back in the coming days, Deputy Chief Health Officer Sonya Bennett said.

Three close contacts of the doctor have all tested negative.

The infected doctor had contact with two patients in the early hours of Wednesday before testing positive on Friday.

One of the patients is likely to have passed on the highly contagious UK strain of the virus, although genomic testing was unable to confirm this, Dr Bennett said.

The infected person was staying on the same floor as at the Hotel Grand Chancellor as another infected traveller now at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Other guests are seen at the hotel in January

A health care worker is seen testing people at a Covid-19 drive through testing clinic at Murarrie in Brisbane

She said genomic testing also showed one of the patients was likely linked to the case being investigated at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, which was diagnosed on Saturday.

'They both travelled through the same area on the way,' Dr Bennett said.

'The information is all a little bit unusual and what we want to rule out is that there's been any transmission in the hotel.'

She said it was one of a number of explanations to explain the situation.

The female doctor worked a shift at PA late on Wednesday and Thursday while asymptomatic and was infectious in the community for about a day.

The hospital remains in lockdown and all hospitals, aged care and disability facilities in the Greater Brisbane area are closed to visitors and masks must be worn inside them.
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.

US President Joe Biden delivers a nationally televised address to the nation on the one-year anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown (EPA)

The Biden administration is struggling to find ground with North Korea with the country failing to respond to outreach from a behind-the-scenes diplomatic push, according to a new report.

A senior Biden official told Reuters that Mr Biden has so far yielded no response from Pyongyang, raising questions about how President Joe Biden will approach concerns surrounding North Koreas nuclear arsenal.

Domestically, the president has deployed emergency officials to help care for thousands of unaccompanied migrant teens and children despite having insisted there is no crisis at the border.

Elsewhere, former President Donald Trump is reported to have said Meghan Markle is no good following her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey last week but said he would be cancelled like Piers Morgan if he voiced his opinion.

Supporters of Mr Trump are also being mocked on Twitter after they announced Mr Trump is getting in shape for 2024 alongside a photo of him looking forlorn in Mar-a-Lago.

On Capitol Hill, some House Democrats have made clear that they will not engage in bipartisan work with any Republican who continue to question the outcome of the presidential election.

Massachusetts freshman Representative Jake Auchincloss has said he would throw cold water on the whole thing if it turns out a GOP member has refused to admit that Mr Biden won the election he told NBC News.
North Alabama anglers will get a chance to learn some tricks from many of the nations best-known bass anglers today as the MLF Pro Circuit winds up a major event at Lewis Smith Lake west of Cullman.

This marks the fifth time the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit has visited Lewis Smith Lake. The Pro Circuit last visited Smith Lake in April 2018, when North Carolina pro David Williams took advantage of the shad spawn around the docks, bringing home the hardware with a four-day total of 64 pounds, 9 ounces. Prior to that, in March 2015, Pennsylvania pro Dave Lefebre sacked up 65 pounds, 5 ounces over four days, with a unique technique  targeting fish chasing blueback herring with a wakebait  to bring home the win. Lefebre also holds the record for the heaviest winning weight in a Pro Circuit event on Smith Lake.

Early action in this years event has also shown the leaders fishing around the big herring schools to connect. I was able to fish on Smith Lake a lot last year due to COVID-19  it is phenomenal through the winter months and anglers are able to get a lot of bites. The fishing is ideal right now and will be through the next month or so, said Cullman native and Bass Pro Tour angler Matt Lee.

Although Smith Lake is a highland reservoir and known for its deep, clear water, with depths up to 250 feet, with spring around the corner the fish are starting to move up to shallower water, Lee said. Its in that pre-spawn phase right now  right in between moons, when fish are moving up  so this should be a really good tournament, Lee continued. The dirtier water back in the creeks is always a factor on Smith Lake. However, with the number of boats in the field, theres not as much of it, so it can fish small under that type of pressure and it might be tricky to count on that to hold up for four days. Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CT Thursday through Sunday from Smith Lake Park, located at 403 County Road 386 in Cullman. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park Thursday and Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m.

Due to COVID-19 precautions, attendance is limited to competing anglers, family, essential staff and media covering the event. Fans are encouraged to follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com. In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 163 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

The event will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, July 18 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-ins will be streamed daily and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day on MLF NOW! beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com. The 2021 season culminates with the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, where the top 48 pros in the points standings plus, 2020 TITLE Champion Rusty Salewske of Alpine, California, and 2020 Angler of the Year Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, will compete for as much as $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse. For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The ground-breaking boy band, BTS, is attending the Grammy Awards for the third time in 2021, performing an original song for the first time.

How many Grammy nominations does this K-pop group have? Heres what we know about BTS and what makes 2021 so special for fans.

BTS performs during Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2020 | Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Dick Clark Productions

BTS earned their first Grammy nomination for the 2021 ceremony

After years of waiting, Sugas prediction finally came true. BTS earned their first Grammy nomination for the 2021 ceremony, in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category. That was for their song Dynamite, released during summer 2020.

Were really excited, it still feels surreal, Jimin said during an interview with USA TODAY via an interpreter. Were still figuring out what to make of it. But we do know this is a great honor and were deeply thankful. Were trying our best to deliver a great performance to return all the support we received from our fans.

RELATED: Jimin From BTS Finally Puts the Dumpling Incident, Mentioned During The Late Late Show With James Corden, to Rest

BTS earned nominations for award ceremonies like the MTV VMAs and the Billboard Music Awards

Dynamite is BTS first Grammy-nominated song. Since their debut over seven years ago, this group earned recognition from several award shows, both in South Korea and overseas. They earned the Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist four years in a row.

Their song On from Map of the Soul: 7 earned this K-pop group the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Choreography and Best Pop Video. The group even performed Boy With Luv alongside Halsey at the Billboard Music Awards.

RELATED: Is Jungkook the Last BTS Member to Create a Solo Song? Heres What We Know About Still With You and the Mixtapes of These K-Pop Idols

BTS will perform at the 2021 Grammy Awards

In addition to their Grammy Award nomination, BTS was announced as one of the performers at this years ceremony. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, however, the group will not be traveling to Los Angeles, as they did in years prior.

(A) performance is what we wanted more, even more than a nomination or winning, RM said during the same interview. We are a performance team, so a performance with our own song was one of our final dreams for this whole journey, so we are flattered and excited at the same time.

This will be the first time BTS performs an original song at the ceremony, as last year the group appeared alongside Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus for Old Town Road. This years award ceremony also includes performances from Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Dua Lipa.

The Grammy Awards take place on March 14, 2021. In the meantime, the Life Goes On music video by BTS is now available for streaming on YouTube. The K-pop groups deluxe album, titled Be, is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and most major streaming platforms.
As the COVID-19 pandemic could continue to have serious impacts on a global scale and may only be eliminated in four to five years, experts have said Vietnam needs long-term policies to cope.

TNG Investment and Trading JSC produces facemasks to fill out the withdrawn clothes orders in COVID-19.  Photo courtesy of the firm

At the launch of a report on the impact of the pandemic on Vietnamese firms by the World Bank(WB) and the Viet Nam Chamber for Commerce and Industry (VCCI) on Friday in Ha Noi, VCCIs chairman Vu Tien Loc said though vaccines were being distributed in many countries, humanity was still facing great risks.

The report, which surveyed 10,197 enterprises nationwide, found the pandemic had a very negative impact on businesses in Viet Nam, with 87.2 per cent of surveyed firms affected at the large level, with just 11 per cent of enterprises "not affected by anything" and nearly 2 per cent reported a "mostly positive" impact.

Some industries reported suffering great losses including private enterprises in the garment industry with 97 per cent, in communications with 96 per cent, and in electrical equipment manufacturing with 94 per cent. Foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises in some industries also had a high rate of negative effects including real estate with 100 per cent, information and communication with 97 per cent and agriculture and aquaculture with 95 per cent.

In terms of geography, production and business activities stalled and declined more for private enterprises in the central coastal areas with 91 per cent negatively affected and FDI enterprises in the Central Highlands with 94 per cent.

Provinces and cities with the highest rates of private enterprises adversely affected were Da Nang with 98 per cent and Kon Tum and Khanh Hoa with 95 per cent each.

Dau Anh Tuan, head of the VCCI Legal Department and a representative of the survey team, said the pandemic most influenced firms' access to customers, cash flow, labour and supply chains.

Tuan said 35 per cent of private enterprises and 22 per cent of FDI enterprises had to reduce their workforce while 36 per cent of the small and micro private enterprises had to do so.

The report said it was necessary to prioritise policy implementation capacity to facilitate business and help them access support packages.

The report also suggested offering financial support to businesses that maintain a high proportion of employees and support the cost of training to improve qualifications for workers.

At the same time, it recommended policies to develop industries and supporting services to ease dependence on external sources, create added value, increase Viet Nam's position in global supply chains and enhance the benefits from FTAs.

Nguyen Van Thoi, chairman of Thai Nguyen Business Association, said: Firms must be restructured and innovate themselves to survive in such a pandemic.

Thoi, also chairman of the garment TNG Investment and Trading JSC, said when he saw partners withdraw their orders for garments last year, he started making face masks and it was a great success.

Opportunities emerge in a crisis and firms must always try to see those chances," he said.

To grow more, Loc said: Viet Nam should be in a higher end of the supply chain not only in a manufacturing and processing level.

Labour and employment will a big topic for Viet Nam especially for the industries with labour intensive such as garment and shoemaking. Training and elevating our workforce is a key task for Viet Nam in the years to come," he added.

While 75 per cent of enterprises believed the Government's policies were useful, longer-term solutions are still needed.

According to the report, enterprises asked the Government to increase public investment, complete infrastructure works, and implement stimulus packages for economic recovery.

They said they wanted solutions to develop the domestic market, promote connections between domestic businesses and consumers, and form Vietnamese supply chains.

They also emphasised the importance of administrative reform, improving the efficiency of law enforcement to create a favourable business environment and support the sustainable recovery of businesses.

The WBs lead economist for Viet Nam Jacques Morisset said though the country was one of just 10 in the world and the only one in Southeast Asia to have recorded positive economic growth in 2020 with amazing control of the pandemic, there were still risks ahead.

It is a risk that Viet Nam will go behind the world in the next six months in vaccine providing to people. That will be an impact on the investors to Viet Nam," Morisset said, though he noted the country was reacting very efficiently.

Morisset said the green economy was not something Viet Nam was strong enough in, saying if the country wanted to attract FDI in the future, it would need to prove to investors that it had good regulations to build a good environment and plans to respond to climate change.

Most big corporations have to be green today," he said.

Responding to the Morisset, Loc from the VCCI said: Resilience is how the local economy attracts investment. We have an initiative we want to build a centre to research and develop a climate change and crisis resilient economy in Viet Nam.

Loc concluded there should be more long-term and medium-term policies.

There should be a breakthrough in polices to develop Viet Nam in the next five and 10 years, as a turning point of the country or Viet Nam will not be a developed country by 2045 as planned," he said.  VNS
The attack on the Capitol started well before then President Trump finished his speech at the rally at The Ellipse. This attack was no spontaneous event as alleged by Democrats, the Media, and the Radical Left. It is evident to any police officer who has been on a police line this attack was preplanned when coupled with the intelligence compiled by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and other agencies. From the videos, this is self-evident, e.g., coordination, tactics in engaging the police lines, hand signals, gas masks, bear spray, goggles, helmets, knee pads, improvised weapons, and milk to neutralize crowd control gasses.

It is indisputable the Capitol Police were understaffed and immediately overrun within seconds of the attack. The attack began some twenty-minutes before the former President finished his speech. Others observed a noticeable lack of law enforcement presence that is usually SOP for these peaceful rallies and protests around the Capitol. MAGA supporters were calling out Antifa members as the Capitol was breached. In the video below, a MAGA supporter desperately yells at police in riot gear, Call for backup this is our damn Capitol building you are letting it get destroyed! It is clear they were not engaging. In all likelihood, they were ordered to maintain that position. See the utter chaos front-line officers faced, as reported by ProPublica:

Most of the Trump rally-goers had no clue that the Capitol was under attack and peaceably dispersed. Its unfair to categorize all Trump supporters as radical White nationalists who were there to attack the Capitol as has been the medias narrative.

As reported by the LA Times, FBI Director Christopher Wray's recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee was disingenuous. As covered by OAN, Director Wray is either incompetent, deceitful, or lying that there was no proof that members of radical left organizations were not involved, FBI cant find proof of Antifa involvement. OAN also reports other information against the media narrative that only radical Trump supporters carried out this attack.

There are many videos of radical leftist, anti-Trump, John Sullivan before and during the attack inciting people to burn the Capital down and pull Trump from the building. Sullivan is seen inside the Capitol, further instigating violence. Investigative reporter Andy Ngo was one of the first to identify Sullivan at the Capitol. Sullivan in a Twitter post in the OAN video clip is wearing a Trump supporter hat with a caption, Counter Intel. This photo appears to be taken in a hotel hallway. The media has mostly ignored that anti-Trump infiltrators were wearing MAGA gear.

Screen Shot of Trump hat from Twitter photo still in OAN coverage

The FBIs JTTF, to its credit, gave local law enforcement, including the Capitol Police, advanced warning of the likelihood of extremists would infiltrate the rally as cover to attack the Capitol. For one reason or another, this information was not acted upon by the DC Police. Why?

Still, the media narrative prevails, yet there is now evidence that extremists of all persuasions were involved in the attack. See this recent interview, The Big Money Behind the Narrative - Sharyl Attkisson on Media Bias & Spin, with investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson on her new book, Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism. The Democrats and the media continue to spin stories that more armed insurrections are imminent for their Leftist agenda of scaring the public. Glenn Greenwald unmasked them, As the Insurrection Narrative Crumbles, . . .

The Capitol Polices chain of command is clear - the Capitol Police Chief, to the Sgt of Arms in the House, and then to the Speaker of the House. If I were an FBI investigator charged with investigating this "insurrection," knowing the intelligence Capitol Police had, I would start with this chain of command to ask probative questions. Five deaths were directly attributed to this attack that the media has bannered incessantly. In my opinion, the felony murder rule would apply to those who facilitated or aided in this attack, including those in the chain of command that denied the multiple requests of the Capitol Police Chief for more resources.

There are at least two possible scenarios why this attack was successful in penetrating the Capitol building. One is the total failure and or incompetence by the decision-makers and politicians involved influenced by the optics of the presence of law enforcement. Common sense would dictate a rally of this magnitude would be likely infiltrated by radical groups for their political agendas. Democrat operatives have done so before. If I were a Capitol officer, I would probably resign or retire as my command structure placed me at immediate risk unnecessarily. As reported by ProPublica, "I Don't Trust the People Above Me," an excellent account, except for the claim of an officer dying from a thrown fire extinguisher. This is not true.

The second is that the top decision-makers, including politicians, knew that an attack was likely. They intentionally understaffed and watered down the rules of engagement to facilitate this attack for their political agenda. The Capitol Police Chiefs request for the National Guard before the event was denied. Trump reportedly wanted 10,000 National Guard Troops in DC on the 6th, but Nancy Pelosi said no. The Chief also said members of the Congress were briefed on the event. These decision-makers then blamed the attack on Trump's rhetorical speech as inciting the attack, which they called an "insurrection. The Democrat party majority in the House then launched an impeachment based on this narrative without any due process. It was evident from the media coverage the narrative was going to be that Trumps followers were White nationalists and incited by his speech to storm the Capitol.

There are some 75 million Americans who are growing very weary of the Radical Lefts agenda, its socialistic, nanny state, dictatorial, big government. They are questioning the legitimacy of the COVID emergency mandates, the real threat and undue influence that China poses to the US, illegal immigration, election integrity, the cancel culture movement, the suppression of free thought and speech, and the DC politicians' collaboration with Big Tech, the Media and the Radical Left. Acting in lockstep they are spreading disinformation, revisionist history, suppressing opposing points of view, and gaslighting those who dare have differing opinions. Even Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head are no longer safe for people to read or use.

Most of all, the people are furious about the breakdown of the rule of law and equal justice for all, and the hypocrisy of the rules for thee but not for me. where elitist perpetrators go unpunished. For further information. on these issues see my previous articles.

Ron Wright is a retired detective from Riverside PD, CA. BA in political science CSUF, M. Adm. University of Cal, Riverside.
MUMBAI: Actor Siddhant Chaturvedi has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently under home quarantine. The 'Gully Boy' actor took to Instagram and informed his fans that he is following protocols listed by his doctors.

"Thank you all for all your concern. Confirming that I have tested positive for COVID-19. I'm feeling fine at this time and self quarantining at home," Siddhant Chaturvedi wrote in a message. "Being positive and tackling this head on," he added.

The 27-year-old actor returned to Mumbai in February after shooting for the horror-comedy 'Bhoot Police' in Udaipur. The film also stars Katrina Kaif and Ishaan Khatter.

Siddhant will be next seen in filmmaker Shakun Batra's untitled project and the sequel of 'Bunty Aur Babli'.

On Saturday, Mumbai recorded 1,709 fresh COVID-19 cases. According to the state health department, Mumbai's COVID-19 tally increased to 3,41,999 while five more fatalities took the toll to 11,528.
The leader of the Seanad Regina Doherty has accused Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Media Minister Catherine Martin of excusing attitudes towards victims of sexual violence by refusing to remove former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger from a commission examining the future of Irish media.

The Coalition is coming under mounting pressure over its decision to back Mr Rusbridger amid controversy over his knowledge of media commentator Roy Greenslade's support for the IRA. Mr Rusbridger was editor of The Guardian when Mr Greenslade wrote an article in 2014 questioning the credibility of a BBC Spotlight programme about IRA abuse victim Mairia Cahill's case.

The Taoiseach spoke to Ms Cahill yesterday, explaining the Government's rationale backing Mr Rusbridger, who has said he was not aware of Mr Greenslade's 2014 article when he was editor, nor Ms Cahill's legal correspondence with his newspaper at the time. Ms Cahill, a former Labour senator, said she was disappointed not to have been contacted by Ms Martin or the commission before they publicly backed Mr Rusbridger last Tuesday.
Hyderabad: The state Budget session will commence on Monday with Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan addressing the joint sitting of the Assembly and the Legislative Council. Finance minister T. Harish Rao will present the Budget 2021-22 on March 18.

The graduate MLC poll results are likely to generate political heat in the Assembly as the results will be out in the midst of the session. The counting begins on March 17 and the results are expected the next day.

Besides, the BJP will have a second member in the Assembly, M. Raghunandan Rao who won from Dubbak in December 2020. The BJP previously had one legislator, Raja Singh.

After the Governor's address, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) chaired by Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy will meet to decide on the duration of the session. The government wants to hold the session until March 27, according to official sources.

However, there is a possibility of the session being curtailed again in view of the increasing Coronavirus cases.

On March 16, the House will take up condolence motions for deceased sitting and former members. On March 17, the House will debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address.
The approval for 737 Max operations in India may take some more time as the regulator is closely monitoring the aircraft's performance.

Accordingly, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is closely watching the performance of the aircraft in foreign jurisdictions.

Till March 9, 14 airlines globally have returned the aircraft into service.

"We are getting weekly updates on the performance of the aircraft," said Arun Kumar, Director General of DGCA.

"Eventhough, FAA and EASA have approved the return of the aircraft. We will conduct our own due diligence."

The 737 Max aircraft was grounded worldwide in 2019 after two fatal crashes.

In India, SpiceJet is the only operator of 737 Max aircraft. It has 13 such aircraft in its fleet.

Besides, Kumar said India's aviation safety ranking is expected to improve as the International Civil Aviation Organisation will conduct an audit of the sector in the coming months.

The improvement is expected to be attained on account of DGCA's licensing of air traffic control officers (ATCO).

Earlier, the licensing of ATCOs was handled by the Airports Authority of India. ICAO had red-flagged the practice during its last audit.

The expected improvement in raking will enable smooth entry of India's airlines into foreign long-haul markets.

In addition, Kumar pointed out that the regulator's e-governance initiative 'eGCA' will be completed within the first quarter of FY22.

The project envisages to bring all the functions and services provided by the DGCA to an e-platform.

At present, services pertaining to pilot licensing, medical examinations and flying training organisations have been launched via 'eGCA'.

(Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in)

--IANS

rv/sn/dpb

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former make-up mogul Napoleon Perdis and his family used to own opulent homes around the world, including a mid-century compound in Palm Springs coveted Movie Colony, a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, a Double Bay villa and an apartment in New York. Now theyre all gone.

A modern day dandy with a head full of make-up, nail polish and a wardrobe of designer clothes - often in vibrantly coloured leathers - Perdis was hard to miss. He accessorised with a Hermes man bag so enormous it made a Birkin look like a change purse. But it all went with the territory.

He was one of the worlds top 10 make-up artists, with shows at New York Fashion Week, his own program on The Discovery Channel and an exclusive partnership with the Primetime Emmys. Whether he was purring into Melbournes Bourke Street Mall in a tank or emerging from a private plane in Brisbane for an airport reception, it seemed Perdis had only one gear: Over The Top.

Napoleon Perdis is now based in Athens, which is in the middle of an extended COVID-19 lockdown. Credit:Bill Georgoussis

But all that changed in January 2019 when his eponymous brand called in the administrators with estimated debts of $22 million in Australia alone. Former Witchery executive Henry Lee and Daigou Queen Livia Wang took control of the company. Perdis empire collapsed as he presided over his very own Bonfire Of The Vanities.
A second Georgetown Law professor has left the prestigious university after he participated in a Zoom call where his colleague made derogatory remarks about black students.

David Batson was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into his conversation with Professor Sandra Sellers that went viral last week.

On Saturday Georgetown confirmed to WTOP that Batson had submitted his resignation to the dean of the university's law school, Bill Treanor.

Sellers, 62, was fired after video showed her complaining to Batson about how black students were predominantly at the bottom of her class - while Batson stayed quiet.

The interaction happened at the conclusion of a negotiations class around February 21, which was being recorded so that students could watch it later, according to the Washington Post.

The professors had stayed on Zoom to discuss the students after they left and where unaware that it was still recording. It was online for two weeks until students noticed the conversation between Sellers and Batson at the end and reported it to the school on March 8.

Scroll down for video

Professor David Batson resigned from Georgetown Law after he participated in a Zoom call where his colleague made derogatory remarks about black students. Batson is pictured during the call with Professor Sandra Sellers that went viral last week

Batson was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into his conversation with Sellers (pictured), who complained about how black students were predominantly at the bottom of her class

Georgetown Law launched an investigation into the video and Sellers' comments

'They were a bit jumbled. It's like let me reason through that, what you just said,' Sellers said of a student's performance, who the Black Law Students Association claims is the only black person in the class.

'You know what? I hate to say this, I end up having this angst every semester, that a lot of my lower ones are blacks,' the adjunct professor of mediation and negotiation continued.

'It happens almost every semester, and it's like, oh, come on. You know, we get some really good ones but there also usually some of them that are just plain at the bottom,' Sellers concluded.

Batson, also a mediation law expert, did not initially respond but simply looked down and nodded in the short 43-second clip, which was allegedly leaked to social media by a student.

He subsequently returns to discussing the student in question, stating: 'What drives me crazy is...the concept of how that plays out in whether that is my own perceptions playing in here with certain people' or 'my own unconscious biases playing out in the scheme of things'.

The school - which boasts Tiffany Trump among its high profile alumni - was immediately called on to act as the video of the interaction spread.

Dean Treanor said Thursday that Sellers told him she had intended to resign when they met to discuss what he branded as the 'reprehensible statements concerning the evaluation of Black students'.

She also issued a statement to the Post on Thursday in which she apologized for the 'hurtful and misdirected remarks'.

'I would never do anything to intentionally hurt my students or Georgetown Law and wish I could take back my words,' Sellers said in the resignation letter.

'Regardless of my intent, I have done irreparable harm and I am truly sorry for this.'

Batson also apologized in his resignation letter to Treanor.

'I am deeply saddened by the disturbing situation caused by the recorded Zoom conversation between Ms. Sellers and myself in which insensitive remarks were made regarding the performance of Black students at the Georgetown University Law Center,' he wrote.

'The sentiments and opinions expressed during the conversation are not mine, and do not characterize my experience with Georgetown students.'

A statement from Dean Bill Treanor on Thursday confirmed that Sellers had been fired

Professor Sandra Sellers: Intellectual property and high tech dispute expert who has served as a Director of the International Trademark Association Sandra Sellers is an adjunct professor of mediation and negotiation at Georgetown University Law Center and previously at George Washington University Law School. According to her bio on the American Bar Association, she mediates intellectual property, domain name, software, contract, and other business disputes and is President of Technology Mediation Services in Virginia. She has served as a Director of the International Trademark Association, and chair of its ADR Committee. Sellers is also a member of the panels of neutrals of US District Court for the District of Columbia, the US International Trade Commission, International Trademark Association, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center; and other local panels. Advertisement

The Zoom call was posted to online database Panopto, where students, who have been attending classes virtually because of the pandemic, can access the recordings.

According to Hassan Ahmad, who is on the school's admission committee, it was discovered on Panopto by one of the students in the professors' negotiation class.

It is not known if it was the student being discussed in the conversation.

Part of the conversation was recorded from Panopto by a student and was shared on social media before its removal.

It is not clear if the student who first identified the controversial recording was the same person to share the video further online.

The Black Law Student Association had been among the groups calling for Sellers' resignation and an apology from Batson.

The group issued a statement on Wednesday in which they claimed that the recorded conversation is proof of Sellers' bias in her grading of black students.

'These racist statements reveal not only Sellers' beliefs about black students in her classes, but also how her racist thoughts have translated to racist actions. Professor Sellers' bias has impacted the grades of black students in her classes historically, in her own words,' the statement said.

The school also issued a statement on Wednesday after the video went viral but initially did not name the professors involved.

'We learned earlier this week that two members of our faculty engaged in a conversation that included reprehensible statements concerning the evaluation of Black students,' Treanor said as he promised a full investigation into the video.

'We are responding with the utmost seriousness to this situation. I have watched a video of this conversation and find the content to be abhorrent.

'It includes conduct that has no place in our educational community. We must ensure that all students are treated fairly and evaluated on their merits.'

Former first daughter Tiffany Trump (pictured) is a graduate of Georgetown Law

Treanor issued an update on Thursday in which he confirmed that 'Sellers is no longer affiliated with Georgetown Law'.

Batson will remain on leave until the investigation by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action is complete.

'Until the completion of the investigation, Professor Batson will have no further involvement with the course in which the incident arose,' Treanor said.

'This is by no means the end of our work to address the many structural issues of racism reflected in this painful incident, including explicit and implicit bias, bystander responsibility, and the need for more comprehensive anti-bias training,' the Dean continued.

'This is a matter of great concern to me. I will be writing to you soon with a range of actions and changes that we will implement to address these issues.'

Dean Bill Traynor issued a statement Wednesday calling the comments 'abhorrent'

The Black Law Students Association has issued a list of demands following the video

The BLSA had claimed that the immediate termination of Sellers was the only option for the controversy.

'We demand nothing short of the immediate termination of Sandra Sellers as adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. Not suspension. Not an investigation. The University must take swift and definitive action in the face of blatant and shameless racism,' it said.

'Not only is this situation revealing of Sellers' true beliefs about Black students, it is also illustrative of the conscious and unconscious bias systemically present in law school grading at Georgetown Law and in law school classrooms nationwide. The difference is that Sellers was caught, and her racism was broadcast for the world to see.'

The association also called for an apology from Batson for failing to condemn Sellers after she made the comments, a review of Sellers' past grading, and a commitment to hiring more black professors.

It said that Batson's comments showed more awareness but that 'his actions were still altogether insufficient to address the blatant racism that he was an audience to'.

'He had an obligation to report her, and he did not. We demand that Batson publicly apologize for his role in enabling and supporting Sellers' behavior,' the group added.

Alumni took to social media to call for Sellers' resignation (as pictured)

Alumni criticized Georgetown Law for not immediately firing Sellers

'The despicable sentiments of these #GeorgetownLaw professors are most certainly felt by their Black students,' wrote Janai Nelson from the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

Some social media users accuse Sellers of bias in her work

There were many calls for Sellers to be fired after the comments

Others criticized Batson for not responding to the statements

Their statement was supported by other BLSA chapters from universities around the country and by other minority law groups within Georgetown, as well as being signed by hundreds of students and alumni.

Georgetown Law alumni were also among those who hit out at the video on social media.

'This "message" is inadequate @GeorgetownLaw. Fire her,' wrote graduate Natalie Smith.

'I graduated from @GeorgetownLaw in 2004. How is this being addressed?' another wrote on Twitter.

'This will definitely have bearing on my decisions when Student Giving calls me asking for money. I'm also rethinking my decision to assist with admissions interviews. I've got questions.'

Other social media users claimed that it showed Sellers's bias in her classes.

'Narrator: 'She didn't hate to say it,' one commenter joked.

'The despicable sentiments of these #GeorgetownLaw professors are most certainly felt by their Black students,' wrote Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel of NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

'Blk ppl know when we are under-estimated, stereotyped & mocked even when the mask is up. That we still succeed in these environments is a testament to pure grit and will.'

And other commenters had criticism for Batson.

'Watch how the other professor just sits idly, offering no rebuke, content to let the lady's racism stand. A wasted Batson challenge if I've ever seen one,' wrote civil rights lawyer Angelo Guisado.
The New York Times

Whoever wins the race to become the next Manhattan district attorney will take over one of the most contentious, highest-profile criminal investigations in the offices history: the inquiry into former President Donald Trump and his business. Two of the leading candidates in the Democratic primary field, Alvin Bragg and Tali Farhadian Weinstein, have had past contacts with Trumps administration  dealings that could become an issue if one of them becomes district attorney. Sign up for The Morni
Proponents of Gas-tax Hike Running on Empty

By Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute

LEXINGTON -By Jim WatersIt appears that common-sense conservatism will prevail over crony capitalists and their seeming obsession with raising the commonwealths gas tax despite the lingering economic uncertainty created by the fallout from COVID-19.Hardworking Kentucky taxpayers, many of whom are small-business owners greatly affected by such tax increases, would be the winners if two recent developments play out.First, while General Assembly leaders are signaling the possibility of increasing some licensing costs  including fees to account for electric and hybrid vehicles use of Kentuckys roads  theres little appetite for raising taxes during a pandemic.In December, Senate Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, told the Kentucky Politics Weekly podcast he didnt think raising the gas tax during the coronavirus is a good idea, a position he reiterated recently on KETs Kentucky Tonight.Second, budget discussions in Frankfort indicate that more of the states current gas-tax dollars will stay in the Road Fund rather than being swept and used for other agencies.After Frankfort plucked $113 million from the Road Fund last year, it was music to this columnists ears to hear Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Taylor Mill, indicate during a budget conference committee hearing that the legislature intends to limit such diversions from the Road Fund.Many of those diverted dollars are currently redirected to the Kentucky State Police.McDaniel noted that while the state police will no longer receive those diverted funds, the legislature will ensure the agencys funding wont be cut; it just will no longer come from the wrong pot of money.When this years final spending plan is completed and signed by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear  or vetoed and overridden  tens of millions of additional dollars will be available to build and repair Kentucky roads, all without a tax increase.Some of the additional funding is the result of around $120 million in a combination of higher revenue estimates and savings made possible by one-time CARES Act funding.While coronavirus funding has provided some short-term budget relief, the decision announced by McDaniel to not remove $100 million from the Road Fund during each biennial budget cycle is much more beneficial to Kentuckys long-term economic health by ensuring adequate resources are available for infrastructure needs into the future and protecting taxpayers from unjustifiable tax increases.The fact that the Road Fund will now have more dollars available  and no convincing evidence those monies wont be sufficient to meet the commonwealths infrastructure needs  leaves the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, their political allies and crony capitalists still clamoring for a tax increase coasting on empty with little left in their tanks.The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, cheerleader in chief for raising taxes at the pump, recently sent a letter to all 138 state lawmakers claiming the 2021 General Assembly will be considered a failure if they dont raise taxes to the point that their fellow Kentuckians would be forced to pay 53 cents in combined state and federal taxes on every gallon purchased at the pump.Failing to raise taxes means the legislature will have neglected to truly help get our economy back on track and ensure employers can recover from the pandemic, Chamber CEO Ashli Watts wrote.So, let me get this straight.The organization claiming to represent Kentuckys business community insists the only way to revive our economy and boost employers is by taking more out of their pockets during economically uncertain times?Such an out-of-touch approach may be hailed by big-business interests like a handful of road contractors who often face little competition in the bidding process for highway projects and thus stand to benefit from even more gas-tax dollars.But most hardworking Kentuckians  including small-business owners who would have to pass increased transportation costs on to their customers  likely consider such an assertion to be clear evidence that the tax-hiking zealots are running on fumes.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Webinar held on 'Traditional Ecological Knowledge 02 Jun 2021 | 8:04 PM Itanagar, Jun 2 (UNI) The Fridays For Future Arunachal Pradesh (FFFAP) on Wednesday organised a webinar on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Resource Management.

Resource person, Bengia Pappi, a PhD research scholar at Rajiv Gandhi Universitys Sociology Department, said that traditional knowledge is tradition-based undisclosed information and all other tradition-based innovations and creations resulting from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary or artistic fields. see more..

Govt should cancel JAC Board Exams: Deepak Prakash 02 Jun 2021 | 8:04 PM Ranchi, Jun 2 (UNI) State BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash has demanded the state government to cancel the JAC Board Exams. see more..

Snan Purnima of Lords to be observed only by servitors adhering to covid guidelines 02 Jun 2021 | 8:01 PM Puri, Jun 2 (UNI) The Jagannath temple administration is contemplating to observe the famous Snan Purnima of the trinity only by the servitors adhering to covid guidelines. see more..

Stigma leads to reluctance in health check-ups among transgenders during COVID-19: Expert 02 Jun 2021 | 7:53 PM Kolkata, Jun 2 (UNI) Indian transgender people are one of the worst impacted victims of the pandemic. see more..
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBY: JULIA JACOBO, ABC NEWS

(NEW YORK)  College students are continuing to flock to beaches to celebrate spring break despite the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although universities around the country either scaled back the traditional holiday week or canceled it altogether, the Sunshine State saw an influx of traveling students over the weekend.

On Friday night, two Miami Beach Police officers dispersed a large crowd using pepper balls after two officers were injured, the police department tweeted. Authorities reported instances of bottles being thrown at police and a woman riding on top of a car.

Thirty additional arrests were made Saturday night, police said.

Earlier this month, Miami Beach City Manager Raul Aguila warned spring breakers to stay out of town, and a message to the cellphones of tourists warning them to "Vacation Responsibly."

"If you want to party without restrictions, then go somewhere else. Go to Vegas," Aguila said during a virtual city meeting.

On Saturday, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer advised the community to enjoy the weather while maintaining COVID-19 safety guidelines.

In Texas, Galveston was also a hot spot for spring breakers, where thousands of people flocked to the beach to soak in the warm weather, ABC Corpus Christi affiliate KIII-TV reported.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan to lift mask mandates and allow businesses to operate at 100% capacity on March 2.

Many people in Galveston chose not to wear the face coverings at the beach, Fort Worth resident Kelly Roberson told KIII.

"We dont need the government entity to come out here and tell us you need a mask or you dont need a mask," Roberson said.

The Transportation Security Administration screened 1,357,111 passengers on Friday and another 1,223,057 passengers on Saturday, according the the agency.

Spring break travel last year may have fueled the spread of the virus as it gained momentum in March 2020, a study out of Ball State and Vanderbilt University that used GPS smartphone data to track the movement of a sample of more than 7 million U.S. college students found.

Some colleges are getting creative in their attempts to get students to stay in town. The University of California, Davis is offering students $75 to not travel during spring break.

Other colleges, including the University of Michigan, University of Tennessee, University of Florida and Baylor University amended their calendars in the fall to do away with spring break completely due to the pandemic.

The behavior of Americans in the months of March and April will be critical in preventing another surge of the virus, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said earlier this month. Walensky has warned states against reopening too soon as the number of infections plateau.

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
UNHRC vote: President speaks to Indias PM View(s):

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking, among other matters, his countrys support for Sri Lanka at the ongoing United Nations Human Rights Council sessions.

The voting on the Resolution on Sri Lanka is due on March 22 or the next day.

India has so far remained non-committal except for a carefully worded statement its Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Indra Mani Pandey, made. Those remarks indicated that India would abstain.

The Indian Prime Ministers Office (PMO) put out a brief note on the conversation. It said Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke on the phone today with H.E. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka.

The leaders reviewed topical developments and the ongoing cooperation between both countries in bilateral and multilateral forums. They agreed to maintain regular contact between relevant officials, including in the context of COVID-19 challenges.

The Prime Minister reiterated the importance of Sri Lanka to Indias Neighbourhood First policy.
Boris Johnson is facing a legal challenge over refusing to let pubs and restaurants fully open up next month.

Hospitality trade leaders announced they were going to court over the 'plainly irrational' decision to restrict pubs and cafes to outdoor opening only from April 12 while allowing non-essential shops to reopen to customers.

Hugh Osmond, founder of Punch Taverns, and Sacha Lord, night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, claimed the risk of Covid transmission was actually higher in shops than in pubs.

Hospitality trade leaders announced they were going to court over Boris Johnson's refusal to let pubs and restaurants fully open up next month. Pictured: Revellers inside the Red Lion pub in London last year

Mr Osmond, a former director of Pizza Express, has written to the Prime Minister saying there was 'no evidence or justification' for prioritising the shops over hospitality.

He said yesterday that was because the range of Covid-safety measures put in place by the hospitality trade meant 'the risk of transmission is plainly higher in non-essential shops'.

But he told Mr Johnson that 'time is of the essence' for the sector and warned that 'the cost of lockdown to the hospitality industry is 200 million a day'.

Mr Osmond also warned the Prime Minister of the ruling's effect on jobs, citing the 'potentially indirectly discriminatory effect' on young people and those from minority ethnic backgrounds who work in hospitality.

He said yesterday: 'This legal case will give a fighting chance to over three million people who work in hospitality and to the tens of thousands of businesses, suppliers, landlords and contractors large and small forced into bankruptcy.'

The group said they were going to court over the 'plainly irrational' decision to restrict pubs and cafes to outdoor opening only from April 12. Pictured: The Prime Minister speaking at the House of Commons

Declaring 'our democracy should be better than this', Mr Osmond raised hopes that the legal action would 'open up a chink of light' for all those who had been affected adversely by the Government's anti-Covid measures.

Lawyers for the action will argue that it is 'a matter of simple logic and borne out by the evidence' that safety measures were easier to enforce in pubs and restaurants than in non-essential shops.

They will say: 'Customers attending a hospitality venue for table service are easily identifiable through track and trace which they are requested to complete as a condition of entry, and can occupy their own socially distanced areas, in stark contrast to customers browsing and queuing in shops.'
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Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (Dafza) said that Marius Ciavola shall assume the role of Chief Executive Officer of Tradeling, the B2B eMarketplace creating value for Middle East businesses.



Dafza also announced the departure of start-up veteran Muhammad Chbib, who is leaving the company to pursue a new challenge.



"We thank Muhammad for his leadership and role in building the company from inception to date," said Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director General of Dubai Airport Freezone Authority.



Ciavola was Chief Operating Officer of Tradeling and played a pivotal part in setting up the company, which focuses on unlocking the value of the digital economy through its vibrant e-marketplace serving businesses across the Mena region and beyond.



Before joining Tradeling in 2020, Ciavola was Head of Logistics at Amazon Middle East where he built the operations and grew the firms regional logistics business from the ground up and led large-scale expansion projects in the region. He also played a key role in several of Amazons global initiatives. Prior to that he held senior roles at Souq.com and Sukar.  TradeArabia News Service


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Nancy Pelosi on Sunday blamed Donald Trump for the growing crisis at the southern border under Joe Biden, including a massive overflow in detention facilities as the president promises asylum for all those seeking it.

'This is a humanitarian challenge to all of us,' the House Speaker told ABC's 'This Week' host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday morning.

She added: 'What the administration has inherited is a broken system at the border and they are working to correct that in the children's interest.'

Pelosi revealed there are 600-700 more unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border than there was during the 2019 peak of minor detention during Trump's presidency.

Facilities are now over capacity by around 700 per cent.

Biden's administration is struggling to deal with the growing crisis at the border as agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have become overwhelmed with the amount of migrants flowing into the U.S. by way of Mexico. Biden finally sent in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Saturday as agencies resorted to calling for volunteers to help.

Immediately after being sworn in on January 20, Biden took steps to undo Trump's hard-line immigration policies  including putting a stop to construction of the southern border wall.

During his campaign, Biden made it clear the U.S. would accept all those seeking asylum, leading to a wave of migrations from central America and now a swamped immigration system. The administration, however, still refuses to call the situation at the border a 'crisis.'

Biden signed a series of executive orders aimed at immigration after taking office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the exponentially growing southern border crisis is not President Joe Biden's fault, instead blaming Donald Trump for handing down a 'broken system'

'The Biden administration is trying to fix the broken system that was left to them by the Trump administration,' Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol on Sunday as the former president was pictured golfing at his West Palm Beach club

Since leaving office, Trump has been seen several times on his course, just down the street from Mar-a-Lago

As facilities become dangerously overcrowded  by about 700 per cent  some migrants were gated off in a makeshift facility below an underpass in Texas

Pelosi says the crisis is no fault of Biden, instead blaming Trump.

'The Biden administration is trying to fix the broken system that was left to them by the Trump administration,' Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol on Sunday.

'The Biden administration will have a system based on doing the best possible job understanding this is a humanitarian crisis,' she assured.

Democratic Texas Representative Veronica Escobar, whose district includes the border city of El Paso, called the conditions at the overflowing detention facilities 'unacceptable'. She toured one of these facilities on Friday.

ICE officers had to set up an outdoor processing center in Texas this weekend as they continue to struggle with the soaring number of migrants crossing the southern border.

Photographs of the giant open-air facility located in the Rio Grande Valley Center of the state were obtained by Fox News on Saturday.

The shocking snaps show hundreds of migrants sitting in a fenced-off area at the haphazard facility, set up under an overpass, after they arrived in the U.S. from Mexico.

The migrants are reportedly sorted into' family units', 'unaccompanied minors' and 'single adults' before being bused off to other facilities - which are reported to be dangerously overcrowded.

Last month, a staggering 100,000 migrants were caught trying to cross the southern border - up 30 percent from January.

And numbers are continuing to increase this month, with 125,000 migrants expected to arrive along the border in March, according to current data.

That is the highest number in years - and officials fear the figure will soar even further throughout the spring.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers set up a new outdoor processing center as they struggle to deal with the soaring number of migrants crossing the southern border after Biden promised asylum for all those seeking it

Officials in the Rio Grande Valley report that they are now apprehending more than 1,500 migrants in their small area each day and dividing them into ' family units', 'unaccompanied minors' and 'single adults' before being bused off to other facilities

The facilities migrants are sent to are dangerously overcrowded

Photographs of the giant open-air facility - located in the Rio Grande Valley Center of the state - were obtained by Fox News on Saturday

Officials do not have the infrastructure to cope with such soaring numbers, and one holding center for minors is now said to be at 729 percent of its legal capacity.

On Saturday night, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced he has directed FEMA to help with the surge of unaccompanied migrant children arriving in the U.S.

Meanwhile, ICE has asked for volunteers to help at the border 'as soon as this weekend'.

Despite the humanitarian concerns, Joe Biden and members of his administration have refused to call the situation a 'crisis'.

However, they have admitted that their 'more humane' border policies may have sparked the surge of illegal immigrants flowing into the country.

Since taking office, Biden lifted the Trump policy that forced migrants to remain in Mexico while going through the legal process to enter the US, narrowed the ICE's criteria for arrests and deportations and stopped the building of Trump's border wall.

These moves have led thousands upon thousands of migrants pouring into America leaving the border's children's centers so full that kids are being forced to spend up to 10 days in cramped detention centers meant for adults and sparking a backlog and logistical nightmare in processing the new entrants.

Biden is coming under fire from both parties with Republicans planning to use what they have branded 'Biden's Border Crisis' as their ticket to taking back the House in 2022, while Democrats have hit out at the White House's lack of preparedness for the influx his changes were in no doubt of bringing.

On Saturday, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton tweeted: 'It's time for President Biden to call this what it isa national emergency on our southern border.

Despite the humanitarian concerns, Joe Biden and members of his administration have refused to call the situation a 'crisis'

On Saturday night, DHS security Alejandro Majorkas announced he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help with surge of unaccompanied migrant children arriving in the US

An aerial view of the Donna facility which is at 726 percent of its legal pandemic capacity

More than 3,500 unaccompanied teens and children have been held in Customs Border Patrol (CBP) detention centers designed for adults in recent days.

Children must legally be transferred from CBP detention centers to the HHS shelters within 72 hours of their arrival.

But this requirement has gone out of the window as the latest data from the Department of Homeland Security shows most children are spending on average 108 hours in the cramped CBP facilities.

More than 130 children have been held in the CBP facilities for 10 days.

Children at one facility in Donna, located in south Texas, are going hungry with many reporting they have only been able to shower once in seven days as the center is at 729 percent of its legal capacity, reported CBS.

Under pandemic safety rules to allow for social distancing, the CBP holding facility permitted to hold a maximum of 250 migrants.

On March 2, there were more than 1,800 people held in the facility, CBS reported.

The facility was initially erected as a temporary site in anticipation of a surge in migration while the permanent center in McAllen is renovated but is already busting at the seams.

Neha Desai, a lawyer representing migrant youth in government custody, told the outlet children are being forced to sleep on the floor due to a lack of beds while some are being held as long as seven days - more than double the legal 72-hour limit.

'Some of the boys said that conditions were so overcrowded that they had to take turns sleeping on the floor,' Desai said after interviewing almost a dozen unaccompanied migrant children at the center.

'They all said they wanted to shower more and were told they couldn't.'

Migrant families and children climb the banks of the Rio Grande River into the United States as smugglers on rafts prepare to return to Mexico

A migrant walks amid tents at an improvised camp outside El Chaparral crossing port as he and others wait for US authorities to allow them to start their migration process in Tijuana

Acting CBP commissioner Troy Miller said in a press call Wednesday the children are being well looked after with welfare checks, blankets, baby formula, hot meals and showers at least every 48 hours.

'Many of us, maybe most of us, are parents. I myself have a 6-year-old, and these Border Patrol agents go above and beyond every single day to take care of the children,' he said.

However he admitted the agency is 'struggling' with the surge of migrant families and children at the facilities since Biden eased immigration rules when he came into office.

Border Patrol agents found 96,974 migrants last month, up from 75,312 in January. Another 3,467 were taken into custody at ports of entry.

Almost half - 43 per cent - were from Mexico, with 20 per cent from Honduras, 19 per cent from Guatemala, 6 per cent from El Salvador, and 12 per cent from other countries.

Two thirds, 68,732, of those encountered were single adults - the most single adults for any month since October 2011, according to the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), which advocates for human rights and social justice along the border.

Migrants from Central America are pictured at the Paso del Norte International Bridge after being deported

Migrants entering the US at the Paso del Norte International Bridge in El Paso, Texas on March 1

Special Advisor to the president Roberta Jacobson admitted in a White House briefing on Wednesday that the timing of the surge in migrants was 'no coincidence' with the change in rules under Biden.

'We've seen surges before. Surges tend to respond to hope, and there was significant hope for a more humane policy after four years of pent-up demand,' she said.

'So I don't know if I would call that a coincidence.'

Jacoboen said that the 'more humane policy' now in place has likely given rise to rumors among people traffickers of leniency.

The 'coyotes', as the smugglers are known, have then encouraged more migrants to pay to make the journey, she said.

'The idea that a more humane policy would be in place may have driven people to make that decision, but perhaps, more importantly, it definitely drove smugglers to express disinformation, spread disinformation about what was now possible,' she said.

A new CNN poll shows immigration as the subject area where Biden is getting the lowest marks, with 49 per cent disapproving of the Democrat's handling, compared to 43 per cent who approve.

Honduran nationals are escorted out of the brush by a Texas State Trooper after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico on a raft

Border Patrol agents found 96,974 migrants last month, up from 75,312 in January. Another 3,467 were taken into custody at ports of entry
Buckingham Palace will bring in an external independent legal firm to carry out an investigation into claims that the Duchess of Sussex bullied royal staff, reports say.

In an escalation of the standoff between the two parties, Meghan Markle has written to the Palace demanding to see documents, emails or text messages relating to the bullying complaint against her, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

But in an unprecedented move that will no doubt increase tensions further, royal staff have decided a third party should take the reins of the investigation, rather than the in-house inquiry first announced, according to The Sunday Times.

A senior Palace aide had accused Meghan of 'unacceptable behaviour' towards two personal assistants and undermining the confidence of a third, leading to the investigation which will be given to a legal firm.

Former and current royal aides who were blocked from giving evidence in court during Meghan's recent legal privacy battle are expected to speak to the inquiry.

But in a clear indication that the Duchess is preparing to fight back against what she has termed 'a smear campaign', a senior Palace source confirmed that her office had 'written to request the evidence'.

In response, the Queen has passed the request to the Prince of Wales, whose closest aides are now conducting a search of files.

Meanwhile, it emerged on Saturday night that William and Harry had 'been in contact' for the first time since last Sunday's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Sunday Times reported.

The interview saw the Duke and Duchess of Sussex make shockwaves with accusations of racism against 'The Firm'.

The Duchess of Sussex has written to Buckingham Palace demanding to see any documents relating to the bullying complaint against her

February saw two senior members of the royal staff claim they were bullied by Meghan, with a third saying they had been personally 'humiliated' and claimed two members of staff had been bullied.

Meghan has denied the accusations.

However, according to a royal source speaking to The Times: 'The actual worst incidences haven't come out. There are some harrowing stories to tell.'

'There's a lot that could come out in the wash that hasn't been told,' another source told the newspaper.

The Sussexes are not expected to be invited to take part in the investigation despite having written to Buckingham Palace about it, a decision that could widen the rift between the Royal Family and couple further.

News that Meghan is gearing up for a battle with the Palace to defend her reputation comes as:

The Queen, 94, will go ahead with planned engagements this week to continue the 'business as usual' approach taken since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave their bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey;

Meghan's friend Janina Gavankar joined the fightback by alleging that one of the PAs had been fired for 'gross misconduct' and did not leave because of bullying;

Omid Scobie, the co-author of the Sussexes' biography Finding Freedom, said he had seen an email from Meghan asking staff to correct a story that she had made the Duchess of Cambridge cry;

Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation announced it would be supporting several charities including Mind, the mental health charity, Colour of Change, an American civil rights organisation, and PressPad, which seeks to improve diversity in the media;

It emerged in a former post on Meghan's blog The Tig that she knew all about the 'pomp and circumstance surrounding the Royal Wedding and endless conversation about Princess Kate'  seeming to contradict her claim that she had little knowledge of the Royal Family before she met Harry;

The Palace said issues of race that emerged in Harry and Meghan's interview  particularly the suggestion that a member of the family raised questions and concerns about the colour of their unborn son's skin  would be taken seriously and addressed privately.

Allegations of Meghan's bullying behaviour has drawn fury from the Sussexes.

The accusation first came to light earlier this month when an email sent by Jason Knauf, the couple's then press secretary, was leaked to The Times newspaper.

The Queen and Prince Charles attending the 2019 Braemar Highland Games

Written in October 2018 when the Sussexes were still living at Kensington Palace, Mr Knauf wrote: 'I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X [Name redacted] was totally unacceptable.

'The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards Y.'

The email was sent to Simon Case, then the Duke of Cambridge's private secretary and now the Cabinet Secretary, after Mr Knauf's conversations with Samantha Carruthers, the head of HR at the Palace.

In his email, Mr Knauf said Ms Carruthers had 'agreed with me on all counts that the situation was very serious'.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey

He added: 'I remain concerned that nothing will be done.'

Buckingham Palace has said it is 'clearly very concerned' about the allegations, adding: 'Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned.'

But the Duchess's spokesman hit back saying she 'is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma'.

The Palace had hoped that any investigation would be a private matter, but that looks less likely now that friends of the Duchess have seemingly been sanctioned to defend Meghan in public.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to a request to comment.
Sunday, March 14, 2021

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas is designating Burma (Myanmar) for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This new designation of Burma for TPS enables Burmese nationals currently residing in the United States to file initial applications for TPS, so long as they meet eligibility requirements.

Secretary Mayorkas decided to designate Burma for TPS after "careful consideration of the extraordinary and temporary conditions in Burma" caused by a February 2021 coup, which has led to continuing violence, pervasive arbitrary detentions, the use of lethal violence against peaceful protesters, and intimidation of the people of Burma. Senior Biden administration officials told NPR ahead of the announcement that they estimate the new protection will cover about 1,600 people who are already in the U.S., allowing them to continue to live and work in the country legally for the next 18 months. The designation is meant to provide safety to Burmese nationals and to support their ability to speak up for democracy. The Biden adminsitration says TPS may apply to diplomats from Myanmar who have publicly broken ranks with the coup leaders and stated their support for detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Only individuals who are already residing in the United States are eligible for TPS. Individuals who can demonstrate continuous residence in the United States as of March 11, 2021, are eligible for TPS under Burmas designation. For these reasons and because of ongoing covid-19 travel bans, individuals from outside the US should not come to the US in pursuit of TPS. Additional eligibility criteria will be detailed in an official Federal Register notice and USCIS guidance. (Will update with Fed Reg once available.)

MHC

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2021/03/dhs-secretary-mayorkas-designates-burma-for-tps.html
Within a day, I had the name of the family that had lived next door. It was an unusual name, so I did a search online and found a Buddhist scholar who, to my surprise, lived in the Vermont town next to mine.

I left the man a garbled, giddy phone message asking if, by any chance, he was related to a family that had once lived in that house on 51st Street, which has since been torn down.

The next day he called back to say that he was related to all of the people who had lived in the house and that the person I was looking for was his grandfather. He also said he had met me not long ago at an art gallery opening.

What was it I wanted to know, he said.

 Joyce Marcel

Image

Times Square

Dear Diary:

Crossroads of the World

Broadway angling across 47th Street

Eighth Avenue trying to

Keep things straight

People are pushing and I feel

Like the newcomer I am

Until I see him

Black cowboy hat, long, straight black hair

Tied back with a rawhide

Broad-boned face and a barrel chest

I know hes Navajo

Im back home even though Im

Oglala from South Dakota
Fund manager Guy Anderson is excited about the prospects for the UK economy and the stock market  more so than at any time in the past three years.

Anderson, joint manager of the 2billion Mercantile Investment Trust, believes most consumers are in a healthy financial position as restrictions begin to be lifted  and this will help drive a strong UK recovery.

He says: 'There is an opportunity for the UK to experience a purple patch of economic growth as consumers start spending again against a backdrop of resilient house prices.'

With the UK stock market looking cheap compared to other global equity markets  especially the United States  Anderson says the UK could be 'the most exciting market in the year ahead' although he warns that any advance in share prices will be marked by 'volatility'.

'It won't be a straight line increase,' he adds.

Not surprisingly, Mercantile is set up to benefit from both the anticipated recovery in the UK economy and equity prices.

The trust has used some 250million of borrowings to increase its exposure to UK equities, the latest slice of which (80million) has been deployed in the last couple of months as the vaccination programme has paved the way for the economy's re-opening.

In total, the trust now has 82 holdings, compared to 75 at the end of last year.

Existing positions in economically sensitive stocks such as airline Jet2 and steel foundry supplier Vesuvius (previously known as Cookson) have been tickled up as the economic picture has brightened.

Also, new stakes have been taken in RHI Magnesita  another supplier to the steel industry  and copper miner Central Asia Metals.

'We're investing in companies that should benefit from an improving economic landscape,' says Anderson.

He says exposure to the troubled UK steel industry is negligible for both RHI Magnesita and Vesuvius.

Although Anderson is in a positive mood, he admits the past 12 months have been challenging. Last March, every holding was reassessed as the pandemic took grip.

It resulted in stocks being sold, including oil and gas companies Premier Oil and Hunting  and recruitment business Hayes.

New stakes were taken in video games specialist Team17 and food supplier Premier Foods, owner of iconic brands such as Mr Kipling, Oxo and Bisto.

Both these companies have benefited from people spending more time at home, playing more video games and eating in rather than out.

Says Anderson: 'We could see a tremendous growth runway ahead for Team17. Premier Foods is an established business and has had challenges, but it has paid down debt and is looking to sell more of its produce outside of the UK.'

Over the past five years, the trust has generated a total return for investors of 86 per cent  way in excess of the FTSE-AllShare Index (37 per cent).

Over the past year, the equivalent returns are 25 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.

Next month, the trust's board will announce the last quarterly dividend payment for the financial year ending January 30. It has already intimated the payment is likely to be 2.55 pence a share.

If so, it will mean a total dividend payment for the year of 6.6 pence  the same as in the previous year.

Some of the dividends paid to shareholders in the last year have come from the trust's healthy income reserves built up over many years for times such as now when UK dividends have been under extreme pressure.

One big attraction of the trust is its competitive annual charge of 0.44 per cent. One of a number of investment trusts managed by JPMorgan Asset Management, its stock market identification code is BF4JDH5.
A red Ferrari, 600 kg of cocaine, and an arsenal of weapons including a Japanese sword were seized from members of the largest drug gang in Madrid, police said on Sunday (March 14).

12 members of the gang were arrested and Spain's National Police called them were very violent.

Some $800,000 in cash was seized, along with 20 expensive cars, including the Ferrari.

Three daggers and several automatic weapons were also found during a series of raids.

Police said in a statement that it was the largest cocaine distribution organization in the Spanish capital.

A "drugs lawyer" carried out legal duties for the organization including money laundering, while gang members used code names to refer to each other or the apartments used to store the cocaine.

The leader of the gang, who is from Morocco, worked with other gangs in Morocco, Spain, northern Europe, and Colombia.

Spanish police worked with counterparts in Colombia to carry out the operation.

Video Transcript

- A red Ferrari, 600 kilograms of cocaine, and an arsenal of weapons, including a Japanese sword, was seized from members of the largest drug gang in Madrid, police said on Sunday. 12 members of the gang were arrested, and Spain's national police called them very violent. Some $800,000 in cash was seized, along with 20 expensive cars, including the Ferrari. Three daggers and several automatic weapons were also found during a series of raids.

Police said in a statement that it was the largest cocaine distribution organization in the Spanish capital. A "drugs lawyer" carried out legal duties for the organization, including money laundering, while gang members used code names to refer to each other or the apartments used to store the cocaine. The leader of the gang, who is from Morocco, worked with other gangs in Morocco, Spain, northern Europe, and Colombia. Spanish police worked with counterparts in Colombia to carry out the operation.
Here comes Big Sugar yet again, molding the Florida Legislature like clay in a sculptors hands.

This time its Senate Bill 88, which expands protections available under Floridas Right to Farm Act, according to a vague handout from the Senate Rules Committee.

But theres a lot of devil in the details. It ought to be called the Right to Harm bill.

This legislation is unmistakably aimed at the class action lawsuit filed in federal district court two years ago against nine sugar companies over the clouds of ash produced by the fires they routinely set to burn leaves off the sugar cane stalks to make them easier to harvest.

The bill would add fumes and particle emissions to the existing list of defensible practices.

Although the sponsor insists the bill wouldnt apply to past claims, lawyers for the people suing Big Sugar emphatically disagree.

The lawsuit is entirely based on state statutes and state law principles, and federal courts routinely address state law claims and are bound by state law in doing so, said Matthew T. Moore, one of the plaintiffs lawyers, in an e-mail to the Sun Sentinel editorial board. The lawsuit is in federal court because it is a class action, and is required to be heard in federal court. The lawsuit is affected by the bill.

Moreover, SB 88 makes the existing law much worse in every other respect.

It would be virtually impossible and a potentially ruinous gamble to sue a farm in Florida courts for any unneighborly offense.

The bill essentially redefines the common law tort of nuisance, according to Moore, to include almost any type of claim a plaintiff could make, including claims made under state pollution statutes. He calls that incredible overreach.

Also, it says a nuisance action cant be filed against a farm more than a half mile from the affected property. Thats no matter how much farther the winds blow. Big Sugars ash clouds have been known to blow as far from the cane fields as Century Village. More often, though, the ash rain falls on the less prosperous communities near the cane fields. The lawsuit covers 675 square miles.

Story continues

The bill also raises the burden of proof to clear and convincing, a much more daunting standard than preponderance of evidence, which normally applies in civil litigation.

It limits ordinary damages to the reduction in the affected propertys value, which greatly reduces Big Sugars potential liability since most of the affected communities are poor ones. It also requires proof of a criminal conviction or civil enforcement action to justify punitive damages.

And finally, the clincher: Whoever loses a nuisance claim against a farms generally accepted practices is on the hook for all the farms legal expenses, including court costs and attorney fees.

It is scandalous that the Legislature is even considering a bill like that.

The cane fields are routinely set ablaze from October until April, to the distress of people in Pahokee and other rural areas in Glades, Hendry and Palm Beach counties, where the ashes most often fall. When the suit was filed, the plaintiffs attorneys said hospitalization rates for asthma were almost five times higher in Palm Beach County than in Florida overall.

The black snow that comes from the sky, people are breathing that stuff in. Theyre getting sicker and sicker every day, said Fred Taylor, the former Jacksonville Jaguars running back, who was raised in Belle Glade and spoke in support of the suit.

Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, the prime sponsor of SB 88, says people objecting to the cane burning could still voice their complaints to regulatory agencies such as the Florida Forest Service, which is an arm of the Department of Agriculture and the EPA.

That would be futile. If the Department of Agriculture were on the job, it would have banned the burning long ago.

When Brodeur presented the bill on second reading in the Senate Thursday, no one raised a question about it. It will be on the agenda for final passage later this week.

Brodeur told the Senate that those who moved next door shouldnt be allowed to sue a farmer who has been in business 100 years.

Thats the agriculture lobbys stock argument: We were here first. It begs an important question in this instance. Burning may be the cheapest means of stripping the sugar canes, as well as the most environmentally unfriendly one, but it isnt the only way. In Brazil, Australia and other places, according to the Sierra Club, open field burning is being replaced by mechanical harvesting.

The bill has sailed through three Senate committees with only a handful of votes against it. Minority Leader Gary Farmer Jr. and Perry E. Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, voted no in the Rules Committee, but werent heard from Thursday. Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, supported it in committee.

Its a familiar clash of the Sierra Club and other environmental lobbies against big business, represented by Associated Industries, the Florida Farm Bureau and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. In such situations, the public interest usually loses.

A dark money organization called the State Government Leadership Foundation has been posting internet ads for the legislation. In an application for tax-exempt status, it told the IRS that it had been seeded with $1.3 million largely from corporations such as Exxon, Pfizer and Time Warner. Its subsequent donors are secret. In 2012, according to ProPublica, it helped Republicans gerrymander the North Carolina legislature.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, whose Forest Service division issues the burn permits, reportedly considers SB 88 unnecessary. But she hasnt opposed it, which is unfortunate. Fried ought to be pushing the industry to turn to mechanical harvesting in Florida. If she doesnt speak up, who will?

Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Rosemary OHara, Dan Sweeney, Steve Bousquet and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.
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A Japanese politician is garnering attention from across the globe after he joined the race to become the next governor of Chiba Prefecture as a joker. Yusuke Kawai, who is head of an event planning agency, announced his candidature earlier this month at a press conference where he appeared as the comic book supervillain. According to Japan Today, Kawai will fight the March 21 election with the Party to Make All of Chiba a Land of Dreams and Magic.

Self-promotion mechanism?

Kawai has shared his post-election plans on his personal YouTube channel, where he also posted a rap song titled Its Show Time to reach out to voters. According to Japan Today, Kawai is running in the election to annoy his rival candidate Masayuki Hiratsuka of the Peoples Sovereignty Party. Hiratsuka, who is an anti-mask activist, ran for election as governor of Tokyo last year but lost by a huge margin.

Meanwhile, Kawai is not the only candidate attracting the attention of people as another nominee named Teruki Goto of the Basic Income Party is also in the race. Japan Today reported that Goto is the same person who appeared on the state television covered in poop-stained diapers to campaign for the Tokyo governor election in 2020. During the 2015 Tokyo gubernatorial poll, Goto made a nude election poster of himself to woo voters.

As per reports, both Kawai and Goto have entered the fray to annoy Hiratsuka and the duo is also enjoying a lot of popularity on social media. However, reports suggest that Kawai and Goto are unlikely to win the election with some accusing them of using polls as a self-promotion mechanism.
The government of southwestern Yunnan province is tracking 15 wild Asian elephants round-the-clock as the herd moves northward. The elephants, which started their journey from the southernmost prefecture in the province on April 16, were 10 kilometers away from the provincial capital Kunming on Tuesday. The local government has been tracking and escorting the animals to keep them away from residents. The elephants have damaged 561 square meters of cropland, according to media reports

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A Catholic bishop has said gatherings before and after funerals and burials are causing serious health concerns in Ireland during the pandemic.

Priests in the western diocese of Killaloe have expressed fears over the well-being of parishioners.

The number of mourners permitted inside a church is limited to 10.

Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan said: Whilst it is such a positive and deeply ingrained aspect of our culture in Ireland to gather and offer condolences to the bereaved family, unfortunately due to the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus it is still not safe to do so.

While being sensitive to the needs of mourners for care and compassion at such a difficult time, many priests have expressed deep concern for the well-being of parishioners gathering in such a manner and I share that concern.

The Diocese of Killaloe includes portions of counties Clare, Laois, Limerick, Offaly and Tipperary.

Since the start of the pandemic, at funeral Masses, mourners and families had been understanding and patient about the public health limit of only 10 people permitted to gather for such ceremonies, the senior cleric said.

He added: Clergy, parish personnel and undertakers have undertaken Trojan work with people in the context of these difficult, stressful and sad circumstances, and I commend them for that.

However, it is in the gatherings of genuine and well-meaning people, before and after the funeral Mass, when such occasions, that raise concern, can occur.

He said that people by and large were wearing masks at these open-air gatherings, but that some chose not to.

I appeal to people to take whatever precautions possible to maximise the safety of all, he said.

I earnestly appeal to people to find alternative ways to offer condolences at this time of pandemic, and for the foreseeable future until vaccination has all of us in a better place.

Perhaps a prayer, a card, a phone call, a letter, a text, a message on social media, lighting a candle at home or in your local church, would be a safer way to offer consolation with a view to offering personal support in the near future.
Kate Garraway has revealed she had to rely on friends for financial support while off work during husband Derek Draper's coronavirus battle.

The Good Morning Britain host, 53, explained how although those in TV are 'paid a good wage compared to the nurses keeping Derek alive', she had to stop earning 'quite suddenly' last March and turned to pals for support.

Derek, 53, remains in ICU almost a year after he was admitted to hospital with Covid and the father-of-two has been left suffering from multiple health conditions.

Honest: Kate Garraway has revealed she had to rely on friends for financial support while off work during husband Derek Draper's coronavirus battle

Kate told The Times: 'Working in television, everybody does get paid a good wage compared with the nurses who are keeping Derek alive. But that obviously stopped quite suddenly last March.'

The star said she worried she'd sound like she was 'pleading poverty' and added that she's had to think about things she never contemplated before Derek's illness.

Kate admitted a major learning curve was the legal side of things, saying: 'I haven't really got my head round the legal situation.

'I've been in a continual survival mode. Just thinking, let's get through today.'

Heartache: The Good Morning Britain presenter's husband Derek Draper, 53, remains in ICU almost a year after he was admitted to hospital with novel coronavirus. Pictured in 2019

She explained that since Derek's been in hospital she's not been able to access his credit card accounts or their joint savings.

Kate even revealed she's not allowed to see her husband's medical notes because of data protection and them not giving each other power of attorney.

The mother-of-two said she recalled having a chat with Derek about how they should do this, however it never came about, with her saying she probably brushed it off by saying some joke like: 'Youre not being mine'

Kate also reflected on how she's been faced with a long-line of problems to fix at home as well as working out childcare for her two children on her own.

She detailed how during the past 12 months their family car has broken down and the replacement was stolen. And while self-isolating to visit Derek in hospital the familys fridge-freezer broke followed by a flood and failed heating.

Adding to the list of bad luck, just two days before Christmas Kate even had to call her agent, who also reps Emma Willis who works for Marks and Spencer, to sort some food for Kate and her children to have over the festive period.

Despite the difficulties, Kate praised her employers ITV and Global Radio for being 'wonderfully supportive' amid a very difficult year.

Elsewhere in her interview with The Times Kate revealed she was told her husband 'may have died' in a shocking blunder as she called to check in on his progress.

The Good Morning Britain said that she was not only told that Derek 'may' have died, but also had to wait 24 hours for confirmation he was still alive.

When she did finally get an update, Kate was told that somebody with a similar name had actually passed away.

Devastating: Kate has also confessed that she's not sure if her husband Derek will have 'any kind of life again', as he remains in hospital nearly a year after he was admitted with COVID-19

Kate also admitted she's not sure if her husband will have 'any kind of life again', as he continues to fight the myriad of complications stemming from his COVID battle.

She said her husband's current state is something from a 'horror story,' as she tries to come to terms with the possibility that his health battle could leave him suspended between life and death.

Derek was admitted to hospital in March after contracting the respiratory illness and was subsequently placed in a medically induced coma before he awoke in July.

The virus has wreaked havoc throughout his entire body, resulting in kidney failure, and liver and pancreatic damage.

On more than one occasion his heart stopped beating, he battled bacterial pneumonia and fought multiple infections which punctured holes in his lungs. He is considered to be the longest surviving COVID-19 patient in the country.

Kate  who shares children Darcey, 15, and William, 11, with her husband of fifteen years  admitted it is 'shocking' to see his current state, including his dramatic eight stone weight loss.

Sad: Kate  who shares Darcey, 15, and William, 11, (pictured in 2019) with her husband of 15 years  admitted it is 'shocking' to see his current state, including his eight stone weight loss

Kate also told The Times that doctors have said it's unlikely Derek will make a good recovery but couldn't rule out a 'reasonable' one.

When she asked what that would look like, the mother-of-two was told that being able to lift a hairbrush would be an example of a 'reasonable recovery'.

By the end of last year, he had had reportedly made some small steps towards recovery. He was able to breath naturally throughout the day and was able to swallow his own saliva - despite still being fed by a tube through his stomach.

Derek no longer required kidney dialysis and had managed to increase his movement on one side, allowing him to move his glasses on his nose.

He was even able to recognise some faces and add snippets to conversation before sinking back into the deep waters of his unconscious mind.

She is still not allowed to visit her husband due to coronavirus restrictions.

Kate said she tried to keep his hopes up by promising things would improve, but tragically his only response was: 'How?'

When Boris Johnson enforced a new lockdown in December, Kate wasn't able to see Derek at all, as she revealed his health worsened 'dramatically,' counteracting the progress they had made.

Kate is set to host an ITV documentary about her husband's battle with COVID-19.

Finding Derek will air on 23rd March, and will show Kate giving an 'unflinching account' on the past 12 months.

In the special one-off film, Kate will offer an 'intimate insight' into coping with the impact of Covid-19 on her family, as well as meeting survivors of the disease.

ITV said in a statement: 'Kate offers an unflinching account of the profound effects on her family and on others as she opens up on camera for the first time on the reality of the past 12 months.

'As Kate lays bare in the film, her family, along with many others who have suffered the effects of the virus, is now facing the reality of adjusting to a very different way of life to the one they lived before the pandemic hit.'

While Derek no longer has coronavirus, the disease has left him suffering from multiple health conditions including diabetes and holes in his heart and lungs.

Finding Derek: Kate is set to host an ITV special about her husband Derek's battle with coronavirus, and the programme is set to air on 23rd March

During one of her darkest moments Kate was told her husband may 'never come out of a coma' amid his ongoing battle.

Derek has regained minimal consciousness from his medically induced coma and while he has not been speaking, he heartbreakingly mouthed the word 'pain' in October last year.

Last week, the Smooth presenter shared her heartache about not being able to visit her husband due to coronavirus restrictions.

She said to her co-host Ben Shephard: 'Well, I haven't been able to see him, Ben. I haven't seen him since Christmas, which of course means he's back into a situation where he's looking at strangers in masks...

'And I think that's the situation for everybody, they've got somebody in the hospital at the moment, it's not unique. It's tough... It's the same for people in care homes.

Worry: During one of her darkest moments Kate was told her husband may 'never come out of a coma' amid his ongoing battle

'And when you're someone like him who is dealing with a consciousness problem and trying to emerge, I can't help but fear it's not helpful.'

In September, Derek, passed the grim milestone of becoming the longest patient battling coronavirus in hospital in the UK, with doctors telling Kate that Derek's infection was the 'highest they had seen in a patient who had lived'.

Reflecting on her last hospital visit with their children in December, Kate admitted the family reunion was 'heightened with emotion' because they saw how Derek had been ravaged by the virus.

'It was very heightened with emotion, because he's very changed,' she told viewers.

'So all the routines that we'd normally do, it was one of those moments that it was so wonderful but also it amplified how sad everything was. And how different it is. But it was still fantastic, and we're very grateful to have had that opportunity.'
London, March 14 : The easing of coronavirus lockdown and the subsequent return to schools, workplaces and social events could trigger stress and anxiety for many people, UK mental health experts warned on Saturday.

Those with mental health issues will be particularly anxious about the readjustment of life coming with the lifting of restrictions, they said.

"Lockdown has given people with mental health conditions like anxiety and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders) permission to stay at home, and knowing that at some point you'll have to go out again can actually trigger stress and anxiety," Tine Van Bortel, a senior research associate in public health at the University of Cambridge, told media.

Rosie Weatherley, an information content manager at mental health charity Mind, said: "Some of us might have found there were some unexpected plus points to lockdown, and therefore feel uneasy or anxious at the prospect of it being lifted. For example, we may be worried about 'normality' resuming, or not wanting to return to a faster pace with busier daily lives, and less downtime to ourselves." It was "really important" for government and employers to provide empathy and support for those who need it "beyond lockdown lifting", the Xinhua news agency quoted her as saying.

On February 22, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his long-anticipated "roadmap" exiting the lockdown. The March 8 reopening of schools in England was the first part of the four-step plan, which Johnson said was designed to be "cautious but irreversible".

The "roadmap" is expected to see all legal restrictions in England being removed by mid-June. Other parts of Britain, including Wales and Scotland, have also unveiled plans to ease the restrictions.

Experts have warned Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants and the risks of the public breaching restriction rules.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the US have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.
San Antonio marked a milestone Saturday in its response to the coronavirus pandemic: The number of people fully vaccinated now exceeds the total number who were infected by the virus over the past year.

With 84 new COVID-19 cases reported Saturday, Bexar Countys total case count reached 199,673.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 200,982 county residents have been fully vaccinated against the virus.

An additional 350,902 residents have received at least one vaccine dose, according to the health department.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

But local officials say San Antonio is not out of the woods.

We still have a long way to go, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement Saturday. It remains crucial to stay disciplined in our fight to block the spread of COVID-19.

Gov. Greg Abbott lifted his statewide mask order effective last Wednesday, along with capacity limits on bars, restaurants, theaters and other establishments. Local health officials are urging residents to continue wearing face masks anyway.

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District on Saturday reported four new COVID-19 deaths, which occurred over the past two weeks.

The victims included a Hispanic man in his 50s and a white woman in her 60s, both hospitalized at Methodist Hospital; a Hispanic woman in her 70s hospitalized at Mission Trail Baptist Hospital; and a white man in his 90s who was a resident of Bridgemoor Transitional Care but died at St. Lukes Baptist Hospital.

The fatalities brought the countys overall COVID-19 death toll to 2,868.

Area hospitals were caring for 248 coronavirus patients Sunday  11 more than on Friday.

Of those, 90 were in intensive care  seven fewer than on Friday  and 59 were on ventilators, two fewer than the day before.

The numbers reflect the steady improvement in San Antonios coronavirus metrics since the winter surge. At the peak of the surge in mid-January, more than 1,500 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, more than 450 were in intensive care units and 263 were on ventilators.

How to get vaccinated

WellMed is taking appointments to administer 9,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine at its vaccination hubs in San Antonio. Call 833-968-1745 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday to schedule an appointment.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

No appointments are currently available at the citys vaccination hub at the Alamodome. But residents can sign up for text alerts to be notified when appointments become available again. Text VACCINE to 55000.

University Health, another major vaccine provider, also does not have appointments available now. To find out when UH will resume making appointments, subscribe to the hospital systems Health Focus newsletter by visiting http://www.UniversityHealthSystem.com or by downloading the mobile app.

Get tested

The city has locations open where people can be tested for COVID-19 on a walk-in basis, whether or not they have symptoms.

For those without symptoms, the Barshop Community Jewish Center at 12500 N.W. Military Highway is open for tests from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Rackspace Technology Headquarters at 1 Fanatical Place is open for asymptomatic testing from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For those with symptoms, the Center of Advanced Wellness at 8723 Botts Lane is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

The Cuellar Community Center at 5626 San Fernando St. provides testing or both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Those with symptoms can be tested from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Sunday. The site is open for those without symptoms from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

The Ramirez Community Center at 1011 Gillette Blvd. offers both types of testing. Symptomatic testing is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Asymptomatic testing is offered from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

For more information, visit COVID19.SanAntonio.gov or call 311.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has clarified the government never threatened employees of any social media platform. "None of the government communications, either written or oral, have ever threatened the employees of any of the social media platforms of jail term," MeitY said.

Reacting to reports that suggest Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter employees being threatened with jail term, the IT Ministry said social media platforms are "obliged to follow the laws of India and the Constitution of India, just like all other businesses in India have to."

"As has been conveyed on the floor of Parliament, users of social media can criticise the government, the Prime Minister or any Minister but promotion of violence, rampant communal divide and stoking the flames of terrorism will have to be reflected upon," MeitY said, as per PTI.

The IT Ministry said the recent guidelines on social media platforms simply require them to put in place a robust grievance redressal mechanism for its users.

"The government welcomes criticism and dissent. However, of late, repeated instances of abuse of social media to foment hate, discord and violence by terrorist groups from outside India and circulation of morphed images of women, revenge porn posing threat to the safety of users especially women users have become grave concerns."

Recently, the Centre had issued a notice to social media giant Twitter to take down hundreds of posts, accounts and hashtags that were spreading fake news and inflammatory speech on farmers' protests in the country.

Twitter initially did not fully comply but fell in line after the government showed the rule book that contained penal provisions. The IT ministry said Twitter is an intermediary and is obliged to obey "the direction of the government and refusal to do so will invite penal action under Section 69A of the Act".

The government's response came after Twitter "unilaterally" unblocked over 250 such accounts despite blocking them after the government's advice on January 1.

The new guidelines state the government wants social media companies to have a mechanism to address complaints from users and asks them to push a monthly compliance report as well. It wants social media intermediaries to have the following:

Chief Compliance Officer - who shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with the Act and Rules

Nodal Contact Person - for 24x7 coordination with law enforcement agencies

Resident Grievance Officer - who shall perform the functions mentioned under the Grievance Redressal Mechanism

Also Read: 'Drastic changes' in monetary policy framework can upset bond market, warns Raghuram Rajan

Also Read: Centre plans to sell remaining stake in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad airports

Also Read: FPIs pull out Rs 7,013 crore from India in March 2021
Photo: Bimini's Beer Hall

Vancouver Coastal Health issued a pair of coronavirus public exposure warnings on Saturday for two Vancouver pubs.



Bimini's Beer Hall in Kitsilano and The Blarney Stone in Gastown are now the latest local eateries to appear at the top of the health authority's list of possible COVID-19 exposure sites.



The warning for Bimini's Beer Hall, located at 2010 West 4th Ave., applies to those who attended the restaurant during its opening hours on Saturday, March 6. The potential exposure event at The Blarney Stone, at 216 Carrall St., took place during the Irish pub's opening hours one day prior, on March 5.



Though the potential exposures are both believed to be low-risk, patrons who visited either establishment during the dates and times specified in the alerts are encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms of the virus.



According to VCH, there is no known risk to anyone who dropped by Bimini's or The Blarney Stone outside of the date specified in each respective warning. If those who did attend the restaurants during those times remain healthy and do not develop symptoms, there is no need to self-isolate and those people can continue to carry out their usual daily activities.
Aruka Juma saw his Amazon tribe dwindle to just a handful of individuals during his lifetime.

Numbering an estimated 15,000 in the 18th century, his people were ravaged by disease and successive massacres by rubber tappers, loggers and miners. An estimated 100 remained in 1943; a massacre in 1964 left only six, including him.

In 1999, with the death of his brother-in-law, Mr. Juma, who like many Indigenous Brazilians used his tribes name as his surname, became the last remaining Juma male. The tribes extinction was assured.

Mr. Juma died on Feb. 17 in a hospital in Porto Velho, the capital of the Brazilian state of Rondonia. He was believed to have been between 86 and 90 years old. The cause was Covid-19, his grandson Pure Juma Uru Eu Wau Wau said.

As the last fluent speaker of the tribes language, Mr. Jumas death means that many of the tribes traditions and rituals will be forever lost.
Pratt & Whitney Canada, a business unit of Pratt & Whitney, announced its award-winning PW800 engine has achieved a new milestone with the first flight of the Falcon 6X business jet, powered by PW812D engines, from Dassaults assembly centre in Bordeaux-Merignac, France.

The PW812D engine for the Dassault Falcon 6X features the latest innovations and technologies, said Maria Della Posta, president of Pratt & Whitney Canada. We are thrilled with the engines performance and proud to have it powering the Dassault Falcon 6X, building on our successful relationship with Dassault over the past 20 years of active programmes.

The PW800 is the most modern, efficient and environmentally responsible engine in its class. Using the most sustainable and high-performance technologies, the engine offers double-digit improvements in fuel burn, emissions, maintenance times and noise. The PW800 engine also incorporates the latest generation of technologies in every aspect, from advanced design to innovative maintenance functionality. For passengers, the engine is designed to provide an unmatched experience with an exceptionally quiet and comfortable cabin making it the quietest engine in its class.

All of this is backed by the most comprehensive hourly maintenance programme on the market, said Della Posta. The PW800s Eagle Service Plan (ESP Programme) represents the industrys most extensive end-to-end coverage, providing a true concierge level of service, supported by data-driven prognostics.

The engine has shown exceptional performance during testing  with 3,000 hours of engine testing, including more than 300 hours on the flight test bed and 19,000 hours on the core. With the total PW800 engine family, more than 32,000 hours of testing has been conducted, including close to 25,000 hours of flight testing.

Investing in research and development is a driving force for the company, making it Canadas largest R&D investor in the aerospace sector and the fourth in the country  all industries combined. It is this commitment and the ingenuity of its employees that push forward the development of cutting-edge, leading and dependable products and services at Pratt & Whitney Canada.-- Tradearabia News Service
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The conservative interim president who led Bolivia for a year was arrested on Saturday as officials of the restored leftist government pursue those involved in the 2019 ouster of socialist leader Evo Morales, which they regard as a coup, and the administration that followed.

Jeanine Anez was detained in the early morning in her hometown of Trinidad and was flown to the capital, La Paz, where she appeared before a prosecutor.

'This is an abuse,' she told reporters after the appearance.

'There was no coup d'etat, but a constitutional succession' when she took over.

A State Department spokesperson in Washington, DC referred DailyMail.com to tweets posted by Julie Chung, the Biden administration's acting assistant secretary for the department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Bolivia's former interim President Jeanine Anez (center) is escorted by police after her arrest in the capital city of La Paz on Saturday

Anez is seen in the police jailhouse speaking to her attorneys following her arrest in La Paz on Saturday

Former interim President Jeanine Anez is pictured left in August 2020. A former lawmaker, she became interim leader in 2019 after the resignation of Evo Morales (right), the country's first Indigenous president. Morales' supporters claim he was overthrown in a coup while his opponents said he became more authoritarian and illegally ran for a fourth term in office

A State Department spokesperson in Washington, DC referred DailyMail.com to tweets posted by Julie Chung, the Biden administration's acting assistant secretary for the department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

'We urge our friends and neighbors in Bolivia to uphold all civil rights & due process guarantees of the American Convention on Human Rights and the principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter,' Chung tweeted on Saturday

'Americans and many across the Americas know from hard experience the need to safeguard and constantly renew democratic rule of, by, and for the people,' Chung tweeted on Saturday.

'We urge our friends and neighbors in Bolivia to uphold all civil rights & due process guarantees of the American Convention on Human Rights and the principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.'

Morales accused the United States under then-President Donald Trump of engineering the 'coup' because of his policies of nationalizing Bolivias natural resources and rejection of capitalism.

The Organization of American States, an international forum where Washington is considered the dominant player, found that the 2019 election had 'clear manipulations' of the voting system that called into question Morales win.

From a police cell in La Paz, Anez called on the OAS and the European Union to send missions to Bolivia to evaluate what she called 'an illegal detention.'

The arrest of Anez and warrants against numerous other former officials further worsened political tensions in a South American country already torn by a cascade of perceived wrongs suffered by both sides.

Those include complaints that Morales had grown more authoritarian with nearly 13 years in office, that he illegally ran for a fourth reelection and then allegedly rigged the outcome, that right-wing forces led violent protests that prompted security forces to push him into resigning and then cracked down on his followers, who themselves protested the alleged coup.

Dozens of people were killed in a series of demonstrations against and then for Morales.

'This is not justice,' said former President Carlos Mesa, who has finished second to Morales in several elections.

'They are seeking to decapitate an opposition by creating a false narrative of a coup to distract from a fraud.'

Morales, meanwhile, sent a tweet saying, 'The authors and accomplices of the dictatorship should be investigated and published.'

Anez is seen above on Saturday as she is escorted to a police station after giving her statement at the prosecutor's office in La Paz, Bolivia

Anez is seen above speaking to an unidentified woman at a police station jailhouse in La Paz on Saturday

Anez is escorted by Government Minister Carlos Eduardo Del Castillo (second from right) and Bolivian Police Commander Jhonny Aguilera at the military airport in El Alto, Bolivia on Saturday

Other arrest warrants were issued for more than a dozen other former officials.

Those include several ex-cabinet ministers, as well as former military leader William Kaliman and the police chief who had urged Morales to resign in November 2019 after the country was swept by protests against the country's first Indigenous president.

After Morales resigned - or was pushed - and flew abroad, many of his key supporters also resigned.

Anez, a legislator who had been several rungs down the ladder of presidential succession, was vaulted into the interim presidency.

Once there, she abruptly wrenched Bolivia's policies to the right and her administration tried to prosecute Morales and an array of his supporters on terrorism and sedition charges, alleging election rigging and oppression of protests.

But Morales Movement Toward Socialism remained popular.

It won last year's elections with 55 per cent of the vote under Morales' chosen candidate Luis Arce, who took the presidency in November.

Anez had dropped out after plunging in the polls.

Two ministers in Anez's government were also arrested on Friday, including former Justice Minister Alvaro Coimbra, who had helped lead the prosecution of Morales' aides.

Carolina Ribera, the daughter of Anez, is seen above arriving at the police station in La Paz to visit her mother on Saturday

Ribera's mother faces charges of sedition, terrorism and conspiracy

A former defense minister and others also have been accused.

New Justice Minister Ivan Lima said that Anez, 53, faces charges related to her actions as an opposition senator, not as former president.

Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo denied it was an act of persecution, saying the case arose from a criminal complaint of conspiracy and sedition filed against her in November, the month she left office.

The Americas director of Human Rights Watch, Jose Miguel Vivanco, said from Washington that the arrest warrants against Annez and her ministers 'contain no evidence whatsoever that they have committed the crime of terrorism.'
Unknown gunmen invaded Wasinmi village, Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, leaving six herders dead. It was gathered that the gunm...

Unknown gunmen invaded Wasinmi village, Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, leaving six herders dead.

It was gathered that the gunmen opened fire on the six herders who were members of the same family.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Osun, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the tragic incident.

She said the Commissioner of Police in the State, Wale Olokode, and some detectives have moved to the village to fish out the perpetrators.

The Osun State Coordinator of Oodua Peoples Congress, Prince Deji Aladesawe, members of OPC, hunters and police have been deployed to the settlement for the arrest of the suspects.

While answering questions from our Correspondent, Aladesawe noted that there was no dispute reported from the locals earlier.
Fulfilling a dream with a little help from a pen-pal By Kumudini Hettiarachchi One of the first Lankans to export ceramic-ware to niche markets 82-year-old Dayasiri Warnakulasooriya built his business against all odds View(s): View(s):

Pen-pal bonding as 14-year-olds across the wide seas looking eastward became the stepping stone for a pioneering venture in the 1960s which has stood the test of time and the challenges of the new coronavirus.

There is no need to search for the bonikko factory, everyone knows it is down Shanthi Mawatha in Kottawa.

Humble have been the beginnings of the Midaya Ceramic Company Pvt. Limited., with just four people in a cadjan hut, more than 50 years ago in 1968, to what it is today with 230 staff, pulsating and throbbing with the whole gamut of the production line within it, sending out its beautiful handcrafted items to many destinations across the world.

One of the first Sri Lankans to export ceramic-ware to niche markets is Dayasiri Warnakulasooriya whose own tale is as fascinating as the business he built up against all odds. This Monday (March he celebrated his 82nd birthday.

From the deep south of Walgammulla, Walasmulla, Dayasiris father was a small-time fish businessman who decided to relocate his family to Colombo in 1947.

A house he built down High Street (now W.A. Silva Mawatha) in Wellawatte became the familys second home.

By some fluke, Dayasiri got admission to S. Thomas College (STC), Mount Lavinia, after doing well at the entrance examination, as his father set about establishing Ariyasinhe Stores, Ariyasinhe Drapery Stores and Ariyasinhe Hotel at Wellawatte.

Dayasiri who calls himself a godaya attracted by the swimming pool decided not to be a day scholar at STC but a boarder. So into Winchester House, he the son of a mudalali went, one of 28 boys in the 9-12 age-group, many from very affluent families.

During the holidays while his hostel mates headed for Nuwara Eliya or Yala, Dayasiri was expected by his Thaththa to kade weda karanna (work in the shop).

Those were the days when newspapers published names of children from other countries who wished to have Sri Lankan pen-friends and there began a bond with Akiko in Japan when he was 14.

Even as a little boy, Dayasiri realized that his fathers retail businesses were not sustainable as cooperatives began mushrooming in the vicinity. There was no future. His fathers shops stocked bulbs and ceramics too imported from England and Dayasiri toyed with the idea of setting up a bulb-manufacturing plant, but there was already one in Sri Lanka.

Seventeen-year-old Dayasiri then picked on ceramics. His father urged him to go to the United States of America (USA) and England to take a look at the industry. However, when he penned a letter to Akiko about his plans, her suggestion was simple.

Why not come to Japan, she suggested. Coincidentally, her father was the Vice President of a company exporting ceramics.

In 1960, Dayasiri sat his Senior School Certificate (SSC) examination from STC and headed by ship for Seto, a city in the Aichi Prefecture near Nagoya to master the art of ceramic-ware for eight years, with his father faithfully sending the princely sum of Rs. 350 (working out to about Yen 26,000) a month.

I learnt my trade in ceramic factories, schools and industries, he smiles, learning to speak Japanese fluently and also the vital importance of being punctual.

Returning to Sri Lanka not only with the art of ceramic-making ingrained in him but also with a pretty Japanese wife, Setsuko, who has been by his side, he went about setting up his business.

As he had predicted, his fathers business was on the wane and Dayasiri floated a company with seven, all kith and kin, experimenting with mosaic floor tiles and ceramic dolls, hence the name bonikko factory. By this time, the Japanese ceramic industry was facing tough times and Dayasiri came up with the initiative of making Sri Lanka a sub-contractor in triangular trade among Japan, Sri Lanka and USA.

Hurdles to his business came in different forms  securing a small order which would be his first export of ceramic ornamental-ware to the UK, he went in search of packaging.

Two box manufacturers refused point blank as the order was too small. Dayasiri recalls the disappointment with clarity even today and how armed with a bottle of whiskey he went to the Manager of one company and pleaded: Please Sir, give us the boxes.

He did get the boxes and sent off the small ceramic birds to the UK but it was also the day he decided to set up his own Midaya Packaging Industries (Pvt.) Limited, now a thriving business of its own.

Other challenges too Dayasiri has overcome, urgings by the other shareholders to sell up, when he took the decision to buy all the shares without giving up his dream.

A family tragedy he and his wife have faced with much heartache was when eldest son, Shantha, passed away suddenly after a heart attack.

Still very much a part of running his businesses though he has handed over much of the operations of the ceramics factory to his younger son Anura, the packaging factory to his second son Kumudu and his grandchildren run the Ramen Misoya Japanese restaurant, Dayasiri believes in giving back to the community, whether it is to Rotary projects (he is a very active member of the oldest Colombo Rotary Club), building pre-schools, providing essential equipment to hospitals or playing an active role in JASTECA (Japan Sri Lanka Technical & Cultural Association).

For all his good work, he has been honoured with The Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Japanese government.

We need to share, smiles Dayasiri and that is what his family does for all workers under their wing  whether during a wedding or a funeral or very recently when the workers children needed devices to follow online classes.

There is though a tinge of sadness when he speaks of his children for he misses his daughter, Samantha, who now lives in Canada.

A walk around the bonikko factory While Dayasiri walks us through the production line, explaining that they get their raw material, feldspar from Matale and quartz from Ratnapura, son Anura says that they specialize in home and horeca  hotel, restaurant and cafe  ornamental and utility ceramic-ware. As we walk around the factory, we see beautiful ornaments such as tigers and leopards, dogs in all their variety, sheep egg cups, candle-holders, vases, mugs and plates and more. Passed on from father to son, it is Anura who has taken the business to the next level exporting their niche and also limited edition products to many countries across the globe. Anura picks up two items  candle fills  and with pride says that theirs is the only factory in the world which has developed the technique to manufacture this unique item and export to China. We are the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for many brands such as Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Iittala and Hay who hire us for our skills and provide us the designs. Ten percent are our designs which include our earth (terracotta) and titanium ranges, says Anura. Smilingly, he concedes that he and his father always argue about what should be done, but the common ground on which they meet is quality.
The team operating NASA's Perseverance rover has started cataloging geological formations on the surface of Mars with names from the Navajo language.

The names are a nod to the project's large contingent from universities and national labs in New Mexico and Arizona, states that include traditional Navajo land, Forbes reported.

Perseverance, nicknamed Perky, landed on Mars February 18 following a 239-million mile journey.

The rover's first scientific focus is a rock named 'Maaz'  the Navajo word for 'Mars.'

An image of the the rover's first scientific focus, a rock named 'Maaz'  the Navajo word for 'Mars'

Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer (left) and President Jonathan Nez (right)

Surface missions assign nicknames to landmarks to provide the mission's team members, which number in the thousands, a common way to refer to rocks, soils and other geologic features.

Before launch, Perseverance's team identified a grid of quadrangles of about 1.5 square kilometers (1 square mile) each. The team named the quads after national parks and preserves on Earth with similar geology, with Perseverance touching down in the quad named for Arizona's Canyon de Chelly National Monument.

Aaron Yazzie of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, a team engineer who is Navajo, sough the Navajo Nation's permission and collaboration with the naming aspect of the work.

Some terms were inspired by the terrain Perseverance captured in images at its landing site, such as 'tsewozi bee hazhmeezh,' or 'rolling rows of pebbles, like waves.' Yazzie added suggestions including 'bidziil,' or 'strength,' and 'ho nili,' or 'respect.' Perseverance was translated to 'Ha'ahoni.'

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer provided a list of words in the Navajo language that could be used by the Perseverance team.

The list includes 50 names and is expected to grow as the rover team works with Navajo Nation officials and Perseverance continues to explore.

'The partnership that the Nez-Lizer Administration has built with NASA will help to revitalize our Navajo language,' Nez said.

'We hope that having our language used in the Perseverance mission will inspire more of our young Navajo people to understand the importance and the significance of learning our language,' Nez added. 'Our words were used to help win World War II, and now we are helping to navigate and learn more about the planet Mars.'

Perseverance has to be 'taught' the language to recognize landmarks labeled in Navajo. The accent marks used in the English alphabet to convey the intonation of the language cannot be read by the rover's computer.

While the team attempted to find translations that best resembled Navajo spellings, Yazzie said they plan to use English letters without special characters or punctuation to represent Navajo words.

Project scientists embraced the opportunity to learn Navajo words and their meaning, Perseverance Deputy Project Scientist Katie Stack Morgan said.

'This partnership is encouraging the rover's science team to be more thoughtful about the names being considered for features on Mars  what they mean both geologically and to people on Earth,' Stack Morgan said.

A key objective for Perseverance's mission is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize Mars geology and past climate, becoming the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and soil and paving the way for human exploration.

The latest recording shared by NASA is Perseverance firing off its laser for the first time on Mars (concept drawing)

The rover is strapped with a slew of high-tech instruments to help it uncover the crater's secrets.

A SuperCam fires laser beams that heat targets to 9,982 degrees Celsius (18,000 Fahrenheit), which is hot enough to transform the solid rock into plasma that can be imaged by a camera for further analysis.

The technology, located on the mast, releases pulses capable of vaporizing rocks from up to 6 meters (20 feet) away and is a key component for investigating signs of ancient life in the Jezero Crater, a former lake that flowed with water 3.5 billion years ago.

Attached to the mast is a 12-pound sensor designed to perform five types of analyses to help scientists determine which rocks the rover should sample.

The latest audio recording shared by NASA was from Perseverance's first laser shot. The sounds of 30 impacts can be heard during the recording captured by an attached microphone.

The clip shared by NASA, which is about 10 seconds, includes the first sounds recorded from the Martian world.

The laser enabled the ground team to analyze the target's composition, which proved to be mostly volcanic rocks.

NASA says 'variations in the intensity of the zapping sounds will provide information on the physical structure of the targets, such as its relative hardness or the presence of weathering coatings.'

Perseverance chose the target Maaz, which is Navajo for 'Mars,' which sat 10 feet away from its location. NASA intercepted the pulses for a further analysis that determine the rocks were mostly volcanic

Combining two images, this mosaic shows a close-up view of the rock target named 'Yeehgo' from the SuperCam instrument on NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars. The component images were taken by SuperCam's Remote Micro-Imager (RMI). To be compatible with the rover's software, 'Yeehgo' is an alternative spelling of 'Yeigo,' the Navajo word for diligent

Picture is an image of delta near Jezero Crater that is a raised area of dark brown rock in the middle of the ground. Perseverance now making its way to the crater that was a former lake flowing with water 3.5 billion years ago

'These recordings have demonstrated that our microphone is not only functioning well, but we also have a very high-quality signal for our scientific studies,' SuperCam team member Naomi Murdoch, a researcher at the Institut Superieur de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace in Toulouse, France, said Wednesday.

It is not yet clear if the area was once volcanic, said SuperCam principal investigator Roger Wiens of Los Alamos National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy facility in New Mexico.

Maaz could be 'a sedimentary rock composed of igneous grains that were washed downriver into Jezero Lake and cemented together,' Wiens said.

Perseverance is one of two NASA rovers currently operating on the Red Planet. Curiosity has been trundling along Gale crater since August 2012.
Kabul, March 14 : Militancy and conflicts have increased in the war-torn Afghanistan as more than 30 people were killed over the past 24 hours amid accelerated peace efforts to find a negotiated solution to the country's lingering crisis.

In the latest wave of violent incidents, a roadside bomb struck a mini-bus in Uruzgan province on Saturday morning, killing three people and wounding four others, all civilians, the provincial government confirmed in a statement.

Similarly, an explosives-laden car was detonated in Herat city on Friday night, which left eight dead including one policema, and injured 54 others.

Three more civilians including women and children were killedas a mortar fired by insurgents struck a residential area in Nurak village outside Zabul provincial capital Qalat on Friday, police said.

Neither the Taliban nor the Islamic State terror group have claimed responsibility.

Increase in fighting is taking place amid accelerated peace efforts to end the war in Afghanistan and bring about peace in the country.

Russia, according to local media reports, is going to hold peace conference on Afghanistan on March 18 with the participation of Afghanistan's neighbouring states as well as other countries including China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, the US and India.

Turkey is also arranging a US proposed conference on Afghanistan peace process in April to help find a political solution to the war-torn country's lingering crisis.

"The Taliban group would continue to increase insurgency in a bid to get more ground and speak from strong position in any possible talks with the Afghan government," observer Khan Mohammad Daneshjo told Xinhua.
North Korea and Pakistan have exposed themselves to such conditions that they can never get rid of Chinas control for several decades to come.

by N.S.Venkataraman

China forcibly entered Tibet , then an independent country, a few decades back and violently suppressed the protest by the Tibetans. Now, it exercises a vice like grip over Tibet and is putting down the voice of freedom in Tibet with the ruthlessness that it is known for .The world is remaining silent about Chinas aggression in Tibet , making one suspect that the world is largely self centered and do not want to fight for cause.

Domination over Pakistan and North Korea :

The next attempt to satisfy the expansionist greed of China was made with regard to North Korea and Pakistan, where too it has succeeded.

While there is an elected government in Pakistan, by entering into agreement with China with regard to One Belt One Road project and giving a free run to China ,Pakistan is now deeply debt ridden to China , which is now holding critical control over several mines and projects in China, apart from the critical Gwadar port.

North Korea is now under the control of a ruthless leader who is not much different from that of Chinas leadership. The leadership of North Korea desperately need Chinas support to survive in the face of the boycott by rest of the world.

North Korea and Pakistan have exposed themselves to such conditions that they can never get rid of Chinas control for several decades to come.

Nepal and Sri Lanka - In the radar of China :

In the case of Nepal, China has now suffered a temporary set back, as the communist party in Nepal has split and judiciary in the country has asserted itself . However, China is likely to continue the efforts to browbeat Nepal and may bounce back to gain greater control over Nepal in the not distant future by fair or foul means, particularly due to weak economy of Nepal and its locational vulnerability to China.

Sri Lanka is another country, which has unwittingly driven itself to become a debt ridden country to China and the forced sacrifice of Sri Lanka to hand over the control of Hambantota port to China is too glaring to be ignored. However, it appears that Sri Lankan government is yet to learn about the need to save itself from Chinas control. The slow intrusion of China into Sri Lanka continues unabated .

Support for Myanmar military junta :

The military in Myanmar which has over thrown the democratically elected government and is suppressing the protest movements in Myanmar with heavy force, is obviously enjoying the blessings of China for its misdemeanour. While UNO and a number of countries have condemned the Myanmar military which has taken over the government, it is conspicuous that China has not done so and gives an impression that it is tacitly supporting the military junta.

Myanmar is a poor developing country, though it has rich resources. At present, Myanmar is heavily dependent on China for trade and there is natural gas pipeline from Myanmar to supply natural gas to China which very much China needs.

Earlier, the democratically ruled Myanmar under the guidance of Aung San Suu Kyi was earnestly trying to resume relationship with other countries by encouraging overseas investments and collaboration which is not to Chinas liking. Some people suspect that China could have encouraged the military in Myanmar to take over the government, to retain Chinas control over Myanmar. It appears that China has done its job well !

Chinas control over Sri Lanka is evident from the fact that Sri Lankan government has invited the Myanmar Juntas minister ,which clearly indicates that Sri Lankan government is acting at the behest of China, as China wants to give a sort of legitimacy to the military take over of Myanmar.

Indias concern :

India is one country which is facing direct threat from China, which is already occupying thousands of kilometres of Indian territory. It is claiming Arunachal province in India as its own. China has decided to build a huge hydro electric project in Brahmaputra river in Tibet, which would seriously affect the flow of water to north eastern India that can upset the agricultural economy of the region .

In the earlier years of his Prime Ministership, Modi under estimated Chinas greed or over estimated its strength just like his predecessors Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Behari Vajpayee. Like them , Modi also tried to buy peace with China, which has been proved to be a futile attempt.

Now, Prime Minister Modi has no alternative other than facing the might of China with all the force at Indias command.

Why QUAD needed?

In such circumstances and with particularly Chinas threat of taking over Taiwan at any time and cruelly putting down the protest in Hong Kong , the situation clearly point out to the need to build a counter force against China to protect the stability of Asia Pacific region . In view of such developments, the recent meeting of the Quadrilateral frame work (QUAD) by four countries namely USA, Japan, Australia and India has assumed significance and importance. Though the speeches made at the QUAD have been more focused on such mundane matter as equitable access to vaccine etc., no one can miss the point that QUAD is essentially aimed at forcing a halt to Chinas aggression and expansionist greed and ambition.

Of course, China has clearly understood this and has said that exclusive blocs should not target third party. Here, the third party refers to China.

There is underlying fear all over the world that a day may come sooner or later, when the world would feel the heat from Chinas aggressive postures.

There is already clear evidence for this. Apart from territorial aggression and attempts to dominate over the neighbouring countries, China is also slowly cornering the valuable wealth of the world , particularly in weak countries. The immediate example is that of China getting a strangle hold over the cobalt deposits of Democratic Republic of Congo ,which possesses more than 50% of the worlds cobalt reserves. Cobalt is an essential input material for production of lithium ion battery , which is necessary component of electric vehicles.

At one time, the world felt the heat of Hitlers aggressive tactics and second world war happened .

The question is whether history will repeat itself with China now replacing Hitler and the QUAD association being activated and strengthened to face the likely onslaught of China in economic and military terms.

Obviously, QUAD is the most significant development in the present context.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating

QUAD would serve its purpose only if it would be able to create fear amongst the leadership of the dictatorial government in China that China cannot have its way in carrying out political , economic and military aggression.

Considering Chinas present economic and military strength and the greed to become the super power of the world at any cost , the economic, military and political strength of the four QUAD partners are vitally needed.

Prime Minister Modi has clearly said that QUAD will become closer than ever before to ensure stability in Asia Pacific region.

Obviously, the success of QUAD would be judged by the ability of the QUAD partners to ensure safety of Taiwan from Chinas onslaught, protection of freedom of citizens of Hong Kong and liberation of Tibet from Chinas occupation .
We have been talking on Zoom for a few minutes when Sarah Ling breaks into a broad, if slightly lopsided grin. Her right eye squints, then closes  she looks a bit like shes winking. As she stops smiling, her eye remains closed for a while longer, before relaxing.

I can feel it happening, says Sarah, 43, who works for a fostering agency and lives near Cambridge with husband Matthew, 42, and their 18-month-old son Benjamin. But because were on Zoom, I can see it too, which makes it so much worse.

Sarah suffers from facial palsy  a weakness of the facial muscles, caused by problems with one of the major facial nerves which control the muscles around the eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks and forehead.

Some people with the condition also suffer facial spasms and, in Sarahs case, this causes a pronounced wink when she smiles  which, as I discover during our 20-minute chat, is something she does often. The muscles in her cheek and neck, on her right side, also tense and lock uncomfortably.

Lopsided grin: What happens when facial palsy sufferer Sarah Ling smiles during a Zoom call  her right eye squints, closes and appears to wink. I thought Id had a stroke, she says

There is a treatment for the condition: injections of Botox, the toxin famously used as a cosmetic anti-wrinkle therapy but which also has a wide variety of medical uses. The jabs work by blocking nerve signals to the muscles into which its injected. But when the pandemic hit, clinics closed. Botox, even for these patients, was deemed cosmetic and non-essential.

Sarah was able to have one round of injections with her NHS specialist back in August last year, when services recommenced briefly, but has been told that she has no prospect of another session until June. Patients in some areas may face even longer waits.

Sarah has suffered from the condition since being struck by a viral infection in 2016, and agreed to talk to me on Zoom to show me exactly what she deals with, day to day.

She says she broke down when she was told she would not get another lot of jabs before summer. I begged them  I was actually sobbing. The spasms come on when I smile, and when Im tired. My family have told me it doesnt look too bad, but as Im spending all day in Zoom meetings, I can see myself, so I know theyre just trying to make me feel better.

Sarahs problem began five years ago. I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror  and to be honest, I thought Id had a stroke. I was staying with a doctor friend who did a quick assessment, and she said, no, it was facial palsy.

Sarah went straight to hospital, where she was offered steroids, which can help dampen inflammation in and around the facial nerve.

FACE FACTS Descriptions of facial palsy-type conditions are mentioned in ancient Greek, Roman and Ottoman medical writings. Advertisement

Days later she developed shingles, a painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus. Doctors now think thats what triggered the facial palsy, says Sarah.

She was given antiviral treatment, but her face never recovered.

Ive since read the guidelines, which say patients need to be given steroids and antivirals within the first 72 hours, but this didnt happen for me. Maybe Id be in a different situation if I had been given both. Botox is now the only thing that helps. But clinics are suspended and there is nothing doctors can do.

Even before Covid, facial palsy patients waited more than five years on average for referral to a specialist NHS team, according to Facial Palsy UK. Where such a service is provided, many GPs are unaware of where to refer to.

Botox, combined with facial physiotherapy, is incredibly effective  and although jabs must be repeated every three months at first, gradually patients can wait longer between appointments. There is a worry now that, without regular sessions, for some the condition will worsen.

Its thought that 25,000 people a year are hit by facial palsy. There are more than 50 different causes  including autoimmune diseases and viral infections. Covid may have led to an increase in cases, with studies showing more patients have been going to A&Es with facial palsy symptoms in the past year. In many cases, however, the exact cause remains unknown.

While the majority of patients make a full recovery within a matter of months, others dont.

The jabs work by blocking nerve signals to the muscles into which its injected. But when the pandemic hit, clinics closed. Botox, even for facial palsy patients, was deemed cosmetic and non-essential (file photo)

Doctors point out that problems are wide-ranging and can be life-destroying. Chewing, speech and facial expressions are often affected, and some sufferers may find theyre unable to blink.

Plastic surgeon Monica Fawzy, an expert in treating the condition, said: Facial palsy is often seen as a cosmetic issue, but its not.

Pain and difficulty eating are common, and others may be left unable to close one or both eyes, even when trying to sleep.

But there is also a psychological toll, as Ms Fawzy, who is a spokesman for the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, explains: Patients get accused of scowling. One gentleman I saw was reprimanded at work for repeatedly winking at female colleagues, when it was involuntary.

Facial palsy can cause patients to dribble when they eat  meaning restaurants are a no-go.

In February the Royal College of Surgeons warned that more than 200,000 patients had been waiting more than a year for hospital treatment (file photo)

Charles Nduka, consultant plastic surgeon and Facial Palsy UK Founder, said existing patients were being hit with treatment delays but he also fears new cases, including in children, may be missed. He added: Treatments become less effective and costlier the longer a patient is left.

This month the charity published the first-ever guidelines on providing psychological support to patients living with the condition.

The concerns come against a backdrop of lengthening NHS waiting lists. In February the Royal College of Surgeons warned that more than 200,000 patients had been waiting more than a year for hospital treatment.

Botox treatment for facial palsy is usually carried out by NHS plastic surgeons and services were drastically pared back as staff were redeployed to frontline roles during the pandemic.

Things are starting to ease but staff numbers are still not back to normal, as many have been off sick, says consultant plastic surgeon Nigel Mercer, vice-president of the Confederation of British Surgery. Unfortunately, Botox clinics for facial palsy, even for children, have been seen as a low priority.

Meanwhile Sarah fears her next appointment may be cancelled, and says: I know Botox isnt a life or death treatment, but that doesnt mean it doesnt matter.
Families of some of the 16 Guatemalan migrants killed near the Mexico-U.S. border in late January held wakes for them on Saturday in the town of Comitancillo, where 11 of the victims were from.

The migrants' charred bodies arrived Friday night to the region near Guatemala's border with Mexico after being sent from the other side of Mexico, Reynosa, just across the U.S. border from Texas.

The house of Elfego Roliberto Miranda Diaz, 24, was filled with neighbours who arrived with flowers or offerings for the mourners.

Most were friends from the church where he was pastor.

A mariachi band that sang Christian music participated in the wake.

Magdalena Dalila Miranda Diaz, sister of deceased Elfego Roliberto, said he left looking for work planning to stay temporarily in the United States, as there are no work opportunities for them in Comitancillo.

Other relatives asked for justice for their loved ones.

A dozen state police officers in Mexico were arrested in connection with the killings, but authorities have not ruled out possible links to drug cartels that frequently charge immigrant smugglers for passing through their territory.

President Alejandro Giammattei confirmed this month that five Guatemalans had survived the attack and were under protection in the United States.

Giammattei said Friday that his government remained in communication with Mexican authorities to ensure those responsible for such a deplorable act are punished. He said the crime must be cleared up so that nothing similar happens again.

The Guatemalan government declared three days of mourning.

The 16 bodies, along with three others, were found piled in a charred pickup truck in Camargo, across the Rio Grande from Texas, in an area that has been bloodied for years by turf battles between the remnants of the Gulf cartel and the old Zetas cartel.

Relatives of the dead first raised the alarm that something horrible had happened in Camargo. Because the bodies had been burned, it took weeks for positive identifications through DNA samples, but the families in Guatemala had already started mourning.

The families had suddenly lost communication with their migrating relatives around January 21, and believed they had been near the area where Mexican authorities made the grisly discovery.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
(Newser)  Police clashed with mourners Saturday at a vigil attended by thousands for a woman who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by one of their own. At a spot in South London's Clapham Common near where 33-year-old Sarah Everard is believed to have been snatched from the roadside while walking home the night of March 3, peaceful mourners were dragged away, and some handcuffed, after police say they were acting in violation of coronavirus regulations, per CNN. Outrage over the show of force comes just days after Wayne Couzens, a London police officer, was arrested in Everard's murderincluding from politicians like Home Secretary Priti Patel, who called footage from the vigil "upsetting" in a tweet.

story continues below

Per the Evening Standard, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he's "urgently seeking an explanation" amid accusations that male officers at the vigil were "manhandling" some female mourners. In a statement, Metropolitan Police Service Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball defended officers' actions, saying they "were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect peoples safety." Police said four arrests were made in total. Per the AP, 48-year-old Couzens appeared in court Saturday for the first time and was remanded in custody and has another appearance scheduled Tuesday at Londons Central Criminal Court. (Read more London stories.)
Climate activist Disha Ravi, who was arrested in connection with allegedly being involved in sharing a "toolkit" on social media related to the farmers' protest and released on bail later, wondered on Saturday when it became a crime to think of sustenance on earth.

"Locked in my cell, I wondered when it became a crime to think the most basic elements of sustenance on this planet were as much mine as theirs," the 22-year-old activist from Bengaluru said in her four-page statement posted on Twitter.

Wondering why were millions paying the ultimate price for the greed of a few hundred, Ravi said the human race would be inching closer to its own expiry "if we did not act in time to stop the endless consumption and greed."



The activist claimed during her arrest her autonomy was violated and her photographs were splashed all over the news.

"My actions were pronounced guilty -- not in the court of law, but on flat screens by seekers of TRPs," Ravi lamented.

Expressing her gratitude to the people who came out in her support and fought her case pro bono (term usually refers to services that are rendered by a professional for free or at a lower cost), she said the past few days had been painful.

"I was lucky enough to have excellent pro bono legal assistance but what of all those who do not? What of all those still in jail whose stories are not marketable? What of the marginalised that are not worthy of your screen time?" Ravi argued.

Underlining that truth, no matter how long it took, always revealed itself, the activist quoted Soni Sori, an activist from the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, who said, "We are threatened every day, our voices crushed; but we will continue to fight."



Ravi, who hails from Bengaluru, was arrested on charges of sedition by the Delhi police on February 16. She was arrested for allegedly sharing and editing a document intended to amplify the protests against the new farm laws.

The 'toolkit' a common term used by social activists for campaign material was also tweeted by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

In its order granting Ravi bail on February 23, a Delhi court said there was nothing on record to suggest that Ravi "subscribed to any secessionist idea".

"The offence of sedition cannot be invoked to minister to the wounded vanity of the governments," the court order read.

(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| 2021-03-14 17:50:42|Editor: huaxia

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On a drizzly fresh morning, Lu Panfeng, 45, was inspecting and recording the conditions of wheat in the city of Huai'an, east China's Jiangsu Province. Once utterly obscure, he was awarded as a national role model for efforts in poverty alleviation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last month.

During the past eight years, as the Party chief of Fengnian village in Huai'an, once a poverty-stricken village, Lu has worked out a busy schedule to lead his villagers out of abject deprivation by developing local agricultural collectives and distinctive industries.

In 2020, the collective incomes of the village notched up 1 million yuan (about 153,000 U.S. dollars), quadrupling that of two years ago.

Daizhuang Village was once one of the poorest villages in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. Before 2003, villagers' per capita annual income was less than 3,000 yuan (about 460 USD).

After a field investigation in 2003, Zhao Yafu, an agricultural expert, decided to help the village fight poverty through organic farming. Since then, on more than 200 days out of a year, he led villagers to the fields to check the growth of organic rice.

More and more farmers started to engage in organic farming. At present, more than 8,500 mu (about 560 hectares) of agricultural and forestry land in the village and surrounding areas have adopted new ecological technologies.

In 2020, villagers' per capita net income was about 34,000 yuan (about 5,200 USD), with the collective income of the village reaching 4.35 million yuan (about 668,600 USD).

Peng Rui, a 41-year-old university lecturer in Jiangsu's city of Suzhou, spends most of his spare time in Shushan Village as a designer in rural planning.

In 2012, the village committee invited the teaching staff in Suzhou University of Science and Technology to engage in village planning and Peng was among them.

The village with over 400 households has its specialties of tea, pears and red bayberries. "I felt like Shushan has so many good natural resources, just a pearl covered in dust," Peng said.

Shushan is now like a magnet that has attracted two coffee shops, 13 homestays and even a five-star international hotel chain. Villagers at Shushan sold 55 million yuan worth of agricultural products in 2020. Their per capita income exceeded 45,000 yuan.

Over the last eight years, China's final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living below the subsistence level declared poverty-free. The country then met the poverty eradication target set out in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule.

To ensure that those who have been lifted out of poverty will not be snapped back into impoverishment, China will implement strategies including rural vitalization in an all-around manner during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, safeguarding the sound development of modern agriculture and increasing income for farmers.

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The FBI in Louisville, Kentucky, released a statement Saturday on an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting of Breonna Taylor, marking the one-year anniversary of her death.

FBI Louisville remains steadfast in its commitment to bringing this investigation to its appropriate conclusion, Special Agent in Charge Robert Brown said in a statement that was shared on Twitter Saturday morning.

Even though the COVID pandemic presented several unexpected obstacles, FBI Louisville has made significant progress in the investigation since it was initiated in May 2020. Our team is actively investigating all aspects of her death and will continue to work diligently until this investigation is completed, Brown added.

Taylor was a 26-year-old African American emergency room technician who was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers in her Kentucky apartment on March 13, 2020.

In September, Taylors family and the city of Louisville announced a record $12 million settlement in a wrongful-death lawsuit.

The settlement, the largest-ever paid by the city in an officer-involved shooting case, also included a number of police reform measures.

The FBI probe is seeking to determine whether Taylors civil rights were violated.

The agency said this week that theres no timeline for the investigation to be completed, local television station WLKY reported.

Gov. Andy Beshear also marked the date by issuing a statement to remember Taylors tragic and unnecessary loss and to highlight the immense work we have ahead of us.

I will never understand the unimaginable grief of (Taylors mother) Tamika Palmer and other family and loved ones, but I am committed to listening and working with others to build a more equitable and fair commonwealth for every Kentuckian, the Democrat said.

Earlier this week, Palmer filed internal affairs complaints against six officers with the Professional Standards Unit of the Louisville Metro Police Department, CNN reported Saturday.

Her attorney, Sam Aguiar, said in a statement that these internal affairs complaints were filed to get answers, explanations and accountability.

Palmer called the investigation of the shooting a catastrophic failure, according to WDRB Louisville.



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The lawyer from Mannar who wont give up the fight By Yomal Senerath-Yapa Ranitha Gnanarajah, honoured with an International Women of Courage award on March 8 has encouraging words for women out there View(s): View(s):

She has been in the headlines this week and now has her own Wikipedia page, but 41-year-old Ranitha Gnanarajah, just three days after receiving an International Women of Courage award, is busy at her simple Bambalapitiya office- buried in files even though its Mahasivaratri  when its time for family kovil vigils, marigold garlands and shimmering sarees.

On March 8, in a virtual ceremony, the human rights activist and lawyer was given the award instituted by then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2007 to mark International Womens Day, probably Americas answer to a gloves-off damehood, one where the criteria is leadership, courage, resourcefulness, and willingness to sacrifice for others- especially in promoting womens rights.

Born and brought up in Mannar, Ranitha went to St. Xaviers Girls National College and left the tiny island only when she got the opportunity to study law at the Colombo University.

A grandfather who was president of the citizens committee of the island inspired Ranitha to be a human rights activist and lawyer. He helped a lot of families affected by the violation of human rights- arrest, detention, disappearance, torture.

Ranithas work for the marginalized has been twofold. Firstly, providing free legal aid to prisoners detained without charge under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and to families seeking to learn the fate of relatives believed to have been victims of forced disappearances. Alien to the confused melee of Colombo, their tragedies often lost in translation, families of the disappeared feel overwhelmed. Those detained too tend to suffer due to long delays in court cases.

The second area she is active in is against sexual and gender-based violence, and for womens equal rights to land and property. Visiting the field she sits down with rural womens groups, and builds up awareness of legal practices, procedures, and the supportive mechanisms available to them at community level.

She takes up serious cases of sexual violence  rape, abuse, harassment, appearing voluntarily in court on behalf of the aggrieved party. To say the whole story from the victims side is important.

In cases of domestic and gender-based violence, Ranitha works with police stations, supporting the victims to make the complaint and file domestic violence actions through police or other agencies like legal aid commissions.

Another segment of her work that was recognized was leading awareness campaigns that have increased access to womens shelters, counselling services, and medical care for survivors of domestic violence. But land issues have been, by far, the most bedeviling.

In the aftermath of the war, with many women struggling to claim ownership of lands registered in the names of husbands and male relatives, Ranitha and her colleagues spend a lot of time negotiating with the land officers on their behalf.

When news rippled of Ranithas achievement, many she helped rang her, their voices jubilant, to tell her they are celebrating. It was not her win alone.

Nonetheless, being a woman activist braving the post-war quagmire is no cakewalk. Looks of askance at an NGO worker have to be taken in her stride, and being a woman itself is a disadvantage. They will flirt or comment or criticize- and try to bring your energy down and not allow you to do the work properly.

But when I feel I am getting down with energy, on the other hand, I get the support of my male colleagues, she says gratefully.

Ranitha has this to say to her sisters: Dont give up the fight. We will be in a better world in the future. For that, we have to work towards goals and face challenges. And then make those challenges steps- to move on with our work.

Her appeal to the world at large would be to help women working in their professional fields. Dont criticize or underestimate their courage or energy- walk along with them and support them; it will create an opportunity for women to work on an equal platform.
Boris Johnson vows to end 'conversion therapy'; MPs attack prayer as harmful, like 'torture'

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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson described therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction as "repulsive" and vowed to end so-called conversion therapy days after Parliament members likened prayer and fasting to such past practices as electroshock therapy and "corrective rape."

Johnson apologized last Friday amid complaints from activists that his government has delayed taking action on the issue of gay conversion therapy after he declared in July 2020 that the practice was absolutely abhorrent and vowed to ban such therapies.

According to The Telegraph, three of his advisers who identify as LGBT "quit over a lack of progress."

Proponents of such a ban say the practice is cruel, ineffective and contributes to suicide among LGBT-identifying people.

During a trip to Belfast last week, the prime minister described the practice of trying to change someone's sexuality as "repulsive," according to Sky News. Johnson reportedly noted that the issue was "technically complex" but assured that he was committed to outlawing conversion therapy.

"I think this practice is repulsive and I think it's abhorrent and I'm sorry these advisers have gone but be in no doubt that we will deal with this issue," he told reporters. "It is technically complex to deal with but we're determined to take further steps to stamp it out."

At a Westminster Hall debate titled "LGBT Conversion Therapy" last Monday, members of the Petitions Committee discussed a petition demanding that the government criminalize the practice of so-called conversion therapy and criminalize the act of sending people abroad to attend conversion therapy.

Conversion therapy is defined as any effort to change one's sexual orientation or gender identity.

During the debate, pastoral support was also branded as a form of conversion therapy and described as torture.

Eliot Colburn, a Conservative member of Parliament and a member of the Petitions Committee, led the debate and said the practice shows up in several ways, from pseudo-psychological treatments and aversion therapies to practices that are religiously based, such as purification or fasting, according to the Christian Institute.

"With every day that passes, there is another person at risk of being subject to this degrading treatment and we risk losing even more lives of people who feel there is no other way out, he said.

Angela Eagle, a Parliament member who served as a government minister during the tenure of former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, derided the use of prayer for people with unwanted same-sex attraction as harmful. Eagle said it was akin to being told by faith leaders or your family that you are sinful.

Being told to pray harder to change and to question your innermost feelings and thoughts, none of that should be legal, she asserted.

In February, Conservative MP Alicia Kearns wrote in The House magazine that the existing laws do not enable prosecution where no physical harm has been caused.

She further argued that any attempt to stop someone from expressing their adopted gender identity or sexual orientation is conversion therapy and ought to be banned. In her description of what constitutes conversion therapy, she listed "prayer sessions" alongside things like electroshock therapy and "'corrective' rape."

By contrast, opponents of a therapy ban argue that the term conversion therapy belies what is actually occurring, particularly in Christian churches and ministries, as electroshock and other forms of aversion treatments have been against the law for many years.

What is practiced in some therapeutic environments  often though not always religious  is talk therapy, where individuals who present with conflicting feelings or distress regarding their sexual attractions or gender confusion speak with a counselor.

Christian Institute Deputy Director for Communications Ciaran Kelly said in a statement that it is deeply worrying to see the level of ignorance of the beliefs and practices of mainstream Christianity on display from some of these MPs.

Of course we believe people should be protected from quack therapists and charlatan preachers. Most of these practices are already illegal and we would urge the government to ensure the law is applied properly, he said, adding that there must also be room for the preaching of Gods Word and for believers to receive prayer and pastoral support, whatever temptations they are facing.

A pastor or church should not face prosecution if a gay man or woman attends church, comes to faith and seeks help in following Christs teaching on sexual ethics.

The Christian Institute is a U.K. charity that exists for the furtherance and promotion of the Christian religion in the United Kingdom and the advancement of education, according to its website.
After three-and-a-half years of living in a small room in an Amherst church, Lucio Perez was able to walk out of the building, get into a car and ride to his home in Springfield with his wife and four children. On Saturday he ended his years in sanctuary at the First Congregational Church in Amherst after receiving a formal stay of deportation from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In front of a large crowd of supporters gathered in front of the church at noon, Perez and his wife, Dora, thanked everyone who contributed to their well-being over the course of their separation.

I love you all for everything you have done during this difficult time, he said to the crowd. It is not easy to be away from your family. I really believe many people are feeling the separation from their families now.

On March 5, Perez was granted a stay of deportation, a one-year reprieve that allows him to return to his home in Springfield and be with his family full-time.

As an immigrant living in the United Stated illegally since 1999, Perez came to the attention of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2009, when he and his wife left their children sitting in their car as they went into a coffee shop for drinks. Perez was arrested.

West Hartford, Connecticut, police charged Perez with child abandonment, however the charges were later dropped. But ICEs attention never wavered. An immigration judge ordered Perez deported even after the charges were dropped.

Perezs immigration attorney, Glenn Formica of New Haven, Connecticut, was able to secure a stay of deportation and renew it each year until 2017, when the Trump Administration denied all stays and ordered large-scale deportations.

I followed all the steps as required by the immigration authorities, Perez said through interpreter Liana Foxvog.

Despite continual appeals from his immigration attorney, Perezs motions were rejected. In the end, he was ordered to buy a plane ticket to Guatemala and leave the country.

I thought that was not the solution, to abandon my family and leave them alone here and go away from my family. Thats when I got to know the Pioneer Valley Workers Center and they helped me connect with the pastor at this church. It wasnt easy, but they offered sanctuary, they accepted me. But I never thought it would be so many years.

While church sanctuary provided protection from arrest and deportation, Perez was not allowed to leave the church property for fear of being apprehended and whisked away to Guatemala.

Pastor Vicki Kemper said the congregation felt it was duty-bound to protect Perez.

It is our faith, she said Saturday. The scriptures are clear. We are to love the stranger and our neighbor just as God does. He (Perez) is our neighbor and our brother and he and his family deserve justice and peace.

The Amherst church is only one of three in the Commonwealth that offers immigration sanctuary.

Margaret Sawyer, co-director of the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, said the organization worked with supporters to try to get Perezs stays reinstated. Eighteen protesters were arrested during a sit-down protest in front of a Springfield federal building that houses the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

When he got his ankle bracelet we fought really hard to try to get a stay for Lucio, but it did not work and he took sanctuary in October of 2017, she said.

The church converted a meeting room for Perez to live in, and eventually supplied a portable shower. He was able to go outside on the churchs property near downtown Amherst, but could not cross the property line without risking arrest. Eventually, 14 different faith communities combined their efforts to provide meals for Perez and his family, contributed to his legal fund and the legal fees for other immigrants, and even organized volunteers to drive Perezs wife and children to Amherst three times a week for visits.

In the end Kemper estimated that several hundred people were involved in providing material support for the Perezs sanctuary in Amherst.

During his time in the church Perez conversed with Amherst College students learning Spanish and was able to work with a Hispanic church that met in the Congregational Churchs space. Even with many visitors and 24-hour companionship from volunteers, Perez said his family was always a major concern.

I tried to do things that kept me happy, but it was hard because my thoughts were always with my children, he said. How were they doing? I always want them to be happy, so it really wasnt easy for me to be away from them.

His faith was a major solace.

God told me to trust him. He would never abandon me and he never did, Perez said. He is always with me. God put a lot of wonderful people around me who supported me and my family. Thats why I am so grateful for each and every one of them. God will bless each of these people who were with me and continue to be with me.

U.S. Rep. James McGovern told supporters at Saturdays celebration that he has filed private bills to try to regularize Perezs immigration status, the result of what he called a criminal policy.

We all have an obligation to raise our voices for a humane immigration policy, he said. What has happened over the last four year is criminal.
Published:

9 March 2021





The latest publication is Energy, Electricity and Smart Grids in Latvia and Portugal, Kentucky J Equine, Agriculture, & Nat Res Law, Vol. 12, pp. 1-70.

Professor Dr Rafael Leal-Arcas, Jean Monnet Chair in EU International Economic Law at Queen Mary University of London, was the Principal Investigator of the WiseGRID project (number 731205) for the whole duration of the project (i.e., 42 months), funded by EUs Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

The financial help from two European Union (EU) grants is gratefully acknowledged: Jean Monnet Chair in EU International Economic Law (project number 575061-EPP-1-2016-1-UK-EPPJMOCHAIR) and the WiseGRID project (number 731205), funded by the EUs Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. Professor Dr Rafael Leal-Arcas is the recipient of both major grants.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14) - The regional director of the MIMAROPA police on Sunday sought to dispel reports that the country's top cop was lax in following health and safety protocol during a visit to Oriental Mindoro, saying PBGen Debold Sinas more than complied with what was required.

Sinas came under fire after it was revealed that he did not undergo screening upon his arrival in Oriental Mindoro on March 11.

In a statement, PBGen Pascual Munoz Jr. said the only requirements needed to visit the province were online registration and a confirmation message.

"CPNP PGen Debold Sinas has both the online registration and the confirmation message even before he arrived at Calapan airport. By complying with the online registration, the City of Calapan was well informed of the impending visit and the receipt of the Confirmation message means that his travel was allowed. The Chief PNP may not be able to comply with the requirements of which he was not aware of. The set of requirements as published in the official website of City of Calapan as well as the Confirmation message he received do not indicate additional requirements other than the registration and the confirmation message," Munoz said in the statement.

Despite having both requirements, Munoz said Sinas went a step further and took an RT-PCR test on March 9, prior to the trip. The test yielded a negative result, which cleared the police chief for travel.

Another RT-PCR test on March 11 showed a positive test result and Sinas cut his trip short.

"He tried his very best to observe the highest safety standard possible even if he was legally allowed to exempt himself on some of the requirements based on the DILG Advisory... The Chief PNP adhered to health measures more than what is set when he visited the City of Calapan," Munoz added.
With the typical architecture of a Vietnamese communal house, the 600-year old Tra Co communal house in Tra Co ward, Mong Cai city, Quang Ninh province, has become a popular religious and tourism site for visitors.

Nguyen Van Them is the caretaker of Tra Co communal house.





We visited Tra Co communal house on a foggy day. The air was filled with the fragrance of incense and ocean breezes. Nguyen Van Them, 70, the caretaker of Tra Co communal house, was cleaning the white incense dust that coats the altar and its carvings. When he was done with the cleanup, Them sipped a cup of tea with other elders of the village.

Everyday I clean the communal house by myself. But 12 people do the cleanup before a festival or a lunar New Year holiday. The 12 men wash the worship items, pour water into the cups, burn incense, and fill the oil lamps. These men guard the communal house from the 25th day of the last lunar month until the first morning of the new year. On New Years Eve, local people come here to offer incense and pray for good luck, said Them.

A poem goes What benefits have we got from here? The fig buds taste astringent and hard. The elders say they are here just to admire the fairy-like natural landscape.

This poem about the site has been passed down through generations. A legend says that in 1461, the rough sea swept away 12 fishermens families in Hai Phong province to a secluded island. Unable to bear the hardships, six families made their way back to their homeland, while the other six stayed and claimed a new land. The six simple cottages they occupied in the early days prospered into a wealthy village called Tra Co, taken from the names of the villages they were originally from.

Tra Co communal house spans 1,000 square meters.





According to villager Nguyen Quang Canh, the communal house was built in 1461 un the reign of King Le Thanh Tong to worship the villages tutelary god and its six founders.

King Le Thanh Tong was serious about border sovereignty. He swore to severely punish anyone who let foreign invaders intrude a single meter into his territory. The King built a communal house in the border area to conform to a law that, wherever there is a residential area, there must be a communal house to worship the deities and serve as a local administrative office, a venue for communal activities, and a resting place for feudal officials while on their tours, said Canh.

Tra Co communal house has undergone several restorations but remains almost fully intact. Its architecture and carvings are bold in the Red River delta style. Inside the communal house hangs horizontal lacquered boards and gold-lacquered painted parallel sentences.

Canh explained The sentences describe the formation of the village and the national spirit. Boards on the two sides of the communal house say villagers will forever live here and be blessed by the the earth and heaven gods. The sentence in the main chamber denotes the eternal prosperity of the nation and its people.

Lacquered boards inside Tra Co communal house





In 2019, Tra Co communal house festival was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage. Nguyen Van Phuoc, Chairman of the Peoples Committee of Tra Co Ward noted that Tra Co communal house is being promoted to a wider audience, along with other tourist destinations in the area: Sa Vi cape, Tra Co beach, Nam Tho pagoda, and Ngoc cape.

Phuoc said We will preserve and upgrade this relic site. We hope it will soon be on the radar of travelers.

VOV
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore and Australia are discussing an air travel bubble that would allow travel between the two countries without the need for quarantine, looking to reopen borders that have been mostly shut for nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both countries have largely brought the virus under control, helped by international border closures, lockdowns and strict social-distancing rules.

Singapore is also discussing with Australia the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and resumption of travel with priority for students and business travellers, Singapore's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"We are working with Singapore at the moment, potentially for a bubble in July," Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, who is also transport minister, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

He said Australia would open more bubbles as countries roll out their vaccination programmes.

The Australian government did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for further details and comment.

Singapore, an Asian transportation hub, is keen to revive its travel and tourism industry. After bringing its COVID-19 infections under control, it has been unilaterally easing quarantine requirements for travellers from Australia and a handful of other countries, such as New Zealand and China.

A planned Singapore-Hong Kong air-travel bubble, which had been set to begin last November, stalled after Hong Kong saw a resurgence of COVID-19 infections.

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore and Colin Packham in Canberra; Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
Huawei is set to launch more of its MateBook laptops in South Africa in the near future.

This follows the major success of its recently-launched MateBook lineup in the country.

Shortly after the launch of MateBook products in South Africa, Huawei became the number 1 PC brand in its respective channels.

This was a significant success for the company, which offers products across a variety of categories and has seen great success in the local smartphone market.

Huawei expects this growth to continue and, informed by the success of its relatively tentative laptop roll-out, plans to launch more notebooks and laptop-related devices in South Africa going forward.

More new laptops on the way

MyBroadband spoke to Huawei South Africa about the companys strategy for 2021 and the success of its MateBook launch in the country last year.

We launched the products in limited quantities, and it just blew up and was highly successful, Huawei said.

This has given us confidence that this model works and that customers are really enjoying Huawei PCs.

You can expect more of them and perhaps the product portfolio expanding as well in terms of different models and price ranges, all over the course of this year and beyond, it added.

Huawei laptops currently available in South Africa include the high-end MateBook X Pro, which is set to compete with devices like Apples MacBooks, as well as the MateBook D 15 and D14.

These laptops have proven popular choices among South Africans due to their relatively cheap prices and impressive specifications, and Huawei said the adoption of these products reaffirms the high regard South Africans hold the Huawei brand in.

Taking on the PC market

Huawei said it aims to differentiate itself in the PC market in a number of ways.

Primarily, the companys strategy is to provide greater value and integration with other products like smartphones and IoT hardware.

This is accomplished by launching a wide and compatible ecosystem of tech products across various categories as well as the software and background integration to support high levels of connectivity between products.

A major distinction between Huawei and other manufacturers that strive for a tightly-connected ecosystem like Apple is that Huawei plans for its system to be open to devices from other manufacturers.

Compatibility across smartphone, laptop, camera, car, and other device brands is a key component of the system Huawei is trying to build.

We are looking to position Huawei as a sustainable consumer electronics and technology leader, Huawei said.

The idea is to expand the ecosystem and make it more accessible, irrespective of what device you are using.

Now read: Vodacom and MTN caught in crossfire of Internet shutdowns in Africa
Episcopal school defends language policy, telling students to stop saying 'mom' and 'dad' after backlash

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A prominent Episcopal school in New York City is standing by its decision to publish an Inclusive Language Guide after the document received criticism for, among other things, encouraging students to refrain from using terms such as Mom and Dad.

The Grace Church School, a private Manhattan Episcopal school serving 770 students in Junior Kindergarten-Grade 12, published an Inclusive Language Guide to address ways we can remove harmful assumptions from the way we interact with each other.

The 12-page guide suggests students and teachers use alternatives to gender-specific words and phrases as well as other terms it sees as problematic.

The guide prompted considerable backlash, causing the Head of School George P. Davison to issue a statement.

Policing language demonstrates more concern for getting a community to use the right words than for cultivating a sense of belonging for its members, George said in part. That is why our Inclusive Language Guide does not ban any words.

After defending the guide as a necessary instrument to give us all words that will bring people together, Davison indicated that Grace Church School, which has a tuition rate of more than $57,000 per year, has no intention of abandoning it.

So if the boorish cancel culture press wants to condemn us a newly dubbed Woke Noho school of politeness, dignity and respect, then I embrace it, and I hope you will too, he asserted.

The guide begins with a push to encourage students to use gender inclusive language to provide critical affirmation to students across the gender spectrum.

It asks students and staff to refrain from using terms such as boys and girls, guys and ladies and gentlemen, and instead use gender-neutral terms such as people, folks, friends, readers, (and) mathematicians.

Additionally, the guide takes issue with the use of sweetheart/honey/similar pet names, which are often used to address people of both genders. The terms hermaphrodite and transsexual/transvestite/crossdresser are singled out as outdated terms.

Stressing the importance of not making assumptions about who kids live with, members of the Grace Church School community are urged to abandon the use of the terms Mom and Dad in favor of grown-ups, folks, or family. The aforementioned gender-neutral terms are also cited as favorable alternatives to the term parents, along with guardians.

The idea of the traditional family is described as an outdated term because each family is unique. The guide also treats the terms husband, wife, boyfriend, (and) girlfriend as problematic, instead advocating for the use of spouse/partner/significant other.

Asserting that human sexuality exists across a spectrum, the guide instructs students to avoid using heteronormative assumptions and identifies phrases such as ladies man, boys will love those eyelashes and your mom and dad must be so proud as problematic.

If someone says a boy cant marry a boy or a girl cant marry a girl, students are advised to respond by saying, People can love and commit to whomever they please, its their choice who they marry.

Students are also being taught to reject the belief that sexual orientation is a choice rather than an identity and to affirm: Who we love/are attracted to is part of who we are.

Much like Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, who during the confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, who is now an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, the school deems the terms sexual preference and "homosexual" as outdated.

While the guide firmly rejects the idea that sexual orientation is a choice, it implies that a person has the ability to choose their race or ethnicity. Students are encouraged to ask their classmates how they (self-)identify as opposed to asking, What race are you?

Additionally, the guide rejects the idea that people can be colorblind as it pertains to race because we see the skin tones of people and assumptions are made about how someone identifies racially.

The guide even objects to the phrase Happy Holidays, often touted as an inclusive alternative to Merry Christmas, which is also listed as a problematic phrase. Instead, students are encouraged to tell their classmates Have a great break!

The guide concludes with a glossary of identity and shared value terms that include words and phrases such as antiracism, equity, institutional racism, intersectionality, microaggression and race.

Links to videos about gender identity and pronouns, race, nationality and ethnicity, antiracism, white privilege, and implicit bias are also included throughout the guide.
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Varanasi, March 14 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday stressed on the need for the overall development of rural and forest dweller communities of the country while keeping their cultural heritage and identity intact.

"It should be our endeavour that forest dwellers remain an integral part of the modern development process while keeping their cultural heritage and identity intact," the President in his address to the 'Vanwasi Sangam' at Chapki in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra on the occasion of inauguration of newly-constructed buildings of Seva Kunj Ashram.

Appealing to the people to visit Sonbhadra, he said: "If anyone wants to get acquainted with the roots of India, then one should spend some time at place like Sonbhadra." Holding the belief that the soul of the country resided in rural and forest areas, the President said that the overall development of the country cannot be imagined without the development of the rural and forest dwellers communities.

In the true sense, the development of the country is incomplete without the development of rural and forest dwellers, he said, noting that the Centre and the state governments are implementing various schemes for their overall development.

The President appreciated the fact that the forest dwellers are keeping alive the tradition of intuitive knowledge received from their ancestors and carrying it forward.

"From agriculture to art and craft, the harmony they have with nature impresses everyone." The President said he was confident that the Sonbhadra region connecting eastern Uttar Pradesh with Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh will become a major center of modern development.

He appreciated the efforts being made by the 'Sewa Samarpan Sansthan' to revive the dwindling folk arts and preserving the folk languages and songs.

Noting that the construction of school and hostel buildings was undertaken by NTPC, he appreciated its social welfare work and expressed confidence that the newly-constructed buildings and other facilities will contribute in the all-round development of the students.

On the occasion of 'Vanvasi Samagam', Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that his government would open a medical college in Sonbhadra which comprises more than half of the tribal population of the state.

He also assured to build an archery range for the players and students of the region which is quite popular here.
Investigation Agency (NIA) will present Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze before a court on Sunday and demand his custode, in connection with the investigation into the recovery of explosives from a car parked near Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai.

The probe agency arrested the Maharashtra Assistant Police Inspector (API) on Saturday.

"Sachin Waze API Mumbai Police Crime Branch has been arrested for his role and involvement in Placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Carmichael Road (near Mukesh Ambani's house) on 25th February 2021," said an official statement of

Waze was summoned to the office on Saturday to record his statement, in connection with the recovery of explosives from a car parked near Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai.

The API was arrested under section 286, 465, 473, 506(2), 120 B of IPC, and 4(a)(b)(I)Explosive Substances Act 1908.

Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the vehicle that was found containing explosives outside the house of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, was found dead in a creek on March 5 in Thane.

Sachin Waze is also being probed for the mysterious death of businessman Hiren. ATS Maharashtra is investigating the case.

Allegations were levelled against him in connection with the case, Waze, who was leading the investigating of Hiren's death in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), was transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at the Mumbai Police Headquarters.





"I believe Sachin Waze is a very honest and capable officer. He has been arrested in connection with gelatin sticks that were found. One suspicious death also occurred. It's Mumbai Police's responsibility to investigate the matter. No Central team was needed," said Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena MP.

"We respect but our police could've done it too. Mumbai Police and ATS are well respected but Central agencies repeatedly enter Mumbai & demoralise Mumbai Police -- it creates instability in the state and creates pressure on Mumbai Police and administration," added Raut.
Wellington, March 14 : New Zealand reported one new Covid-19 case in managed isolation, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Sunday.

The infected person had recently returned to the country and was in managed isolation, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

Meanwhile, there was no new case detected in the wider New Zealand community, it added.

Currently, the total number of active cases in New Zealand was 87, while the overall infection tally hovered to 2,423.

The total number of tests processed by New Zealand laboratories to date was 1,818,986, according to the Ministry.

The country has so far reported 26 deaths due to the disease.

New Zealand is currently at Covid-19 Alert Level One with no restriction on gathering.
Mumbai, March 14 : Sachal Tyagi, who last appeared in the show Choti Sarrdaarni, is all set to play the anti-hero in his next show 'Mann Ki Awaaz Pratigya 2'.

Although the actor will be seen playing an out-and-out villain yet again, he says that the role if very different from the one he played earlier.

"In Choti Sarrdaarni I played a very manipulative politician, who is very sweet in front of others but he talks behind people's backs. In Pratigya, my character is very open about what he does, he doesn't hide anything. He is not bothered about others," Sachal says.

Sachal is happy to work with producer Rajan Shahi. "It's amazing to work with him. I have always heard good things about him in the industry. He is very humble and down to earth. The atmosphere of the set gives you a family kind of feeling," he says.

The actor is also all praises for Pearl Grey, who is the writer of the show. "We have known each other for long. I am happy to be working with her. Her shows have always had strong scripts which is why I am looking forward to Pratigya 2," Sachal says.

The show features Pooja Gor and Arhaan Behll and will air on Star Bharat from 15 March.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 09:42:32|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member carries containers of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac at the Mexico City's international airport in Mexico, March 13, 2021. The third shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived Saturday at the Mexico City's international airport. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

MEXICO CITY, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The third shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived Saturday at the Mexico City's international airport.

The arrival of the new batch of Chinese-made vaccines was an important indicator of the close cooperation and strengthening ties between Mexico and China, said Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs Martha Delgado.

"Foreign Minister (Marcelo) Ebrard has said, every time we receive the doses of vaccines from China, that Mexico will never forget the gesture of solidarity that we have received from China and its ambassador to Mexico, Zhu Qingqiao," she said.

The first batch of Sinovac vaccines arrived in Mexico in February after the country's Federal Commission for Protection Against Sanitary Risks authorized its emergency use against the coronavirus.

The Mexican government has inoculated older adults in poor areas of the country as part of its vaccination campaign that began in December.

As of Saturday, Mexico has reported more than 2.1 million cases and 193,851 deaths from COVID-19. Enditem
Listen to me, Fianna Fail is disintegrating.

That was the strong charge made at the tail end of the partys weekly private meeting on Wednesday night, which made many attendees sit up and listen.

During a sharp contribution from James OConnor, the 23-year-old Cork East TD set out why in his view the party is extremely unpopular in areas of the country and also among younger voters.

According to sources, the countrys youngest TD laid into his colleague the Housing and Local Government Minister Darragh OBrien over the partys housing strategy and what he called the systemic locking out of young professionals from being able to own a home.

Sources at the meeting have said Mr OConnor argued that the inability of educated young working professionals to secure mortgage deposits due to high rents needs to be addressed and that the party is failing to meet their needs.

We're encouraging students to email their TDs and put pressure on the government parties to #PassTheBill.

Student renters need protection!#EducationForAll @TheUSI pic.twitter.com/GSWfhlD2CB  UCC Students' Union (@UCCSU) February 25, 2021

He also called on the Government to support the USI's efforts to address issues facing student renters and for the Taoiseach and Minister for Local Government to engage with the Union of Students of Ireland (USI).

Speaking to me afterwards about his contribution, Mr OConnor said: Im trying to get my colleagues to see we need to focus on the sector of society who are earning good money, paying their taxes but not getting a fair return for their efforts.

They need to be heard, he said.

Mr OConnor said that in cities like Cork and Dublin, the status quo means that entire generations are being locked out of their genuine aspiration of wanting to own their own home.

It would be easy to dismiss Mr OConnor as a naive first-time TD in his mid-20s, as some of his more weary and senior colleagues have sought to do.

However, his analysis of the state of his partys misfortunes and the cancer of the inequity of Irelands housing sector are well placed.

Since returning to Government last year, Fianna Fails popular support as reflected in a series of opinion polls has slumped to historically low levels.

While the latest Red C poll for the Business Post saw an upturn in support for the party, it still only finds itself at 16% with support for the party in Dublin running at just 15%.

The poll also showed the same level of support among 1835-year-olds and just 12% for those between 35-54-year-olds.

Mr OConnors setting out of the frustrations of those younger professionals is spot on.

Far too many, well-educated people are caught in the trap of trying to save for a deposit while having to stomach extraordinarily high rents.

Compared with their parents, their generation are paying higher taxes, working longer hours for less reward, will have far less job security, will have to make do with much poorer pensions  all to pay for their good time.

It is undeniable that the baby boomers have had the most extraordinary luck to have been born when they were.

Squeezed out of the property market, many younger professionals are forced to live at home longer, remaining dependent on their parents for much longer, ultimately stymieing their own development and potential contribution to society as a result.

Indeed, contrary to what was expected, the Covid-19 pandemic has not made it any easier for the younger generation to buy their first house, because the banks tightened all lines of credit.

Whereas the parents of those young professionals tended to enter into a job and stay with one company or government department for their career, those in their late 20s and early 30s today have no such comfort.

Read More Government misses its own target on vacant homes by 70%

Zero-hour contracts, the need to be more flexible, the need to work longer hours for less reward is our reality. The crisis in pensions means that those who retire in the next quarter of a century will receive much less per year than their parents who have retired on the old traditional guaranteed final salary pension.

The move en masse away from the defined benefit pension  where people retired with a massive tax-free, lump sum worth up to 1.5 times your annual salary plus an annual pension worth between a half or 60% of your final salary  to the lower defined contribution pensions has been a travesty.

Done because so many defined benefit schemes were massively in debt because they were gorged upon by the boomers, my generation and those coming after me now face poverty in old age despite having good jobs.

The paucity of supply has been the stated main reason for the housing crisis, since it was first declared by then Housing Minister Alan Kelly in 2014. In fact, Mr Kelly called it an emergency. Seven years on, that emergency is still not only ongoing but it is much worse.

At present, annual delivery of homes is now running somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 short of what is required to meet demand.

Mr OConnors clear frustration, as articulated at the parliamentary party, cuts to the heart of the partys retrenchment into a minority force in Irish politics with its future very much in doubt.

His criticisms are the latest in a string of stinging internal barbs from TDs against Taoiseach Micheal Martin, his Cabinet and the leadership.

The passage of the Land Development Agency bill through the Dail this week is Mr OBriens big attempt at addressing the gulf in supply, but it is already clear it will be nothing more than a drop in the ocean of what is required.

The LDA is planning to deliver homes at its first site at a discount of about one-third of the market rent, its chief executive has said.

Giving evidence to the Oireachtas housing committee this week, LDA chief executive John Coleman said a one-bed apartment at its scheme at Shanganagh in Dublin will be put up for rent of about 1,000 per month, a decrease of 34.9% on market rents.

A two-bed will be rented for between 1,200 and 1,300 per month, a discount of 27.7% to 33.3% on market rents in the area, he said. Construction is expected to begin on the site in the second half of this year, with homes being finished off in 2023.

The committee was told that the LDA plans to deliver 600 homes in 2023 and ramp up from there. It has a near-term pipeline of about 3,000 units across nine sites, mostly in and around Dublin or the commuter belt.

Thats 600 homes in two years time, compared to the projected need for 70,000 homes by them.

Looking purely at the politics of this, the significance of what Mr OConnor told his party is that he has identified a gaping hole in the partys attractiveness ahead of the next election.

After a terrible campaign during the 2020 General Election, Fianna Fail cannot simply afford another one if they are to remain as a viable force in Irish politics.

Unburdened by the legacy of civil war loyalties of previous generations, voters in Ireland today are far more fickle and more transitory.

Seven years on from the calling of the housing emergency, as Mr OConnor told his colleagues, the party that can free younger professionals from the property trap they are in is likely to be rewarded in spades.
Beware of that call that sells attractive insurance scheme by leading mobile operators By Namini Wijedasa Mobile-enabled insurance or MEI is practised in some countries, particularly emerging markets, but in Sri Lanka it is completely unregulated and illegal under the provisions of the Regulation of Insurance Industry Act View(s): View(s):

It took six frustrating months, during which he nearly gave up, for Kumara to secure his fathers life insurance payment. He now warns anyone signing up up for per-day insurance via mobile phone operators that claiming the benefitslarge sums, in particularcan be nothing short of a nightmare.

Per-day insurance is sold by leading mobile phone operators in Sri Lanka. Network users are directly canvassed via mobile connection. Thirty-year-old Kumara (not his real name), a computer salesman from Nilpanagoda in Minuwangoda, also received a call.

Free insurance

They said I was entitled to free insurance as I had been a long-time subscriber of their mobile phone service, he recalled. They said they will deduct a daily premium, which is very small, and quoted a payout sum. They also offered daily hospital cover and asked whether to activate it. It was all very attractive but I declined.

Globally, this is known as mobile-enabled insurance or MEI. It is practised in 27 other countries, particularly emerging markets. In Sri Lanka, however, it is completely unregulated. And, under the provisions of the Regulation of Insurance Industry Act, it is also illegal.

Section 12(1) of the law states that no person shall carry on insurance business in Sri Lanka unless such person is for the time being registered or deemed to be registered under this Act to carry on such business.

Mobile service providers are not registered to hawk insurance. Neither are any third parties they outsource the process to. One operator has hired Milvik Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, the local branch of an international company which uses mobile technology to deliver affordable insurance and health products to underserved consumers and their families in emerging markets who cannot access these vital products through traditional channels.

The only players in this equation authorized to market insurance in Sri Lanka are the insurance brokers, agents and insurance companies. But, as Kumara and others have discovered, interactions with them can be minimal.

While insurance selling requires trained agents to explain policies in some detail to potential customers, MEI is carried out in Sri Lanka through short telephone calls (usually under five minutes) during which the prospect is made to sound as attractive as possible. There is no contract for a customer to examine, no clarification about exclusions. It is packaged as a low-cost privilege delivered by mobile phone companies to their loyal subscribers. And it is quick.

With mobile phone penetration at around 130 percent, this is a captive market from which insurance companies also benefit. Owing to concerns about the unchecked nature of the business, however, the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (IRCSL)which has long turned a blind eyeappointed a Subcommittee on Mobile Insurance.

Earnings of Rs 14bn, payouts of Rs 1.2bn

In a letter sent last year to the subcommittee, seen by the Sunday Times, a mobile network operator reveals that insurance has mostly been sold to customers who are at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid with a focus on daily-wage earners.

How much this market understands of insurancethe concept, how it works,the claims processes, benefits and exclusionswas not immediately clear. It is not known how many of the insured inform their next of kin about these policies which are doled out weso informally.

There is little public awareness of what happens to these policies if a SIM changes hands. Additionally, claims are required to be made via WhatsApp. And the absence of a regulator for MEI means there is no independent oversight or mechanism to handle complaints related to insurance sold this way.

The network operator maintains that, since 2013, it has facilitated the settlement of insurance claims amounting to Rs 1.2bn (around Rs 171mn per year over seven years) to over 65,000 rural and underserved citizens.

As at September 2020, the company had gained 2.4mn new customers for insurance companies. The monthly premium for personal accident cover and for life cover is Rs 40 per month and for hospitalization cover, Rs 129 per month. If monthly premiums are averaged at Rs 70, earnings per year are Rs 2bn. In seven years, that is Rs 14bn while claims during the same period were Rs. 1.2bn or 8.5 percent of premiums earned.

Kumaras father had consented to insurance. When he died last June after falling off a rambutan tree, his son set out to claim the Rs 1.2mn he was told beneficiaries were entitled to. And the only information he had was that a mobile phone operator had insured his father.

A woman on the mobile operators insurance hotline expressed condolences and said they would process the claim. But Kumara was perturbed that no insurance agent turned up to examine the site of the accident, to view the body or to meet the police and judicial medical officer (JMO).

I kept calling and they said documentation was sufficient and to send these through WhatsApp, he said. I thought I was talking to an insurance agent. It was much later that I knew it was the employee of another company.

Kumara forwarded the certificate issued by the inquirer into sudden deaths, his fathers identification and other relevant paperwork. These were confirmed as received. No insurance agent came even after his fathers funeral rites were over. The hotline had said the claim would take 21 days. He waited to hear back.

But nobody called. I asked why there was no feedback, Kumara recounted. It was only then that they told me I hadnt sent the death certificate so they couldnt process the claim. I was never requested a death certificate which takes time to be issued.

Tired and frustrated

The Covid-19 outbreak was a delaying factor. Government offices were working slower than usual. However, Kumara obtained a provisional death certificate. And now the hotline asked for a JMO report which tends to be a longer document and for which there is a more strenuous process to fulfill.

The JMO who handled the case had retired. When I telephoned him, he said he can only give the report directly to the insurance company or to me through a court order, he recalled. I begged him to help me.

Kumara suspected he was being unnecessarily inconvenienced. But he had no choice. The JMO asked him to get a request from the insurance company or to ask an agent to collect the report from him. But the hotline insisted that, as a family member, he was entitled to it. They refused to issue a letter.

I was tired and frustrated, he said. It was dragging on for months but I pursued it because it was our entitlement. I all but worshipped the JMO and he made out a report addressed to me with the seal on the last page. I scanned its six sides and sent that off.

When Kumara called the hotline again, they said it would now take another 21 days. Fortuitously, a business contact told him about the IRCSL. He narrated his case to a Board member who, along with an employee, took a personal interest in the case. The regulator did not officially get involved.

The very next day, for the first time, the insurance company called me, Kumara said. An agent came from Colombo. And now, four months later, he asked to see the site of the accident.

The ordeal wasnt over yet. The agent also gave him the run-around, including by pointing out that the JMO report wasnt in the required format with a seal on every page. After intervention by the IRCSL board member and employee, the insurance company obtained the JMO report directlyas it should have done. And Kumara finally received a call saying his cheque for Rs 929,000 was ready.

I pointed out that we were entitled to Rs 1.2mn, he said. The caller said the full premium had not been paid during the last month my father had used his prepaid phone. And that it was this period which was used to calculate the payout. I hadnt known this would be the case. I doubt my father had known, either.

How could they have known when signing up for insurance had been through a single, minutes-long phone call with just the barest of details shared? On the face of it, his fathers beneficiaries would receive a hefty reward for just a few rupees of premium taken off the phone bill each day. Nothing else was explained. And a customer without the requisite knowledge wouldnt even know what to ask.

Based on what he went throughonly a summarized version is published hereKumara is certain anyone less forceful, economically able or educated would have given up. Think of the older population, someone who has less knowledge or who depends on daily wages so he or she cannot run around as I did, he reflected. Would they have pursued this?

With the sector carrying on completely unsupervised, relevant data and information is not publicly available. There is no independent research, therefore, on how many customers give up, forget, or dont quite realise or understand what a policy entails.

In its letter, however, the mobile phone operator claims that its MEI segment receives a lesser number of complaints in comparison to traditional insurance (monthly average of approximately 30 deduction-related disputes and 99% of the same are resolved within 48 hours in keeping with the applicable guidelines.

But this statement raises more questions than it answers. A lesser number of complaints could also point to a lack of awareness or ignorance. And if you are wholly dependent on an unregulated insurance seller for your data, that is then an entirely different problem.

Its a valuable service, say mobile network providers Mobile network providers maintain that they are providing a valuable service benefiting both the public and insurance industry. A mobile platform, for instance, enables customers to pay premiums with ease, a letter by one company to the Insurance Regulatory Commissions Subcommittee on Mobile Insurance says. Mobile operators have the ability to reach the masses via SMS campaigns and existing digital channels to communicate the importance of insurance, the letter states. This will help reduce a lack of awareness regarding the importance of insurance. They can have effective customer service to explain different policies as well as streamlined human resource operations. The companies also have access to a large pool of mobile subscribers as a potential insurance customer base; the ability to reach senior citizens via special mobile packages; and the ability to create a unique channel to approach approximately 4.3mn daily-wage earner. For now, however, all this is taking place completely unsupervised. There is a lack of accountability and little effort by the insurance regulator to do anything about it.
Mumbai, March 14 : Actor Pavail Gulati, who recently shot an ad with actress Alia Bhatt, says that he likes taking up ad shoots. However, the actor adds that the short time doesn't allow him to interact with everyone else on the set.

"Filming for ads is fun. The only difference between shooting for a film and shooting for an ad is, I think, the time involved to shoot. For an ad, you shoot only for a couple of days, so you don't get to interact with everybody like you do on a film set. You work for a longer time on a film set and that kind of brings you closer together," says Pavail, who has been seen in film such as "Ittefaq", "Thappad" and "Kalank".

Talking about filming his recent ad with Alia, Pavail says that the entire experience was amazing. "It was a fun, quirky shoot. I had a blast. There was music playing and the whole team was fantastic to work with. Bob sir (director Shashanka Chaturvedi) is a great guy and a beautiful director.AIt was lovely working with Alia. We interacted in between takes and it was just easy working with her. I loved every second of it!" he says.

The actor will share the screen once again with Thappad actress Taapsee Pannu in the film "Dobaaraa".
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SANTA FE, N.M.  Las Vegas, New Mexico  New Mexico Highlands University received a $510,363 grant that will be used to create a distance learning site in Mora, New Mexico, for the universitys students and the community.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded Highlands the grant, which is a partnership with Collaborative Visions, a nonprofit in Mora. Highlands calls the grant the Education Beyond Campus project.

This grant award provides Highlands the opportunity to take education to the people instead of solely inviting the people to come to an education at campus, said Edward Martinez of Highlands, who is the lead researcher for the grant. However, technology, and more specifically broadband and connectivity, poses a barrier to bringing distance learning to the rural communities and homes of northern New Mexico.

This partnership with Collaborative Visions will allow Highlands to provide a community-based distance learning site at the Helping Hands community building where Mora-area residents will have access not only to remote classroom experiences, but also to computers dedicated to educational use. Such access is incredibly important in an area where so many households are without broadband internet, limiting student access to remote learning opportunities, Martinez said.

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The Helping Hands building will be outfitted with desktop computers, laptop computers for loan, broadband internet access, Smart boards, laser printers, Zoom videoconferencing capability, and more. Data cable will be installed throughout the building to support the computers and classroom technology.

Martinez said the leadership at Highlands believes that encouraging the success of individual students is enhanced when education can be achieved by embracing local culture and communities.

Martinez is a former natural resources management professor at Highlands who works on special projects for Highlands University President Sam Minner.

This grant project will enable Highlands to expand some existing courses to remote instruction, as well as test innovative and successful student support programs via use of a remote site in Mora. The site will also be made available for use by the community for activities such as workforce development, Martinez said.

Martinez said the grant is especially significant because of Highlands partnership with Collaborative Visions, which provides a spectrum of resources to northern New Mexico communities, such as network building, technical assistance, facilitation and training.

Since 2010, Collaborative Visions has worked in the Mora community to bring resources  that have been unavailable because of its remote location. Collaborative Visions has been engaging the community to develop systems that add resources while protecting the core community values. This nonprofit owns the Helping Hands building, which has been in Mora for decades, Martinez said.

Martinez said the USDA grant funding will also be used to enhance online learning at Highlands, which is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlands University information technology director Joe Gieri and network administrator Shay Bassett took the lead on identifying the technology needs at Highlands. They will also be working with me and Collaborative Visions to outfit the building in Mora, Martinez said.

Bassett said Highlands will install additional hardware and software at the main campus in Las Vegas.

The new hardware and software will be used to expand our existing classroom technology to better support online instruction provided to our students, Bassett said.

Kayt Peck worked with the Highlands grant team to write the successful USDA grant proposal for the distance learning site in Mora.
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Hailey Bieber, Gal Gadot, and Heidi Klum led the way as stars attended the socially-distanced 34th Annual Kids' Choice Awards red carpet on Saturday night.

Looking every inch the supermodel in pink velvet, Justin Bieber's 24-year-old wife wore a figure-hugging dress with a daring thigh-high slit.

The top of her midriff-baring look was adorned with a diamond buckle on the bust, which matched her elegant earrings and metallic high heels.

Leading ladies: Hailey Bieber , Gal Gadot, and Heidi Klum led the way as stars attended the socially-distanced 34th Annual Kids' Choice Awards red carpet on Saturday night

Stunning: Looking every inch the supermodel in pink velvet, Justin Bieber 's 24-year-old wife wore a figure-hugging dress with a daring thigh-high slit

Her long blonde hair was parted down the middle and down around her shoulders.

Her husband will be performing his song Anyone as well as Intentions with Migos rapper Quavo, who shared a BTS video Wednesday from inside the massive slime pit.

The Canadian crooner is nominated for five trophies - including favorite male artist - at the fan-voted awards ceremony, which airs this Saturday on Nickelodeon

Supportive: Her husband will be performing his song Anyone as well as Intentions with Migos rapper Quavo, who shared a BTS video Wednesday from inside the massive slime pit

Meanwhile, Gadot, who is nominated for Favorite Movie Actress, rocked a bright yellow gown with a pair of matching sandals and red nail polish.

The expectant star, who she is pregnant with her third child with husband Yaron Varsano, looked absolutely radiant as she posed for pictures.

Heidi Klum put on a very bold display in a colorful turtleneck with sequins, which she paired with yellow pants.

She kept her blonde hair styled in loose waves and appeared in high spirits as she flashed a peace sign and playfully stuck her tongue out at cameras. Her pants featured a cheetah print on the back and silver chains.

Expectant star: Gadot, who is nominated for Favorite Movie Actress, rocked a bright yellow gown with a pair of matching sandals and red nail polish

Winner: The expectant star, who she is pregnant with her third child with husband Yaron Varsano, looked absolutely radiant as she posed for pictures

Cool: Her pants featured a cheetah print on the back and silver chains

Silly: She kept her blonde hair styled in loose waves and appeared in high spirits as she flashed a peace sign and playfully stuck her tongue out at cameras

Rocking a more casual look, Jennifer Garner wore a pair of light-wash jeans and layered a structured jacket over a basic white t-shirt.

The Yes Day star's brown hair was curled and she looked effortlessly chic with a bold red lip and neutral eyeshadows.

She opted to showcase her enviably clear complexion and glowing skin with a 'no makeup' makeup look.

Effortlessly chic: Rocking a more casual look, Jennifer Garner wore a pair of light-wash jeans and layered a structured jacket over a basic white t-shirt

Keeping it casual: The Yes Day star's brown hair was curled and she looked effortlessly chic with a bold red lip and neutral eyeshadows

Pretty: She opted to showcase her enviably clear complexion and glowing skin with a 'no makeup' makeup look

Anna Kendrick rocked a black, white and grey thigh-skimming minidress, which featured two black bows on the shoulder.

She paired the look with a pair of sky-high black heels and her ginger locks in a stylish updo with a few loose curls hanging from her bun.

Black-ish star Anthony Anderson looked handsome in a bright pink tuxedo and a light pink button-down.

Leggy display: Anna Kendrick rocked a black, white and grey thigh-skimming minidress, which featured two black bows on the shoulder

Throwback! iCarly stars Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor reunited for a group photo, nine years after their Nickelodeon teen sitcom ended

iCarly stars Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor reunited for a group photo, nine years after their Nickelodeon teen sitcom ended.

Jayden Bartels, who performed at ceremony, wore a black blazer with stars and silver metallic pants.

Tiffany Haddish showed up to her first-ever Kids' Choice Awards with a blonde buzz cut and fitted yellow dress with a starfish pattern.

Back together: iCarly stars Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor reunited for a group photo, nine years after their Nickelodeon teen sitcom ended

Host Kenan Thompson had multiple outfit changes before and after he got slimed during the ceremony

Another look: Thompson Frankenstein-inspired wig and tweed jacket

TikTok stars Charlie D'Amelio and Dixie also put on a showstopping display.

For the event, Charlie wore a black gown with a bustier top, heels and matching heels.

Meanwhile, her sister wore a tiny white dress and matching shoes.

The siblings got ready for the event together, with makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan creating beauty looks for both of the D'Amelio sisters.

Kelsey used products from Pat McGrath Labs on Charli and Dixie. First, she prepped both sisters' skin with the Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Primer, before evening out their complexions with the Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation and Sublime Perfection Concealer.

Patterns: Tiffany Haddish and Jayden Bartels were not afraid to rock patterns on the carpet

Commanding attention: Haddish seen speaking inside

Gorgeous: TikTok stars Charlie D'Amelio and Dixie also put on a showstopping display

Charli and Dixie's eyes were both given a boost with the Mothership VII: Divine Rose I Palette - however Kelsey used different shades from the range to create different looks for the two girls. Charli's eyes were accentuated with the Perma Precision Liquid Liner, while Dixie's were amplified using the Permagel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil.

Kelsey then added some false lashes to both ladies' looks from the newly-launched KISS My Lash But Better range.

The looks were finished off with the lips; for Charli, Kelsey layered the Pat McGrath Labs Permagel Ultra Lip Pencil with the Luxetrance Lipstick and the Lust: Gloss, while Dixie's pout was perfected with the same products in slightly different shades.

Meanwhile, their fellow TikToker Addison Rae dazzled in sparkly silver dress, which showcased her toned legs.

Her array of studded earrings and $1,025.00 half diamond chain link ring are both from the EF Collection.

TikTok star: Addison Rae dazzled in sparkly silver dress, which showcased her toned legs

Plain: David Dobrik kept his look simple in all black and matching shiny loafers

Happy faces: America's Got Talent judges Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara were joined by Terry Crews

Addison's makeup look was created by beauty pro Mary Phillips, who also relied on Pat McGrath Labs products to glam up the online super star.

Mary applied the Skin Fetish: Highlighter + Balm Duo and the Ultra Glow Highlighter to give Addison a radiant glow, before using the Luxetrance Lipstick in Labeija on her cheeks for a sheer wash of color.

On Addison's eyes, Mary applied shades from the Mothership V: Bronze Seduction Palette, before creating a funky winged liner look with the Permagel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil and the Perma Precision Liquid Eyeliner.

The starlet's hair was expertly coiffed by Adir Abergel, who used tools by GHD and products by Virtue to achieve the funky updo. First, he added volume with the Virtue Volumizing Primer, and then used the GHD Helios Professional Hairdryer to dry the hair and 'smooth and seal the cuticle'.

Adir gave the hair a 'sleek and shiny' look with the GHD Max Styler before twisting it up into the top knot.

David Dobrik kept his look simple in all black and matching shiny loafers.

America's Got Talent judges Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara were joined by Terry Crews.

Vergara flaunted her famous curves in a red jumpsuit, which she paired with a gold necklace.

Oozing confidence: All eyes were on Vergara in her fire engine red ensemble

Dove Cameron wore a flowing floral gown, which was adorned with silver jewels to match her heels.

The 25-year-old Descendants actress dress showed off many of her 14 known tattoos, which includes the phrase, 'candy is dandy' on her inner elbow of her left arm.

Her blonde hair was curled for the show and she rocked a glossy nude lipstick.

Ink collection: Her dress showed off many of her 14 known tattoos, which includes the phrase, 'candy is dandy' on her inner elbow of her left arm

Fan-favorite: Her blonde hair was curled for the show and she rocked a glossy nude lipstick

Radiant: Marsai Martin wore a purple top with camouflage, black trousers and heels

Coming live from their living rooms were Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian and Tyler Perry, who dropped an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming animated film Paw Patrol: The Movie.

Shahidi rocked a beige turtleneck, while Kardashian stunned in an eggshell blue blouse.

'We had such a great time working on this movie. My kids can barely believe it when I said I was going to be in it,' the KKW Beauty founder said.

Shahidi added, 'There's so going to be so much fun, action and adventure.'

Exciting news: Coming live from their living rooms were Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian and Tyler Perry , who dropped an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming animated film Paw Patrol: The Movie

From home: Shahidi rocked a beige turtleneck, while Kardashian stunned in an eggshell blue blouse

'We had such a great time working on this movie. My kids can barely believe it when I said I was going to be in it,' the KKW Beauty founder said

Slimed: On Saturday, Robert Downey Jr. was recognized for his performance in last year's Dolittle at the Kids' Choice Awards , as part of the virtual awards ceremony

Robert Downey Jr. was recognized for his performance in last year's Dolittle at the Kids' Choice Awards, as part of the virtual awards ceremony.

The actor, 55, earned the Favorite Movie Actor award at the Nickelodeon-sponsored event, and ended up getting slimed in the process.

'Thanks to Nickelodeon, Universal, my boss wife Susan Downey and all the kids that saw Doolittle and voted,' RDJ said during his acceptance speech.

'Frankly, I'm amazed how you young folks have handled the last bunch of months with such courage and flexibility. I think you have beautiful days ahead and I am proud, honestly proud to entertain you,' he continued.

Moments later, Robert thanked designer Giorgio Armani for lending him the suit he was wearing... which promptly became covered in green slime.

During his acceptance speech: Robert thanked designer Giorgio Armani for lending him the suit he was wearing... which promptly became covered in green slime

On his social media, Downey Jr. posted a snap from the event, post-sliming, along with clips as well as a shot of his access badge.

'And you thought only the Hulk could turn green!' he wrote in the caption.

'Truly, what an honor to win @KidsChoiceAwards "Favorite Movie Actor"...but NONE of this is truly possible without any of YOU. Thank you from the bottom of my green slimed heart!'

The award was presented to Robert by Tiffany Haddish, and he beat out fellow nominees Jim Carrey, Chris Pine, Adam Sandler, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Will Ferrell.

Favorite Collaboration and Favorite Male Artist were both handed out to the same artist and the first big performer of the 2021 show, Justin Bieber, who was introduced by his model wife.

Covered in green: On his social media, Downey Jr. posted a snap and clips from the event, post-sliming

Proud winner: RDJ also added a shot of his access badge to the event

Show stopper: Justin Bieber treated viewers of the 2021 Kids' Choice Awards to multiple performances and won two awards for Favorite Collaboration and Favorite Male Artist; pictured with Quavo

No words: He didn't bother with an acceptance speech after first and just let his single do the talking for him

He didn't bother with an acceptance speech after first and just let his single do the talking for him.

The pop superstar was joined by masked backup dancers as he carefully danced around the motes of burbling slime.

He performed his inspirational song Intentions, which included a guest rap verse from Migos member Quavo.

At the end of the performance the two danced ankle-deep in the slime.

Later in the show, Justin returned for another song, this time in a no-frills performance outdoors while fronting a band.

He opened with his new single Hold On, which was released earlier this month and will be featured on his upcoming studio album Justice.

Kamala Harris thanked children for wearing masks and said the Biden administration is doing 'everything we can to' to get classrooms reopened during the ceremony.

The Vice President joined forces with Jennifer Garner to honor those working toward a brighter future by presenting the Generation Change Award at the 2021 Kids' Choice Awards.

Unlike the other blimps that mainly went out to kid-friendly celebrities, Harris and Garner presented the honor to all the 'young leaders' at home who were working to make the world a better place for future generations.

'The generation change award is all about the trailblazers and the innovators who work hard to bring people together and to bring positive change to their communities and to the world,' Jennifer began her speech.

Kamala Harris thanked children for wearing masks and said the Biden administration is doing 'everything we can to' to get classrooms reopened during the 2021 Kids' Choice Awards

The future: Harris presented the award to all the 'young leaders' at home who were working to make the world a better place for future generations

Tag team: Jennifer Garner, 48, helped introduce Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday at the 2021 Kids' Choice Awards to present the Generation Change Award

'In the past, this award has gone to some of the leading voices of our time,' she continued.

LeBron James was previously awarded the honor for his 'I Promise School,' which caters to at-risk children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

Soccer star Megan Rapinoe also won the blimp in the past for trying to create new opportunities in the sports world.

'But this year, generation change honors those with the biggest, most important voice of all  you, today's kids, every single one of you! You're our most precious resource, and your strength, and your courage, has been an inspiration to all of us adults this past year.'

Past greats: 'In the past, this award has gone to some of the leading voices of our time,' Garner said, referring to previous winners like LeBron James and Megan Rapinoe

Viewers like you: 'But this year, generation change honors those with the biggest, most important voice of all  you, today's kids, every single one of you!' she continued

After reciting Vice President Harris' accomplishments as the first woman and the first vice president of color, she introduced the first 'Momala' via video chat.

Harris appeared in a navy blue blazer and with a black blouse from an office.

'Thank you to the young leaders for being so incredible, and for all that you do and will do,' she began her speech.

'From social distancing to remote learning, you've been through a lot this year. But through it all, you young leaders have really stepped up. You've worn your masks, you've helped out your neighbors, you've been role models in your community.'

Doing their part: 'You young leaders have really stepped up. You've worn your masks, you've helped out your neighbors, you've been role models in your community'

She exhorted young viewers to make a difference while remembering words from her late mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris.

'When I was young, my mother used to say, "Kamala, don't just sit around and complain about things. Do something about it." Well you are doing something. You are creating a better future and you inspire me and President Biden every day,' she said.

'We are so grateful for you, and we want you to know that we're doing everything we can to make sure all of our students and young leaders can get back to school and back with your friends, and be safe and thrive. Thank you for stepping up. You make us and your country so proud,' she concluded.

'Vice President Kamala Harris is a pioneer and role model for us all, but especially for todays kids, who can find inspiration in the story of her path forward and the barriers she has broken from childhood to today,' said Marva Smalls, ViacomCBS Global Head of Inclusion and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Kids & Family Entertainment wrote in a statement before the broadcast.

'Nickelodeon is proud to bestow this years Generation Change Award to kids everywhere, and were honored to have the Vice President further trumpet the courage and vitality they have in the wake of so many challenges.'
United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions, has called for a two-day bank strike starting from tomorrow i.e March 15. UFBU has called for the strike in order to protest against the Centre's proposed privatisation of two public sector banks (PSBs).

All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said, "About 10 lakh bank employees and officers of the banks will participate in the strike".

Since the employees of many banks will be on strike, services are bound to be affected. Most banks such as State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, among others, have already informed their customers about the bank strike and the impact it can have on the functioning of offices and branches of these banks.

Banks have said they are making all the necessary arrangements to ensure the smooth running of bank offices and branches on the days of the proposed two-day bank strike.

Who is participating in the two-day bank strike?

All nine members of the UFBU are expected to take part in the two-day bank strike. These are All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Confederation of India (BEFI), Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO).

Why has the two-day bank strike been called?

On February 1, 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget in which she announced the privatisation of two public sector banks as part of the Centre's larger disinvestment plan.

The Centre was already on a path of privatisation of PSBs as it privatised IDBI Bank by selling its majority stake in the public lender to Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in 2019. The Central government also merged 14 PSBs in just the last four years.

Also read: Bank employees' strike to hit SBI services on March 15, 16

Also read: Bank strike on March 15, 16 to hit services; BoM informs customers
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Investors seeking more Asia Pacific hotel assets in 2021

BANGKOK: Investors are confident in the long-term future of the Asia-Pacific hotels market despite ongoing COVID-19 pressure on the tourism and hospitality sectors, says JLL. According to investors surveyed by JLL, approximately 70% say they are bullish on the Asia-Pacific hotel market and are interested in deploying capital into the sector in 2021.

tourismeconomics

By The Phuket News

Sunday 14 March 2021, 10:23AM

For its Hotel Investment Outlook report, JLL polled approximately 100 clients in late January 2021. Image: JLL

JLL is forecasting approximately US$7 billion in transactions in 2021, an increase of 20% year-on-year, up from $5.8 billion in 2020. While sizable pools capital are ready to be deployed, pricing and financing will become a larger consideration for investors. According to JLL, the gap between buyer and seller price expectations will narrow as distress becomes less likely, while sellers come to terms with the impact of operating cash flow on pricing. Over 80% of investors surveyed are eyeing discounts of 20-30%, while sellers are expected to move roughly 10% in asking prices.

As optimism around recovery builds, Japan (52%) and Southeast Asia (46%) are emerging as the most desirable hotel investment markets in Asia-Pacific, owing to strong demand dynamics and positive long-term fundamentals. Investors also view Australia (31%) and China (22%) favourably.

The cycle has been reset and we are now on the cusp of a period of recovery. Optimism around the deployment of vaccines and an eventual recovery in tourism has started to drive activity and investors dont want to miss the opportunity. At the same time record amounts of capital have been raised to be deployed into the real estate sector in general, including into hospitality, said Nihat Ercan, Senior Managing Director, Head of Investment Sales, Asia Pacific, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group.

Approximately 25% of surveyed investors are taking a more cautious approach to deploying capital, seeking greater clarity on the industrys COVID-19 recovery before committing further funds to the sector. Around 5% of investors polled by JLL are looking to exit the sector and refocus on other asset classes. Demand for assets has initially concentrated on core markets like primary cities in Japan and Australia, yet we see this diversifying in the coming months, said Mr Ercan.

Conversely, investors also see the current environment as an opportunity to invest in existing properties and focus on asset management initiatives including renovations, repurposing, and repositioning properties in response to changing consumer preferences.

The past year has been all about protecting cash flow and this will continue for the coming 12 to 18 months. Seasoned owners realise that now is the time to invest in existing hotels, with little displaced business. However, it is a balancing act in keeping operating costs flexible, while investing ahead of the recovery to edge in front of competitors and meet guest needs, noted Xander Nijnens, Managing Director, Head of Advisory and Asset Management, Asia Pacific, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group.

According to the survey, 36% identify investing in their assets as their primary priority in 2021, coupled with a focus on cost containment and maintaining cash flow discipline.

There are deals to be done in the current environment, yet value-add players will have the upper hand as they are willing to roll up their sleeves to invest and reposition hotels with a view of selling them in three to five years adds Nijnens.

JLL polled approximately 100 clients in late January 2021. Learn more in JLLs global Hotel Investment Outlook.

President Joe Biden has an unprecedented opportunity to restore faith in Americas intelligence agencies -- if he seizes this opportunity to make a clean break with the practices of the past 20 years.

The era begun on 9/11 featured the growth of government secrecy, mass surveillance, and misplaced priorities. Hundreds of millions of Americans information can now be captured by the FBI and National Security Agency simply because a person knows someone overseas -- or a legal U.S. immigrant. As recently as 2015, the Department of Justice and NSA argued they didnt need a warrant to acquire the records of calls of all people in the United States based on the mere notion that some records could be relevant to foreign intelligence.

This warrantless mass surveillance of people in the United States  often capturing information on millions of innocent Americans, with disproportionate impacts on communities of color -- fuels resentment against the government from both ends of the ideological spectrum. The ongoing deployment of facial recognition systems across the nation, for instance, alarms us all. The secrecy and unaccountability of the surveillance state delegitimizes the government and undermines trust.

President Biden should take several corrective steps to take us back to constitutional surveillance practices. Recall that the FISA Court ordered the FBI to address issues that tainted the Carter Page investigation, followed by a DOJ inspector general audit that found pervasive problems affecting each of 29 sampled FISA applications. Attorney General William Barr responded with guidelines and guardrails for the Department of Justice for investigations of political campaigns and candidates.

The Biden administration should build on these guidelines, ensuring that investigations targeting someone in the United States benefit from these expanded rules. President Biden should urge Congress to enshrine them in law as well.

Every administration for over two decades has undermined congressional efforts to understand surveillance practices and their legal justifications. In July 2020, Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., wrote a letter to Barr and then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe demanding to know to what extent the executive branch believes it has the inherent authority to spy on people in the United States. They received no response.

Previous administrations have misled the public and Congress about the extent of spying on Americans without congressional authorization or a court order. Now, a bipartisan cross section of lawmakers on Capitol Hill led by Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, is demanding answers. Yet we now have reports (and one agency has confirmed) that the government is circumventing the courts and Congress and purchasing countless pieces of information about Americans from data brokers.

As former members of Congress, we followed up with a Freedom of Information Act request to push this fact-finding mission forward. Is the government hiding dragnet surveillance of Americans? Is such surveillance occurring without congressional or court authorization? Like Sens. Lee and Leahy, Reps. Jayapal and Davidson, and their many allies on the Hill, we have received no response. Demand Progress Education Fund and the Project for Privacy and Surveillance Accountability have just filed suit to compel disclosure.

The Biden administration should commit only to spying on people in the United States pursuant to congressional and court authorization and support a congressional vote on the issue.

One year ago this week, Congress allowed Section 215 of the Patriot Act to expire. Section 215 is known as the business records provision and granted the government warrantless access under the banner of national security to our personal information held by businesses.

On the eve of Section 215s expiration, Sen. Richard Burr, then chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, took to the chamber floor to say that the executive branch has the inherent authority to surveil American citizens under an executive order known as 12333: The president under 12333 authority can do all of this, without Congresss permission, with no guardrails. This lawless theory of executive power belongs in the distant past. Has it returned, assuming it was ever really abandoned in the first place?

The president should endorse legislation that makes clear congressional or court authorization are the exclusive means for acquiring information about people in the United States. A good step would be to endorse Sen. Ron Wydens upcoming The Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, which forbids buying our information from data brokers and would finally halt the shell game that some in government play with domestic surveillance authorities.

While threatening to veto FISA reauthorization legislation in May 2020, then-President Trump said that warrantless surveillance of Americans is wrong. Taking the steps weve outlined would cement Joe Biden as the peoples civil liberties ally that Donald Trump never became. The new administration has the opportunity to become that ally by providing honest answers about, and taking action on, the legitimate surveillance concerns that have dogged the American people since at least the start of this century.

Mark Udall, a Democrat, is a former U.S. senator from Colorado who served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Maja Ruznics diaphanous paintings ring with echoes of time and memory flowing within nebulous pools of paint.

The Harwood Museum of Art is giving the Bosnian-born artist her first solo museum show with In the Sliver of the Sun from March 12 through Sept. 26.

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At first glance exercises in hazy abstraction, but a closer look at Ruznics work reveals a watercolor bloom of ancient figures, some without faces, emerging from her foggy washes. Viewers glimpse outlines of a head or a hand in groupings that sometimes melt into one.

She puts stain or paint over canvas, starts out painting until she sees someone familiar, a hand, a face; she looks for these shadows, Harwood curator Nicole Dial-Kay said. She uses her brush like alchemy to find these humans.

The artist spent years working in watercolor because she couldnt afford a San Francisco studio and was concerned about the impact of paint fumes on her lungs. Watercolors ephemeral nature is still visible in her current work in oil and acrylic.

As an 8-year-old girl, Ruznic and her family fled during the Bosnian War to escape the ethnic cleansing ravaging their country. They lived in refugee camps in Croatia, Austria and Germany for a few years until Ruznic and her mother emigrated to the U.S. They settled in San Francisco in 1995.

Ruznic went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley, later earning an MFA from the California College of Arts.

The title of her latest exhibition occurred to Ruznic as she watched her cat seek out sun-drenched shafts of light for her naps.

She realized the sun offered a sense of comfort, warmth and relaxation in a time of turmoil.

Today, that anxiety stems from the pandemic, political divisiveness and the police murder of George Floyd.

I think all of the figures Ive been painting the last few months are looking for a sliver of sun, the Roswell resident said. I think I was afraid to bring a child into the world. Everything seemed diseased and sick, and the work seemed like a prayer.

The studio became her place of worship.

I needed to believe we can be better, she said. The work seemed transformative.

Ruznic dilutes her paint in linseed oil and cold wax, creating a pigment three-quarters thinner than its original composition.

She paints in thin layers with dry brushes, often leaving the canvas weave exposed in a technique known as scumbling.

Ruznic began creating a trio of paintings titled The Painters and Their Daughters when she was pregnant with her first child.

The Return is the shows centerpiece.

I feel like the pandemic has put everyone on hold,  Ruznic said. Its about all of us returning to a world that feels safe to hug each other, to touch each other.

Its not hard to see the title as a reflection of Ruznics reunification with her mother after they were separated during the war. Ruznic fled the destruction with her grandparents while her mother was still at work.

She remembers the adults glued to the TV when the fighting broke out. One morning, she was told not to go to school.

I just remember the sirens started wailing, she said.They grabbed me and they grabbed a bag already packed, and we rushed to the (Sava) River.

The boats took them into Croatia, where they stayed with family members.

They didnt know where her mother was.

You could hear the fighting across the river, she said. It sounded like fireworks to me.

Not having her there to sleep next to me was super traumatic, she continued. Then, I was playing outside with the kids and she emerged from the fog. It was a feeling I will never forget. When I play it in my head, its almost like a movie.

As Ruznics figures emerge, they seem to ask the viewer to be held, to be helped.

Her Weeping Woman series came as a reaction to Picassos work on the same subject.

For a long time, I hated Picasso because youre supposed to, she said, referring to the artists notorious treatment of women. How can you hate a painter when you love the painting? You cant. I wanted to insert myself into the weeping women. Its both an ode and a middle finger. I wanted to make our suffering seen.

If you go

WHAT: In the Sliver of the Sun: Maja Ruznic

WHERE: The Harwood Museum of Art, Taos

WHEN: March 12-Sept. 26

HOW MUCH: Online at harwoodmuseum.org
Syracuse, N.Y.  Celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich will headline WCNYs seventh annual Taste of Fame dinner fundraiser this spring, which will be held virtually for the second straight year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bastianich, the Emmy award-winning host of Lidias Kitchen on public television, will also host WCNYs in-person dinner on Oct. 15 at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown.

We are very excited Chef Lidia Bastianich will host this years virtual Taste of Fame virtual event for participating PBS stations across the country, says Mitch Gelman, WCNY president and chief executive officer.

A basic ticket costs $175 and feeds four people. Sunbasket, a meal-delivery service specializing in organic ingredients, will deliver meal kits to homes for guests to cook along with Lidia. She will be preparing the same dinner her home kitchen in Boston.

The Sunbasket meal kit includes:

Spinach-artichoke dip with traditional pita for an appetizer

Ingredients to create Lidias Springtime Asparagus Risotto

Simple Dark Chocolate Bars for an after-dinner dessert snack.

The evening begins with a cocktail Q&A with Bastianich, moderated by Chef Julia Collin Davison of Americas Test Kitchen at 6:30 p.m. Guests can ask Bastianich questions in the Zoom chat as she creates Fragoncello, one of her favorite spring cocktails.

At 7 p.m., Bastianich will give guests a cooking lesson as she creates a springtime asparagus risotto dish. When the cooking lesson ends, guests can eat with friends in private Zoom rooms.

Chef Lidia Bastianich will guide participants of the Taste of Fame dinner to make Springtime Asparagus Risotto.Courtesy of the WCNY

Ticketholders can watch the video of the cooking lesson for up to two weeks after the event. They also get one-month digital access to the Americas Test Kitchen website.

For $225, you get the meal and cooking lesson and an autographed copy of Bastianichs book Felidia: Recipes from My Flagship Restaurant: A Cookbook.

WCNY is scheduling an in-person event for Oct. 15. Tickets are $150 per person. It includes a three-course dinner with recipes crafted by Bastianich. A cocktail hour and silent auction begins at 6 p.m., with dinner following at 7 p.m. The menu is:

Appetizer: Roasted Squash and Carrot Salad

Entree: Choice of Beer-Braised Beef Short Ribs, Chicken Pizzaiola or Ricotta Frittata

Dessert: Apple Cranberry Crumble

Tickets for both events are on sale starting today at www.wcny.org/tasteoffame.

MORE CNY FOOD

No place like home: 315 Foodies launch app with discounts to local restaurants

Thai Love New York still sending out great food (Dining In Review)

CNY restaurants outraged over Grubhubs unauthorized deliveries

Hidden Gems of CNY: The best cheesesteak youll find outside of Philly is in Marcellus

Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at 315-382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. You can also find him on Twitter @HoosierCuse.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
China has completed feasibility studies of the fourth phase of its lunar exploration program and is expected to build an international lunar research station on the moon's south pole in the future, said Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China's lunar exploration program.

In an interview with China Space News, Wu said that three missions are planned for the fourth phase of the lunar exploration program. The program includes the retrieval of lunar samples from the south pole by Chang'e-6, a detailed survey of the moon's south pole resources by Chang'e-7, and the testing of key technologies in preparation for the construction of the lunar research station by Chang'e-8.

Wu explained that there may be a polar day and night on the moon's south pole, like Earth's north and south poles. The moon's rotation period is equal to its revolution period, both of which are 28 days. Therefore, there may be more than 180 consecutive days of light on the moon's south pole, which would be highly convenient for astronauts carrying out scientific research.

On Tuesday, China and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to build an international scientific research station on the moon.

Wu said that within the MOU framework, China and Russia would use their experience in space science, research and development, and their space equipment and technology. The two countries will jointly formulate a roadmap for the construction of an international lunar research station, carrying out close cooperation in the planning, demonstration, design, development, implementation and operation of the project, Wu noted.
How did Texas get to the point where more than half its electricity generation got knocked offline?

The failure of so many power plants during the brutal winter weather that swept through Texas last month was perhaps years in the making, the result of a merchant power industry that has struggled to earn profits, satisfy Wall Street and keep the confidence of lenders and investors.

Squeezed by low electricity prices, tight margins and competition from cheap wind power, merchant power companies such as NRG Energy, Calpine and Vistra Energy have been reluctant to invest in new power plants or upgrade older ones, asserting for years that they were simply not making enough money from generating electricity.

Lenders and investors have agreed. A major new power plant  excluding wind and solar installations  has not been built in Texas since 2017, when the Chicago company Exelon completed two 1,100- megawatt gas-fired power plants, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the states grid manager. One reason: financing for projects that can cost hundreds of millions of dollars has become increasingly hard to get.

CATASTROPHIC BLACKOUTS: Regulators knew of freeze risk to Texas' natural gas system. It still crippled power generation.

There is a lot of uncertainty about how much profit gas plants can make year to year, said Travis Miller, an energy and utilities equity strategist at Morningstar Securities Research. Investors typically dont want to finance projects when they dont have confidence the project can produce steady cash flows.

The companies, meanwhile, have not just slowed or stopped investing in generation. They have sold off and shut down power plants to refocus on businesses with higher profit margins, such as retail electricity. NRG, for example, launched a three-year plan in 2017 to shrink its holdings in power generation and grow its retail business.

NRG divested some $4 billion in generating and other assets, including $1.3 billion in renewable energy, and embarked on a buying spree of retail electricity providers to become one of the nations biggest power retailers. In Texas, NRG probably holds at least 40 percent of the retail electricity market, following its $3.6 billion acquisition of Direct Energy in January, according to a 2018 investor presentation.

NRG began the shift from power generation as early as 2009 with its acquisition of Reliant Energy, the Houston retail electricity provider, and accelerating it after NRG lost some $6.4 billion in 2015 and $891 million in 2016.

Wall Street has embraced NRGs decision to shrink its power generation business, pushing its stock from a low of about $11 a share in 2016 to more than $40 a share today. NRG declined to comment.

Texas market

Economic conditions have challenged power generators across the country as the higher costs of coal and natural gas compete against the falling costs of wind and solar energy. Perhaps nowhere has it been as challenging as in Texas, where massive amounts of wind-generated electricity can drive wholesale prices into negative numbers  in other words, producers pay buyers to take their power.

Unlike other deregulated markets that pay generators to keep plants ready to meet peak demand  whether they operate or not  prices provide the only incentives for companies to invest in building, maintaining and upgrading power plants.

Texas regulators have responded to generators complaints that they were not earning enough to make these investments by raising prices, doubling the maximum to $9,000 from $4,500 about a decade ago, and, in 2019, adopting price adders that allow generators to earn more when power supplies get short.

TALE OF TWO FREEZES: How Texas power grid stayed on during 1989 cold snap

That has made power generation largely a seasonal business in Texas, depending on a few weeks of hot weather and high prices to earn profits. The difference of several degrees in summer temperatures can mean the difference between profit and loss, analysts said.

Those risks have soured investors looking for more reliable returns and put pressure on companies to deliver earnings to shareholders rather than reinvesting them in generation, analysts said.

It is very uncertain what return will deliver from one summer to the next, said Steve Piper, research director at S&P Global Market Intelligence. It's not hard to make a case that these are better uses of the capital than putting it into the power plants where the return might not be there.

The pressure from Wall Street to deliver returns led the Houston company Calpine, the nations biggest natural-gas generator of electricity, to sell itself in March 2018 to a consortium of investors led by the New Jersey private equity firm Energy Capital Partners and become a private company.

Before going private, Calpine struggled with lackluster earnings and falling stock prices. In the year before its sale, the company lost $339 million in 2017 while its stock price fell below $10 share, down from about $24 a share in 2014. Calpine declined to comment.

It has become clear over the last 10 years or so that Wall Street has been a little less interested in companies with wholesale (power market) exposure, Piper said. This is certainly true for power plants within ERCOT. Their market mechanism doesn't really deliver a reliable return to new generation.

Changing economics

The rise of renewable energy has also eroded the weather-based business model on which generators have depended. The peak pricing on scorching summer afternoons in Texas occurs less frequently as wind and solar power generate more electricity to meet the soaring demand.

Last summer, the state avoided the power shortages and spiking prices of the summer of 2019 in part because Texas wind farms were able to produce more electricity during hot spells to meet the demand. Wholesale prices for 2020 topped out at $1,700 per megawatt hour on the afternoon of Aug. 15, far below the state maximum of $9,000 reached during several days the previous summer.

The expansion of solar power could further cut into the peak pricing periods on which generators have relied. Solar produces the most electricity on hot, sunny afternoons when power is needed most.

Solar still represents a tiny share of the state's generation, but it is growing quickly. Solar generating capacity has more than doubled to nearly 6,800 megawatts since the end of 2018 and is projected to more than double again to some 15,000 megawatts by 2022.

In the last 13 years, the generation mix on Texas power grid has shifted toward natural gas and renewables, with wind making the greatest gains. Wind energy generates about 20 percent of the states electricity, up from just 2 percent in 2008, while the share for natural gas rose to 47 percent from 45 percent, according to ERCOT.

Those gains came mostly at the expense of coal, whose share of generation fell to 20 percent from 38 percent during that period, according to ERCOT.

Vistra Energy, parent company of the generator Luminant and retail electricity provider TXU, cited competition from lower cost renewables and natural gas in 2018 when it shuttered three of the state's largest coal plants, retiring a combined generation capacity of more than 4,000 megawatts and eliminating about 850 jobs.

Vistra, like NRG, has shifted its focus to retail electricity, which its CEO Curt Morgan described in 2019 as the biggest opportunity for the companys investments. Vistra acquired retail electric companies Crius Energy and Ambit Energy in 2019 and Infinite Energy and Veterans Energy in 2020.

Analysts estimate that Vistra and NRG control about 70 percent of the Texas retail electricity market. Vistra did not respond to requests for comment.

Tough environment

Vistra also has moved to capitalize on the growth in renewables. It followed up on a 10-megawatt battery storage unit in Upton County in West Texas that began operating in 2018 with a 300-megawatt lithium-ion battery storage system at its Moss Landing power plant site in California.

The company has three additional battery projects in California and Texas set to come online by 2022.

There is so much renewable energy now in Texas, said Miller, of Morningstar. It really makes the operating environment tough, for natural gas generators, in particular.

marcy.deluna@chron.com
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 19:25:25|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on March 6, 2021 shows citizens displaying China's national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in support of implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" at Tamar Park in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

With the precondition of loving the country and loving Hong Kong, everyone has the right for political participation in accordance with the law, Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR government Matthew Cheung said.

The NPC's decision on improving the electoral system in the HKSAR and the national security law in Hong Kong will help Hong Kong restore political stability and social security, come out of its political mire and focus on development, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR government Paul Chan said.

HONG KONG, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) government on Sunday expressed their firm support for a decision by the National People's Congress on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR.

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Thursday adopted, by an overwhelming majority vote, the decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR.

Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR government Matthew Cheung said in a blog article that with the precondition of loving the country and loving Hong Kong, everyone has the right for political participation in accordance with the law.

The NPC's decision is an urgent move to ensure the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems" and a pragmatic measure to promote the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, he said.

Cheung said the NPC's decision will plug the loopholes in Hong Kong's electoral system, ensure full implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the central authorities' overall jurisdiction over Hong Hong, and safeguard the political stability of the HKSAR.

Noting that the long-term peace, stability and prosperity are the aspirations of Hong Kong residents, Cheung said the combination of the national security law in Hong Kong, the NPC's decision on improving the electoral system in the HKSAR and the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national socio-economic development and the long-range objectives through 2035, will ensure the long-term development, prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.

Also in a blog article, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR government Paul Chan said the NPC's decision on improving the electoral system in the HKSAR and the national security law in Hong Kong will help Hong Kong restore political stability and social security, come out of its political mire and focus on development.

Implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" aims to plug the loopholes in Hong Kong's electoral system, and prevent anti-China disruptors or the proxies of foreign interests from entering the administration structure of Hong Kong and damaging the security and interests of the country and Hong Kong, Chan noted.

It also aims to ensure those administering Hong Kong could fully and faithfully implement the principle of "one country, two systems" and the steady implementation of "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy, he said.

The NPC's decision will improve the administration efficiency of the HKSAR government, Chan added. 
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
LIBREVILLE, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of China-donated Sinopharm vaccines arrived in Libreville, the Gabonese capital on Friday, the first anniversary of the start of the pandemic in the central African country.

Prime Minister Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, accompanied by two ministers and the Chinese Ambassador Hu Changchun, welcomed the arrival of the cargo at the airport.

China responded quickly to the Gabonese government's request for vaccines and was the first country to do so, fully demonstrating the brotherhood between the two countries, said Ossouka Raponda.

Gabon is confident in the safety and efficacy of Chinese vaccines, she said, adding that with the support of China, Gabon will surely overcome the epidemic.

President Ali Bongo Ondimba said Friday on social media that the national vaccination campaign was about to start and that healthcare workers, security forces, people at risk and the elderly will be the first to benefit from it.

The aid demonstrates the deep traditional friendship and the great political trust between the two countries. China is actively implementing the promise to make its vaccines an accessible and affordable global public good for developing countries and is taking concrete steps to build a closer China-Africa community of common destiny and a closer global health community, said Ambassador Hu.

Gabon reported its first case of infection on March 12, 2020. As of Friday, it has recorded a total of 16,313 confirmed cases with 93 deaths related to COVID-19.
A very strange drunk-driving accident took place at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kiev, Ukraine, and it was only made public after photos of it made their way on social media. Earlier this week, a Volkswagen Touran crashed into a MiG 29 fighter jet that was being towed into storage, and a fire resulted that reportedly totaled the aircraft.The MiG 29 , also known as Fulcrum under its NATO nomenclature, is a twin-engine jet fighter aircraft designed by Mikoyan in the 70s. The Ukrainian Air Force has some 35 of these aircraft, some of which, like this particular one, were overhauled in 2017.The Vasylkiv Air Base is home to the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade and the Air Command Central headquarters. The official statement on the crash, which you will find available below, doesnt mention the rank of the officer responsible for it or, for that matter, the name. But it does make one thing clear: the man was under the influence of alcohol when he got behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Touran, his personal vehicle, and drove across the tarmac.He hit the jet in the rear, as it was being towed into storage. There was no one on board the plane, but the driver of the VW received injuries to the chest and face. He is in stable condition. A fire started, which, despite the quick intervention of first responders, is believed to have totaled the jet.Two separate investigations are now underway, local reports note: one by the Air Force and a criminal investigation, launched after it was learned that the officer was drunk.Drunk-driving is always a serious, potentially fatal offense, but for a member of the Air Force to do it  and wreck a $5 million jet (the MiG 29 is valued at $20 million new) in the process  that adds a whole new layer of reckless.
BERLIN  Voters in two southwestern German states punished Chancellor Angela Merkels conservative party in regional elections on Sunday, early results showed, turning from the Christian Democrats in record numbers amid the coronavirus pandemic and a growing scandal over lawmakers who accepted kickbacks for selling masks.

The elections in the states of Baden-Wurttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate were the first in a year that will see voting for new legislators in four more states, and for the countrys Parliament. In September, Germans will choose a new chancellor and government to take over Europes largest economy after 16 years under Ms. Merkels leadership.

Projections based on partial vote counts showed the conservative party poised to lose support in both states. The results pointed to challenges the party faces in trying to restore confidence lost after three conservative lawmakers  including one representing a district in Baden-Wurttemberg  were forced to resign after revelations they had received compensation worth tens of thousands of euros for arranging the sale of medical-grade masks to municipalities when supplies were tight.

Today was not a good election evening for the Christian Democratic Union, Paul Ziemiak, secretary general of the party, said Sunday at a news conference after the polls had closed. We wanted to see better results.
Hundreds of Sydneysiders have been put on high alert after a Covid-positive hotel quarantine security guard visited several venues and caught public transport.



The worker's positive test was reported on Saturday night, breaking New South Wales' streak of 55 days without a locally-acquired case.

The 47-year-old man works at the Sofitel Wentworth and the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket and had received the Pfizer vaccine.

He was infectious while working a shift at the Mantra from 7pm on Friday night to 7am on Saturday, coming into contact with 130 people.

During his shift, the man visited the Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket, between 12.15am and 12.20am, before going to the nearby 7-Eleven in Capitol Square, on George Street, from 12.20am to 12.25am.

The man worked at the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket and the Sofitel Wentworth (pictured) housing returned international travellers on March 11 and 12 while infectious

Dr Chant said the man visited Bexley aquatics centre (pictured) on Saturday, March 13 from 9- 9:30am

The security guard also visited Pancakes on the rocks in Beverly Hills on Saturday, March 13 from 10.45am to midday

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the security guard then visited Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre in Bexley on Saturday, March 13 from 9am to 9.30am and Pancakes on the rocks in Beverly Hills the same day from 10.45am to midday.

The man, whose household has since tested negative, also caught a train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on March 12 and from the city to Hurstville leaving at 7am the next morning.

Venues visited by the infected worker Pancakes on the rocks at Beverly Hills - Saturday, March 13 from 10.45am to midday. Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket - Saturday, March 13 from 12.15 to 12.20am 7 Eleven in Capitol Square, Haymarket - Saturday, March 13 from 12.20am to 12.25am Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre in Bexley - Saturday, March 13 from 9 to 9.30am. A train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on Friday, March 12 and city to Hurstville leaving at 7am Saturday March 13. Hudsons Coffee Shop, Hurstville Private Hospital: Monday March 8, 8.30 to 9am Tuesday March 9, 8.30am to 9am Wednesday March 10, 8.30am to 9am Thursday March 11, 8.30am to 9am Friday March 12, 8.30am to 9am Coles, Hurstville Station - Wednesday 10 March, 8pm to 9pm Advertisement

'At the moment we think these venues are low-risk but what we're doing is reviewing CCTV footage to refine the information, and we will be using that text to those patrons that have used the QR codes for these venues,' Dr Chant said.

'It is likely some additional venues will be identified.'

Alerts have since been issued for a busy supermarket and a popular coffee shop that were attended by the man earlier this week.

Anyone who visited Coles, in Hurstville Station, on Wednesday March 10 between 8pm to 9pm or Hudsons Coffee Shop, Hurstville Private Hospital, between Monday March 8 to Friday March 12 from 8.30am to 9am have been urged to monitor for symptoms.

If they appear, people are advised to immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

The same advice applies to anyone who attended the other venues during the listed times, except those who visited Pancakes on the Rocks who are considered close contacts and must be tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days.

Dr Chant said the hypothesis was that the security guard caught the virus at Sofitel Wentworth during a shift on 7pm March 6 to 7am on March 7 when there was an infected guest at the hotel at the same time.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the security guard was out in Sydney while infectious but 'not excessively so' and he was confident about the likelihood of preventing an outbreak.

'I am relatively relaxed today, knowing we have the systems in place that we have, and I am also relaxed about the fact that the testing did its job, picked up the gentleman,' he said.

However, he said he was disappointed that NSW residents had relaxed their adherence to coronavirus rules and precautions.

'I think the message from this to everybody is don't be complacent. I have certainly seen complacency everywhere I go, actually, now,' he said.

'Our hotel quarantine system is all that is standing between us and situations like England, the [United] Sates, South America. We need to recognise we all need to do our bit.'

Mr Hazzard the new case highlights the importance of staying vigilant despite the state enjoying a 55-day streak.

The man briefly visited the Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket (pictured), between 12.15am and 12.20am on Saturday during his night shift

He then went to the nearby 7-Eleven in Capitol Square, on George Street (pictured), from 12.20am to 12.25am

'This is the reality of a pandemic. The science and medicine can only go so far... don't become complacent,' he said.

'It is a real and present danger that will continue until we have most of the population vaccinated.

'As we have said all along, vaccination helps but it does not necessarily stop you getting the virus.

'The purpose of vaccination is of course, as you are well aware, having two doses in the case of Pfizer, and with AstraZeneca, it makes you far less likely to get as sick as you would get an far less likely to die.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the man received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on March 2, but has not yet had his second shot. It takes up to two weeks for the jab's full immunity.

'I'm not disturbed by it, I'm not surprised by it because you would expect these things to happen on the odd occasion,' he said.

Anyone who visited Coles, in Hurstville Station, (pictured) on Wednesday March 10 between 8pm to 9pm has been urged to monitor for symptoms

'There are no risk-free responses when you deal with Covid-19, it is unrealistic and naive to think so... there are always vulnerabilities.

'This is an important point, the [effectiveness of the] vaccination is not immediate. I have had my second dose and it does take a while,' Mr Morrison said, moments after receiving the jab.

'You should still try to observe the Covid-safe behaviours  I'm wearing a mask today.'

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said it was 'unusual' for someone to catch coronavirus after getting the first jab, but no unexpected.

'This is not a silver bullet that is going to fix everything right away,' he said alongside the prime minister.

'There will still be outbreaks, even as we go through this vaccination program.'

Professor Kelly said a 'small proportion' of people may get 'mildly sick' in the unlikely event they caught the virus, but would not become seriously ill.

'There is a time lag of getting that vaccine and the protection kicking in, of a few weeks, and as you get the second dose, particularly with the Pfizer vaccine, that protection increases,' he said.

The worker's positive tests was reported on Saturday night, breaking the state's streak of 55 days without a locally-acquired case

The man also caught a train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on March 12 and from the city to Hurstville leaving at 7am

Health authorities are working to identify where the virus came from and who may have been exposed.

'The source of the new infection reported overnight is under investigation and urgent genome sequencing is underway,' Dr Stephen Conaty from NSW Health said.

NSW Health said the emergence of the case 'underscores the need for continued community vigilance for any signs and symptoms that could be Covid-19'.

'It is critical that everyone continues to practise Covid-safe behaviours and that people come forward for testing if they have even the mildest of symptoms,' a statement read.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the hypothesis was that the security guard caught the virus at Sofitel Wentworth during a shift on 7pm March 6 to 7am on March 7 when there was an infected guest at the hotel at the same time

NSW Health said the emergence of the case 'underscores the need for continued community vigilance for any signs and symptoms that could be Covid-19'

The case will be recorded in Monday's figures as it was detected after 8pm on Saturday.

There were no locally-acquired Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, and three cases in travellers in hotel quarantine.

The tally came from more than 9,200 tests.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant will address the state at 1pm on Sunday with more details.

Meanwhile, Scott Morrison received his second Pfizer vaccination dose on Sunday morning.

The prime minister joined 20 nurses, GPs, frontline workers, aged care staff and ADF personnel to receive their first dose on February 21.

It has now been three weeks - the recommended waiting time between jabs.
Hyderabad, March 14 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said that yoga is also a path to spiritual calmness and is not associated with any religion, region or people.

He, along with Kamlesh Patel (Daaji), Guide of Heartfulness and President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, unveiled the 'yoga for unity and well-being' initiative, with an aim to unite people across the world by practicing yoga and meditation for 100 days for a healthier and happier life.

Baba Ramdev of Patanjali Yogpeeth, Ayush Secretary Rajesh Kotecha, and Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana Founder Chancellor Dr H.R. Nagendra were present to support this initiative.

"Yoga is an approach to holistic well-being which includes physical and mental fitness. Its benefits lead to freedom from psychological stress and bodily ailments. It results in a high level of positive energy. It is also a path to spiritual calmness. It is not associated with any religion, region, or people but belongs to the entire world and all of humanity," said the President He noted that as the world moves to attain progress through science and technology, there is a need to restore the balance between human beings and nature through sustainable methods. The concept of health according to yoga goes beyond physical well-being, he added.

Daaji pointed out that India is home to a multitude of practices to explore one's purpose in life. "I am proud that the Heartfulness Institute has facilitated the united effort of organisations from across the globe for people to easily learn yoga and meditation. I urge everyone to take the time to attend these sessions, which are free of charge, from the comfort of their homes to metamorphose their lives," he said.

People around the world can tune in every morning into a virtual session to learn asanas by instructors of leading yoga institutes possessing a legacy of hundreds of years, all under the unifying banner of 'yoga for unity and well-being'. Additionally, attendees can listen in to the lecture series on every Wednesdays and Saturday evenings.

Daaji will conduct special meditation sessions for seekers to experience transformation through transmission (life energy). The series will come to an end on International Yoga day.

Ramdev said that it is the beginning of a new era for yoga and meditation in a post-pandemic world. "While many have started practicing yoga and its asanas, they are unaware of its full potential to expand our collective consciousness. This series will not only unify practitioners for the goal of collective well-being but also enable them to explore the full potential of a yogic lifestyle and access to wider base of yoga institutes that have perfected and continue the traditional and authentic methodologies." Kotecha said that the Ministry of Ayush is working in close collaboration with various reputed leading yoga institutions for making IDY a true mass movement.

Yoga for unity and well-being will be conducted from March 15 to June 21.

Through this series, Heartfulness Institute is uniting the leading traditional yoga schools and bringing their practices onto a single platform. The entire series is free of cost for participants.

There will be over 75 yoga practice sessions from different lineages, 30 weekly lectures by Yoga experts, and weekend master classes with Daaji will be conducted, starting from March 15 for the next 100 days on the Heartfulness YouTube channel and social media platforms. Participants can register on https://heartfulness.org/en/yoga4unity/ for free access to all the sessions.

The event is supported by the Ministry of Ayush, the UN Information Centre - UNIC - India & Bhutan, Yoga for Harmony and Peace, and the Association of Indian Universities.
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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy this morning followed by isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. High 71F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
(Newser)  Reports of a potentially serious side effect have prompted Ireland health officials to suspend the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The country's National Immunisation Advisory Committee recommended the move over the weekend as a "precautionary step" after reports of serious blood clotting events emerged in Norway, per the BBC. The Republic of Ireland joins other European countries including Denmark who've suspended use of the vaccine in the wake of "thromboembolic events" first reported in Austria. While no doubt startling for the 110,000 who've received the vaccine in Ireland, officials were careful to frame the move as temporary pending further information from Norway.

story continues below

Norwegian health authorities reported that four people under the age of 50 who'd recently received the vaccine were being treated for bleeding, blood clots, and a low count of blood platelets. In a statement obtained by Ireland public media , AstraZeneca said that an analysis of more than 17 million doses administered has shown no evidence of an increased risk of clotting. "In fact, the reported numbers of these types of events...are not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population," the statement said.

(Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
Depositors of failed finance companies struggle to survive By Quintus Perera View(s): View(s):

Some highly depressed senior citizens over 80 years who have deposited their hard-earned retirement gratuities and lifelong savings in what is called now defunct financial companies are desperately seeking to know what is happening to their deposits still lying in those companies.

One of these desperate depositors, ailing and over 80-year-old W. K. Ruberu wonders as to what is happening to their deposits in the Finance and Guarantee Company (F&G) and what good these present boards of directors of the defunct finance companies have been doing for the depositors.

Some of them are waiting for more than 10 years. There are two companies in this group which have been treated as defunct, but function under boards.

He indicated that these boards functioned for few years receiving high salaries and other benefits spending lavishly the depositors hard-earned money and his view is that the money these officials have been spending could have been sufficient to repay the depositors money.

While the functioning of these boards appears to be absolutely futile on the face of any benefits afforded, they continue on the pretext of finding investors to run these defunct finance companies back in business and these attempts have not been materialised.

He indicated that at present what the government and these officials could do is to appoint a powerful body to investigate as to how many boards have been appointed from the time of relinquishing the managements of Mervyn Jayasinghe, Managing Director of both these companies to date and how much money they have collected and how they have been spent  a detailed audited statement of activities they have performed and the present states of these two companies.

This powerful body thus appointed should find out all the misappropriations or frauds, if any, find an investor or other alternatives, to re-establish these companies and publish their findings for the benefit of the depositors.

Meanwhile W. Gunawardene, President, Depositors Association of the Central Investment and Finance Ltd (CIFLDA) indicated that they are also struggling to get their deposits back for years while there have been futile promises and assurances by the government and the Central Bank.

He said that including CIFL the other failed finance companies are ETI, Swarnamahal, TKF Finance and The Finance and Standard Credit Finance. The number of depositors and stakeholders would be approximately  CIFL 20,150, ETI 37,586, Swarnamahal 9,623, TKF Finance 35,185, Standard Credit 6,500 and The Finance 147,152.

He stressed the alleged embezzlement of depositors funds in the failed finance companies would run to a massive sum of billions of rupees equivalent to the Bond Scam.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed the Central Bank to acquire all the assets and properties of these failed finance companies, and sell to pay back the depositors dues in June 2020. Earlier the Central Bank paid initially Rs. 600,000 each to the depositors out of the Liquidity Support Scheme with a balance due to be paid to settle the dues.

He said that almost all these struggling depositors are senior citizens are sick and depended on the interest money on their deposits to cover their medical bills. Thus, many of these sick senior citizens have died unable to pay their medical expenses.

Given the fact that senior citizens are more susceptible to COVID-19 this would clearly increase the mortality rate of the country.

He said that without further harassing these already depressed depositors, the authorities can easily pay back the depositors money with the money collected by selling the assets and properties of these failed finance companies and added them into the balance Liquidity Support Fund.
It was a year ago this past week that the coronavirus pandemic became real to Americans. Over the next days and weeks, our worlds would shrink to four walls as work, school, commerce and travel ground to a halt. In this weeks lead image, New York Daily News editorial cartoonist Bill Bramhall draws a literal Covid year: the Earth starting its second orbit around the spiky virus.

The news also revolves around the virus. Congress passed a popular $1.9 trillion relief bill that will send another $1,400 to most Americans  and also achieves Democratic Party policy objectives not strictly related to the pandemic. No Republicans voted for the bill, complaining that it had everything including the kitchen sink. Meanwhile, the GOP fanned anger over cancel culture targets Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head.

President Joe Biden gave a nationally televised address Thursday to celebrate the Covid relief package and promise quicker vaccine distribution. Some saw it as taking credit for the groundwork laid by President Donald Trump.

Biden faced criticism over the influx of unaccompanied minors to the U.S. southern border. Look whos putting kids in cages now, his critics crowed.

Editorial cartoonists also commented on Oprah Winfreys bombshell interview with Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex; New York Gov. Andrew Cuomos deepening sexual harassment scandal; and NASAs new Mars rover.

Cartoons were drawn by Nick Anderson, Bill Bramhall, Dan Wasserman, Dana Summers, Drew Sheneman, Scott Stantis, Walt Handelsman, David Horsey, Phil Hands, Joel Pett and Joey Weatherford of Tribune Content Agency; and A.F. Branco, Mike Luckovich and Michael Ramirez of Creators Syndicate.

View more editorial cartoon galleries.
It was an accident: Poll observers on injury to Mamata Banerjee

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, Mar 14: The incident in Nandigram which caused injury to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was an accident and not a planned attack, according to the report of two poll observers submitted to the EC on Saturday.

The incident which took place at Birulia Bazar in Nandigram in East Midnapore district on March 10 after Banerjee filed her nomination had taken place "suddenly" though a "conspiracy theory" was spoken about, the report prepared by special observer Ajay Nayak and special police observer Vivek Dubey to West Bengal for the state election stated, a source at the CEO office said.

The report also said that Banerjee was injured due to the suddenness of the incident.

"The incident was not a planned attack but an accident. It had taken place suddenly", the source said quoting the report.

About the injury to Banerjee, who is also the TMC supremo, in the incident, the report also said that "there was no conspiracy behind the incident."

The report took into account the details provided by eyewitnesses present during the incident as well as the video grabs collected from them.

Sinha says Mamata offered self in exchange for Kandahar hostages

It also referred to the failure of the police personnel in charge of the chief minister's security in controlling the crowd which came "too close" to her.

"The local police and CM's security failed to control the crowd and that led to the untoward situation," the source said referring to the report.

Following the Nandigram incident, state ADG (Law and Order) and nodal officer Jagmohan on Saturday directed all district administrations to arrange for the strictest security measures for the chief minister during her tours for campaigning in the districts for the eight-phase poll beginning on March 27.

"Security measures should be stringent for the CM. Security for other star campaigners must be tightened. We cannot take any chance after the Nandigram incident," the source at the CEO said quoting Jagmohan.

According to another official at the office of the CEO, the two observers may visit South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly districts starting March 18.

"The two observers will meet senior officials of the district administrations and supervise the poll preparedness," he said.

Meanwhile, state chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay in a reply to the EC for a detailed report stated that the cause of the incident at Nandigram was "not clear from the video grab" collected from the place.

A second report was submitted on Saturday evening after the EC called the one submitted on Friday by the state administration "sketchy" and asked the state administration to furnish a detailed one.

"The CM's vehicle was passing through a crowded area. It was then that there was a push on the door of her car. But it's not clear whether the push was deliberate or not. The video grabs collected are not very clear," a source at the CEO said quoting Bandopadhyay's second report.

The chief secretary was learnt to have attached one video grab along with the report, he added.

The EC had sought reports from the state government as well as the two observers on the incident. The state administration had submitted its report on Friday.

Election to the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal will be held between March 27 and April 29. Votes will be counted on May 2.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 8:23 [IST]
Rep. Diego Hernandez has resigned from the Reynolds school board weeks after announcing he would step down from his seat in the Oregon House.

The three-term Portland Democrats resignation from the Legislature is effective Monday. His last day on the school board was Wednesday.

Hernandez was up for reelection to his board position in May and no one has filed to run for the post as of Saturday.

The remaining six members of the Reynolds board will appoint a replacement to Hernandezs Position 2 seat to serve through the end of his term: June 30. Hernandez was first elected to the position in 2013.

Only one person has filed to run for any of the Reynolds school board seats that will appear on the May ballot. The deadline to file is Thursday.

Hernandez announced his resignation from the Legislature in late February ahead of a House vote on his expulsion.

An independent investigators report released in January stated that at least three women said Hernandez created a hostile workplace. The women said they were pressured by Hernandez to have a romantic relationship despite them expressing their disinterest and telling him to stop.

Pressure had long been mounting for Hernandez to resign from his Legislative seat.

House Speaker Tina Kotek asked him to step down last May, months before the investigation was released. Hernandez won reelection amid the accusations and stepped down before the expulsion vote.

Note: This story has been updated to correct the timing of Koteks initial call for Hernandez to resign.

--Eder Campuzano | 503-221-4344 | @edercampuzano | Eder on Facebook

Eder is The Oregonians education reporter. Do you have a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email ecampuzano@oregonian.com.
The Metropolitan Police has faced intense criticism for its handling of a London vigil in memory of Sarah Everard, with officers accused of grabbing and manhandling women during clashes with the crowd.

While the vigil in Clapham, south London, was largely peaceful, scuffles broke out at the front of a crowd of hundreds as police surrounded a bandstand covered in floral tributes to the 33-year-old.

At one stage, male officers could be seen grabbing hold of several women before leading them away in handcuffs, to shouts and screams from onlookers.

In response, the crowd chanted shame on you, while during another confrontation a distressed woman could be heard telling officers youre supposed to protect us.

The clashes prompted a chorus of criticism from MPs, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who described the scenes as deeply disturbing.

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Women came together to mourn Sarah Everard  they should have been able to do so peacefully, he tweeted.

I share their anger and upset at how this has been handled. This was not the way to police this protest.

Hundreds of people converged on the south London park despite an official vigil being called off earlier in the day due to police warnings over coronavirus restrictions.

While the Clapham clashes took place, many other peaceful vigils were held around the country in locations including Glasgow, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol  despite warnings over lockdown.

A virtual event was also held at 6pm in which campaigners called for more to be done to tackle violence against women.

Police surround the bandstand in Clapham Common (Victoria Jones/PA)

Several female politicians expressed their anger at the Met over the officers tactics in Clapham.

Labour MP for Streatham Bell Ribeiro-Addy wrote on Twitter: This could have been the socially distanced vigil the community needed to remember Sarah and all the women who have lost their lives to violence. We knew what was going to happen if the event was shut down.

She added: I know Lambeth Borough officers made efforts to compromise with the organisers but were overruled from high up.

Theyll be left to deal with the fallout of this and the further burden it places on already strained community relationships. Very disappointing from Scotland Yard.

A woman places a candle in Birmingham after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled (Richard Vernalls/PA)

Campaign group Sisters Uncut, which had representatives present at the demonstration, claimed that male police officers waited for the sun to set before they started grabbing and manhandling women in the crowd.

Campaign group Reclaim These Streets, which had planned to hold the Clapham vigil before it was cancelled, also urged people to take part in a doorstep vigil at 9.30pm on Saturday.

The group said it would be joining people across the country and shining a light, a candle, a torch, a phone, to remember Sarah Everard and all the women affected by and lost to violence.

They added: We arent just lighting a candle for the women weve lost: we have been inspired by the women who have reached out and hope this is just the start of a movement that will light a fire for change.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would light a candle for Ms Everard with his fiancee Carrie Symonds, adding that he would be thinking of the 33-year-olds family and friends.

I cannot imagine how unbearable their pain and grief is. We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime, he said.

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I will do everything I can to make sure the streets are safe and ensure women and girls do not face harassment or abuse.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she would also be lighting a candle, and added that almost 20,000 people had responded in 24 hours to a consultation on how the Government could tackle violence against women and girls.

Opening the online event alongside the campaign organisers, television presenter Sandi Toksvig said she had never felt more passionately concerned about my kids.

She said: It surely cannot be asking too much to want them simply to be free, to walk where they like, when they like.

She added that it was not a small change that was needed, but a cultural shift about how women are viewed and treated both in the public and private space.

This has to be a turning point where ending violence finally becomes a political priority, she said.

The Duchess of Cambridge was among those to visit the make-shift memorial at Clapham Common on Saturday to pay her respects, and was seen pausing in front of the sea of flowers.

Meanwhile, a fundraiser set up by Reclaim These Streets for womens charitable causes passed its target of 320,000 on Saturday evening.

On Friday, a High Court judge refused to intervene on behalf of the group in a legal challenge over the right to gather for a protest during coronavirus restrictions.

On Saturday, the group said that despite their attempts to work with police to ensure the Clapham vigil could proceed safely, they now felt it could not go ahead.

People talk to police as they gather at the bandstand in Clapham Common (Vicrtoria Jones/PA)

Organisers said they had made many suggestions to police, including splitting the event into different time slots  but that they were told going ahead with a vigil could risk a 10,000 fine each for each woman organising.

Caitlin Prowle, from Reclaim These Streets, said the group had not wanted to end up in a situation they were having to raise funds to pay fines, rather than for charitable causes.

She said they had instead decided to raise money for charity as otherwise the fines would just go straight back into a system that continues to fail women.
In the Obama administration climate change was a huge priority, but climate generally was dealt with by specialists, only in kind of a niche area in different departments, said Jon Finer, Mr. Bidens deputy national security adviser and a former chief of staff to Mr. Kerry. He added that now the issue is a core element of our overall strategy, not just a free-standing priority.

But climate activists said they found it difficult to square that assertion with some of the administrations recent decisions, particularly on the O.E.C.D.

According to multiple people familiar with the closed-door process under which nations selected Mathias Cormann of Australia, the Biden administration supported his rival, Cecilia Malmstrom of Sweden. But the United States is typically the kingmaker in the international economic policy forum, with a traditionally strong voice on the O.E.C.D. director. Activists have charged that Mr. Cormann could never have succeeded if the Biden administration had strongly opposed him.

If you want to be seen as a climate champion in the world, then you need to be fighting for a candidate that understands climate science and is ready to act and lead an organization like the O.E.C.D., said Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International.

It does not seem that the Biden administration made this a top priority, and thats clearly disappointing, she added.

Climate advocates worldwide had mounted a fierce campaign against Mr. Cormann, as did the British Labour Party and Australias Green Party. In a letter to the O.E.C.D., nearly 30 influential academics, activists and leaders of research organizations said Mr. Cormanns record of thwarting effective climate action should disqualify him from leading the organization that must push developed nations to dramatically reduce emissions. As Australias finance minister from 2013 to 2020, Mr. Cormann helped abolish the countrys carbon pricing scheme, failed to take any steps to curb carbon pollution and described restrictions that commercial banks had placed on coal lending as very, very disappointing.

Alden Meyer, a senior associate at E3G, a European climate change think tank, said Mr. Cormanns selection raises real questions about whether the countries that supported him are serious about transforming the global economy as we need to do if were going to avoid climate catastrophe, or if they were just trading it off against some other interest.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-13 23:01:42|Editor: huaxia

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The newly-selected Prime Minister of Libya Abdul Hamid Dbeibah checks an exhibition stand during the National Conference on Coronavirus Pandemic in Tripoli, Libya, March 13, 2021. The conference kicked off here on Saturday with the aim of gathering medical and scientific experts that have been working against the pandemic in the country and discuss efforts against the epidemic. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua)

TRIPOLI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The newly-selected Prime Minister of Libya Abdul Hamid Dbeibah stressed on Saturday the need to initiate a vaccination campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dbeibah made his remarks during the National Conference on Coronavirus Pandemic, which kicked off Saturday with the aim of gathering medical and scientific experts that have been working against the pandemic in the country and discuss efforts against the epidemic.

Dbeibah stressed importance to vaccinate all the population in Libya, including migrants, regardless of legal residence status.

The new prime minister said that great effort was made and large amounts of money were spent by the authorities fighting the pandemic, but without good results.

Dbeibah called for more efforts to rise awareness against the virus.

According to the National Center for Disease Control, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Libya so far is 143,643, including 130,625 recoveries and 2,348 deaths.
Hundreds of Sydneysiders have been put on high alert after a Covid-positive hotel quarantine security guard visited several venues and caught public transport.



The worker's positive test was reported on Saturday night, breaking New South Wales' streak of 55 days without a locally-acquired case.

The 47-year-old man works at the Sofitel Wentworth and the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket.

He was infectious while working a shift at the Mantra from 7pm on Friday night to 7am on Saturday, coming into contact with 130 people.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the security guard then visited Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre in Bexley on Saturday, March 13 from 9am to 9.30am and Pancakes on the rocks in Beverly Hills the same day from 10.45am to midday.

The man worked at the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket and the Sofitel Wentworth (pictured) housing returned international travellers on March 11 and 12 while infectious

Dr Chant said the man visited Bexley aquatics centre (pictured) on Saturday, March 13 from 9- 9:30am

The security guard also visited Pancakes on the rocks in Beverly Hills on Saturday, March 13 from 10.45am to midday

The man, whose household has since tested negative, also caught a train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on March 12 and from the city to Hurstville leaving at 7am.

'At the moment we think these venues are low-risk but what we're doing is reviewing CCTV footage to refine the information, and we will be using that text to those patrons that have used the QR codes for these venues,' Dr Chant said.

'It is likely some additional venues will be identified.'

Dr Chant said the hypothesis was that the security guard caught the virus at Sofitel Wentworth during a shift on 7pm March 6 to 7am on March 7 when there was an infected guest at the hotel at the same time.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the security guard was out in Sydney while infectious but 'not excessively so' and he was confident about the likelihood of preventing an outbreak.

'I am relatively relaxed today, knowing we have the systems in place that we have, and I am also relaxed about the fact that the testing did its job, picked up the gentleman,' he said.

The man also caught a train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on March 12 and from the city to Hurstville leaving at 7am

The worker's positive tests was reported on Saturday night, breaking the state's streak of 55 days without a locally-acquired case

Venues visited by the infected worker Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre in Bexley - Saturday, March 13 from 9 to 9:30am. Pancakes on the rocks at Beverly Hills - Saturday, March 13 from 10:45am to midday. A train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6:30pm on Friday, March 12 and city to Hurstville leaving at 7am. Advertisement

However, he said he was disappointed that NSW residents had relaxed their adherence to coronavirus rules and precautions.

'I think the message from this to everybody is don't be complacent. I have certainly seen complacency everywhere I go, actually, now,' he said.

'Our hotel quarantine system is all that is standing between us and situations like England, the [United] Sates, South America. We need to recognise we all need to do our bit.'

Mr Hazzard the new case highlights the importance of staying vigilant despite the state enjoying a 55-day streak.

'This is the reality of a pandemic. The science and medicine can only go so far... don't become complacent,' he said.

'It is a real and present danger that will continue until we have most of the population vaccinated.

'As we have said all along, vaccination helps but it does not necessarily stop you getting the virus.

'The purpose of vaccination is of course, as you are well aware, having two doses in the case of Pfizer, and with AstraZeneca, it makes you far less likely to get as sick as you would get an far less likely to die.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the man received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on March 2, but has not yet had his second shot. It takes up to two weeks for the jab's full immunity.

'I'm not disturbed by it, I'm not surprised by it because you would expect these things to happen on the odd occasion,' he said.

'There are no risk-free responses when you deal with Covid-19, it is unrealistic and naive to think so... there are always vulnerabilities.

'This is an important point, the [effectiveness of the] vaccination is not immediate. I have had my second dose and it does take a while,' Mr Morrison said, moments after receiving the jab.

'You should still try to observe the Covid-safe behaviours  I'm wearing a mask today.'

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said it was 'unusual' for someone to catch coronavirus after getting the first jab, but no unexpected.

'This is not a silver bullet that is going to fix everything right away,' he said alongside the prime minister.

'There will still be outbreaks, even as we go through this vaccination program.'

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the hypothesis was that the security guard caught the virus at Sofitel Wentworth during a shift on 7pm March 6 to 7am on March 7 when there was an infected guest at the hotel at the same time

NSW Health said the emergence of the case 'underscores the need for continued community vigilance for any signs and symptoms that could be Covid-19'

Professor Kelly said a 'small proportion' of people may get 'mildly sick' in the unlikely event they caught the virus, but would not become seriously ill.

'There is a time lag of getting that vaccine and the protection kicking in, of a few weeks, and as you get the second dose, particularly with the Pfizer vaccine, that protection increases,' he said.

Health authorities are working to identify where the virus came from and who may have been exposed.

'The source of the new infection reported overnight is under investigation and urgent genome sequencing is underway,' Dr Stephen Conaty from NSW Health said.

NSW Health said the emergence of the case 'underscores the need for continued community vigilance for any signs and symptoms that could be Covid-19'.

'It is critical that everyone continues to practise Covid-safe behaviours and that people come forward for testing if they have even the mildest of symptoms,' a statement read.

Scott Morrison received his second Pfizer vaccination dose on Sunday morning. Pictured getting his first jab on February 21

The case will be recorded in Monday's figures as it was detected after 8pm on Saturday.

There were no locally-acquired Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, and three cases in travellers in hotel quarantine.

The tally came from more than 9,200 tests.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant will address the state at 1pm on Sunday with more details.

Meanwhile, Scott Morrison received his second Pfizer vaccination dose on Sunday morning.

The prime minister joined 20 nurses, GPs, frontline workers, aged care staff and ADF personnel to receive their first dose on February 21.

It has now been three weeks - the recommended waiting time between jabs.
Russia and China announce plans for joint lunar base

After sending unmanned probes to Earth's moon in the past, Russia and China now plan to jointly develop a new lunar base.

Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, announced the agreement last week with the China National Space Administration to build what the two countries called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRM).

"The ILRS is a comprehensive scientific experiment base with the capability of long-term autonomous operation, built on the lunar surface and/or on the lunar orbit that will carry out multi-disciplinary and multi-objective scientific research activities such as the lunar exploration and utilization, lunar-based observation, basic scientific experiment and technical verification," the agencies said in a release.

The planned station will also be open to other countries to access.

International Observe the Moon Night Sept 26 2020 NASA SVS

Though multiple countries, including Russia and China, have sent probes to the moon, only the United States has sent crewed missions. Credit: NASA.

Only the United States has carried out crewed missions to the moon so far, culminating in the Apollo 11 landing in 1969.

Both China and Russia, along with its predecessor, the U.S.S.R., have sent unmanned probes to the moon. The Soviets sent several in the 1960s and 1970s, with the Chinese attempts happening in the 21st Century, under its Chang'e program. The Chang'e missions included several firsts, including the first landing on the moon's dark side and sprouting plants in an incubator onboard one lander. The most recent Chinese mission, Chang'e 5 in December 2020, sent back rock samples from the lunar surface for the first time in decades.

In terms of space stations, Russia relies on the expertise gained during its operation of its Mir space station, from the launch of its first component in 1986 to its final deorbit in March 2001. Russian astronauts continue to participate in the International Space Station.

China, meanwhile, is a relative latecomer to the space station game, but is making strides. The country launches its first space laboratory, Tiangong-1, in 2011, and plans to launch the first module of a larger space station, Tianhe, in 2021.
Police warn of scammers operating across the country.

Keep your wits about you, confidence thieves are taking advantage of good-natured people.

Luxembourg police have issued a report regarding an increase in attempted scams. "Scammers have vivid imaginations and keep coming up with new tricks," the statement warns.

On Sunday, the Grand Ducal Police warn against a group of individuals who are posing as employees of humanitarian organizations.

These people usually try to get cash donations, or via bank transfer, for which they ask for account information.

Of course, this is a process that real associations use, and one which the scammers will take advantage of.

It is recommended to always ask for ID or proof of good faith from people who organize fundraisers.

If in doubt, do not hesitate to contact 113.

For more information on these scams please contact the police via their website.
Warren Buffett likes to say: "It's only when the tide goes out that you know who's been swimming naked." This is how it will be after Covid.

Ireland will share the same post-pandemic readjustment issues as other countries - with one big difference: Brexit.

The full effects of Brexit are currently being masked by Covid, so that even the UK itself is uncertain of the effects. However, early indications are that the changes in the UK are currently very large.

In January, UK exports of goods to the EU fell by 40pc. UK imports fell, too, by 28pc. These are the worst figures since records began more than 20 years ago. These figures will undoubtedly moderate as new trading patterns emerge, especially after Covid, but the trend must be a source of concern.

In the financial services sector, which accounts for around 10pc of the UK's exports, 24 of the UK's financial services firms have publicly declared they are transferring almost 1.3trn of UK assets to the EU. Meanwhile in that sector, 43pc of firms are moving some staff and services to Europe, with Dublin being the most favoured destination and 36 of the 222 firms already established here. While Amsterdam is now Europe's main centre for share trading.

In addition to declining exports and financial services, Brexit is expected to harm British tourism. Many are surprised to learn that tourism is such a large part of the UK economy. It contributes around 29bn, nearly as much as their entire car industry. Many in that industry worry that recovery from the sector's Covid devastation will be hampered by new arrangements for visas, pet travel, border queuing and data roaming.

Overall, the EU estimates that the UK's GDP will have contracted by 2.5pc by the end of 2022, representing lost economic output worth more than 40bn.

While these business and trade changes are big, there is an even more remarkable change under way in the UK. Over the last year, the population is estimated to have contracted by 1.3 million people, while London may have lost about 8pc of its population, with many of these being from the already threatened hospitality and tourism sector.

And then there is Northern Ireland. In any future this will distort trade, and attempts to find accommodation may even create renewed security issues. Many may have forgotten how much this did to suppress tourism and trade in this island.

Everything is changing. What will these big changes mean for Ireland?

Geography, language and culture will continue to create unique bonds between Ireland and the UK.

Big changes in that country will create large changes in our economy and our society. The general direction and extent of these changes will become clear, but a great deal of uncertainty and volatility will persist.

An old Yiddish proverb says, "We plan, God laughs" - which Woody Allen recrafted into the line, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans". The good news is that Ireland is in the middle of a major spasm of making plans for infrastructure, energy, transport and housing. This is a good thing, because in the past forward planning and 'joined-up thinking' were often cited as a weakness in Irish governance.

The bad news is that we seem to have gone too far. Now we have many central, but separate, plans for transport, gas, electricity, water, ports and airports. Each of these is painstakingly prepared using considerable expertise and talent. Unsurprisingly, each is fiercely defended and strongly promoted by a parent department and agency.

Ironically, Ireland - which has the most centralised system of governance in the whole EU - lacks a central planning ministry, which is universally seen as one of the fundamental roles of government. Our planning is mostly carried out by three separate ministries, resulting in eight separate plans.

All of this leads to huge duplication of effort and expense, with surprisingly little co-ordination. This makes changes of plans slow and difficult to co-ordinate - especially in a time of volatility, when nimble responses are needed.

But having a plan and planning are two separate things. In times of volatility such as these, planning should be mostly verb and not much noun.

Planning as a verb means having a strategy to be constantly vigilant about changing external circumstances. It means having a willingness to pragmatically adapt and alter plans. Brexit volatility makes this the only strategy worth having.

Planning as a noun is the opposite. This means adopting a report or a drawing and stubbornly sticking to it.

Even without Covid and Brexit, Ireland is starting to witness conflicts between cherished plans and facts.

Ireland is entering a period of dramatic change, due to external circumstances such as Covid and Brexit as well as our own internal dynamics of population.

Our plans will need to change, but which plans will change - and when?

As these circumstances change, what will we do? Will we change our minds and our plans, or will we stubbornly cleave to increasingly irrelevant and ineffective plans?

The world is changing fast. We need to change our plans for this new world. Fast.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Eleven people were arrested and three Los Angeles police officers were injured after a march to mark the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylors death turned violent.

The rally began peacefully Saturday evening with as many as 200 people gathering near the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was one of dozens of rallies held across the country to call for justice for the Black woman killed by Louisville, Kentucky police officers during a raid at her apartment.

Video from the scene showed two protesters pounding on the hood of an occupied police car and the driver accelerated, sending them to the ground. Other videos showed broken storefront windows and officers in riot gear being struck with what appeared to be a microwave or air conditioner.

Police Chief Michel Moore said smoke grenades and other projectiles were thrown at officers and nine businesses in the area were vandalized.

No justification/excuse for this violence, the chief tweeted on Sunday, adding that the officers did not suffer serious injuries.

Officer William Cooper, an LAPD spokesman, said five people were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, three on suspicion of possessing a prohibited item, two on suspicion of unlawful assembly and one on suspicion of battery on a police officer.

Additional details about the circumstances surrounding the arrests werent available Sunday.

Associated Press
Madame, is that what your nose looks like? Can I see?

"Madame, is that what your nose looks like? Can I see?"

An elementary school teacher, Beverley Lunney is no stranger to quirky queries, but this particular line of questioning has stuck with her as a reminder of how dystopian this school year has been amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

It happened before the winter break, when a student who had joined her Grade 1-2 French immersion class at Ecole Belmont one month earlier was staring at a photo of her posted in the classroom doorway. After the grand reveal, a brief moment where Lunney pulled down her mask as proof, her student thanked her and returned to his seat.

"I didnt realize he literally had only seen half of my face for the entire time that Id been his teacher. It was such a crazy moment," said Lunney, who entered her fourth year of teaching this fall, equipped with a stockpile of fun patterned and holiday-themed masks.

"The whole mask thing has been really, really tricky, especially with little kids who are really reliant on those social, facial cues."

The education system has undergone massive transformations over the last year, ever since the province closed schools, initially, for an optimistic three-week shutdown, to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Masks have since become commonplace, physical distancing markers abundant and handwashing a constant.

The pandemic pushed teachers to quickly adopt new technologies, required students become more independent, and gave parents a closer look into their childrens education. While public health restrictions in schools may be temporary, the lessons taken from 2020-21 wont be unlearned.

Thomas Falkenberg, acting dean of education at the University of Manitoba, said the most promising educational outcome of the pandemic will likely be the widespread understanding about how to successfully provide remote schooling.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Beverley Lunney's Grade 1/2 class at Ecole Belmont in Winnipeg.

"While in-person experiences will always be the preferred way of teaching and learning, there are situations, where students might actually benefit from more flexible ways of teaching and learning," Falkenberg said.

At a price tag of $250,000, Pembina Trails School Division purchased 860 webcams for each of its schools K-12 learning spaces this year. Teachers have been using the cameras to connect with students who are sick or self-isolating and those doing blended models on home learning days.

The equipment wont disappear once the pandemic ends, leaving the future of remote learning  to any extent  a possibility in the division.

"Anecdotally, were thinking that about 15 per cent of our students will have actually found this approach to education a better match for their own learning style," said superintendent Ted Fransen.

Fransen added, "Were going to take the experience that weve had this past year and take a hard look at what we can learn from it and how we can better serve the full spectrum of our student population."

Christian Michalik, superintendent of the Louis Riel School Division, echoed those comments.

"In a post-pandemic world, the student population needing to be home to learn at any given time will be small. It wont be the size that it is today, but that need was there before the pandemic," Michalik said. "We want to do better by those children."

Louis Riel high schools have started collaborating so students across the division can access courses offered at other schools, which arent typically provided at their home school, remotely.

Meantime, InformNet, Manitoba's online high school run by Pembina Trails and St. James-Assiniboia divisions has undergone an unprecedented expansion.

In her early years classroom, Lunney plans to incorporate remote learning by continuing to post assignments on Seesaw  what she calls a "safe Facebook"  so parents can see what their kids are up to, and kids can follow along at home if they have to miss school.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Grade 1-2 teacher Beverley Lunney uses a document camera to do her end-of-day read aloud at Ecole Belmont in Winnipeg on Friday.

It's been one of her several successful new pandemic practices, along with outdoor learning sessions and a document camera, which she uses during read-alouds to project text and photos onto a classroom wall.

Typically, parents get involved in their childrens education through the lens of behaviour, whether that be to ensure their child is paying attention in class or being supported, said Betheny Gross, associate director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington.

"(The pandemic) has created an unprecedented two-way mirror in between homes and schools that could be leveraged for great benefit," said Gross, who has been researching how the COVID-19 era could impact the future of public education.

Over the last year, Gross said parents have been emboldened and empowered by their new understanding about how their kids learn. At the same time, she said teachers have a more comprehensive understanding about whats going on in their students lives and individualized education has become increasingly popular.

"Some kids have their own space, a home, their own room to study in, breakfast ready and prepared, a refrigerator full of food. They are given a much fuller opportunity to engage in their learning than kids who may not have those," she said, over the phone from Seattle.

That reality has raised questions about the fairness of traditional grading, as well as the recovery learning and mental health supports needed to catch students up.

Ron Rivers, a Grade 5-6 teacher at Ralph Maybank School, said hes been surprised by how well both staff and students have adjusted during the pandemic. But Rivers, a teacher of nearly 40 years, said he has also become very aware of his students mental health this year.

Hes incorporated lessons focused on student well-being and self esteem, in recognition of how stressful this year has been for families.

Despite the challenges Harkeerat Kaur has faced since March 2020  the biggest one being the inability to see or hug friends, the 10-year-old said shes actually had "a lot of fun" this year.

The Grade 5 student joined both the art and Minecraft club at Louis Riels Learning from Home School, learned how to use various computer programs, and conducted virtual puppet shows with new friends shes met in her online class.

Kaur said she felt shocked when Island Lakes Community School, alongside every other school in the province, closed because of the pandemic last year. If she could go back in time and soothe her nerves, the advice she would give herself is simple: "You just have to wait and learn and be confident."

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
In new TN assembly DMK has most MLAs with pending criminal background, crorepatis

MK Stalin sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for first time

In Tamil Nadu, Gandhi will handle Khadi ministry, while Nehru gets Urban Development

Tamil Nadu Polls: AIADMK seeks to outsmart DMK, unveils super populist manifesto

India

oi-Deepika S

Chennai, Mar 14: The ruling AIADMK on Sunday unveiled a super populist manifesto for the April 6 Assembly polls, promising, among others, houses free of cost to people, Rs 7,500 annual subsidy to farmers, free solar cooking stoves and washing machines.

Educational loan waiver,government jobs to families without anyone in state service and many more sops were announced.

Notably, the ruling party, an ally of the BJP, said it would urge the Centre to scrap the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and strive to bring education to the state list from the concurrent list of the Constitution.

Essential commodities given through Public Distribution Outlets would be door delivered to beneficiaries.

An initiative along these lines was recently launched by the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh government.

Increase in maternity leave for women government employees from nine months to one year and construction of new buildings with modern medical facilities for about 2,000 Amma Mini Clinics found mention in the manifesto.

To those not owning houses,the government would build and provide houses free of cost in rural and urban areas under the 'Amma Illam Thittam' (Amma Housing Scheme) and interest on housing loans availed from cooperative housing societies would be waived on loan repayment.

Tamil Nadu Polls: BJP releases candidates list, Khushbu to contest from Thousand Lights

As part of measures to bring about economic equality, Rs 1,500 per month would be disbursed to all ration card holders and the amount would be credited to bank accounts of woman family heads, senior AIADMK leader C Ponnaiyan said here.

Women would get a 50 per cent fare cut in town buses, Ponnaiyan, also the party's organising secretary said, underscoring the important aspects of the manifesto at the party headquarters.

Distribution of solar powered cooking stoves, washing machines and six LPG cylinders a year -all free of cost- to rice category ration card holders, a subsidy of Rs 7,500 per year to farmers to incentivise farm production were among the over 160 promises made by the ruling party, that has been in power in Tamil Nadu since 2011.

''To protect the interests of students and parents, educational loans would be waived,'' the party said. However, aspects like criteria for waiver and beneficiaries was not known immediately.

Steps to get fuel prices reduced, expanding the rural employment guarantee scheme to 150 days from the present 100, increase in subsidy under the Amma Green Housing Scheme from Rs 2.43 lakh to Rs 3.40 lakh were promised.

College students who have been getting 2 GB data to support studies would get it throughout the year.

''For sure, a government job will be provided to one person from a family without anyone in government service.'' Increase in social security pensions for beneficiaries, including senior citizens, from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000, 'Amma's gift (Amma Seervarisai)' like household items for newly wed couples under the state's marriage financial support scheme, free of cost cable TV connections to rice ration card holders and two free mosquito nets to poor were among the promises.

The financial assistance to differently abled would be increased to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,500.

Continued support for release of seven Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts, steps to ensure welfare of Tamils in Sri Lanka and to get dual citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in camps in India were assured.

The AIADMK said it would further expand the nutritious meal programme for school students and give laptops to students of self-financing classes of government schools.

Milk (200 ML milk or milk powder) to school students and children attached to Anganwadi centres and Rs two cut in state run Aavin milk price were some of the planned initiatives.

'Amma banking card' scheme to provide interest free loans (in association with banks) to help ordinary and poor people repay loans in installments and Rs 25,000 subsidy to purchase e-Autos were assured.

AIADMK pledged to set up an Islamic university, increase assistance to Hindu pilgrims to visit important centres of pilgrimage in India, hike Haj subsidy from Rs six crore to Rs 10 crore and bear the full fare for Jerusalem pilgrims.

Increase in the quota for women in government jobs to 40 per cent (from the current 30 per cent) and appropriate reservation for all castes are some of the other key aspects.

Features, including quota for women in state jobs, found in the ruling party's 163-point manifesto has already been promised by the DMK, which released its poll document on Saturday.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 22:10 [IST]
The steeple of the Wall Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Auburn was removed Tuesday afternoon as part of the demolition of the dilapidated
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 23:17:07|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Hassan Ziab, a Lebanese farmer in his 50s, gets busy every day taking care of his seeds, rose sprouts and vegetables in his 300-square-meter land in Wadi Al-Khardali, southern Lebanon.

"Extreme poverty has forced many Lebanese to work in uncultivated fields because it's the only remaining source that one can secure an acceptable income to meet part of the daily needs," Ziab said while irrigating his roses.

The farmer said the number of plantations increased remarkably because many rural people are making the best of their lands amid the current economic crisis the country is facing.

The number of officially registered plantations with investment licenses in the Nabatieh province, where Wadi Al-Khardali is located, reaches 321, said Hadi Makki, head of Nabatieh's agriculture department, adding that many of them were established in 2020.

Several incentive measures were given to farmers last year in an effort to revive the agriculture sector, which is the country's third-largest economic sector, contributing 7 percent to the national GDP, while securing an income for about 15 percent of the population, according to Lebanon's agriculture ministry.

Adel Hamdan, head of an agricultural cooperative that cares for trees, said that several municipalities in southern Lebanon, along with diverse associations, provided free support to farmers, in dredging and land reclamation, plowing, in addition to the distribution of seeds, fertilizers and other needed products.

The ministry also has been providing assistance, such as offering medicines, fertilizers, and agricultural machinery.

With the help of the government, most of the farmers saw an increase in sales compared with previous years.

Hamid Badawi, a farmer in his 60s who owns a plantation near the Wazzani River in southern Lebanon, told Xinhua that the trade of fruit trees has flourished as agriculture is going through a revival in the rural areas.

"Our sales of fruit trees and various seedlings of vegetables and roses increased by around 42 percent compared with last year, despite the overall worsening economic situation in the country," he added.

For his part, Shady Fahs, who works in one of the plantations of the town of Jibsheit in southern Lebanon, told Xinhua that he has been working in plantations for many years, but this year's season was the best and the sales increased by more than 40 percent.

Meanwhile, Sawsan Sharrouf, head of the Wouroud Association in the town of Hasbaya in southern Lebanon, told Xinhua that home quarantine has prompted people to spend more time cultivating flowers and decorating their homes, which increased the demand for flower sprouts and other agricultural products. Enditem
Tapping those creative little minds By Anoushka Jayasuriya Sathya Wimalasooriyas art and design academy for children tries to fill a void in our primary education View(s): View(s):

For artist and designer, Sathya Wimalasooriya, imagination is what helped her to keep moving forward in life. What shes gained from the ability to come up with novel ideas is a vital skill she works to instil at her art and design academy, Sathis Ecole.

From her childhood she says she strayed from the norm and found more enjoyment in exploring things from new angles. Art encouraged her to develop an eye for alternative perspectives and express herself creatively. It enabled her to take a pivotal step forward in her creative journey.

Having taken part in art competitions and held two exhibitions, with the support of her parents and her school, Holy Family Convent, Kalutara, Sathya chose Art for her Advanced Level examination following the introduction of the subject as an option for study that same year . Wanting to see if she could become adept at another creative discipline, she enrolled at the University of Moratuwa for an Honours Degree in Design. Graduating from the University of Moratuwa and the University of Kelaniya where she earned a Graduate Diploma, Sathya is now a qualified designer as well as a freelance artist and occasional illustrator of childrens books.

Working primarily with ink and pen, Sathyas intricate patterns and delicate designs adorn playful characters and picturesque views drawn from her own life and culture. With distinct curved and dotted lines she replicates subjects from tropical flora, densely populated cityscapes and vibrant wildlife to more familial works of lively Sri Lankan households.

Born in Galle, as a child Sathya would take inspiration from daily life. She fondly recalls taking the train to visit her grandparents and observing the people boarding it and the many sights of her journey. I observe things. I look at the life of them and absorb it quickly. Then I reinterpret it my way, she explains. She was also inspired by Russian illustrated books which her family received and writer and illustrator Sybil Wettasinghes childrens books.

Sathya has illustrated several Sinhala childrens books and poetry books including Hari apooru gal Len gedara by Shakunthalya Gunawardena and Pilila Nemaduma by Ajith Kalyana Amarasinghe.

During her 10 years of teaching since receiving her AMI Diploma in Child Education, she recognized a gap in the primary education system.When it comes to creative thinking, I think we all have creativity within us. What I believe is that we have to cultivate it and we have to get people to utilize it, she says. Sathya believes that no matter what field a child pursues later, if they are aware of how to use their creativity they will be able to successfully manoeuvre their way through their respective fields.

With no clear syllabus to support this type of development in children she conceptualized and founded her own art and design academy in 2015. You cant change the whole system and everything at once. One should start from where you can, she says, stressing the importance of beginning this process with young minds.

Sathis Ecole has had many homes with studios in Maharagama and Kalutara and workshops carried out in other locations including Nakiyadeniya estate, upcountry. Using her experience as a teacher Sathya single handedly develops and teaches modules addressing basic drawing skills, colouring techniques, theories and creative thinking through activities such as accessory making and using diverse materials to construct different items.

Sathya says the learning goes both ways, them from her and her from them.

While Sathis Ecole operates online in these times, Sathya says that a new studio in Athurugiriya is in the works and is looking forward to a time where she can guide her students safely in person once again.

Visit the SathisEcole website to learn more: www.sathisartanddesign.com

Ghana Railways made an immeasurable contribution towards the attainment of the countrys independence in 1957.

It also contributed to the creation of a nation and an economy backed by the rail sector 64 years ago.



The idea to establish a railways sector in 1895 and port in the late 1920s made the Ghana Railways Corporation become the first corporate institution in the then Gold Coast, which gave birth to several other companies.



In spite of its part in the fight for independence and pioneering role in birthing many companies in the country, Ghana Railways is a pale shadow of itself and a former senior management staff of the then Ghana Railways Corporation has lamented the current poor state of the company.



The retired worker and former Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr Abaka Amoah, holds a strong view that railway workers and the company practically created and controlled every facet of the countrys economy before, during and after independence.



Those who crown kings



We gave birth to the Ghana Water Company, Electricity Company of Ghana, Post and Telecommunication Corporation, Social Security and National Insurance Trust, Ghana Commercial Bank, Public Works Department, the Ghana Highways Authority, the Port of Takoradi and many others, Mr Abaka stated.



He, however, lamented that after independence and the creation of the nations economy using railways 64 years on, the company (railways) was now in an impoverished state struggling to maintain its glory, even though it has more potentials than before.



This, he said, goes to confirm the saying that those who crown kings dont usually look like kings.





The then railways corporation with all the companies it birthed and a well-motivated and well-paid staff with very strong unions became a vital tool for negotiating independence after the countrys first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, declared what is known as Independence Now.



Power generation



The companies under the railways, Mr Amoah said, were responsible for running the economy and at Sekondi, there was the first power generating unit that supplied power to the bungalows and various key administrative offices.



He explained that later there was the need to extend power, water and postal services to the communities, therefore, there was the need to create those departments separately under the railways control to enable it satisfy the growing demands and today we have ECG, Ghana Water, Post Office, banks and many others  they all came from us.



Through the railways again the idea was mooted to construct a port instead of the use of a jetty in Sekondi. He said the site for the harbour location was proposed as the Amanful village, after which the construction of the port of Takoradi began in 1921 spearheaded by the then governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Gordon Guggisberg and was completed in 1928.



Dominance



The railways and port by all standards, he said, were dominant organisations and responsible for everything that makes the country run, from the movement of goods  cocoa, timber among others to the port for onward shipment and income generation.



Again, we moved the supplies that arrived in the country to the chain stores, from the mail ship to the mail rail  both internally and externally. At the time the only way expatriates could communicate was by mail and the telegraph, and these were controlled by Ghanaian workers, he said.



Therefore, through the strong posture of the railways workers who had already bought into the ideals of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, they (workers) supported him to ensure that the country attained independence.



This train has seen better days but is no longer in use



The Engine-Men



One of the indomitable elements of the unions and great supporters of the independence movement was the Railways Engine-Men Union with membership of the men who were in charge of the movement of the locomotives and the Railways Workers Union, who came together to prosecute the Independence Now agenda.



With one accord to support the call for independence, Mr Amoah said both the Railways Engine-Men Union and workers union teamed up and ensured that nothing worked  the locomotives didnt move and other services including the port services didnt work.



During that strike, ships were not allowed in or out of the Port of Takoradi, nothing was exported, no import of goods and other critically needed components for mining, timber and cocoa haulage, which eventually crippled the economy, he said.



Traveling on horseback



It was a very strong union, at the time, there were no roads linking cities as we have today, the colonial masters travelled on horseback and if they wanted to reach Takoradi, now the Western Region, they travelled by sea from Accra, he said.



With the posture of the railways workers at the time, he said it was obvious that independence was at hand, the fever was in the air. To the extent that, during the Christiansborg shooting incident, the leaders of the Railways Engine-Men and Railway Workers Union again declared strike in solidarity.



We as railway workers and our unions were happy that our actions succeeded in forcing the oppressors to give up and eventually leading to independence in 1957. Even after independence, Dr Kwame Nkrumah did not abandon us; he was still using the railways to consolidate the independence through the demands we made, he said.



Most paid, profitable



To be honest with you, before and after we moved from Gold Coast to Ghana  the railways workers were the best paid, the organisation was the most profitable and strong force around which the entire economy was built, Mr Amoah said.



He recalled that due to the high profit from the operations of the railways and port, after the expenses paid, We posted huge profits to the extent that the country did not have to go borrowing  we supported the economy with our huge surplus income.



Before the independence, Railways Corporation was everything  there was nothing like government agencies, departments, ministries, insurance and Ghanaian banks among others as it is today, he said.



He said during the heyday of the railways corporation as a profitable entity, the British brought to the Gold Coast, Barclays and Standard Bank of West Africa (SBWA) to control our finances due to the huge incomes and surpluses.



A train workshop at the Sekondi train yard



The banks



After the country Ghana emerged, Dr Kwame Nkrumah established the then Ghana Commercial Bank now (GCB Bank) with the Railways money and when the country took shape, he decreed that all state organisations must save with the GCB Bank to make it viable.



Todays GCB Bank started in 1953 as the bank of the Gold Coast tasked to provide banking services to the emerging nation for socio-economic development.



The main focus was to serve the countrys traders, business people and farmers who could not elicit support from the expatriate banks, and in 1957, after independence, the Bank of Ghana was established as the Central Bank, while the Bank of the Gold Coast was renamed Ghana Commercial Bank to focus solely on commercial banking services.



Reminiscing the profitable days of the Railways Corporation, Mr Amoah said it was sad that a blue-chip company such as railways, pregnant with success and which gave birth to every entity and opened doors for private establishments has been left to its fate.



Our supports



We gave birth to all these companies and supported through our unions for the attainment of independence but we have been forced to crash-land as we struggle to survive. Gone are the days when every haulage was by rail, but today private interest has taken over, he said.



He said it was sad that during the Gold Coast days and early days of Ghana, roads were short linking towns to rail stations  these short roads lasted long, but today, a road constructed to last 30 years deteriorates within three to four years.



He appealed to the government to revisit the success stories of the railway sector, get the lines in shape; ensure heavy haulage is done by rail and the railways would work again.



Let me appeal to our traditional rulers, when the political class visits during campaigns  please dont ask for roads, ask for the revamping of the rail sector.









Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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has said that it "cannot overlook" the resolution passed by China's National People's Congress on Thursday to change the electoral system in Hong Kong, with Tokyo calling the new laws requiring all political candidates to be "patriots" of Beijing as a major setback to the city's autonomy.

"The decision this time will further undermine the confidence in the 'one country, two systems' framework, as provided for in the Basic Law and the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration," Japan's foreign ministry said in a Friday statement as quoted by South Morning Post.

The ministry said that Japan's concerns were growing due to the recent arrest and prosecution of a number of opposition politicians and activists. It also called on Beijing to hold elections in that were open to candidates "representing a variety of political opinions".

Analysts say that is not completely toothless, particularly if it works in close concert with other concerned players.

"From the [Japanese] government, I expect similar comments to last year after the security law was passed, talking about the importance of personal liberties and freedoms and how curtailing those freedoms will impact the city's commercial activities and, as a consequence, harm China's interests," said Go Ito, a professor of relations at Tokyo's Meiji University.

According to South Morning Post, was Hong Kong's fourth-largest trading partner in 2019, while the city was Japan's ninth-largest trade partner that year, with total merchandise trade between the two coming to HK$373.6 billion that year.

Japan's condemnation of Hong Kong's so-called electoral reforms comes after the United Kingdom on Saturday said it considers to be in a "state of ongoing non-compliance" with the Sino-British joint declaration after Beijing approved sweeping changes for tighter control over

In a statement, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the Chinese decision to impose "radical changes to restrict participation in Hong Kong's electoral system"

The Group of Seven (G7) nations on Friday issued a statement expressing "grave concerns" about Beijing's plan to change Hong Kong's electoral system, which was approved on Thursday by China's national legislature.

The European Union also hit out at China for the political conditions in Hong Kong, describing it as an "alarming political deterioration" and a "severe erosion of autonomy, democracy and fundamental freedoms".

According to South China Morning Post, the bloc's annual report on the city hit out at the tightening grip of Beijing on Hong Kong affairs, the "chilling effect on the exercise of protected rights and freedoms" brought by the national security law (NSL), and an uptick in "self-censorship in the media, academia and civil society".

The United States has condemned China's national legislature approving a resolution to drastically overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system to ensure only 'patriots' can rule the city, a move which is feared to further clamp down on opposition voices in the city.

"We condemn the People's Republic of China (PRC's) continuing assaults on democratic institutions in Hong Kong," US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said during a press briefing.

China on Thursday voted to pass legislation on Hong Kong's electoral system. The legislation was passed with only one abstention and 2,895 delegates voting in favour. The Congress regularly unanimously or overwhelmingly rubber stamps plans proposed by the party.

The plan will allow the ruling Communist Party to appoint more of Hong Kong's lawmakers, reducing the share elected by the public.

Less than a year after imposing the draconian National Security Law, China last week had launched a legislative process for drastic electoral system reform in Hong Kong, which could benefit the pro-establishment camp and further quash the political opposition in the city.

The Election Committee will be expanded to add these 300 Beijing loyalists and the Legislative Council will also be expanded to 90 seats from 70.

Although Chinese officials have insisted that the measures are necessary to establish a 'democratic electoral system with Hong Kong characteristics', critics have warned that it would limit the space for the opposition in the city and roll back years of effort to liberalise the system, reported SCMP.

(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.)
Bodyguard star Richard Madden offers very close protection to co-star Priyanka Chopra as they soar through the air on the set of their latest blockbuster.

The 34-year-old became such a sensation in the BBC drama opposite Keeley Hawes that he was tipped as a future James Bond.

And he showed a daring worthy of 007 himself as he dangled from a harness while filming a different big-budget spy project, Amazons forthcoming Citadel series.

Madden, wearing a futuristic khaki outfit, placed his arm protectively around his 38-year-old co-star as they shot their stunts in a Surrey woodland last week.

Full of suspense: Richard Madden, 34, and Priyanka Chopra, 38, perform their high-flying stunts for the big-budget spy project, Amazons forthcoming Citadel series

Ms Chopra, a former Miss World who has enjoyed success in Hollywood and Bollywood, donned a silver and black two-piece for the scene before jumping behind the wheel of a buggy bristling with weaponry.

During a break from filming, the pair were seen giggling as they looked at their phones.

They looked like something out of a Marvel action comic in those costumes, but when you saw them laughing like a couple of overgrown teenagers, the penny suddenly dropped that they were unlikely to be saving the world from anything, said one bystander.

Citadel, which also stars Stanley Tucci, is described as an action-packed spy series with a compelling emotional centre.

Bristling with weaponry: Priyanka, a former Miss World who has enjoyed success in Hollywood and Bollywood, behind the wheel of a buggy

Posing with a bouquet of flowers for a picture posted on Instagram earlier this month, Ms Chorpa wrote: Day 1 on #Citadel. Thank you team for a sweet welcome! Lets goooooo!

The series is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the brothers behind several hit Marvel films, and will feature a number of spin-off productions.

Madden is also set to reprise his Bodyguard role of David Budd. The creator of the 2018 drama, Jed Mercurio, confirmed in January that there will be a sequel, but it is unclear when filming will begin.
The U.S. administration has ordered "almost enough COVID-19 vaccine to fully inoculate every American adult twice," and its hoarding could fuel a vaccine gap worldwide, Bloomberg has reported.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that his administration will double the order of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to 200 million doses, which would bring the country's total vaccine order to 800 million doses.

The new order of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine "risks further exacerbating a vaccine gap between have and have-not nations," Bloomberg said in a news article published later Wednesday.

The report added that Washington rejected Mexico's request on sharing vaccine doses, while the European Union "has made similar appeals."

On Thursday, Biden announced that he will direct all states, tribes, and territories to make all adult Americans eligible for COVID-19 vaccines by May 1.

"That doesn't mean everyone's going to have that shot immediately, but it means you'll be able to get in line beginning May 1," he said.

Over 133 million vaccine doses have been distributed across the country as of Friday, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Currently, there are about 35 million Americans fully vaccinated while nearly 66 million have received at least one dose, CDC data showed.
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British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is facing an anxious wait to learn whether she can leave Iran after her six-year prison ordeal following her trail today.

The 43-year-old mother was charged with 'propaganda against the system' and will have to wait for about a week before the judge decides whether she will be acquitted or not.

Iran released Zaghari-Ratcliffe from house arrest last Sunday at the end of a five-year prison sentence, but she had been summoned to court again on the other charge.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested at a Tehran airport in April 2016 and later convicted of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment.

Her family and the foundation deny the charge.

Richard Ratcliffe said his wife has been 'agitated' and unable to sleep as she waits the court's decision

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard said that there was 'jeopardy ahead of us in terms of what's about to happen, we don't know if it's a big bad thing, a little bad thing or an uncertain thing that's going to be dragged out for quite a while'.

The case was heard in the Revolutionary Court, in front of the same judge who conducted Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's earlier hearings.

Mr Ratcliffe said: 'The Revolutionary Court is not in the business of acquitting people, it does only do convictions but it can take its time in doing that and the sentence can vary.

'I don't think at this stage I can read whether what we're witnessing tomorrow is a warning shot, or is essentially building a whole new justification for holding onto her for years to come.

'We don't know what we don't know, I think the uncertainty is part of the abuse.'

After today's hearing he said: 'I think the judge saying this is the last trial is just a nice feeling - I think it is a bit like you've done an exam, it was horrible, you don't know whether you passed or not, but at least it is done and there's just a relief that comes with that.

'And she's done that and she's gone off out for lunch with her mum and her sister which she hasn't been able to do for a long time.'

Mr Ratcliffe said he was feeling 'better than I was expecting' but was still 'guarded, cautious and worried'.

'I thought there was every chance that they would drag this out over a number of court cases,' he said.

He added that he expected his wife to be convicted but did not know what sentence she would receive.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (pictured with husband Richard and daughter Gabriella, will discover today if she faces new charges)

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has condemned Iran's decision to continue with a 'wholly arbitrary' new case against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe as 'unacceptable and unjustifiable'.

He said: 'It is unacceptable and unjustifiable that Iran has chosen to continue with this second, wholly arbitrary, case against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

'The Iranian government has deliberately put her through a cruel and inhumane ordeal.

'Nazanin must be allowed to return to her family in the UK without further delay. We continue to do all we can to support her.'

Mr Ratcliffe had hoped the British embassy in Tehran would go with his wife to the trial hearings but he said it declined.

Although her sentence ended last week and her ankle tag removed, she was ordered to stay in Tehran.

Mr Ratcliffe told the BBC: 'I am disappointed that the embassy has declined to accompany Nazanin to the Revolutionary Court.

'To my mind, it is a missed opportunity to protect her, a missed opportunity to stand up for her as British, and it is not the first. I hope that timidity is not a choice that we come to regret.'

Mr Ratcliffe said his wife has been 'agitated' and unable to sleep as she battled post-traumatic stress disorder and depression caused by the torture she suffered in prison.

Yesterday, a panic-stricken Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe told her husband by phone that she was 'unable to concentrate' because of her intense anxiety.

She was told to appear before the Revolutionary Court in the capital today, when she faces new charges of spreading false propaganda against the Iranian regime.

Her lawyer, Hojjat Kermani, said: 'The trial was held in a calm atmosphere. The final defence was taken. Legally, the court should announce the verdict in a week but it is up to the judge. I am very hopeful that she will be acquitted.'

Asked whether she could leave the country, Kermani said:'I don't know about her travel ban situation.'

Last night, Mr Ratcliffe said: 'She is very stressed, just wishing tomorrow was over with. She is agitated, short-tempered, restless and unable to concentrate.

'Today, she has been trying to keep herself busy, but it has mainly been an anxious day. The torture is in the uncertainty, of undefined bad things waiting.'

Mr Ratcliffe, an accountant from West Hampstead, North-West London, said he was trying to shield the couple's daughter, Gabriella, six, from the stress he and his wife have suffered.

He said he had no new information from the Iranian authorities or the Foreign Office in London. He fears his wife will not be told she can leave the country by the court today.

He said: 'The longer we don't know what's going on, the more it feels like things are being cooked, which normally means bad news. But I am trying not to get ahead of ourselves and just let no news mean no news.'

Mr Ratcliffe also expressed frustration after asking the British ambassador in Tehran, Rob Macaire, to attend the court with his wife. Last night, Mr Ratcliffe said the FO has declined to send any officials to court.

Pictured: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani

He fears that if his wife is not charged with a new offence, the Iranians will play a 'cat-and-mouse game' for weeks and months, ordering his wife to come back to court time after time.

It is believed the Iranians are detaining Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe to force Britain to pay back 400million the Tehran regime claims the UK owes for undelivered tanks in the 1970s.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held for years in the notorious Evin prison, where she was interrogated while blindfolded.

Last night, the Foreign Office said: 'Nazanin must be allowed to return permanently to her family in the UK and we will continue to do all we can to achieve this.'

It said it had formally requested access to the hearing.

Speaking after the trial, Rupert Skilbeck, director of human rights group Redress said: 'We have grave concerns that Nazanin could be returned to Evin prison or house arrest.

'This keeps her in a constant state of fear and uncertainty, and prolongs the severe psychological and physical suffering she has endured as a result of her torture and ill-treatment in Iran.'
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SPRINGFIELD  The clock is running on an April deadline to pass a $400 million bond bill that will put the state one step closer to millions in federal funding for a new Holyoke Soldiers Home.

The bill, H.64, is slated for debate Tuesday by the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, a vaguely named committee whose purview is wide and covers bonds and other financial legislation.

Gov. Charlie Baker has been pushing hard to woo members of the legislature to approve the bill.

The current Holyoke Soldiers Home was constructed before modern design standards for medical facilities, Bakers filing bill reads, in part. The Administration has taken immediate steps to address urgent capital and infection control needs, but we believe a major reconstruction of the campus is necessary for the health, safety, and comfort of future generations of veterans and staff.

The April deadline comes ahead of another on Aug. 1, for the design phase of the project to be complete  a milestone that will make the project eligible for federal support. While Bakers administration and advocates for the Holyoke Soldiers Home have been working at a feverish pace to get the project done, not all members of the Legislature are feeling the same urgency.

Also bearing down is a March 31 deadline for the Special Joint Oversight Committee on the Holyoke Soldiers Home to recommend reforms. The committee was born of the COVID-19 outbreak that claimed the lives of 76 veterans last spring, prompting public outrage and calls for reforms. Lawmakers have hosted six public hearings featuring families of veterans, staff, former administrators and state officials with oversight of the soldiers homes here and in Chelsea.

That deadline may be complicated by a shuffling of leadership, however. State Sen. Walter Timilty, a Milton Democrat and original co-chair of the committee, stepped down and was replaced by Sen. Michael Rush, a Suffolk and Norfolk county Democrat.

State Sen. John Velis speaks during a legislative hearing on the future of the Soldier's Home in Holyoke, held at Holyoke Community College in October 2020. (Don Treeger / The Republican file)

State Sen. John Velis, a Democrat from Westfield, is the new chairman of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, replacing Timilty in that post. Velis has been a member of the oversight committee and the most vocal member of the Legislature advocating for a new home.

We are working tirelessly night and day to ensure that this bond bill is passed expeditiously. We cant get to a point in our discourse where providing care with honor and dignity to our veterans becomes nothing but meaningless words, Velis said, adding that he expects the oversight committee will host additional hearings despite the looming deadline.

A new facility with primarily private rooms and other enhancements has become the chief rallying cry of advocates for the Holyoke Soldiers Home. The bill must first clear the administration committee before moving on to the Joint Committee on Bonding, then the Committee on Ways and Means before going to the states full House and Senate.

While many legislators have gotten behind the project, not all are convinced the price tag is reasonable.

Maybe there should be a look at what else really needs to be done, for a greater number of veterans across the state, said state Sen. Marc Pacheco, a Taunton Democrat and co-chairman of the Administrative and Regulatory Oversight Committee. Im not saying dont do Holyoke  not at all; that would be crazy. But whether or not they need $400 million of investment there is a legitimate question.

Pacheco said that although he is skeptical, he looks forward to learning more about the needs in Holyoke through testimony from his colleagues and others.

Velis said he intends to go to the mat to push the bond bill through.

The significance of this bill speaks for itself. All of the residents of Holyoke Soldiers Home  past, present and future  didnt hesitate to to act when their national came calling. Now we must do the same for them, he said.

State Sen. Marc Pacheco.Chris Lisinski/SHNS

Pacheco said while he is an advocate for veterans services, veterans in his district of southeastern Massachusetts and farther south to the Cape and Islands feel their own sense of neglect.

I know the governors got a bill thats just responding to Holyoke, but its not responding to the statewide need that has existed from quite some time, Pacheco said.

Pachecos co-chairman, state Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral, a Democrat from New Bedford, also appeared to be on the fence.

Whenever you get 65 % on anything back from the federal government its a good investment, Cabral said. But I usually like to hear testimony before I make my position public. Im not necessarily opposed to the concept and idea.

The bond bill must pass before the U.S. Veterans Administration and other federal agencies will pledge the percentage of funding that is typical for capital projects for soldiers homes and other veterans facilities.

Since the bill will first debated by the House if it clears committee scrutiny, some representatives are looking ahead.

Im optimistic, said state Rep. Pat Duffy, a Holyoke Democrat newly elected to the Legislature. It does feel like everyone is pushing in the same direction.

Duffy cited a last-minute pivot by the Baker administration to concede to Soldiers Home trustees and other advocates to increase the number of beds in their proposal.

Ill be listening closely to what the governor has to say at Tuesdays hearing, Duffy added. And I certainly plan to testify myself.

A spokeswoman for the Baker administration said the governor is committed to getting the bond bill passed on or before April 1, to meet the VAs application deadline of April 15.

This would allow the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance four months to complete the design development necessary to meet the Aug. 1 deadline, she said  a process that typically takes nine months.

Related content:
Los Angeles, March 14 : Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis will be awarded the prestigious Icon Award from the African American Film Critics Association during the 12th annual AAFCA awards on April 7.

"Viola Davis has excelled in every single format available to an actor. She's a powerhouse actress who continues to impress with her incredible range and ability to lend herself to any era and dig deep into the humanity of every character she plays," AAFCA president Gil Robertson said in a statement, as reported by Variety.

"When you think about her in 'Doubt', 'The Help', 'Fences' and now 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom', she just goes there. Following in the footsteps of other legendary actresses by becoming an advocate for social justice issues and taking additional steps of creating the images that we see by producing, she has firmly established herself as a true artist," he added.

Last year, the 55-year-old actress accepted the best actress award during AAFCA's TV honours for the final season of "How To Get Away With Murder." Her recent film, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, was named one of the 10 best films of 2020 by AAFCA members.

Late actor Chadwick Boseman, Davis' co-star in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", will also be honoured during the virtual ceremony. He will posthumously be awarded the best actor prize for his role in the film.
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SIMPLY put, we just dont talk enough about periods in Ireland.

These are the words of the CEO of Plan International, Paul OBrien, explaining why period poverty is currently present in Irish society.

In 2018, Plan International carried out research that showed that half of girls aged 12 to 19 in Ireland have struggled to afford period products. On top of that, more research has shown that a large amount of young people dont attend school when they have their period because of pain or difficulty accessing period products.

As a response to this issue, Senator Rebecca Moynihan has submitted a bill to the Seanad that would make it law that all schools, colleges, universities, educational facilities and public buildings must provide period products free of charge.

The idea that anyone would be prevented from attending school or work solely because of a lack of access to suitable products is not acceptable Senator Moynihan told the leader.

Elena Secas, a Limerick City councillor, supports Senator Moynihans bill. Ms Secas told the Leader that if Senator Moynihans bill passes that she will ensure that Limerick schools will offer period products. I hope that schools in Limerick will engage with Ms Moynihans bill, she said.

Doras, the human rights organisation here in Limerick, make the point that women and girls in Direct Provision are the worst affected.

Sue Windle, the support and outreach officer for Doras, broke it down for the Leader why period poverty is such a serious issue in Direct Provision.

Asylum seekers get a mere 38 a week while in Direct Provision. It costs roughly anywhere between 4 to 6 for sanitary products. Over the course of the week, a woman may have to purchase two or three boxes of products. This is not including pain relief, which could cost in the region of 5. Having a period could cost a woman in Direct Provision 20, over half of their income.

Accessibility is another issue said Ms Windle. With some centres located far away from towns and shops, it proves difficult to access period products on short notice.

This does not include the difficulty in speaking about periods in general. For many women in Direct Provision, who come from various different cultural backgrounds, conversations about the menstrual cycle and sanitary products can be a source of embarrassment and even shame, adding another layer of difficulty and stress to accessing period products, Ms Windle remarked.

Plan International's Mr OBrien reflects these sentiments, those who struggle the most are girls from lower-income households, those in the Direct Provision system, and girls in refuge settings or who are homeless.

Senator Moynihan also pointed out that periods are not talked about enough in Ireland. For too long womens health in Ireland has been something that is talked about in hushed tones without proper engagement with the people actually affected.

When it comes to solving this issue, the parties mentioned all agreed on several solutions.

The first, of course, is accessibility. Paul OBrien is adamant that period products should be available in all public buildings. Sue Windle also expressed that period products need to be freely available, all centres should stock and supply a range of sanitary products free of charge.

Senator Moynihan explained the need for accessibility as simple as this, we wouldnt expect people to carry around toilet paper or soap, so why are we expecting them to carry around tampons and pads?

Education is also massively important when it comes to period matters, when we dont discuss periods openly, we create a vacuum in information, Mr OBrien told the Leader.

Ms Windle explained the need for education.

We would like to see a wider menstrual education rolled out in centres to educate and inform young women in an effort to normalise the conversation and remove stigma that exists around accessing and using period products.

If Senator Moynihans bill passes it would put an obligation on the Minister for Health to roll out an information campaign, specifically on the products that they will make available.

Doras highlighted some of the great work that has been going on in Limerick in relation to period poverty already. A student-led enterprise in the University of Limerick called Anytime of the Month has raised funds to buy period products for those in Direct Provision.

However, Ms Windle remarked that the burden should not be on a student-led enterprise but rather on the State and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide period products to those in Direct Provision.

If you would like more information on Direct Provision you can visit doras.org or more information on period poverty can be found at plan.ie.
Jen Garris tells her entire life story in just under a minute.

The beer industry vet talks about growing up in Iowa, touches on years spent working at Magnolia Pub in the Haight, fondly remembers meeting Rich Rosen at Anchor Brewing in 2007, before finally getting to Pi Bar, a Mission pizza-and-beer mainstay she opened in 2009 with Rosen  who now doubles as her business partner and husband.

Garris almost doesnt stop to take a breath because theres a couple at the bar that wants their pizza.

Let me pass you to Richie, she tells me.

She tosses the phone across the room to Rosen, who just pulled a pie out of the oven.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

The Queens transplant  who worked at restaurants all over San Francisco (including Michelin-starred Boulevard)  slings New York-style pizzas out of the oven at Pi Bar, which got its name because they make pizza pie at Pi Bar and not because the pair is super into math.

And you can tell he loves it.

Its a magical thing in my opinion. Raw dough, raw sauce, raw cheese magically turns into pizza, he says, like hes talking about a Renaissance sculpture.

I can hear Garris in the background telling him another order just came in, and he hucks the phone back to her.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Sunday is Pi Day, the yearly celebration of the mathematical constant that starts with 3.14, and, not coincidentally, falls on 3/14 every year.

Pi Day originated in San Francisco in 1988, when Exploratorium physicist Larry Shaw organized a staff event that included consuming fruit pies starting at 1:59 p.m. (the following three digits of the value). To this day, the Exploratorium holds annual Pi Day celebrations, but its following has expanded past the museums walls into a larger celebration that folds in both fruit pies and pizza pies across the country, as an official national holiday.

Ive been to a couple of Pi Days at Pi Bar in years past, and the place is always packed with a mix of people who are super into math and also regular people who just like good beer and fun coincidences. I ask Garris about the first Pi Day at Pi Bar, and even though they really lean into the 3.14 thing (they open at 3:14 most days, and sold a slice of pie for $3.14 for their first five years), they had no idea what was coming.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

No, we did not, she says laughing. We were totally taken off guard. Back then, we had a small staff, and it was definitely overwhelming, but it was fun. There were several years with the big tech boom, several years where the Google bus, the Intel bus, the Apple bus, theyd just unload in front of our place on Pi Day. You could get off here instead of their designated drop-off location.

We realized, wow, we really did actually create something here.

That something was put to the test in 2020. The pair was forced to let go of their entire staff, they didnt close a single day and instead turned a 10% to-go pizza operation into a 100% to-go pizza operation. They reduced their hours to 4-8 p.m. They re-negotiated their lease. Rosen found out he was getting screwed on the price of his pizza boxes and found a new supplier that was one-quarter the price. And despite their best days bringing in just two-thirds of what they used to, theyre cautiously optimistic theyll make it through.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Were crossing our fingers, says Garris, who lives in the Mission with Rosen, just three blocks from Pi Bar. Weve had so much neighborhood support.

Garris finally stops talking a mile a minute.

Being here 12 years, weve had couples come in for first and second dates, who now have three kids. Thats kind of the bar we always wanted.

Last Pi Day, which came just days before the city issued a shelter-in-place order was their slowest Pi Day ever. Which was a huge deal for the business  Pi Day is usually the bars second biggest day of the year (behind the Russian River Pliny the Younger release day, of course). This year, they dont know what to expect.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Back in the day, we used to pair up with breweries and do a special Pi Day beer, says Garris. This year, we didnt know if we were going to do anything, but we decided to go old-school and do slices for $3.14 again.

The city isnt back to normal. It wont be for still a while yet. But being able to grab a $3.14 slice of pizza at Pi Bar on Pi Day sounds a lot like a bit of quirky San Francisco sneaking its way back into our lives.

Pi Bar is located at 1432 Valencia St. in the Mission. Theyre open 4-8 p.m. daily. Call 415-970-9670 to place an order with Jen.
Well it's not often you hear about these occurrences, but for the first time in the history of the CAPE Exam.. one teacher's class was able to secure the top 10 spots in one particular subject.
Singapore and Australia have discussed the possibility of an air travel bubble that would allow residents to travel between two countries without being quarantined for two weeks. Under the deal, Australians who have been vaccinated would be allowed to travel to Singapore without approval from the home affairs department, reported The Sydney Morning Herald. It will also help approximately 40,000 Australians stranded overseas to travel back to their country.

Singapore and Australia discuss air travel bubble

Singapore has also discussed with Australia a mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and resumption of travel with priority for students and business travellers. The travellers in both countries will be able to travel without having to complete two weeks of quarantine in hotels. Both countries have controlled the COVID-19 situation by imposing restrictions on borders and lockdown. New Zealand could also be involved which would become a three-way travel bubble, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Sydney Morning Herald also cited Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan as saying that he already had discussions about the plan with Singaporean Minister Chan Chun Sing. He said that Singapore wanted to work with Australia on a proof of vaccination certificate and the officials of both countries would work together. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told public broadcaster ABC that Australia was working with Singapore for a bubble (beginning) in July. He added that they will reopen more bubbles after the vaccine rolls out in other countries.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told BBC that he hoped that Singapore would reopen its borders by the end of 2021. He added that if many other countries also get their people vaccinated by later this year, they will be able to have the confidence and a developed system to open our international borders for people from other countries. He added that by the end of this year or next year, the borders of the countries may open.

Hopefully by the end of this year or next year, the doors can start to open, if not earlier.

Tourism industry affected due to pandemic

International travel for education, business and tourism contribute to the economy of Australia which got affected by the pandemic. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, due to the pandemic, there was a decrease in international students coming to study in Australia which had cost $1.8 billion in revenue. For Singapore, the proposal would bring in revenue for its hotel operators and the broader tourism sector.

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New Delhi, March 14 : Amid growing concerns over the unabated resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Punjab, the presence of an Indian variant of SARS-CoV-2 detected in a number of Covid positive samples is causing a new worry.

Ashish Srivastava New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) Amid growing concerns over the unabated resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Punjab, the presence of an Indian variant of SARS-CoV-2 detected in a number of Covid positive samples is causing a new worry.

The Institute for Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, has found the N440K variant of novel coronavirus in the samples that arrived from Punjab, officials told IANS.

IGIB is a part of the consortium of genome sequencing labs or INSACOG created by the Centre to culture the SARS-CoV-2 virus and find patterns and mutations in it.

However, the samples detected are relatively small and were confirmed by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Punjab. "Out of 100, only two have been found exhibiting the mutations of N440K variant," Rajesh Bhaskar, state nodal officer for Covid-19, told IANS.

The development was confirmed by a director rank official at the Department of Health and Family Welfare in Punjab. When asked if the detected variant could be the reason behind the surge in the number of cases or if the symptoms found in the samples are more severe in nature, Bhaskar said that he cannot comment on the lack of official communication from the laboratory.

"Yes, we have been informed about it. However, I cannot comment further, till we receive it through a formal communication," the top official said.

Bhaskar also said that the state would wait for further results before interpreting anything on the variant. "Results of 300 more samples are pending in the laboratory and we would wait for their results before arriving at any conclusion," he added.

Punjab has been witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases with the infection tally witnessing a manifold rise in the last three weeks. The state reported 352 cases on February 21, while it recorded 1,515 new cases by the end of the day on Saturday, the highest so far this year.

The state has reimposed certain restrictions over gatherings, including night curfew in four districts.

The genetically tweaked variant with a mutation named N440K has been found largely in the southern states. An analysis by IGIB, conducted in December last year, suggested that it was found in nearly 34 per cent of the 272 SARS-CoV-2 genomes analysed from Andhra Pradesh.

A latest study by scientists at the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) published in February found that the N440K mutation is spreading a lot more in the southern states of India, and deeper surveillance is needed to understand if it has worse symptoms or immune-escape capacities.

However, another research conducted by the Kurnool Medical College in Andhra Pradesh, published two weeks ago, underlined that N440K can escape the immune response as well as cause reinfection of Covid-19. The conclusion was based on the study of the two reported cases of reinfection - found in Noida and Kurnool - which showed the presence of the variant in them.

Last month, the Union Health Ministry had stated that the N440K along with E484Q (another variant) were detected in Maharashtra, Kerala and Telangana. However, it added that their role behind the probable cause of rising cases was still under investigation.

Meanwhile, Shahid Jameel, a top virologist in India, said that the rise in the number of cases in Punjab could be attributed to a mutation of the coronavirus. However, he added that the N440K variant exists here for quite a long time and it has to be epidemiologically checked before inferring its role behind the recent spike.

"There's always a possibility for a single or multiple mutation to cause a spike in cases. Having said that, we should not forget that N440K has been in India for quite some time now and it was also found in several other states, including those which are not reporting any surge currently," he clarified.

"Its mere detection does not substantiate the variant's role behind the spurt in cases. N440K has been found in several other states as well. Epidemiological connection of the variant with the spike (in cases) should be investigated before arriving at any conclusion," added Jameel, who is also the director of Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University.
Ivorian Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko died Wednesday of cancer in Germany, the presidency announced, marking the second time within a year that the country's premier has died in office due to illness.

Bakayoko, 56, had been brought to Paris for medical treatment nearly a month ago, and had recently been moved to Germany. A government statement announcing his death was read on national television Wednesday evening.

Bakayoko was chosen last July after then-Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly died from a heart problem. Coulibaly was President Alassane Ouattara's chosen successor, and the incumbent leader decided to seek another term in office after his party's preferred candidate died.

Ouattara maintained that the countrys two-term limit for presidents does not apply to him because of a constitutional referendum passed in 2016.

Opposition parties, though, decried Ouattara's decision to seek a third term and all but one other candidate boycotted the vote, paving the way for his sweeping victory.

The president described Bakayoko as a great statesman in presenting his condolences Wednesday.

The prime minister served Ivory Coast with dedication and selflessness," Ouattara said.

(Image credit: Hamed BAKAYOKO/ Instagram)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Enlightenment is a wild contemporary spin-off of one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West  better known to English speakers as Monkey.

The mavericks at Elbow Room bring it to the stage with the uniquely kinky, switched-on aesthetic theatre insiders so admire.

Merlynn Tong channels Monkey through an unearthly brand of physical theatre in Enlightenment. Credit:Pia Johnson

Readers who watched Monkey on TV as kids will enjoy Joe Paradise Luis hyperreal spin-off, which reimagines the encounter between the Monkey King and Buddha through a mosaic of genres from queer romcom to crime fiction, all bound together with the gloss of a cosmic cartoon.

Performed in English with Mandarin subtitles, the work transplants the Chinese story to contemporary Australia where Monkey (Merlynn Tong) is a destitute young woman who finds internet celebrity after her obscene diatribe against racist policing goes viral.

Meanwhile, Sid (Alice Qin), the bored scion of an impossibly rich family, amasses a string of casual lovers on a dating app. None relieve her ennui until Monkey arrives and an unlikely romance blooms.
I often feel very faint. Could it be a side effect of the blood pressure medication I take?

The short answer is, yes. The most commonly prescribed medications for blood pressure are angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and diuretics.

Familiar names will be ramipril, amlodipine and indapamide, and dizziness is a common side effect thats likely to affect at least one in ten people who take them.

So while it can be normal with blood pressure medications to feel faint, particularly at the start of treatment or when getting out of bed, that doesnt mean it should be dismissed  quite the opposite.

While it can be normal with blood pressure medications to feel faint, particularly at the start of treatment or when getting out of bed, that doesnt mean it should be dismissed  quite the opposite, writes Dr Ellie (file photo)

Blood pressure is a measure of force the heart exerts in order to keep the circulation flowing around the body. When it drops too low, blood flow to the head can be compromised, leading to dizziness or even fainting.

This is risky as it can make people vulnerable to falls and is dangerous for driving or while operating machinery.

If this is happening, regularly checking your blood pressure at home is important. Having a few readings from across a fortnight can help GPs make decisions.

A doctor will also want to know if the blood pressure changes between sitting to standing  a nurse in the surgery can check for this.

For some patients, the dose of medication they are on may simply be too high. This can be amended or the type of tablet can be changed.

Dizziness occurs for lots of reasons, from heart rhythm abnormalities to anaemia, so it is important to remember that blood pressure medication may not be the cause at all.

Over four months I have gradually lost my sense of smell. Ive had an NHS home swab test for Covid, which proved negative. What else could it be?

Losing a sense of smell, or anosmia, was a symptom that GPs were familiar with long before Covid came along.

That being said, for anyone I saw with new anosmia over the past year I would have assumed it to be Covid, given how prevalent the virus has been.

Losing a sense of smell, or anosmia, was a symptom that GPs were familiar with long before Covid came along, writes Dr Ellie (file photo)

A home Covid swab may have been taken too late or given a false negative, as they can be quite difficult to do well on yourself. For clarity, a doctor may offer an antibody test to see if there has indeed been a previous Covid infection  although, again, if the original infection was a while ago, this might come back negative too.

Write to Dr Ellie Do you have a question for Dr Ellie Cannon? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk Advertisement

After catching Covid, most patients who lost their sense of smell will recover it after two to three weeks. Ten per cent will go on to suffer longer, and, based on whats already known about post-viral anosmia, the majority of them would be expected to recover within 18 months.

Other causes of anosmia that have gone on for more than a few months should warrant a referral to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist. This would be for investigations of the nose with what is a called a nasoendoscopy  a small camera that is inserted into the nostril.

An MRI scan of the brain may also be offered if there are concerns of other symptoms as well, such as a loss of taste. Most commonly, a loss of smell comes from nasal blockage  usually due to inflammation from allergies, ongoing sinusitis or nasal polyps  small fleshy growths. These causes may improve slightly with steroid nasal sprays.

Less commonly, it may be from injury or a deviated septum  the thin wall between the nostrils  and, rarely, can be a sign of a tumour within the nose.

Smoking - and ageing - also lead to some loss of sense of smell.

I applied thrush cream after suffering intimate itching for a few days but it seems to have made things worse. The area is now red, sore and even more irritated. Whats going on?

Have an inhaler? Make sure you use it properly This picture shows a far more efficient way to use an inhaler Thanks to one eagle-eyed reader for pointing out an inaccurate photo in my column two weeks ago. I was writing about asthma, and the image with the article showed a person using an inhaler with their head in the wrong position, leaning forwards. This picture above shows a far more efficient way to use an inhaler. Why is this important? Well, research suggests large numbers of asthmatics use their inhaler wrongly, meaning they dont get the right dose of medication. Although everyone given an inhaler will be taught by a nurse or pharmacist how to use it, its easy to forget. The result is less well-controlled asthma, and worsening symptoms. There are different types of inhaler, with different techniques for use. For a clear guide for your type of inhaler, visit the Asthma UK website at asthma.org.uk. Advertisement

Vulval skin thrush is common and easy to treat, and for a new case of intimate itching an over-the-counter cream is a great idea to try. But if it doesnt work within a few days, it is time to think again.

Thrush is a yeast infection and in women can occur in the vagina, causing white discharge and itchiness, or can occur just on the outside, on the vulva, causing soreness and itching.

Thrush creams tend to be very effective, so a worsening irritation implies that something else is going on.

The vulval area can become itchy and irritated for a number of reasons. This could be diagnosed by a GP and warrants an examination to see skin changes such as redness, spots or skin thinning.

It simply could be an irritation of the skin, such as vulval dermatitis or eczema. This can happen spontaneously or in response to irritating washing powder, underwear, soaps and even coloured toilet paper.

Female health experts always recommend washing in plain water rather than soaps which can irritate the skin.

This kind of complaint will respond well to using a plain emollient cream and a steroid cream for a few days.

Aqueous cream from the chemist can be used instead of soap and can also be kept in the fridge, to dab on when cool to calm the skin.

An examination is important as itching can be caused by other reasons, such as vulval atrophy, which occurs after the menopause due to a lack of oestrogen or a condition called lichen sclerosus where the skin can become white and patchy and fragile. Psoriasis can also occur on the vulva and cause itching, as can herpes.

Tests can't wreck school return

I am delighted children are now back in school  something Ive been campaigning for all year.

Part of their return relies on a new system of regular testing, but I have concerns after reports that entire school bubbles are already having to isolate for ten days if a single pupil gets a positive result on a lateral flow test.

The kids and their families are being told to remain at home, even if they subsequently get a negative result on the a more accurate PCR test at home. But there is no scientific basis, as far as I can see, in keeping children at home and out of school in large numbers if they get a negative PCR test.

I appeal to anyone listening in the Government to please, just sort this out.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
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New York's "vaccine czar" - a longtime adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo - phoned county officials in the past two weeks in attempts to gauge their loyalty to the embattled governor amid an ongoing sexual harassment investigation, according to multiple officials.

One Democratic county executive was so unsettled by the outreach from Larry Schwartz, head of the state's vaccine rollout, that the executive on Friday filed notice of an impending ethics complaint with the public integrity unit of the state attorney general's office, the official told The Washington Post. The executive feared the county's vaccine supply could suffer if Schwartz was not pleased with the executive's response to his questions about support of the governor.

The executive said the conversation with Schwartz came in proximity to a separate conversation with another Cuomo administration official about vaccine distribution.

"At best, it was inappropriate," said the executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear that the Cuomo administration would retaliate against the county's residents. "At worst, it was clearly over the ethical line."

Schwartz, who is working in a volunteer capacity to run New York's vaccine distribution, acknowledged making the calls in response to an inquiry by The Post, but said he did so as a 30-year friend of Cuomo and did not discuss vaccines in the conversations.

"I did nothing wrong," Schwartz said. "I have always conducted myself in a manner commensurate to a high ethical standard."

Schwartz is one of Cuomo's longtime lieutenants, serving as secretary to the governor - the most influential aide to the New York governor - from 2011 until 2015, and then advising him off and on since, earning the reputation as Cuomo's enforcer. Schwartz returned last spring to be the administration's point person on the coronavirus pandemic - moving into the governor's mansion at one point - and has managed much of the state's response.

His calls to county officials could fuel questions about an intermingling of politics with the state's public health operation. The conversations came in advance of a March 8 announcement by the governor's office that the state plans to open 10 new mass vaccination sites around New York - distribution hubs that have been keenly sought by local officials.

Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said political outreach by the person helming the state's vaccine response could lead to officials fearing that vaccine decisions could be based on favoritism.

"People do not see calls coming from the governor's mansion as somebody wearing one hat and then putting on another hat," he said. "If you are in control of a vital supply of a lifesaving resource like vaccines, you are carrying an enormous amount of implicit clout when you ask for political allegiance. And you shouldn't be doing that anyway. The public health goal to maximize the best use of vaccines has nothing to do with any public declaration of political fealty. And it shouldn't even be implied or hinted at."

In several statements he emailed to The Post on Saturday, Schwartz said the calls he made to assess political support for Cuomo were distinct from the role he plays in the vaccine distribution effort.

"I did have conversations with a number of County Executives from across the State to ascertain if they were maintaining their public position that there is an ongoing investigation by the State Attorney General and that we should wait for the findings of that investigation before drawing any conclusions," he wrote.

Schwartz described the calls as "cordial, respectful and friendly," adding: "Nobody indicated that they were uncomfortable or that they did not want to talk to me."

He added that decisions about where to locate mass vaccination sites are not made by one individual but are determined by members of the governor's vaccine task force and outside consultants, "based on merit, data and facts and not politics."

Schwartz declined to answer if he had taken the ethics oath required for New York state public officers. The law states that no officer should engage in conduct that could give an impression that any person could "unduly enjoy his or her favor in the performance of his or her official duties."

Beth Garvey, acting counsel to the governor, said in a statement that the ethics oath is not required of volunteers under an executive order issued by Cuomo to facilitate the participation of volunteers in the state's coronavirus response. "Any assertion or implication that this was a failing on the part of Larry Schwartz is simply false," she said.

In interviews with The Post, several public officials who received the calls from Schwartz spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the conversations, saying they fear swift retribution from Cuomo if they speak out against him.

The officials said Schwartz appeared to be taking stock of where they stood on Cuomo and whether they would continue to support him, and said he emphasized the need to let the state investigation play out.

One official who received a call did not view it as an explicit threat and was not disturbed by it, but added: "Looking back on it, Larry probably wasn't the best person to make a call like that." A second official from a separate county said: "I didn't feel that there was correlation between the answer I was going to give and my vaccine supply. But I could see how maybe someone else maybe got that impression."

They described the outreach as politics as usual in the Cuomo administration, which has long earned a reputation for leaning on allies and threatening opponents. The spotlight on the governor's style has intensified in recent weeks, as Cuomo's political power has become mired in dual scandals: one related to multiple accusations of sexual harassment and unwelcome touching, and the other centered on his actions related to nursing-home deaths.

On Friday, a majority of the New York congressional delegation - including the state's two U.S. senators - called for Cuomo to step down, issuing a barrage of public statements, many just minutes apart from one another. One official involved in the discussions said the timing was planned to absolve any one lawmaker from receiving Cuomo's wrath.

"He can't kill us all at the same time," said the official, a senior aide to one of the lawmakers who called for Cuomo to resign, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal strategy.

The governor has been accused of workplace harassment, improper touching or both by five women, including four who worked for him. An allegation by a sixth woman - also an employee - was referred by the governor's office to local police for investigation Wednesday. Many others, male and female, have described a hostile and abusive workplace in which young women were frequently treated differently.

Cuomo has denied accusations of unwanted touching and largely been defiant in the wake of growing calls for his resignation. He has dismissed some of the claims as part of a "cancel culture" that he derided as "dangerous" and "reckless," urging critics to wait for the conclusion of the state attorney general's probe of the harassment allegations. He said earlier this month that he never intended to cause any pain or make anyone feel uncomfortable.

The controversies have been fueled in part by a growing willingness - even among party allies - to break a code of silence that was long expected in the notoriously cutthroat and fealty-driven world of New York politics.

Ron Kim, a New York state assemblyman, went public in February with a call from Cuomo that he said was explicitly threatening in nature over his criticism of the nursing home deaths scandal. A top Cuomo adviser has disputed that Cuomo threatened to "destroy" Kim, as Kim has said.

One of Cuomo's accusers, former staffer Lindsey Boylan, has alleged that Cuomo's aides leaked her personnel file to reporters, and on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported on attempts by the governor's aides to call former employees attempting to glean information about Boylan.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said Cuomo's tactics of using fear to govern largely worked because "retribution was very harsh if you crossed him. People were very concerned."

But now, she said, "You're seeing some of the fear starting to crumble. So when you have that stripped away, you don't have a lot to back you up."

A spokesman for Cuomo did not respond to a request for comment on the governor's reputation for exacting retribution.

Amid the burgeoning crises, Schwartz has remained his staunch ally. After several years working in the private sector, he returned to Cuomo's side in the early days of the coronavirus pandemiclast year, volunteering to manage medical equipment and supplies directed to hospitals and health care systems.

Schwartz told The Post that he assisted with ensuring bed capacity for hospitals and helped launch a contact tracing program. He said he currently is volunteering in his role as head of the vaccine rollout.

In his book "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic," Cuomo wrote that when he had asked Schwartz to help him manage the public health crisis, "I knew that if I asked, he wouldn't say no; he was that good a friend. I'd known him for thirty years."

Cuomo said he even invited Schwartz to move into the governor's mansion for a period of time, along with him, his dog, Captain, and his three daughters, writing, "Now Larry was added to the pack." He said Schwartz put in long hours, often not returning to the mansion until midnight or 1 a.m.

Across the state, Schwartz is viewed as someone with singular influence.

New York state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat who represents the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, said he was in a meeting with Schwartz and the state health commissioner earlier this year in which he said Schwartz often answered questions before the commissioner. Mamdani had been pressing for incarcerated individuals to receive access to the vaccine, and he said that during the meeting, it became clear to him that Schwartz had large sway over decisions about vaccine distribution.

"He sets policy in regards to rollout, in regards to eligibility and has the real ability to dictate the supply to different parts of the state," said Mamdani.

Schwartz told The Post that he holds weekly calls with county executives and county health officials.

But he said that when he called county officials to assess their support for Cuomo, "they were hearing from me as someone who has (known) the Governor for 30 years and someone who has been involved in NYS Government and Politics for about the same time."

He said he made the calls at night, although he said some officials may have returned the calls the following morning. "I find time to oversee the vaccine program [as] well as take on other responsibilities," he wrote in an email. "I am able to multi task."

"Everyone took my call or called me back," he added. "NOBODY indicated they were uncomfortable discussing with me or thought it was inappropriate."

When asked whether Cuomo directed him to reach out to county officials, he responded: "It was my decision to make the calls."

A spokesman for Cuomo did not respond to a request for comment on whether the governor was familiar with Schwartz's outreach to county officials.

The Democratic county executive who filed notice of an ethics complaint said that Schwartz made no explicit threat to withhold vaccines, but felt there was an implication of what was at stake, given Schwartz's influence over the vaccine distribution channels and the fact that he only called or emailed to discuss vaccine allotment.

"I'm not calling about vaccines," Schwartz told the executive, then stressed that it was crucial to let the investigation by the attorney general play out, according to the executive.

If the executive's position on Cuomo changed, Schwartz said, he would appreciate a head's up, according to notes the executive took at the time.

"There was a lot going through my mind," the executive recounted. "This is putting me in an impossible position where I potentially have to choose between like a weird political loyalty to a governor who controls a lot of things, not just vaccine, and is known to be vindictive, and on the other side, doses of lifesaving vaccine every week for my residents who are literally desperate for them."

A spokesman for the state attorney general's office did not respond to a request for comment about the notice of an ethics complaint the executive filed.

In describing the calls to The Post, Schwartz said, "there was no pressure and I never asked anyone to support the Governor. All I asked them was if their public position of calling for an independent investigation by the Attorney General and waiting for the outcome of her report had changed."

He said vaccines are distributed in the state based on the number of eligible residents and a county's administration rate.

"It's not based on favoritism, politics or anything else," he wrote. He also said he took offense at the fact that his "accuser" was speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Several Republican county executives reached by The Post said they had not received such calls from Schwartz. A longtime Cuomo critic, Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, quipped, "He didn't call me because he knew I would never say something nice about (Cuomo)."

- - -

The Washington Post's Michael Scherer and Alice Crites contributed to this report.
When I was in Washington covering the Inauguration, the whole town was locked up tight. That deprived me of the best  and perhaps only  pleasure of being inside the Beltway: going to a bar and talking politics.

But there is an excellent bookstore called Politics and Prose on Connecticut Avenue, so I figured Id visit there. When I parked around back I saw some people gathering around a fire drinking beer. I went over and joined them.

It soon developed the restaurant in question was the famed Comet Ping Pong pizzeria. Its famous because of the time some nut raided the place with an assault rifle to free the young sex slaves hed learned of on the internet. The nut fired three shots into the wall before the police came and took him away.

But the pizza joint wasnt in the clear. In the days leading up to the Inauguration, followers of the Q-Anon cult gathered on the sidewalk outside the joint demanding that the sex slaves be released.

I got talking to the security guard, who was about six-foot-six and muscular. He told me the cult members were not the sort of aggressive young men that make up groups like antifa and the Proud Boys.

They were mostly nice, middle-aged ladies from places like Iowa, he said.

Pre-internet, such people would have been confined to relaying their theories on the phone and in the mail. But thanks to the internet, its simple to develop a following. Whether youre a left-wing nut or a right-wing nut, you can get in touch with thousands of your fellow nuts with just a few clicks on your computer.

This brings to mind the great media critic of the 1960s, Marshall McLuhan, who coined the phrase The medium is the message.

McLuhan argued that were wasting our time looking at the content of whatever medium is at issue. Its the medium itself that brings on social change  and not necessarily for the better

I thought of that insight last week when I read some of my fellow conservatives gloating over the layoffs at the news site now known as HuffPost, which was recently purchased by BuzzFeed.

After having pushed for the deplatforming of conservative voices, the left-leaning Huffington Post announced massive layoffs of its workforce on Tuesday  47 U.S. writers including eight in management  and entirely shuttering its Canadian operation, wrote one right-wing pundit.

If I were that guy, Id skip the schadenfreude. The same dynamic has forced many a conservative site to shut town.

From the very beginning of internet news, I had my doubts about the funding model. The way the revenues were rolling in back before the internet, we might as well have been printing money.

But as a natural skeptic, I had a nagging thought: How were we going to make money when we gave that product away?

Sure enough, a few years later I started getting emails saying things like I love that I can get your column on the internet. Now I dont have to buy the paper.

The theory of the optimists back then was that wed make that money back from advertising. But people hate internet ads. And you just cant fit that many on a web page.

So how can a site make enough money to pay the writers? Arianna Huffington had one solution: Dont pay them. After pocketing $315 million from selling what amounted to a glorified blog to AOL, she insisted contributors work for free.

Huffington departed the site in 2015. But AOL couldnt figure out a way to make a profit with a paid staff. In 2019, they laid off 20 writers. But they still lost $20 million in 2020.

So whos making money off this? Not the news sites. Its the aggregators like Facebook, Twitter and the Drudge Report.

Meanwhile the number of actual journalists covering events has dropped dramatically. Whether its news from your local town or news from Damascus, there are few reporters covering it these days. Bloggers fill in the gaps, often with fake news.

There was one guy who saw this coming, and it wasnt some futurist with his head in the clouds. It was the extremely down-to-Earth Australian, Rupert Murdoch.

In a 1997 interview, Murdoch was questioned on his penchant for buying up newspapers all over the English-speaking world. The interviewer asked whether monopoly was a bad thing

Of course monopoly is bad, Murdoch replied. But I believe government efforts to block monopolies have done terrible damage to the newspaper industry while cable monopolies have been allowed to flourish. Were entering a period where monopoly is pretty much impossible because of modern technology and the Internet.

McLuhan was right. The medium truly is the message.

And the message is: Were screwed.

ALSO - WORST PREDICTION IN COMMUNICATIONS HISTORY?

In 2008 I did a column for the Wall Street Journal in which I anticipated this disaster.

In it I quoted a law-school professor named Glenn Reynolds who authored a book titled An Army of Davids in which he predicted wonderful things for the future on internet journalism. An excerpt:

When enough bloggers take the leap, and start reporting on the statehouse, city council, courts, etc. firsthand, full-time, then the Big Media will take notice and the avalanche will begin, Mr. Reynolds quotes another blogger as saying. If this avalanche ever occurs, a lot of bloggers will be found gasping for breath under piles of pure ennui. There is nothing more tedious than a public meeting.

The bloggers, of course, behaved exactly as I predicted. No one in their right mind would cover public meetings unless they were paid. Back when I began my professional career in 1975, there were two daily newspapers, the Toms River Observer and the Asbury Park Press, that covered almost every public meeting.

Now there are zero. The same has occurred all over America.

If this is progress, then Im not a progressive.
Twenty-one year-old Peyton Morse was living out his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter when tragedy struck earlier this month at a training academy.

Morse, a Siena College senior, died Friday afternoon in a Pennsylvania hospital, nine days after suffering a medical emergency while at a firefighter training program for recruits at the state Fire Academy of Fire Science at Montour Falls, near Watkins Glens in Schuyler County. He was taken to a local hospital before being transferred to Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Penn., according to published reports. Details of his death could not be learned Saturday.

Morse was a member of the Watertown Fire Department but received much of his state firefighter training as a member of the Shaker Road Loudonville Fire Department, according to Shaker Road Fire Chief Patrick OConnor.

He absolutely lived that dream 100 percent - he was the nicest person youd ever want to meet in your life, he was happy, he was positive, and always wanted to hone his skills, and his dream was to become a firefighter, said OConnor Saturday. "If you ever wanted somebody to walk through your door, and say 'hey, I want to be a firefighter, I want to help you guys out, this is him.' "

Shaker Road Firefighter Michael Russell said Saturday that Morse, who he affectionately nicknamed 'Shadow', was on "Cloud 9" after learning he got the job with the Watertown Fire Department.

"At the time he recently got engaged, he got hired, and everything was falling in the right direction, so this is why it's such a tragedy that something like this occurred," said Russell. "He wanted, he dreamed, he loved being a firefighter and put 100 percent effort in every task in everything that he did, and that's hard to get."

He said Morse started at the academy on Feb. 13. Russell recalled Morse once asking him about the moniker.

Russell said he told him, "man, you're following us around so closely, you're like a shadow, and it stuck with him."

Lisa Witkowski, a Siena College spokeswoman. said in an email Saturday that Morse was a senior majoring in history at the school but took a leave of absence this semester to attend the fire academy. She said he had planned to return to Siena to complete his bachelor's degree.

"His lifelong goal was to be a firefighter, so when he had the opportunity to enroll recently at the academy, he took it," she stated.

Morse served as a community advisor or resident advisor mostly for sophomores in Plassmann Hall during the 2019-20 academic year, said Witkowski.

Adam Casler, assistant dean and director of community living, said, "Peyton was a hardworking and dedicated assistant who put his residents first and foremost in his mind, serving as an academic advisor, mentor and role model."

Friar Mark Reamer, who serves as Siena's vice president for mission, described Morse as a "remarkable young man with a great passion for serving others."

"He generously gave of himself to the community in many ways, including as a firefighter, during his time at Siena," stated Reamer.

O'Connor recalled that Morse had been an associate member since September 2018 through a program that allows Siena College students with firefighter training to learn about the departments rules and regulations and get some hands on practical experience.

He was very active in the associate firefighter program here at Shaker Road, and he just recently graduated Siena, and was going to be a history teacher added OConnor.

Morse also belonged to the LaFargeville Volunteer Fire Department in Jefferson County.

Still unconscious, Morse received his firefighter badge, Badge #94 surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, during an emotional ceremony on March 6 while hospitalized in the intensive car unity of the hospital, according to WWNY-TV in the Watertown area.

The TV station also indicated a bedside wedding between Morse and his fiancee took place the same day.

The Shaker Road Loudonville Fire Department had a chief officer at the hospital for more than a week. An autopsy is slated to be performed before Morse's body is escorted back to Watertown.

News of Morse's passing was posted on the main page of the Shaker Road Loudonville Fire Department's Facebook page accompanied by hundreds of likes and dozens of comments and condolence messages.

Plans are being discussed for a service at Siena, said Witkowski.






EUGENE  The Oregon Ducks are a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon (20-6) will open against No. 10 seed VCU (19-7) in the first round of the West region in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (6:57 p.m. PT, TNT) at Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.

Weve got a lot of guys in the locker room that havent experienced the NCAA Tournament, Oregon coach Dana Altman said. Im excited for them. Its been a long year since last year where they canceled last years tournament, and felt bad for Anthony Mathis and Payton (Pritchard) and Shakur (Juiston), who didnt get to play in their tournament.

Were getting to play, were excited about it. The guys are excited.

The Ducks are 25-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament in 16 prior appearances, not counting qualifying for last years tournament that was canceled due to the pandemic.

Only Will Richardson and LJ Figueroa have previously played in the NCAA Tournament among the Ducks, with Richardson as the lone scholarship player doing so for UO.

Its a big moment, especially for me and I know its a big moment for the guys also, senior forward Eugene Omoruyi said. A few of us not being there before, but now its time to lock in and get ready to go do what we got to do. We didnt finish off Vegas the way we wanted to, but now its time to refocus in, and its a bigger prize, so we know we got to lock in.

The Ducks enter the Big Dance with 11 wins in 13 games and as back-to-back Pac-12 regular-season champions, though they lost to eventual Pac-12 tournament champion Oregon State in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

How this team responds will be totally up to them, Altman said. We had a spirited practice today. ... Itll be a long way waiting for Saturday, but were going to have to practice a little bit; weve got some things we got to iron out. We didnt play well in the (Pac-12) tournament so were going to have to get some things worked on.

Oregon is 0-1 all-time against VCU with the only meeting, a 77-63 Rams win, coming on Nov. 25, 2014, in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, New York. The teams have no common opponents this season.

RELATED: What to know about VCU, Oregons 1st round opponent in NCAA Tournament

Altman didnt have any knowledge of the Rams, who are led by Atlantic 10 Player of the Year NahShon Hyland. VCU was picked to finish ninth in the A10 in the preseason poll and finished second to St. Bonaventure, which won the regular season and A10 tournament.

Hyland led the league in scoring with 19.4 points as well as field goals made (148) and attempted (329) and three-pointers per game (2.91). He scored 30 or more points three times and 20-plus 11 times this season.

Itll be an interesting week getting ready, Altman said. Well start tonight and make sure we get a look at them. VCU when Shaka (Smart) got it going, they were always pressing and running. Im sure itll be a very athletic team thatll get after us.

If Oregon wins, it will face the winner of the No. 2 seed Iowa (21-8) and No. 15 seed Grand Canyon (17-6) on Monday.
DMK MLA Saravanan joins BJP, second legislator from Dravidinan party to switch to Saffron camp

India

pti-Deepika S

Chennai, Mar 14: Weeks before assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, DMK legislator P Saravanan joined the BJP here on Sunday, protesting what he called the ''dominance'' and ''silent torture'' by the district-level officer-bearers of the Dravidian party.

Saravanan, representing Tirupparankundram constituency in Madurai region, is the second DMK MLA after Ku Ka Selvam (Thousand Lights constituency here) to join the BJP ahead of the April 6 assembly polls.

Joining the BJP party in the presence of state unit president L Murugan, Saravanan indicated arm-twisting by district level office-bearers as the reason for quitting the Dravidian outfit, which is leaving no stone unturned to return to power in the state after being in opposition for 10 years.

When asked if he had taken up with the DMK brass about the issues he faced, Saravanan, who was elected to the assembly in 2019 bypoll, said district secretaries gave a kind of ''silent torture'' to him.

Tamil Nadu Polls: BJP releases candidates list, Khushbu to contest from Thousand Lights

The intra-party issues were taken to the notice of second-rung leadership but to no avail, he claimed.

District secretaries ruled the roost in DMK and it caused regret to many, he alleged. Though some adapted themselves to the situation, he could not as he viewed politics only as an extension of his services to the people, he maintained.

Saravanan said he is a medical doctor, and considering his ''soft-nature'' he could not put up with such an ambience in the DMK and that was why he joined the BJP.

The DMK MLA runs a hospital in the temple town of Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu and holds post graduate qualification in medicine. Years ago, he was with the BJP and had subsequently joined the DMK.
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A multiyear workplace health promotion program can slow down the increase in health risks for working-age people. A study by the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyvaskyla followed what kind of changes happened among participants during an eight-year workplace health promotion program in smoking, minor exercise, high blood pressure, musculoskeletal disorders, and overweight. The results of the study were encouraging for health promotion.

According to earlier studies, a high number of health risks are connected to an increase in occupational health care costs, lower productivity at work, and the growing number of sickness absences. Multiyear preventive actions at workplaces have not yet been studied much, and no research results have previously been available for studying which changes in health risks can be achieved during several years of intervention.

Earlier studies have indicated that prevention is possible, but most of the studied programs have lasted only from one to three years. Our research showed that in the long run we can prevent people in the low- or moderate-level risk groups from transitioning into the group of high-level health risks." Antti Aikas, Doctoral Student, University of Jyvaskyla

According to the research results, the study group had fewer health risks than average Finnish working-age people. The health risk assessments showed that 50-60% of the male-dominated personnel were categorized to the low-level health risk group (0-1 risks), 30-35% to the moderate-level group (2-3 risks), and 9-11% to the high-level health risk group (more than 4 risks).

The study also compared changes between low-, moderate- and high-risk groups during the multiyear health promotion program, and found that most of the personnel remained at the same level, 13-15% improved their rating, while the rating deteriorated for only 12-21%.

Impacts of aging were delayed

Health risks tend to get more common as people age. However, this study showed no statistically significant growth in the total number of health risks in the target population.

"Our research team detected improvements as well as deterioration among the participants, which means that the overall change was minimal," Aikas notes. "The results are encouraging for maintaining working ability and enhancing national health."

The study examined a multiyear workplace health promotion program that was carried out by a Finnish forest corporation (N = 523-651) and a Finnish wellness company 4event Ltd from 2010 to 2017. The average age of the participants was 43.8 years. Over 120 separate services were performed around Finland during the program. During the first four years, the services were focused to support the lifestyle change of the employees, and the last four years were focused on mental resources and workplace atmosphere. The incidence of health risks was surveyed through three different health risk assessments by carrying out physiological measurements and questionnaires in 2010-2011, 2013-2014, and 2016-2017.

This article is part of the dissertation by Antti Aikas, which was financed by the Juho Vainio Foundation and the Urheiluopistosaatio. Aikas worked previously as the wellness business director in 4event Ltd.
The second edition of the upcoming Virtual Bahrain International Conference and Exhibition 2021, a high-level conference running from June 1 to 3, is expected to witness participation from more than 2,000 delegates from across the globe.



Organised by WorkSmart for Events Management, the event will feature special activities with topics focused on the eGovernment of Tomorrow, The New E-Commerce Growth Model, Transforming Healthcare Delivery, Digital Protection in the Modern World, Reimagining Digital Age Education and Technological Innovation in the Banking Sector, among others.



Following days will further give highlight to topics on Internet & Media Influence, Enriching Experiences through Digital Solutions, Business Continuity with Digital Resilience, Building Smarter Cities, Oil & Gas: Fueled by Innovation and a lot more interesting topics in line.



This edition of Virtual Bahrain aims to underline the new available opportunities in emerging technologies and leading-edge innovations. As a platform to unite professionals, experts, and key leaders from around the world, Virtual Bahrain International provides opportunity to strengthen business connections and expand reach to wider market without the need to travel.



Ahmed Al Hujairy, CEO of WorkSmart stated: Organizing the second edition of the Virtual Bahrain conference and exhibition is a result of the unprecedented success of the first edition last year and in line with following-up its recommendations, including boosting international participation in the event. This year, the conference will carry the slogan" New Growth Opportunity through Innovation ".



Al Hujairy added that the Virtual Bahrain conference is working to bring together workers in different sectors under one platform, including the government, private and civil sectors, in strengthening opportunities available to discuss how to boost cooperation.



Virtual Bahrain will provide insights into business trends and will also help companies to exploit opportunities for improving their operations and growing their business, Al Hujairy concluded.



The exhibition is held alongside the conference to a set of worldwide audience, showcasing the latest products and services from government agencies, ICT companies, hospitals, and medical centres, E-commerce and retail companies, schools, universities and training institutes, food manufacturers & distributors, banking & financial institutions and many more.  TradeArabia News Service
Peshawar, March 14 : The Hindu community of Pakistan has decided to pardon the accused persons involved in the vandalisation of a temple last December in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak district, the media reported on Sunday.

"The community would provide aid and employ efforts to secure release of the accused from the prison in the light of the recommendations of a jirga," The Express Tribune quoted Pakistan Hindu Council Chairman Ramesh Kumar as saying at a press conference in Peshawar on Saturday.

On December 30, 2020, an unruly crowd set fire to the Samadhi of Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj located in Karak district's Teri area after more than a thousand people led by some local elders of a religious party held a protest and demanded the removal of the temple, originally built before 1920.

In January, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had announced reconstruction of the temple, as well as a crackdown against the attackers.

Last month, the Supreme Court directed the provincial government to start the temple's immediate rebuilding.

Addressing the presser on Saturday, Kumar said the incident shocked the community across the world and frightened other minorities of the country, as such incidents were almost non-existent in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until the recent past.

This was the second time that the shrine had been attacked.

It was demolished in 1997 and then rebuilt in 2015 as per the orders of the Supreme Court.
Right now Brit hottie Kelly Brook and her angelic body of work inspires our peek community news, pop culture and top headlines.



Food Truck For The Win

Kansas City, Missouri, coalition offers hope through food truck event KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One Kansas City, Missouri, organization hopes to stimulate the economy, promote small business and feed the community through its Food Truck Saturday events. The Justice and Dignity Center Coalition hosted its event Saturday afternoon at 3114 Paseo Blvd.

Farm Of Future Debuts

Fish farm offers hope, health to needy Kansas City families KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - It doesn't take long to realize Bill Coe is passionate about what he does in the greenhouse at East High School. Coe is director and CEO of Green Acres Urban Farm and Research Project, which is surrounded by some of Kansas City's most disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Kelly Wears Ruskin Tuxedo

Kelly Brook rocks cowgirl chic as she steps out in double denim She never fails to put on a stylish display on her way to and from work. And Kelly Brook looked radiant as she rocked double denim on her way home from Global Studios on Friday. The presenter, 41, sported the cowgirl chic outfit as she walked to catch a taxi after her Heart FM show.

Check Out Hard Times For Former Prez Trump

Trump's Washington hotel echoes to silence of missing Maga crowd Once it was like a second White House for the Maga crowd. Now it is in danger of becoming a white elephant. Clobbered first by the coronavirus pandemic, then by its owner's election defeat, the Trump International Hotel in Washington is reeling from a huge loss of income and prestige.

Money Life Lesson

Wealthy people are jumping the line for COVID-19 vaccines America's wealthiest are finding ways to access the vaccine ahead of those who qualify for it. Why it matters: The pandemic has already widened existing health inequities and underserved communities continue to lag in vaccinations compared to the white and rich.

Rocketman Silenced

Kim Jong Un gives President Biden cold shoulder, unlike with Donald Trump North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been giving President Biden the cold shoulder - a sharp contrast to his relationship with his predecessor Donald Trump. A Biden administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the White House reached out to Kim "through several channels starting in mid-February, including in New York."

Brits Clash With Po-Po

Crowd shouts 'Shame on you' as London police break up a peaceful vigil for Sarah Everard Police stormed the stage, handcuffed women and dragged them into police vans. The crowd shouted: "Shame on you," "Leave them alone" and "Arrest your own."

Crypto Confusion Reigns

As The Bitcoin Price Blasts Through $60,000, Tesla Billionaire Elon Musk Is More Concerned With 'Joke' Bitcoin Rival Dogecoin Bitcoin has broken through $60,000 amid a huge bull run partly fueled by Tesla billionaire Elon Musk-despite warnings from fellow billionaire Bill Gates. The bitcoin price broke the psychological barrier early Saturday morning, returning to its blistering early-2021 bull market after taking a breather over recent weeks.

Various Probs Ahead

Infectious diseases expert Michael Osterholm says COVID variants are a "whole new ballgame" The U.S. is playing a "whole new ballgame" in terms of controlling the coronavirus now that variants are spreading across the country, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told CBS News on Friday.Why it matters: Osterholm said the U.S.

Celebs Cling To Hope

Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez have not broken up and the couple says they are 'working through some things' For those who believed that love had died once it was reported that celebrity power couple Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez had broken up, there's some good news for you all today. The two reportedly have not ended their relationship, and are just currently trying to figure things out, according to a joint statement.

Police Cultivate Goodwill

Kansas City, Missouri, Police Academy holds food drive KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Academy expected to serve nearly 4,300 families during its food drive Saturday. The USDA Families to Farmers food giveaway started amid the COVID-19 pandemic and officers have hosted food drives at the police academy every other week.

Rain Arrives Sunday

Rain and wind sticking around for Sunday Hide Transcript Show Transcript KATIE, YOU HAVE BEEN TRACKING THESE STORMS AS WELL. KATIE: IT IS PART OF THE SAME STORM SYSTEM THAT BROUGHT THE BRINGING US OUR RAIN. WELL CONSIDERING HOW BAD THIS STORM HAS BEEN FOR OTHER AREAS. I PAUSED THE RADAR JUST BEFORE 5:00 P.M. LAST NIGHT.

Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
BENTON COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Firefighters, EMT's, police officers and others gathered on March 13 at the Benton Central Jr. Sr. High School to celebrate the life of Boswell Marshall Kevin McCombs. He was killed in a single car accident on Februay 28.

Speakers included Deputy Chief of the Wabash Fire Department Kevin Keckler, Benton County EMT Valerie Murphy, and others. Together they shared their fond memories of McCombs.

Boswell Fire Chief Kyle Brost was happy to see the community support.

"Just knowing that he was loved by a lot of people," Brost said.

"He knew a lot of people, a lot of people knew him. It's just great that this community came together to celebrate something."

The evening was filled with both laughs and cheers. Memories were shared of McCombs tireless efforts to better the community, his love for aviation and being a DJ, and most of all, his sense of humor.

"Funny joking around, he used to always stop by my house anytime I was cooking on the grill, we'd joke around about that a lot," Brost said.

As the MC for the event, Keckler had this to say thinking of McCombs.

"Regardless of how well this goes, I'm guessing McCombs would be looking down on me today holding a clipboard and wearing a safety vest, writing down all the things I could have done better," Keckler said.

Throughout the presentation, the family of McCombs was plaques and awards from the many departments McCombs worked for.

To commemorate his always-on-duty work effort, the celebration was finished with a "three threes" ringing of a fire bell, which traditionally signaled the end of a shift.

McCombs was 34 years old.
Burma Chinese-Owned Factories on Fire While Myanmar Military Regimes Protest Crackdowns Escalate

Smoke rises from a fire at a Chinese-owned factory in Hlaing Tharyar, a Yangon industrial zone, on Sunday.

Fire broke out at two garment factories owned by Chinese and Taiwanese investors Sunday afternoon in Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone in Yangon as the military regimes security forces launched yet another deadly crackdown on anti-coup protesters in the area.

According to an industrial zone official, the two factories were Global Fashion, a garment factory backed by Chinese investors, and Tsang Yih, one of the largest foreign-owned shoe factories in Myanmar operated by Taiwanese investors.

Myanmars government investment agency, the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA)s records reveal that Global Fashion is jointly owned by four Chinese investors and a Myanmar citizen. It was registered in 2018 in Myanmar.

Tsang Yih is also a foreign-owned company owned by two Taiwanese investors. The company registered in 2014 and employed more than 9,000 workers last year, according to a company report.

The official from the industrial zone said the cause of the fires is still under investigation.

However, Beijing-based China Global Television Network said that the factories were set on fire by more than 20 people on motorcycles.

The Chinese media outlet claimed that suspects were carrying iron rods, axes and gasoline, and smashed past security personnel, setting fires at the factories entrances and in warehouses.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar said that many Chinese-owned factories in the Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone were looted and burned by criminals on Sunday afternoon, according to the Paukphaw, Chinese-funded media.

The spokesperson said that many Chinese personnel were injured and some employees were trapped for a while by the fires.

The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar discussed the issue with the Myanmar Chinese Enterprise Chamber of Commerce and also immediately asked local police to take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese companies and personnel, an official statement said.

The embassy spokesperson said, China requires Myanmar to take further effective measures to stop all violent acts, investigate and deal with relevant perpetrators in accordance with the law, and ensure the safety of the lives and property of Chinese enterprises and personnel in Myanmar.

We call on the people of Myanmar to express their demands legally and not to be incited or used to undermine the friendly cooperation between China and Myanmar, the spokesperson added.

As of Sunday afternoon, at least three people were reported to have been killed and about five people were wounded by police and military personnel during the crackdown on protesters against the military regime in Hlaing Tharyar on Sunday.

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The BJP on Sunday came out with the names of 63 candidates for the third and fourth phases of assembly polls in West Bengal, nominating four MPs including Union minister and several new faces, triggering protests and resignations in various parts of the state.

In a surprise move, the party nominated Trinamool Congress turncoat and octogenarian sitting MLA of Singur, Rabindranath Bhattacharya. Of late, the BJP has not been nominating such elderly persons as poll candidates.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, party general secretary Arun Singh and Union ministers Supriyo and Debasree Chaudhuri released the names of 63 candidates for

For the high-stakes battle in the state, the BJP has fielded a Union minister, three sitting MPs, a noted economist and several film personalities.

The list also has seven women candidates and eight turncoats, including former state minister and TMC leader Rajib Banerjee, who had recently quit the party to join the saffron camp.

The list does not feature any candidate from the minority community.

While Supriyo, the Union minister of state for environment, forest & climate change, was nominated from the Tollygunge seat in Kolkata, Lok Sabha MPs Nisith Pramanik and Locket Chatterjee have been selected for Dinhata and Chunchura constituencies respectively.

Pramanik and Chatterjee, a former actress, have been fielded from assembly constituencies that come under their respective Lok Sabha seats.

However, Supriyo has been nominated for a seat far away from his Lok Sabha constituency Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district. He is pitted against senior TMC leader and minister Aroop Biswas.

Senior journalist and Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta is the BJP's nominee for the Tarakeshwar assembly segment.

Outgoing MLA of Singur and octogenarian leader Rabindranath Bhattacharya, who had crossed over from the Trinamool Congress after it denied him the ticket due to age factor, has been fielded from the same seat by the BJP.

Besides Chatterjee, the party has given a ticket to film actresses such as Tanushree Chakraborty from Shyampur in Howrah district and Payel Sarkar from Behala Purba in Kolkata. Actor Yash Dasgupta has also been nominated from Chanditala in Hooghly district.

The BJP also nominated former Chief Economic Advisor to the government, Ashok Lahiri, from the Alipurduar seat in North Bengal. He has also served as the chairman of the Kolkata-based Bandhan Bank and was a member of the Finance Commission from 2017 to 2020.

By fielding columnist Dasgupta and the economist Lahiri, the BJP has sought to impress the sophisticated 'Bhadralok' community of the eastern state, political observers said, noting the Bengali intelligentsia refrained from backing the saffron party in 2019 Lok Sabha polls despite a large consolidation of Hindu votes around it.

Hours after the candidates' names were announced, the rift between old-timers and newcomers in West Bengal BJP came out in the open as several aspirants voiced their anguish against the party and resigned after they were denied tickets, while protests were held across the state.

BJP leader and TMC turncoat Sovan Chattopadhyay along with his friend Baisakhi Bandyopadhyay quit the party after both of them were denied tickets. Chatterjee's constituency for several decades, Behala Purba, was given to actor-turned- politician Payel Sarkar, who joined the party a few days back.

In his resignation letter to the party's state president Dilip Ghosh, Chattopadhyay accused the saffron camp of humiliating him.

The nomination of Ashok Lahiri from the Alipurduar seat and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha turncoat Bishal Lama from Kalchini triggered a wave of protests in North Bengal with the local leadership hitting the streets.

In Hooghly district's Singur assembly constituency, BJP activists locked up party functionaries over the nomination of TMC turncoat and sitting MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharya.

Angry BJP workers ransacked a party office in Panchla seat in Howrah district, where TMC turncoat Mohitlal Ghati was given the poll ticket.

Rantideb Sengupta, who was fielded from Howrah Dakshin seat, declined to contest after the list was announced, citing personal reasons. However, the central leadership of the party intervened and persuaded him to contest from the constituency.

Protests were also held in various other constituencies after ticket aspirants didn't find their names in the list.

Shyampur is one such constituency where actress Tanushree Chakraborty, a newcomer in the BJP, was nominated.

Several district-level leaders also resigned from the party after failing to get tickets.

The BJP's Bengal leadership said that they would look into the matter and the issues would be resolved through discussions.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be conducted in eight phases between March 27 and April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(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.)
Some Hope

New unemployment claims fell again last week, approaching their lowest numbers since the pandemic began. Its a promising sign that the economy may be recovering in earnest after months of uneven improvement, but theres a long way to go  joblessness still remains incredibly high by historical standards. Meanwhile, the stock market had a great week. The S&P 500 climbed to a record high on Thursday as investors salivated at the prospect of fresh stimulus cash boosting the economy.

Image Credit... Giacomo Bagnara

Whats Next? (March 14-20)

Have Vaccine, Will Travel

Wondering what it will take to go on a serious vacation this summer  the kind where you fly through several time zones, cross at least one border and genuinely forget to check your email because real life seems so far away? Well, vaccine passports could be the answer. This Wednesday, the European Union Commission will announce its proposal for special documents that would allow vaccinated people to travel more freely. The United States, China and Britain are considering similar measures. The rules are intended to help the ailing travel and tourism industries while curbing virus transmission.

China Trade Talks, Redux

President Biden has vowed to take a tough stance on China, but also to chart a more strategic approach than the Trump administration, which sparred with Beijing in a monthslong trade war with questionable results. This week, two top members of Mr. Bidens team, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, will meet with their Chinese counterparts in Alaska. It will be the first high-level in-person contact between the two countries since Mr. Biden has taken office, and is expected to set the tone for relations moving forward.

A Pricey Pump

As the economy recovers and people start commuting, traveling and buying things again, oil prices are expected to go up  and up and up. Usually when this happens, the energy industry pumps more oil out of the ground to meet consumer demand. But not this time. Fuel companies have been reluctant to increase their supply, as many remain spooked by the pandemics destructive effect on oil markets in the past year. (Oil prices even turned negative at one point last April, when traders had to pay buyers to take barrels off their hands.) Thats a far cry from the $4 a gallon that some states could see this summer if demand continues apace.
Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

A quarter-century ago, I and other members of Bill Clintons cabinet urged him to reject the Republican proposal to end welfare. It was too punitive, we said, subjecting poor Americans to deep and abiding poverty. But Clintons political advisers warned that unless he went along, he would jeopardize his re-election.

Related: Chaos Under Heaven review: Trump as raging bull in a China policy shop

That was the end of welfare as we knew it. As Clinton boasted in his State of the Union address to Congress that year: The era of big government is over.

Until Thursday, that is. Joe Biden signed into law the biggest expansion of government assistance since the 1960s  a guaranteed income for most families with children, raising the maximum benefit by up to 80% per child.

As Biden put it in his address to the nation, as if answering Clinton: The government isnt some foreign force in a distant capital. No, its us, all of us, we the people.

As a senator, Biden supported Clintons 1996 welfare restrictions, as did most Americans. What happened between then and now? Three big things.

First, Covid. The pandemic has been a national wake-up call on the fragility of middle-class incomes. The deep Covid recession has revealed the harsh consequences of most Americans living paycheck to paycheck.

For years, Republicans used welfare to drive a wedge between the white working middle class and the poor. Ronald Reagan portrayed black, inner-city mothers as freeloaders and con artists, repeatedly referring to a woman in Chicago as the welfare queen.

Trump replaced economic Reaganism with narcissistic grievances, claims of voter fraud and cultural paranoia

Starting in the 1970s, women had streamed into paid work in order to prop up family incomes decimated by the decline in male factory jobs. These families were particularly susceptible to the Republican message. Why should they get help for not working when we get no help, and we work?

By the time Clinton campaigned for president, ending welfare as we knew it had become a talisman of so-called New Democrats, even though there was little or no evidence that welfare benefits discouraged the unemployed from taking jobs. (In Britain, enlarged child benefits actually increased employment among single mothers.)

Story continues

Yet when Covid hit, a new reality became painfully clear: public assistance was no longer just for them. It was needed by all of us.

The second big thing was Donald Trump. He exploited racism, to be sure, but also replaced economic Reaganism with narcissistic grievances, claims of voter fraud and cultural paranoia stretching from Dr Seuss to Mr Potato Head.

Trump obliterated concerns about government give-aways. The Cares Act, which he signed into law at the end of March 2020, gave most Americans checks of $1,200 (to which he calculatedly attached his name). When this proved enormously popular, he demanded the next round of stimulus checks be $2,000.

But Trumps biggest giveaway was the GOPs $1.9tn 2018 tax cut, under which benefits went overwhelmingly to the top 20%. Despite promises of higher wages for everyone else, nothing trickled down. Meanwhile, during the pandemic, Americas 660 billionaires  major beneficiaries of the tax cut  became $1.3tn wealthier, enough to give every American a $3,900 check and still be as rich as they were before the pandemic.

The third big thing is the breadth of Bidens plan. Under it, more than 93% of the nations children  69 million  receive benefits. Incomes of Americans in the lowest quintile will increase by 20%; those in the second-lowest, 9%; those in the middle, 6%.

Rather than pit the working middle class against the poor, this unites them. Some 76% of Americans supported the bill, including 63% of low-income Republicans (a quarter of all Republican voters). Younger conservatives are particularly supportive, presumably because people under 50 have felt the brunt of the four-decade slowdown in real wage growth.

Given all this, its amazing that zero Republican members of Congress voted for it, while 278 voted for Trumps tax cuts for corporations and the rich.

The political lesson is that todays Democrats  who enjoy popular vote majorities in presidential elections (having won seven of the past eight)  can gain political majorities by raising the wages of both middle class and poor voters, while fighting Republican efforts to suppress the votes of likely Democrats.

The economic lesson is that Reaganomics is officially dead. For years, conservative economists argued that tax cuts for the rich create job-creating investments, while assistance to the poor creates dependency. Rubbish.

Bidenomics is exactly the reverse: give cash to the bottom two-thirds and their purchasing power will drive growth for everyone. This is far more plausible. Well learn how much in coming months.
The various Covid-19 vaccines currently being distributed around the globe have the potential to end the worst pandemic in a century. They also will mean hundreds of billions dollars in sales for the pharmaceutical companies that make them.

Despite being priced at less than $20 per dose, Pfizer expects sales of the vaccine it developed with BioNTech to total about $15 billion by the end of this year, with a profit margin of nearly 30%.

Vaccines are typically not the most profitable products in the Big Pharma catalog, especially compared to drugs used to treat chronic conditions.

'Flu vaccines on balance are a lower margin business,' said Seamus Fernandez, senior managing director at Guggenheim Securities. There are of course exceptions  including the Prevnar vaccine that protects the elderly from pneumococcal pneumonia, which Fernandez describes as 'extremely lucrative' for Pfizer. And the drug maker's Covid vaccine is likely to be an even a bigger money maker.

Developing the vaccines was a gamble for the all the companies that tried, even with most drug makers accepting government grands.

'It would have been a terrible business if the vaccine had failed. It would have been a write off,' Fernandez said. 'Obviously for Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, it succeeded pretty spectacularly.'

Although Johnson & Johnson has said it will provide the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis as long as the world continues suffering from the pandemic, that doesn't mean the company won't ever make money from it.

That's because there is an assumption among experts and executives at the drug companies that, even after the pandemic has passed, people will need to receive booster shots to protect themselves from new variants.

'Genetic mutations occur naturally during virus replication and spread,' Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in his most recent call with analysts. 'There is an increasingly probable scenario when it could become necessary within the next few years to boost COVID-19 vaccinated patients with a vaccine encoding the spike variant.'

That will mean even more sales  and more profits  from the vaccine.

Bourla on Thursday defended Pfizer's earnings from the vaccine even as Johnson & Johnson provides it on a not-for-profit basis. He pointed out that in poorer countries that can't afford the less-than-$20 a dose, the vaccine is being provided at cost. Bourla also said that unlike some other companies, Pfizer did not take any taxpayer money to develop its vaccine and assumed all of the risk with an investment of between $1 billion to $2 billion in research and development.

'The value it brings to the world is much, much higher [than the price],' Bourla said in a Thursday interview on CNBC. 'Not only the health value but the economic value is tremendous. The price for all Americans is free right now. The price for the government is a fraction of what the economy is gaining.'

And despite the large sums of money they are likely to bring in, the Covid vaccines are simply not a game changer for many of the big drug companies.

Pfizer, for one, expects 2021 revenue of between $44 billion and $46 billion, with profits of at least $14 billion, not counting any spike in revenue from its Covid vaccine. (Its revenues in in 2020 totaled $41.9 billion.) Pfizer and the other Big Pharma companies also have seen their share prices trail the gains in the S&P 500 over the course of the last 12 months.

One exception is Moderna, a relatively new pharmaceutical company which had no approved products for sale as recently as 2019. The drug maker had only $60 million in revenue that year, but took in $529 million in grant revenue and $200 million from early sales of its vaccine in 2020. The forecast for 2021 is for revenue of $16 billion, overwhelmingly from vaccine sales. Moderna shares are up 187% over the last 12 months.

Governments around the globe have placed orders for 18 billion doses of various vaccines since late last year and so far this year, according to an estimate from Airfinity, a London based research firm. That's more than enough to vaccinate every one of the nearly 8 billion people on the planet two times each. Those orders were placed before governments could be sure that all of the vaccines would be developed successfully, or that production by each company would be sufficient to meet demand.

And some development efforts did encounter problems.

One of the reasons Merck had the excess capacity to help produce some of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is that its own development efforts failed. On Thursday, Denmark, Iceland and Norway suspended use of a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford after reports of blood clots. And some other companies, including GlaxoSmithKline and its partner Sanofi, are still conducting trials and awaiting initial approval of their vaccines, which may not come until much later this year.

But whether they add billions or nothing to the bottom lines of individual companies, one thing is clear; the vaccines are a PR boon for the industry unlike any ever seen.

Typically not even patients taking a drug on a daily basis know which drugmaker produced it. At best, they know the brand name of the drug, said Tinglong Dai, business professor at Johns Hopkins Unversity. The coronavirus vaccines, on the other hand, have given drug makers their best brand development to date, he said.

'There really has been a sea change in the way people perceive them,' Dai said. 'They're not greedy drug companies charging outrageous prices. They're saving the world. It's really brilliant PR.'

In fact, vaccine development could even help quiet the recent talk about government action to drive down drug prices, he said.
By Ko Shu-ling, KYODO NEWS - Mar 14, 2021 - 22:18 | World, All

As Taiwan launches a new campaign to promote its pineapples after China suspended imports of the self-ruled island's fruit in an apparent attempt to squeeze its economy, Japan has ordered a record number of Taiwanese pineapples.

"Japan is among the most dynamic markets for Taiwanese fruits," said Wu Ming-ming, chairman of the Agricultural Bank of Taiwan, which has added pineapples to a website set up to preorder Taiwanese agricultural products.

According to Wu, exports of Taiwanese pineapples to Japan have been steadily increasing over the years.

Taiwan was Japan's fifth-largest supplier of pineapples in 2018 with the export amounting to 682 tons. It jumped to No. 2 last year, providing 2,144 tons with a value of 337.89 million yen, Wu said.

After China's ban that went into effect March 1, agriculture minister Chen Chi-chung said Japan preordered over 10,000 tons of Taiwan-grown pineapples, a new high for pineapple exports to the country.

According to Chen, Taiwan produces about 420,000 tons of pineapples annually. It exported some 45,000 tons last year and some 95 percent of them went to China.

To offset the loss, the Taiwan government decided to spend NT$1 billion ($36 million) to offset the impact, such as strengthening the promotion of pineapples at home and abroad.

Japan has become a welcome market.

Wu Ching-lu, honorary chairman of the Taiwan Vegetables and Fruits Exporters Association, said Japan imports about 15 percent of the pineapples it consumes, or about 157,000 tons, with the Philippines taking up the lion's share at about 152,000 tons.

If Taiwan can secure 20 percent of Japan's pineapple market, Wu said, it would completely compensate for the lost business from China.

Shunsuke Shirakawa, chairman of the Japan Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry's youth league, told Kyodo News there is much room to develop the Japanese market and marketing strategy is key.

"The Chinese ban may provide Taiwan with a great opportunity to turn the tide," he said.

Shirakawa said many Japanese are baffled by China's sudden ban and have begun buying or urging other people to buy Taiwanese pineapples as a gesture to thank Taiwan for its generosity in the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's northeastern coast on March 11, 2011.

Then they discover how delicious Taiwan-grown pineapples are, he remarked, adding, "So thanks to China, Taiwanese pineapples are getting more noticed in Japan."

Responding to the Taiwan government's call on locals to consume more homegrown pineapples, Takao Nozaki, a Japanese restauranteur in Tainan, southern Taiwan who runs a chain of nine ramen shops, has purchased 3,110 pineapples to give away for free.

Every March 11 for the last nine years, Nozaki has been implementing a "buy one, get one free" deal for his Taiwanese customers only to thank Taiwan for its generosity it showed the Japanese people after Japan's quake and tsunami disaster.

Now he is giving out free pineapples with each bowl of ramen.

Last month, China said it will suspend pineapple imports from Taiwan over concerns about harmful agricultural pests.

Taiwan, however, views the move as a political retaliation in response to the independence-leaning government's refusal to toe Beijing's line, similar to the way Australia was punished last year with heavy taxes on its lucrative wine exports.

The government then launched a campaign to offset the impact by promoting the subtropical island's pineapples at home and abroad.

Just as Foreign Minister Joseph Wu encouraged Taiwanese to buy Australian "freedom wine," consumers at home and abroad are now being urged to buy Taiwan's "freedom pineapples."

Conveying solidarity, the de facto Japanese, U.S., Canadian, embassies in Taiwan recently posted photographs of their top diplomats in Taipei with the fruit, praising its quality.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato was even asked at a recent press conference about Japan becoming an export destination for Taiwanese pineapples.

He replied that Taiwan is an "extremely important partner" of Japan, which "looks forward to deepening economic relations." But he opted to "withhold commenting on individual products."

Related coverage:

China to ban imports of Taiwanese pineapples next month
Kamaraj, or the Zomato delivery boy, as he is now popularly known, recently gave a statement, sharing his side of the story in complete detail for the first time.



 Viral Bhayani

In a video that went viral across social media on the 13th of March, Kamaraj laid down his side of the story in some great detail and then some.



 IANS

A few days before this, he had released a statement, in which he had denied the accusations that Hitesha Chandranee, the beauty influencer from Bengaluru had levied against him.



 IANS

In the new video, Kamaraj reiterates his side of the story, of how the incident went down and appealed for help, in order to get back to his normal life.



In the video, Kamaraj stated that he took up this job because his father, who was a lawyer, died 15 years ago, because of which he couldnt finish his education. He also said that he is the sole breadwinner of his family and that his mother is diabetic.

As per their policy, Zomato has suspended Kamaraj from active service, but are also covering his legal costs, and apparently his earnings as well.

In the video, he can be seen imploring, asking people that instead of being social media vigilantes, let the truth prevail, and not to judge him, simply because he is a man, being accused by a woman.

Kamaraj, who has been granted conditional bail, can also be seen imploring that he is allowed to go back to his job and that he just wants to put this incident behind him.

When the incident was first reported, the public sentiment was favouring Hitesha Chandranee. Ever since Kamaraj put out his responses, there has been a tectonic shift in sentiment, with people on Twitter now convinced that the delivery boy is innocent and that he should be reinstated by Zomato immediately.

There should not be half-hearted Treatment with the delivery boy #Kamaraj.



Once again put #Kamaraj back on his Job...

There should be strict action against the Accused.@zomatoin @deepigoyal @zomatocare @zomato pic.twitter.com/uccvdo4Uw8  Badshah Khan (@bsk_here) March 14, 2021

How do you sleep at night after harassing and insulting a poor delivery boy? Remember there is Karma and it will get you for your arrogant and devilish behavior towards a poor man who works hard for a living.  Pamela George (@pamelag2000) March 14, 2021

@deepigoyal Please dont remove him from job until and unless the truth comes out. I am also a zomato delivery boy in Panvel,Navi Mumbai. In this pandemic no jobs are available. I know how he can feel if you suspend like this without knowing the truth. Humanity is first priority.  Shoaib Parkar (@Sparkar38) March 14, 2021

All of this reignited the debate around the need for gender-neutral laws, with several people and MRA groups, posting something along these lines -

.#ZomatoDeliveryBoy

He is the only earning man in his family & he lost his job bec of false allegation & hastiness by people in passing judgment! We hope considering his side of story, @zomato @zomatoin will now re-hire him & he will be treated with all dignity.#JusticeForKamaraj pic.twitter.com/o520rvZ4Lu  Youth Against Rape  (@yaifoundations) March 13, 2021

.#ZomatoDeliveryBoy

He is the only earning man in his family & he lost his job bec of false allegation & hastiness by people in passing judgment! We hope considering his side of story, @zomato @zomatoin will now re-hire him & he will be treated with all dignity.#JusticeForKamaraj pic.twitter.com/o520rvZ4Lu  Youth Against Rape  (@yaifoundations) March 13, 2021

Zomato and Bengaluru police are still investigating the incident, so the story is only going to get murkier before we see a resolution. Zomato, who are covering the medical costs of Hitesha, as well as the legal costs being incurred by Kamaraj, have stated that the delivery man has completed over 5000 deliveries, and has a rating of 4.75 stars, which is a rarity.

I want to chime in about the incident that happened in Bengaluru a few days ago. @zomato pic.twitter.com/8mM9prpMsx  Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) March 12, 2021

Irrespective of which side of the fence youre on, one thing is very clear. Never demand free food, especially when youre in a position to pay for it. We have heard countless stories of food delivery boys being overworked, and sometimes, underpaid.

Refusing to pay a delivery boy for food that you have ordered, knowing that the due amount will be deducted from his salary, is not just reckless, but reeks of privilege, and how blind one is to their socio-economic privilege.

Where do you guys stand on the issue? Do let us know in the comments below.
Edamah Property Management Company (EPMC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Edamah, has announced the signing of a lease agreement with Kuwait Finance House - Bahrain (KFH-Bahrain) to operate a branch dedicated to automobile financing at the soon-to-be renovated Sitra Mall.

KFH-Bahrain Auto will focus on auto finance vehicle financing solutions, serving customers of the kingdoms major car dealerships, most of which are located in the area.

EPMC General Manager Waleed Adel Ali said: We are committed to supporting local communities by carefully selecting strategic partners who can add value to our managed properties and developments. We aim to offer Sitra Mall visitors a comprehensive range of service, shopping and culinary options while benefiting from the malls waterfront location."

"We are pleased to welcome our newest tenant, KFH-Bahrain, who will provide important support services to the motor industry, itself a major contributor to business in the Sitra area, he stated.

KFH-Bahrain Head of Retail Banking Hamed Yousef Mashal expressed delight at signing the lease agreement with Edamah Property Management Company.

"Our auto finance branch at Sitra Mall is very conveniently placed due to the availability of car dealers and buyers in the area," he noted.

"Opening a customer service center in this strategic location will help us provide special auto financing solutions to our customers as well as strengthen our relationships with the large number of car dealerships in the vicinity, who we will be working with to make our competitive auto financing options more easily accessible, he added.
ALBANY, N.Y.  At the height of the pandemic, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called upon some of his most trusted emissaries to return to the fold to help coordinate the states coronavirus response, including Larry Schwartz, his former top aide who is now leading New Yorks vaccination efforts.

But with Mr. Cuomo facing concurrent scandals and calls for his resignation, Mr. Schwartz has also assumed a more familiar role: as a political operative, asking state Democratic leaders to support the governor, a third-term Democrat, while continuing to discuss the urgent business of immunization.

According to two Democratic county executives, Mr. Schwartz placed calls to them in recent weeks, inquiring about their loyalty to the governor amid a series of sexual harassment allegations that have led many congressional Democrats in New York, including both the states senators, to demand Mr. Cuomos resignation.

In one case, a county executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said that after Mr. Schwartz had discussed the governors political situation, he then pivoted directly to a conversation about vaccine distribution.

Billionaire media mogul Bruce Gordon has said he wants to be more involved in decisions made at Nine Entertainment Co as part of a push by the 92-year-old for representation on the companys board of directors.

Mr Gordon, who owns 14.9 per cent of Nine through investment vehicle Birketu, has confirmed plans to gain a seat on the board days after striking a new long-term affiliate deal with Nine to broadcast programs like Married at First Sight and The Block in regional markets through his media company WIN Corp.

WIN owner and Nine shareholder Bruce Gordon has gone public with his desire for a board seat. Credit:Rob Homer

We are believers that shareholders should be represented on public company boards, particularly shareholders who continue to invest so much in the business, Mr Gordon told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in his first public comments on the matter. Now that the affiliate deal is done, Birketu, Nines largest shareholder, will seek a seat on the board.

I am a big supporter of [Nine chairman] Peter Costello and what he and his board have done with Nine over the past few years and believe that we have the media experience to add further value to the Nine board.
60%

Website savitahd.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 42415 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 22978 bytes (22.44 kb uncompressed) and 6840 bytes (6.68 kb compressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-04-23, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Members of the local Karen community marched on Saturday afternoon to call for justice in their homeland of Myanmar. They called attention to decades of human rights violations under the Burmese government and rallied support for Karen sovereignty. About 150 people gathered in Clinton Square and marched downtown, ending at City Hall.

The Karen people have refugee status from the United Nations, and have been resettling in Syracuse for about 15 years, though the conflict has been decades longer. Along with other ethnic groups in Myanmar, they have been violently persecuted by the Burmese government, and many fled to refugee camps.
Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Showers this morning becoming a steady light rain during the afternoon hours. High around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
The Marine Corps will permanently close its only museum devoted solely to aviation on March 28 -- a decision the institution's foundation and volunteers have worked for the past decade to avoid.

The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, attracts more than 35,000 visitors each year. Its collection of 48 aircraft includes the CH-46E Sea Knight that evacuated the U.S. ambassador from the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon in 1975, an OV-10 Bronco observation plane and a World War II PBJ-IJ medium bomber.

The museum is run jointly by the Marine Corps and the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation. But in an era of tight budgets, the service determined it can no longer contribute the $460,000 it has provided annually to pay five employees and cover the costs of maintenance and utilities.

Read Next: 'In a Very Difficult Environment,' Coast Guard Offers Incentives to Entice Troops

Miramar commander Col. Charles Dockery made the decision to close the museum earlier this year, according to Capt. Matthew Gregory, director of communications for the base.

"The $460,000 is not a one-time purchase but a year-over-year cost that now equates upward of $8 million in monies over the last two decades," Gregory said. "This is just the amount necessary to maintain the status quo, including facilities that are well beyond their service life. And unfortunately, the status quo is not acceptable for the long term."

In addition to housing and restoring aircraft, the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum holds more than 30,000 artifacts, including aviation art and equipment.

But according to retired Brig. Gen. Michael Aguilar, president of the foundation, the facility is more than a collection of relics; it attracts school field trips, serves as an event venue -- provided at no cost -- to veterans organizations and community groups, and is a popular destination for Marine Corps recruiters to bring poolees.

"This free museum is an important part of a strong community outreach program. That's now going to be lost," Aguilar said.

The museum was founded in 1989 on the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro as the Jay W. Hubbard Aviation Museum. Until 2003, much of the cost for running it was covered by non-appropriated funds -- money raised from sources other than federal appropriations, mainly sales and services at military exchanges and recreational facilities.

But that year, a decision was made that NAF accounts couldn't be used to operate the museum, and it fell to the base's operations department. From 2008 to 2017, the foundation and the Corps went back and forth on proposals to construct a new building and plans for the foundation to take over the museum's operations and financing.

Last year, the House version of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act carried a provision that would have allowed the foundation to assume a no-cost lease for the land the museum currently occupies. But the Senate bill did not contain the measure, and it never became law.

Under federal law, the foundation must pay fair market value to lease the acreage if it wants to assume operations and management -- "a substantial and recurring amount [the foundation has] acknowledged would be beyond their ability to fund," Gregory said.

Gregory said the Marine Corps will not immediately recoup the annual funding because the employees will need to stay on for a few years to manage the relocation or disposal of the museum's artifacts.

He said two museums are primarily responsible for the artifacts -- the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, and the National Navy Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. But other museums have expressed interest in acquiring several aircraft, including the U.S.S. Midway Museum in San Diego, the San Diego Air and Space Museum, and the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

"We firmly believe that working with these organizations and museums around the country will help get the aircraft to people who might otherwise not travel to Miramar or even San Diego," Gregory said.

Aguilar said he understands Dockery's decision but added that his organization is still working to come up with a solution to save the museum.

"We all understand that the priority is to take care of the warfighter. We get that. We are really trying to continue to work with him and the Marine Corps to come up with a solution that is a win-win for the Corps and the museum," he said.

David Zekert, volunteer coordinator at the museum, said he hopes the foundation can reach an agreement with the Corps because he believes the facility, which helps connect former service members and their aircraft to members of the community, is invaluable.

"It gets people inspired a little bit, a little bit of that feeling of being American, you know -- the red, white and blue. I don't see that happen very much anymore," Zekert said.

The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is one of three command museums in the Corps; the others are at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, and MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina.

The National Museum of the Marine Corps is a joint effort between the Corps and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. It falls under the command of Marine Corps University.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime

Related: The National Museum of the Army Finally Has an Opening Date
A judge has ruled a man with learning disabilities should be given a vaccine. (Getty)

A man with severe learning difficulties should be given a COVID-19 vaccine despite his parents concerns, a judge has ruled.

The father of the man in his 30s objected to potential side effects he could suffer as a result of taking a coronavirus jab, claiming they had not been tested enough and did not prevent people from catching the virus.

Both his mother and brother agreed with this, the BBC reported.

Specialists form NHS Tameside and Glossop Clinical Commissioning Group disagreed and were keen for the man to have the vaccine.

He is eligible for the jab as part of a priority group because he is classed as clinically vulnerable.

A vaccine centre in Battersea Arts Centre in London. (Getty)

Following a hearing at the court of protection on Friday, Judge Jonathan Butler said the man should be given the jab despite his parents' objections.

The judges written ruling, which did not name the man, stated they had no clinical evidence base for their concerns.

Judge Butler, who is based in Manchester, said: "I have no doubt whatsoever that his objections are founded on a love for (his son) and a wish to ensure that he comes to no harm.

"His objections were not intrinsically illogical. They were certainly not deliberately obstructive.

"They were made upon the basis as to what he regards as being in the best interests of (his son).

"That concern for his son does him credit."

The judge added there was overwhelming objective evidence of the magnetic advantage of a vaccination for the vulnerable man.

He did not order any "physical intervention", and the health authority has said a vaccine will not be given to the man if it required any "form of physical intervention".

Watch: Do coronavirus vaccines affect fertility?
In a major development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday night arrested Mumbai cop Sachin Vaze in connection with the explosive laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's home.

The arrest was made minutes before midnight, after the NIA grilled Sachin Vaze for over 12 hours since Saturday morning.

Earlier, a Thane Court had declined to grant interim bail to Vaze and posted his plea for a later date.
She recently joined the bevy of stars flocking to Byron Bay.

And Australian model Jessica Gomes has revealed her next project after returning home from Los Angeles last November amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 35-year-old beauty revealed to The West Australian on Monday that she will be a contestant on the upcoming all-star series of Dancing with the Stars.

Scroll down to see video

Let's dance: Australian model Jessica Gomes has revealed her next project after returning home from Los Angeles last November amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Seen here in a 2020 Instagram post

Despite having appeared on the South Korean version of the dance competition back in 2011, she admits that returning to the dance floor has been a 'challenge'.

'The biggest challenge is learning the choreography and getting back into training seven days a week,' said the Perth-raised catwalk stunner.

Having placed third in the Korean version of the show almost a decade ago, Jessica was keen to return to the format, revealing that when her agent asked her if she wanted the job she said: 'Why not, it'll be super fun!'

Joining Jessica on the show will be Schapelle Corby, Home and Aways Ada Nicodemou, Tom Williams, Fifi Box, and Bec Hewitt.

Getting in shape: The 35-year-old beauty will be a contestant on the upcoming series of Dancing with the Stars: All Stars. Seen here in 2019

Experience: Despite having appeared on the South Korean version of the dance competition back in 2011, the model admitted that returning to the dance floor has been a 'challenge'

Jessica has also expressed enthusiasm for her return to Australia and revealing she plans to settle in Byron Bay.

'I'm just so excited that I'm in Australia. I'm going to live in Byron for sure, there you have it!' Jessica said in a statement last week.

She added: 'I'm excited that I'm home with my friends and family now who mean so much to me. Just living the simple life after such a hectic 2020 in LA.'

Success: Having placed third in the Korean version of the show, Jessica was keen to return to the format

Home: Jessica has also expressed enthusiasm for her return to Australia and revealing she plans to settle in Byron Bay

She was recently snapped while out and about in the coastal town with fellow Western Australian-raised model Gemma Ward.

Earlier this month, the Hyundai spokesperson reflected on the 'uncertainty and fear' she experienced while living in her adopted home in California.

'It was a heavy year. Having that fear lingering over you for so long, it's quite heavy. You don't realise what you've been through and then you kind of come out of it and go "Oh wow",' she told The Daily Telegraph on Saturday.

'It was a heavy year': Model Jessica Gomes reflected on the 'uncertainty and fear' she experienced while living in Los Angeles in 2020

'In LA everyone was really worried and not working, scraping kind of the barrels, and going "Oh god, what's happening?" There was a lot of uncertainty and fear,' she added.

While she was still in the US, the Portuguese-Chinese beauty - who hails from Perth - shared photos of herself wearing a facemask and encouraged her followers to do the same.

Despite calling LA home for a decade, she told the publication that she decided to leave at the end of the second lockdown because she no longer felt safe.

Safety first: While she was still in the US, the Portuguese-Chinese beauty shared photos of herself wearing a facemask and encouraged her followers to do the same

Luckily for her, she was able to get on a flight back home to Australia where there are barely any cases Covid and productions for film, TV and fashion have thrived.

'Obviously it's a very different situation here in Australia, and different environment, and I'm really happy that I'm back and it's great that things are open and people are working and being productive,' she said.

Jessica has recently been spending time in Byron Bay, where she has been pictured out and about with her model pal Gemma Ward.
Migrant families coming across the border into Texas amid a new illegal immigration wave are testing positive for COVID-19 at a much higher rate  up to 10 times higher in some quarters  than the positive test rate among the U.S. population.

The Washington Times reports that its survey of jurisdictions that are doing the testing has found that Brownsville, Texas, has reported a 12% positive rate for the novel coronavirus among incoming migrant families. And a homeless shelter in Harlingen has seen a 25% positive rate among the migrants it has helped.

The current positivity test rate for the U.S. public is at 3.5%, per Johns Hopkins Universitys tracker.

The Washington Times quotes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as saying the families they've processed are between 5% and 10% positive for COVID-19, and they can only process 100 people a day among the 500 to 800 people who are coming across the border daily.

Source:The Christian Post
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 68F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 53F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
The Central government aims to sell its residual stake in four airports as part of the Rs 2.5 lakh crore asset monetisation pipeline.

The sale of Airport Authority of India's remaining stake in the four airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, as well as identification of 13 more airports for privatisation, has been planned for the next fiscal.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation will take approvals for divestment of equity stake of the AAI in the joint ventures running Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.

For the 13 AAI airports identified for privatisation, the possibility of bundling of profitable and non-profitable airports will be looked at to make more attractive packages.

In the first round of airports' privatisation under the Narendra Modi government, the Adani Group bagged contracts for six airports - Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati - last year.

Adani Enterprises in January had signed the concession agreement with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for operating and developing the Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports.

In a regulatory filing, the company said that the concession period is 50 years from the commercial operation date.

"Adani Jaipur International Airport Ltd, Adani Guwahati International Airport and Adani Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the company have signed the concession agreement on January 19, 2021 with Airports Authority of India for the operations, management and development of Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports respectively," it said.

--IANS

san/vd

(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.)
ALBANY, N.Y.  Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul was upbeat but brisk Thursday on a Zoom call with the North Country Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism as she discussed the developments the state had planned for the region.

After her presentation and words from an official, Hochul exited the call, taking no questions from several reporters at the meeting.

She appeared at a slate of other events Thursday and Friday, some in person and some by recording, including her public COVID-19 vaccination Friday morning.

Absent from her appearances was Gov. Andrew Cuomo, her boss, as he fights sexual harassment allegations that have come to light in recent weeks.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, right, visits rail manufacturer Alstom's facility in Hornell, N.Y., in 2019. The company is working on the next generation of high-speed trains.

Seven women have accused him of sexual misconduct or inappropriate behavior. Cuomo, a Democrat, said Friday he has no intention of stepping down. He accused the politicians calling for his resignation of being "reckless" and "bowing to cancel culture."

Hochul has tried to keep it business as usual. Her days are usually packed with events, more online than in person during the pandemic.

She's said little about the Cuomo crisis, other than that there should be a thorough investigation.

The former congresswoman from Buffalo could play a much larger role: She might be governor if Cuomo cedes to the calls to resign.

Pressure to step down: 59 state lawmakers call for Cuomo to resign as Assembly launches probe

Cuomo unwilling to resign: Andrew Cuomo remains defiant, won't resign despite call from House Democrats

Pushing Hochul to lead

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, when she visited on Nov. 11, 2020.

The contingent of lawmakers pushing him to leave has grown in the past few days: 59 Democratic lawmakers in the Legislature called for his resignation Thursday.

Friday, almost all of New York's 19 Democratic members of the U.S. House called on him to resign, as did both of the state's senators, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Several asked Cuomo, if nothing else, to step aside and hand the reins to Hochul while multiple investigations are underway into his conduct.

Story continues

"For the good of the State of New York and those New Yorkers we collectively serve, he should step aside and let our well-respected Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul step in while these investigations are underway, Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, said in a statement Thursday.

"These are serious allegations, and the people of New York State need steady leadership without distraction," Democratic Assemblyman John McDonald said in a statement. "Since the governor has said that he will not resign, I believe it is in the best interest of our state if Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul serves as Acting Governor until the Attorney Generals investigations or any other potential inquiries reach a conclusion or a removal determination under the law is made."

The COVID-19 pandemic and the passage of the state budget cannot be ignored, and Cuomo is "unable to govern effectively at this time," read a statement from five western New York lawmakers Friday.

"The New York state Constitution allows for the governor to temporarily step aside and for the lieutenant governor to serve as acting governor, the statement continued. "We have the greatest confidence in Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and know that she will be able to effectively govern the state of New York as we continue the work to pass a state budget and address the pandemic."

Who is Kathy Hochul? What to know about Cuomo's lieutenant governor

Hochul's response

New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul taps elbows to greet Don Agostinelli outside El Pilon Criollo restaurant in Rochester, N.Y. Agostinelli's business, Clinton Ave Jewelry and Pawn, was vandalized during unrest after a Black Lives Matter rally May 30.

Hochul has released two statements that asked for patience from the public while waiting for a review or investigation to run its course.

"Everyone deserves to have their voice heard and taken seriously. I support an independent review, Hochul said in a statement Feb. 27, several days after the first allegations against Cuomo were made public.

Ten days later, she spoke on an independent investigation through the Attorney Generals Office, led by attorneys Joon Kim and Anne Clark.

"I am confident everyones voice will be heard and taken seriously," Hochul said. "I trust the inquiry to be completed as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible. New Yorkers should be confident that through this process they will soon learn the facts."

The State Assembly announced Thursday that it was opening its own impeachment investigation.

More: New York Assembly launches impeachment investigation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Is she ready?

Richard Drago, commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, left, presents Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul with a challenge coin at the dedication of the newly expanded National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y., on Nov. 11, 2020.

Hochuls experience in all tiers of local and state politics in New York gives her a unique readiness to step into the role of governor, should Gov. Cuomo resign or be asked to leave, said Jeremy Zellner, Eric County Democratic Committee chairman.

"Theres no question that Kathy Hochul could do the job of governor on Day One, Zellner said. "Kathy is an incredibly down-to-earth person ... and she doesnt back down from challenges."

Hochul started her political career in Erie County as a town board member in Hamburg and later as Erie County clerk. She was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2011 and won election as lieutenant governor after being picked as Cuomos running mate in 2014, beating Jumaane Williams, a New York City councilman, in a primary in 2018.

She replaced Robert Duffy, the former Rochester mayor, who was lieutenant governor, during Cuomo's first term.

Hochul won her congressional seat in a competitive district in Erie and Niagara counties, connecting with the public and displaying empathy for the challenges they face, Zellner said.

"Shes an incredibly tough elected official," he said. "She has built coalitions around the state."

If she takes the helm as governor, he said, itll be a smooth transition.

"If theres one word to describe her, its 'tenacious,'" he said. "She will not be taken by surprise here. Im sure that shes working hard with her team to be prepared for anything that could happen over the next weeks and months."

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul tours the newly expanded National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y., on Nov. 11, 2020.

Follow Sarah Taddeo on Twitter @Sjtaddeo

This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Andrew Cuomo: Amid scandals, NY Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul stays the course
Thousands of protesters rallied across Australia on Monday against the sexual abuse and harassment of women  driven by allegations centered on Australia's Parliament, per the Guardian.

Why it matters: Many are angry at Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government, after Attorney General Christian Porter was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl when he was a teenager in 1988, Reuters notes.

The 43 protests planned across the country are likely to heap more pressure on Morrison  who has refused to consider an investigation into Porter, after police closed theirs citing a lack of information. Porter has denied the allegation and said he will not step down.

Morrison's Defense Minister Linda Reynolds is facing calls to resign for failing to report that a government staffer came to her with another allegation of rape against an unnamed colleague.

Reynolds and Porter are both on sick leave, per Reuters.

The two developments have spurred a reckoning and national conversation on the sexual misconduct of Australia's most powerful politicians.

For the record: Mass gatherings are able to take place in Australia as it has largely contained COVID-19 cases to quarantine hotels, where travelers newly arrived in the country stay before entering the wider community.

There were no community infections reported in Australia Monday, despite a Sydney quarantine hotel security guard testing positive for the virus Saturday  ending the city's 55-day run of zero local cases.

In photos: Thousands rally for justice for women

People attend a protest against sexual violence and gender inequality in Victoria's state capital, Melbourne. Photo: William West/AFP via Getty Images

Protesters in King George Square in Queensland's state capital, Brisbane. Photo: Jono Searle/Getty Images

Protesters attend a demonstration in the New South Wales state capitol, Sydney. Photo: Steven Saphore/AFP via Getty Images

Protesters march in Brisbane. Photo: Jono Searle/Getty Images

Protesters in Sydney. Photo: Steven SaphoreAFP via Getty Images

A protester in Canberra wearing a mask of Morrison. Photo: Jamila Toderas/Getty Images

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with details from the protests and more photos.
New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a notice informing that passengers will be de-boarded and may face a lifetime ban if they don't follow COVID appropriate behaviour inside the aircraft.

The notice points out that passengers were being complacent about the COVID-19 norms and were not following guidelines even after being requested to do the same.

In the case a passenger violates protocol despite repeated warnings then the passenger will be treated as an 'unruly passenger' and will be de-boarded from the plane before departure.

The term unruly passengers' falls under three broad categories as defined by the DGCA. Behaviour under Level 1 is characterised by verbal harassment, inebriation, and physical gesturing.

Level 2 includes physically abusive behaviour such grabbing, kicking, pushing, sexual harassment, and inappropriate contact.

Level 3 relates to life-threatening behaviour such as vandalism of aircraft operating systems, serious physical violence such as eye-gouging or choking, assault, or breach of the flight crew compartments.

A Level 1 offence attracts a ban of up to three months. A Level 2 offence may lead to a ban of up to six months, while a Level 3 offence could see the passenger banned for at least two years. In special cases, a life ban can also be issued.

Once a ban has been issued, other airlines may also choose to enforce bans of their own.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health recorded 25,320 COVID-19 infections, the highest daily rise in 84 days, taking the case tally to 1,13,59,048.

Live TV
New Delhi, March 14 : Amid the majestic weather of Bhubaneswar, the opulence of mystic Kalinga Festival 2020 (the annual flagship event of Kalinga Literary Festival) came to an end with Smita Bellur's sufi melody, legend of Bhima Bhoi, celebration of Odissi with veteran dancer Aruna Mohanty, poetic verses of Bulleh Shah, Kabir with Harpreet, and with a promise to bring the wave with the festival to literature lovers in August.

But as the story had another chapter to tell, the outbreak of novel coronavirus brought a sudden nationwide lockdown and shutdown. While the severity and uncertainty were at peak, team Kalinga Literary Festival introduced KLF Bhava Samvad, an online literary platform. However, litterateurs, scholars, enthusiasts, and most importantly audience were yet to go far in understanding of virtual medium.

"Compact, yet classy. This is one of the primary lessons that Covid-19 pandemic taught us," said the Founder-Director of KLF Rashmi RanjanParida, who believes that change and novelty should run together.

KLF Bhava Samvad went live on May 17, last year, with a poetry-reading panel. That was a cold breeze to summer heat for KLF fanbase. Soon after the first virtual session of South-Asian literature, the gradual growth of KLF Bhava Samvad begun to mark its slot putting an end to speculations. Eminent personalities of literature, business, culture, law makers, spiritual, personalities like Amish Tripathi, Devdutt Pattanaik, Arundhati Subramaniam, Amitav Ghosh, Lord Meghnad Desai, Bibek Debroy, Swami Mukundanand, Sandeep Agarwal, In July, Kalinga Literary Festival organised the first virtual tribal festival- Kandhamal Literary Festival (Virtual) of Eastern India with 50+ speakers and 10+ sessions.

"KLF Bhava Samvad was initiated to keep the literary spirit intact during lockdown because of pandemic. The rapid growth of platform and after receiving immense love from the audience, KLF Bhava Samvad has reached at a remarkable point having legendary literary figures, artistes across the globe on board and will continue to live as a permanent platform," said Rashmi Ranjan Parida.

Kalinga Literary Festival celebrates the creative spirit of India and commemorates the literary diversity it offers, bringing it in conversation with the best minds in the world of literature within and outside of Odisha and India. Back in 2014, the first ever edition of KLF had aimed to promote the literary and cultural heritage of Odisha or Kalinga (ancient name) and eventually flapped wings to fly over Indian subcontinent.

Academicians, authors, political and social activists, law makers, government officials, corporate leaders, students and people from all walks of life immerse in the vibrant atmosphere of the festival and exchange opinions on their favourite authors and works.

Mystic Kalinga Festival has emerged as an annual flagship event in the cultural calendar of India that rekindles the romance with literature and fosters reading, writing habits, especially among the youth. It offers a national platform with a global appeal and bridges the gap between literature in English and other Indian regional languages.

'Mystic India Festival'- this was a big announcement of last October by KLF.

Highlights of KLF Bhava Samvad: The heart speaks and the mind listens, the eyes tell the stories and silence raises our consciousness. As we know that literature always reflects society and sometimes guides as well, we at KLF are going to connect with poets, philosophers and writers, to know how literature has captured this pandemic and how successful it has been in reflecting the contemporary and ongoing reality of life.

Our dialogue, we believe, is the need of the hour to enrich human experience and take us beyond our limitations and interconnect with universal and cosmic vibrations.

KLF Bhav Samvad's sessions on literature, public policy, and thinking in multiculturalism, humanism have set benchmarks.

Sanjay Baru -- 'Beyond Covid's Shadow' Profound discussion between Sanjay and Pallavi in and around a very interesting anthology of economic essays titled Beyond covid's shadow.

Kishwar Desai -- Beautiful conversation between Kishwar and Rakhee Bakshee on Valentine's discussing the life and courage of Devika Rani in Kishwar's book 'The Longest Kiss'.

Ameya Prabhu -- Ameya Prabhu talking to Rishabh Kothari about the newest rock in his cap in the form of 'Rock Babas And TheOther Stories'.

Deep Halder -- 'Blood Island'. Deep elaborating about his book the Blood island and the unfortunate events in Marichjhapialong with Abhijeet Majumder while talking to Alo Pal.

Sanchit Gupta -- 'Tree With 1000 Apples'. Sanchit in conversation with Mansi Dhanraj about his very important debut novel 'The tree with a thousand apples' and it's humane story.

Anita Agnihotri -- Anita talking to Trisha D. Niyogi about her book 'A day in the life of Mangal Taram' and sharing many stories of her life.

Sharmishtha Mukherjee -- 'The Presidential Years'. Sharmishtha's interesting conversation with Rashid Kidwai about the book 'The Presidential years 2012-2017' and the life and achievements of former President his excellency Pranab Mukherjee.

Amish Tripathi and Bhavna Roy -- 'Dharma: Decoding Epics For A Meaningful Life'. Amish and Bhavna in conversation with Rishabh Kothari about their experiences while writing the book Dharma and many other facets related to the book.

Ashok Kaul- Prof. Ashok Kaul narrates about blend of Personal and political in his book 'Undercover In Bandipore'.

Shubhrata Prakash -- 'The D Word'. Shubrata in conversation with Rakhee Bakshee about her book 'The D Word' and awareness about mental health through the book.

Sandeep Bamzai -- 'Princestan'. Sandeep in a deep conversation with Pallavi Rebbapragada about his book Princestan, the subsidiary alliance of Princes and the granular breaking down of their empires during independence.

Bibek Debroy -- Debroy talking to Sai Swaroopa Iyerabout his book 'The Bhagavad Gita' for millennial and various concepts about Gita.

Lord Meghnad Desai -- 'The Rebellious Lord'. Lord Desai in conversation with Pallavi about his book 'The Rebellious Lord' and sharing many of his invaluable experiences of his life.

Amitav Ghosh -- 'The Gun Island'. Amitav Ghosh and Maneesha Taneja (translator, 'The Gun Island' ('Bandook Dweep') discussing the book and many other life stories with Akshay Mukul.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasiya -- Pandit Chaurasiya and SathyaSaran discussing her book 'Hariprasad Chaurasiya: Breath of Gold the Life' stories of Pandit Chaurasiya.

Reena Puri -- 'Amar Chitra Katha'. Reena Puri talking to Jayashree Misra Tripathi about Amar Chitra Katha and her work and experience during the pandemic period.

Keshav Guha- 'Accidental Magic'. Keshav talking to Atul K. Thakur about his book 'Accidental Magic' and various other aspects.

Swami Mukundanand -- 'The Science Of Mind Management'. Swami Mukundanand in a fruitful conversation with Medha Shri Dahiya about his book 'The Science of Mind Management' and sharing various experiences from his life.

Sandeep Agarwal -- 'Fall Again, Rise Again'. Sandeep in conversation with Shashank Sethi about his book Rise again, fall again and throwing light on the world of business and his life experiences.

Bhawana Somayaa -- 'Letters To Mother'. Bhawana Somayaa in conversation with Rakhee Bakshee about her book 'Letters to Mother' and forming a connect with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Devdutt Pattanaik -- Devdutt Pattnaik talking to Prateek Pattanaik about Ramayanas and Ramayanas in Odisha, stories and songs.

Michiel Baas -- Michiel Baas in conversation with Aruni Kashyapabout his book 'Muscular India' and his life stories.

Abhinandan Sekhri -- Abhinandan in conversation with VineetKumar about contemporary media and its impact on today's date.

Nayantara Sehgal -- Nayantara Sehgal in conversation with Kedar Mishra about current pandemic times and the future that's ahead.

K. Sachidanandan -- K. Sachidanandan talking to Kedar Mishra about the pandemic era and his experiences in life.

Mukul Kumar -- Mukul in conversation with Payal Roy Chowdhury about his life and career in literature and bureaucracy.

Archana Soreng -- Archana talking to Itishree Nayak about her project on the awareness about climate change.

Dutee Chand -- Ace sprinter Dutee Chand in conversation with Itishree Nayak about her life and preparation during the pandemic period.

Subroto Bagchi -- Subroto Bagchi in conversation with KedarMishra about the situation around an unusual pandemic period.

Arundhati Subramaniam -- Arundhati in conversation with Prof. Tisha Srivastav about poetry, literature and life during pandemic.

Pratibha Ray -- Prativa Ray in conversation with Debashish Samantaray about Adibhumi Kandhamal and it's rich culture and heritage.

Amish Tripathi -- Amish in conversation with Kamala KantaDash about mythology and bursting the myths about Indian readers.

Shantanu Gupta -- Shantanu Gupta in conversation with RajitaKulkarni about leadership.

Haldhar Nag -- People's poet Haldhar Nag in conversation with Kedar Mishra about poetry in Odia and Kosali language and diversity.

TT Ram Mohan -- Prof. TT Ram Mohan in conversation with Atul K. Thakur on his book 'Rebels With A Cause'.

On a concluding note, Parida opines, "KLF Bhava Samvadwas initiated to keep the literary spirit intact during lockdown because of pandemic. But the rapid growth of the platform and after receiving immense love from the audience, KLF Bhava Samvadhas reached its 150th session with legendary literary figures, artistes across the globe and will continue to live as a permanent platform." Odisha Diary Foundation (ODF) and Rythm Festival Pvt Ltd are organising annual Kalinga Literary Festival, Mystic Kalinga Festival (KLF), Kandhamal Literary Festival, KLF in Koraput every year. Annual Kalinga Literary Festival, Mystic Kalinga Festival (MKF) to celebrate the creative spirit of India and commemorate the literary diversity it offers, bringing it in conversation with the best minds in the world of literature within and outside of Odisha and India.

Academics, authors, political and social activists, law makers, government officials, corporate leaders, students and people from all walks of life immerse in the vibrant atmosphere of the festival and exchange opinions on their favourite authors and works.

Mystic Kalinga Festival has emerged as an Annual Flagship event in the cultural calendar of India and our focus is to rekindle the romance with literature and foster reading and writing habits, especially among the youth. It offers a national platform with a global appeal and bridges the gap between literature in English and other Indian regional languages."
Under the Strategy, fishery production value is expected to grow by 3-4% per year by 2030. Vietnam is also striving to achieve total fishery output of 9.8 million tonnes and export revenue of US$14-US$16 billion per year.

The sector is anticipated to create jobs for more than 3.5 million people with average income equivalent to that of workers in other sectors.

Vietnam also aims to develop coastal fishing villages into communities imbued with their own cultural identity aligned with building new-style rural areas.

By 2045, the fishery sector is expected to become a modern and sustainable commercial economy with advanced management and technology capacity which will hold an important role in the national agricultural and marine economy.

Vietnam will look towards appropriate allocation of fishing quotas while reducing and eventually terminating fishing professions that invade or cause destruction to aquatic resources.
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Executive Director, NewMexicoKidsCAN

Last spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic sent every school system in the nation into disarray, New Mexico had no choice but to cancel its annual standardized exams, as authorized by the U.S. Department of Education. A year into the pandemic, however, the situation has changed dramatically, with most New Mexico students learning online for the better part of a year and a recent announcement from the U.S. Department of Education that blanket waivers for statewide assessments will not be accepted this time around. While the Biden administration has left states room for flexibility in how those exams can be carried out, New Mexico recently requested permission to skip out on a key requirement: that 95% of students participate.

We commend the recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and caution the state against testing fewer students, for a couple important reasons.

New Mexicos educators and leaders need accurate data about how much ground students need to make up, and which students are struggling the most. As Democratic chairs of the U.S. Senate and House education committees, Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Bobby Scott, recently stressed, In order for our nation to recover and rebuild from the pandemic, we must first understand the magnitude of learning loss that has impacted students across the country. That cannot happen without assessment data.

The New Mexico Public Education Department recently questioned the very notion of learning loss while arguing that only a sample of students  as few as 1%  should be assessed. But absent complete, statewide test data, state leaders will be in the dark about students academic progress, and it will be nearly impossible to understand which students and schools need the most additional support. And as hundreds of millions of federal dollars begin arriving to New Mexico to help with education recovery, the state will be left guessing where to target the relief.

Like other states, the Land of Enchantment already lacks one year of data on student math and reading performance, due to school closures and understandable test cancellations last spring. This is a bridgeable gap, as a new study by one of our organizations illustrates  but a second year of missing data isnt. In the study, researchers from the University of Missouri demonstrate that student growth can still be accurately calculated when one year of test score is missing, but only 27% of school districts can accurately evaluate student growth with two consecutive years of missing data.

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New Mexico schools have an obligation to identify how much academic loss has occurred and work to get learning back on track. Even prior to the pandemic, barely one in four students in New Mexico read proficiently, and in 2018, a state judge ruled the education system violated the states constitution for failing to meet the learning needs of the majority of its students. Without scores documenting New Mexican students starting points, it will be impossible to know if recovery plans that include a proposed extended learning day will actually work.

That said, taking days out of the spring instructional calendar for testing, rather than prioritizing the immediate academic and social and emotional needs of students, is a hard sell to many. So, here is a suggestion: Postpone spring assessments to the fall, when students will hopefully be back in schools on a daily basis. This will allow New Mexico to calculate student growth measures for 2019-21, as well as establish a baseline for student progress in future school years. If the state starts now, there is enough time to put a plan for fall testing of all students in place.

Like all state leaders, Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart has a profound educational challenge on his hands. New Mexico has taken courageous moves to extend learning opportunities  lets make sure the benefits can be measured.
New Delhi:

Taapsee Pannu is one actor who never hesitates to speak her mind and displays no inhibitions in sharing her opinions on topics related to the industry.



She has very aptly displayed her nerve in women specific roles in Pink and Naam Shabana, movies that touched a chord with the audience who wholeheartedly appreciated Taapsees portrayal of strong female characters.



But, in real life, Taapsee Pannu has a rather different, or shall we say a sardonic view of the movie industry.



Taapsee, in an interview with PTI, said that there is no difference between the film industry and society as far as the patriarchal, male-controlled mindset is concerned.



She said, "Being a female actor, who has a strong opinion and is not willing to sacrifice or leave her self-respect is tough. Sometimes I ask myself, 'Do I compromise with my self-respect or do I go and do something which will be for the larger good of my career?'



"Sometimes I have to be really clever and smart to manoeuvre because I know it is going to benefit (my career). But sometimes I have to put my foot down for my self-respect which doesn't go down well with a lot of people."



Taapsee, however, is happy that women are now becoming vocal and are speaking their minds.



"A lot of female actors have now become more vocal. At least they are questioning. How strongly they are putting their foot down, I don't know. But yes they are speaking up.



"We get more security in the fact that there is much more significance attached to the characters and one just can't replace another. That is why we are in a position today where we can say what we feel. Now we can command in a certain way."



Taapsee says the fact that female actors are now standing up for themselves is bringing a significant change in the mindset of the people in the film industry.



"Being vocal is making a difference in terms of how people perceive us. There is a certain sense of command. They listen to what a female actor has got to say.



"I feel female actors are now being taken more seriously than ever before. We are now an active part of filming, post-production, pre-production and promotions."



Taapsee, who will next be seen in "Judwaa 2", says she wants to strike a balance between commercial and realistic films.



"I have done a lot of work in south before Bollywood happened and I apply that experience when I choose a film now. I will not repeat those mistakes. Maybe I will make new mistakes but will also learn from them."



After the David Dhawan-directed romantic-comedy, the actor will start preparing for Anubhav Sinha's "Mulk", which also features Rishi Kapoor.



'Mulk' is something which will start a conversation. I can't share much, but I can guarantee great cinema. I will start prepping for it from next month," said Taapsee.

Also read: Race 3: Salman Khan-Jacqueline Fernandez starrer to hit the floors in October



Vivegam box office collection: Ajith starrer beats Baahubali 2 in first week, enters Rs 100 cr club

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
1. Roads. The citys roads are a mess. Significant resources are needed to fix them.

2. Public safety. The crime rate is too high. Police pay and resources come first.

3. More city programs. The city must invest more in city programs and services.

4. Comprehensive plan. The city needs to focus on rebuilding and rebranding.

5. Cut city spending. City officials must get serious about trimming the budget.

Vote

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Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster Bridge close to the Houses of Parliament in London on March 22, 2017 following a terrorist assault. (The Canadian Press/AP, Matt Dunham)

CSIS, RCMP Modelling New Security Collaboration Efforts on British Lessons

OTTAWACanadas national police and spy agencies, long under pressure to cooperate more effectively on security cases, are developing new ways to work together based on Britains recent responses to deadly terrorist attacks.

Following the 2017 terrorist assaults in Manchester and London, British intelligence service MI5 and counterterrorist policing authorities conducted a review to look at how intelligence was handled and identify changes to improve.

The RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service approached their British counterparts to learn from their findings with the goal of ensuring similar challenges would not undermine work to thwart terrorism in Canada.

Both organizations were motivated by our collective effort to ensure public safety remains paramount, the RCMP and CSIS said in a joint response to questions from The Canadian Press.

The effort spawned Midnight Horizon, a CSISRCMP review of the United Kingdoms counterterrorism model that the Canadian agencies say is helping them develop an updated and clearly defined national security program to uncover and manage threats.

CSIS and the Mounties point to the British models emphasis on a nosurprise culture that features robust information sharing to support operational planning while protecting methods and sources.

Midnight Horizon prompted the spy service and national police force to initiate an operational improvement review of Canadian practices in 2018. Both exercises call for systematic changes to the way CSIS and the RCMP conduct and collaborate on national security investigations, the agencies said.

The review resulted in 76 recommendations, including enhanced cooperation and information sharing in national security probes, additional training for national security personnel, and improved handling and disclosure of sensitive and classified information.

Significant effort has been undertaken to ensure recommendations are adopted and implemented within both organizations, CSIS and the RCMP said.

CSIS was created in 1984 after scandals led to dissolution of the RCMP Security Service. The new civilian intelligence service was to gather information and advise the federal government of threats from suspected terrorists and spies, but it would have no arrest powers.

CSIS works with the RCMP through the One Vision framework, which guides how the agencies collaborate on security cases.

But it has not always been seamless.

The 1985 bombing of an Air India plane, killing all 329 people aboard, most of them Canadians, is widely seen as a failure to forge a welloiled working relationship.

More recently, Frank Figliuzzi, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations former head of counterintelligence, said it fell to him to tell the RCMP about a spy in the Canadian navy in 2011, even though CSIS already knew of Jeffrey Delisles sale of classified information to the Russians.

Concerns that sensitive intelligence gathered by CSIS might ultimately be disclosed in court as evidence in a criminal prosecution has sometimes meant a reluctance to share the information with the Mounties.

CSIS and the RCMP say that as a result of the operational improvement review, discussions between the agencies are more frequent and occur earlier in the process.

Among the changes to date:

 Expansion of the One Vision framework to include the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, intended to address many core review recommendations and improve cooperation between all three agencies;

 A memorandum of understanding signed last October between the Public Prosecution Service, Department of Justice, RCMP and CSIS, which sets out how the prosecution service  a key player in criminal trials  interacts with the spy agency;

 An effort known as the Leads Pilot to assess incoming national security information, which CSIS and the RCMP say has already reduced duplication of effort.

The spy and police agencies said they continue to be fully supportive of putting changes in place.

This complex work however is ongoing and challenges remain, particularly as it relates to the issue of intelligence and evidence. These significant challenges will require a wholeofgovernment approach in order to address.

Early in the process of implementing changes, senior executives from the two agencies and the prosecution service travelled to regions across Canada to listen and to build consensus among frontline RCMP and CSIS officers, says an internal memo released through the Access to Information Act.

The early 2020 message to personnel, signed by RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki and CSIS director David Vigneault, says the agencies would seek support for the plan from the government as well as partners throughout the securityandintelligence community.

Most importantly, we ask that all of you continue to embrace change, and be active participants in our evolution. Your dedication and support is necessary for our success.

By Jim Bronskill
The Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) has welcomed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akfuo-Addos decision to facilitate the establishment of an Open University in Ghana.



According to GRASAG this announcement answers years of advocacy by the Graduate Students Association. In a statement signed by Heartwill Selasi Tamekloe, President of GRASAG, it noted that upon a successful establishment of the University, Ghana will join the league of countries running Open Universities including India, Israel and the United Kingdom.



In the epoch of COVID-19, an Open University will facilitate virtual enrolment, lecture delivery, certification and will ensure affordability. Physical contacts and stress will be minimised. An Open University will contribute to increasing Ghanas Gross Tertiary Enrolment Ratio currently which stands at 18.8%.



As the official mouthpiece of the research fraternity of the country, we assure the government of our unflinching support, readiness, and willingness to ensure that this idea is realised. The association has lessons to share from its experience running webinars and online conferences, the statement said.



Open University



President Akufo-Addo, during his first State of the Nation Address for his second term, promised the establishment of an Open University in the country.



Sixty-four (64) years after independence, we still do not have the critical mass of tertiary education graduates that is required for our socioeconomic transformation. Currently, Ghanas Gross Tertiary Enrolment Ratio stands at 18.8%, which, albeit very low, is still one of the highest in Africa. We must, therefore, introduce measures to increase consciously the proportion of our population with relevant tertiary education to accelerate the transformation of our country.



Our target is to increase the ratio from the current 18.8% to 40% by 2030, focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related fields, with emphasis on engineering. This will be achieved by significantly increasing enrolment in existing public and private universities and through the establishment of an Open University, the President said.



Appeal



Meanwhile GRASAG has also appealed to the President and the Ministry of Education to extend the laptop distribution programme to graduate students. This, according to the association, will enhance our role as partners in national development through research and practice, and also enable our members benefit fully from the services of the Open University and other webinars.



President Akufo-Addo has announced that Government is facilitating the acquisition of 280,000 laptops for members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concern Teachers (CCT) this year. Moving forward, the Minister for Education will soon detail an action plan for the implementation of the National Teacher Policy.

Source: peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Parents have made disturbing new claims about a male primary school teacher who took his own life amid allegations he filmed female students getting changed.

Michael Patrick Robertson, a Year 6 teacher at St Columba's Primary School in Wilston, inner Brisbane, died on February 25, just days after being charged with two counts of making a recording in breach of privacy.

He is alleged to have hidden a phone in a room where the young girls were getting changed for sport and warned them against 'telling anyone' after they discovered the device before they fully undressed.

Queensland Police revealed early last week the 'breach of privacy matter was finalised' but on Friday said the investigation into the 51-year-old remains ongoing after being contacted by concerned parents.

Brisbane primary school teacher Michael Patrick Robertson (pictured) took his own life last month just days after being charged with two counts of making a recording in breach of privacy

One parent of a student at another Brisbane catholic primary school where Mr Robertson worked claimed he would tell young female students to change in a classroom while he was present, The Australian reported.

Mr Robertson, who was nicknamed 'Robbo', would send the male students out of the room and then remain behind but have his back turned as the young girls changed for swimming training in 2010, the parent claimed.

'When it came for time for swimming lessons, Mr Robbo would send the boys out of the classroom to get changed and would stay in the room while the eight-year-old girls would get changed, albeit allegedly facing away from them,' the parent said.

The parent questioned whether Mr Robertson had 'a recording device in the room' and raised concerns photos of their eight-year-old daughter was circulating on the dark web for paedophiles to view.

They are now backing a full police investigation into Mr Robertson's alleged behaviour, which also includes claims he mishandled a child protection issue about a female student at another school where he had worked.

Mr Robertson is alleged to have been named in a complaint made by a parent about the matter.

Mr Robertson (pictured) is alleged to have hidden a phone in a room where young female students were getting changed for sport

The principal of St Columba's Primary School (pictured) in Wilston, inner Brisbane, wrote to parents after Mr Robertson was charged reassuring them the school was 'focused on the safety and wellbeing of your children'

Queensland Police said their investigations into Mr Robertson had not found he had engaged in any direct sexual offending against a child but they had now seized his electronic devices for forensic analysis.

'The investigation including examination of evidence is ongoing,' Queensland Police said in a statement.

'Should these examinations identify victims, their families will be engaged as part of these ongoing inquiries.'

Brisbane Catholic Education said it has 'strict processes and procedures in place that ensure appropriate responses to complaints, including immediate referral to police when required'.

In a letter sent out to parents after Mr Robertson was charged, the principal of St Columba's Primary School, John O'Connor, reassured parents the school was 'focused on the safety and wellbeing of your children'.

'We would certainly make contact with you if we held any concerns about your child,' Mr O'Connor wrote.

For 24/7 confidential support in a crisis call Lifeline on 13 11 14
New Delhi, March 14 : Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, who is leading the 'Switch Delhi' campaign since last two months, on Sunday invited the corporate sector to raise awareness and promote electiric vehicle policy in the national capital.

"The Delhi government aims to further capitalise on the positive response received from several sections and now we will involve corporates to be a part of the campaign. I appeal to this segment to switch to EV cabs to facilitate the travel of their employees," Gahlot said.

Stressing on the need to include Delhi's corporates in the 'Switch Delhi' campaign, the AAP Minister said the corporates can put their resources to the best use by promoting EVs in Delhi. He also urged the corporates to install charging stations at their office premises to encourage individuals to switch to an EV.

"Globally, it has been seen that people generally charge their electric vehicles at home or the workplace. Many corporate employees are willing to switch to EVs if there is a sound EV charging infrastructure in place at the workplace. Following this, I urge corporates to reserve 5 per cent of their parking space for installing and running EV charging stations," Gahlot added.

The AAP Minister said,"Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its huge impact on society is well-known. Through CSR initiatives, the corporates can install or adopt an EV charging station in Delhi. This way Delhi could witness thousands of EV charging stations in the coming year." Delhi government is running an eight-week mass awareness campaign aiming to inform and encourage people to switch from polluting vehicles to zero-emission electric vehicles.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy this morning followed by isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. High 71F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.

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Once on the verge of extinction, the rarest subspecies of the gray wolf in North America has seen its population nearly double over the last five years, with more gains being reported in 2020, U.S. wildlife managers said Friday.

The results of the latest annual survey show there are at least 186 Mexican gray wolves in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona. That marks the fifth straight year that the endangered species has increased its numbers, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Reintroduction of Mexican wolves to the American Southwest began more than two decades ago. The program has pitted environmentalists, rural residents and wildlife managers against one another, prompting many legal challenges over management of the effort. The latest pending case involves a rewrite of the agencys management plan for the animals.

Some of details of the survey done over the winter were included in court filings made last week.

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Environmentalists said they were hopeful about the numbers but that the wolves were still in a precarious position.

Bryan Bird, director of the Southwest program for Defenders of Wildlife, said ensuring that wolves and people can coexist will continue to be an essential part of long-term success for the species recovery. He said he was hopeful the federal government would make wolf recovery more of a priority,

So, while it is encouraging to see an increase in wolves, limited genetic diversity and high rates of illegal killing continue to slow recovery efforts, he said. There is still work to be done to establish a self-sustaining Mexican gray wolf population.

Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity said more stringent protections are needed for the wolves and more effective releases from captivity into the wild.

Meanwhile, ranchers and rural residents who live in the mountainous regions of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico where the wolves roam say livestock deaths due to predation continue to escalate as the population grows.

Unlike wolf reintroductions in Yellowstone and the northern United States, wildlife managers in the Southwest are faced with a climate that has encouraged a year-round calving season, meaning conflicts between livestock and wolves are constant rather than just a few months out of the year.

Ranchers contend the wolves are becoming more brazen despite efforts to scare them away using range riders on horseback or flagging along fence lines. The wolf recovery team also uses feeding caches to draw wolves away from cattle.

According to the latest survey, there were 114 wolves in New Mexico and 72 in Arizona, marking a 14% increase from the previous year. In 2019, the wolf recovery team documented a population increase of nearly 25%.

Fish and Wildlife Service Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator Brady McGee noted that about half of the 124 pups that were born in 2020 survived. The average survival of Mexican wolf pups is around 50%.

Pup production and recruitment in the wild population is extremely important to the recovery of this species. We are thrilled to see this number continuing to rise, he said in a statement.

The wolf recovery team also placed 20 captive-born pups into seven wild dens in 2020 as part of a cross-fostering program aimed at boosting the populations genetic diversity. Officials said seven of the pups have since been captured and collared and those efforts to determine how many survived will continue this year.

There also were slightly more packs roaming in 2020 versus the previous year. That includes about 20 breeding pairs that had pups.

The recovery team also documented 29 wolf deaths in 2020. Many of those cases remain under investigation, and officials rarely release many details.

Wildlife managers track the wolves using radio collars that provide timely information about location and behavior that can help with managing the population. Nearly 100 wolves have been outfitted with collars.

Once common throughout the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico, the Mexican wolf was all but eliminated by the 1970s, prompting the U.S. government to develop a captive breeding program. There are about 350 Mexican wolves in more than 55 zoos and other facilities throughout the United States and Mexico.
New plan for intermediate classes in national schools says Ed. Ministry View(s):

The Education Ministry has suspended student admission to intermediate classes in all national schools in the country, and has devised a new system of advertising the vacancies on the Ministry website and calling for applications.

The intermediate classes are grade two to five, grade seven to ten and grade 12.

An Education Ministry official said a new system has been designed to ensure transparency in the admission system in the wake of allegations that malpractices are taking place.

The admission of students to intermediate classes was suspended in September last year until the Ministry reviewed the student admissions to the intermediate grades in all national schools, and announced a new plan.

Under the new setup all the national schools would be required to send in all the details of the vacancies in the intermediate classes and on a weekly basis these vacancies are to be updated so parents could send the applications on behalf of their children.

The national school principals would be given the powers to decide on the student admissions. However, they would be responsible to immediately inform the Ministry if the vacancies were filled in.

Under the new system there would be no systems of appealing to the Education Ministry. The Ministry official said even though there were about 370 National schools, the issue regarding the admissions were present in about 50 National schools in Colombo.
A teenager who stabbed with a screwdriver a man who did not give him a cigarette has been jailed for ten months.

Dubliner Ross Crea (18) was aged 16 when he committed the completely senseless act of violence and upon his arrest he was extremely intoxicated to the point of being unable to get to his feet in a garda station.

Crea of Hardwicke Street in the city centre pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm at Cope Street, Dublin 2 on April 18, 2019. His previous convictions include robbery, attempted robbery and criminal damage.

Garda Stephen Wade told Eoghan Cole BL, prosecuting, that in the early hours of the morning on the date in question, the victim had left his place of work with a friend and was walking in the city centre when he was approached by the accused and another person.

Gda Wade said Crea asked them for a cigarette, but they said they did not smoke and tried to leave. Crea blocked them from leaving and stabbed the victim in the shoulder with a screwdriver before running away.

The victim sustained a puncture wound to his shoulder which did not require inpatient treatment at a hospital and he went back to work the next day. He has since returned to his home country.

Gda Wade said he believed Crea had lost his temper when the victim would not give him a cigarette.

The garda agreed with Jane Murphy BL, defending, that her client was extremely intoxicated upon his arrest and was unable to get to his feet in a garda station. He agreed the screwdriver had the diameter and the length of a pen.

Ms Murphy said her client had previously been living with his grandmother and had moved back to the city centre to live with his mother and step-father after they had come out of a period of homelessness.

Counsel said there was a lack of structure in which her client was not attending school, was staying out late at night, and was drinking alcohol and taking pills.

She said this was a completely senseless act of violence. She said her client has little recollection of the offence, but he accepts full responsibility for it and is remorseful.

Judge Martin Nolan said that thankfully it was not a serious injury. He said the accused does deserve a custodial sentence, but that it was be lessened on the basis of his youth at the time and the hope for rehabilitation.

Judge Nolan sentenced Crea to two years imprisonment, but suspended the final 14 months on strict conditions.
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Sell! Sell! Sell! It is the old adage among brokers when the brown stuff hits the fan and shares have to be sold quickly to minimize losses.

Davy Stockbrokers may not be a publicly quoted company, but those former executives of the firm sitting at home who still retain a combined stake of around 30pc, may well be exercising their vocal chords down the phone.

It is hardly surprising, given the scale of the reputational hit to the firm, that former executives with shares are open to selling on.

Given the culture at the top of the firm, they might not have been too pleased at the idea of owning shares in a private company, in which they do not have any direct say about how it is run.

With deputy chairman Kyran McLaughlin, chief executive Brian McKiernan and head of bonds Barry Nangle all gone, would they be comfortable with a new management team running things?

However, they also appear to be willing to put up their shares for sale in a forced situation. This is not good for the price. Given that the firm was valued at around 400m by industry sources just a fortnight ago, it could go for a lot less in the weeks ahead.

McKiernan and his former colleagues have to weigh up how much the business might be worth further down the road if there is no sale. It has shipped enormous reputational damage and with out a change at the top, and in ownership, things could get a lot worse.

The Davy story now splits in two directions  the sale process, managed by Rothschild, and the public interest accountability around what happened.

The board seems to be in a hurry to get a sale going, and why wouldnt they? But that doesnt mean a deal will be done too quickly.

Any prospective buyer will want cast iron guarantees that nothing like the Kearney bond deal had happened before. They will not want to write a cheque for a sizeable shareholding in Davy, or even for the entire business, only to be told afterwards that some new scandal has emerged.

No new buyer will want potentially expensive skeletons jumping out of cupboards.

Establishing the full facts will take time. The independent review of the business commissioned by the board will form part of that process. A truly thorough and independent review could run well into next year.

All the while, the reputational damage to the firm will remain. If Davy begins to lose contracts on foot of the NTMA withdrawal, it could do serious damage to further the brand.

As one broker put it, once you lose a big contract with international players, you dont get it back quickly.

For the hundreds of staff at the firm not involved in the Kearney deal, this is a real nightmare. You can imagine how much grief they are receiving from clients down the phone. Jokes, funny videos  it is all doing the rounds on social media.

The brand takes a hit with each of them.

The terms of reference of the independent review will be very important, not only in tackling the public interest issues here, but also re-assuring any new buyer about potential future costs that could be lurking in what they are buying.

Will someone want to buy it for 200m but have to put 50m in an escrow account for any future costs is how one broker put it to me.

The arrogance and scale of the breach of market rules in this case make it harder for people to believe that absolutely nothing like this had ever happened before.

As things stand right now, there isnt evidence that it has happened before. Some kind of sweep of employee trading accounts will have to be conducted. This could end up as a semi-random audit.

The Central Bank could also have a future role. It said its investigation into this transaction was over. I would not be surprised if some people are contacting the regulator with what they perceive to be slights in the past in their dealings with the broker.

The Central Bank could find itself looking into all kinds of allegations in the months ahead without necessarily finding anything.

One would hope the review would also answer some of the unanswered questions around what happened. Did all of the 16 who have left the company since late 2014 when the transaction happened exit as good leavers, with full entitlements and shares? If so how did this happen?

Why did the board not see fit to conduct a major review some several years ago? It seems extraordinary that it could take a view on the transaction that didnt see a serious problem with it and those involved in it.

Even if the review does get to the bottom of some of these issues, will it be published in its entirety? After all it is not a review commissioned by a regulatory or state body, but one commissioned by the board of a private company.

The sale process might be complicated, especially around price, but there will be interested parties.

The biggest jewel for any potential buyer is the private clients list. Bank of Ireland could benefit from access to that business. Private client business is based on delivering results and on trust. Restoring trust will be vital for the future value of the business and the retention of jobs.

Davy traditionally had its bond desk, retail equities, institutional equities, corporate finance and wealth management. Share dealing is not as profitable as it used to be. The bond desk is gone. The corporate finance business was quite small anyway.

Wealth management is the most desirable part of the business for a prospective buyer.

Who would have thought that Davy Stocbrokers would end up in a near  fire sale type situation? We can all see how it has happened and who is to blame.

Kerry loses out to 1962 decision

Kerry Groups loss of an EU trademark battle with Ornuas Kerrygold brand, highlights the commercial tensions in the sector.

Kerry had wanted to sell its Kerrymaid brand outside Ireland and the UK but was prevented from doing so due to a long- running trademark dispute with the owners of the 1bn Kerrygold brand, Ornua.

The EU court shot down Kerry Groups bid in what looks like the final round of the legal contest. It is pretty hard for Kerry Group to take, especially given that much of the legal argument came down to EU consumers knowledge of Kerry as a place or a brand.

This spat wasnt the only tension involving Ornua and a member firm. Glanbia and Ornua had their own spat about the sale of Glanbias Truly Grass Fed brand in the US.

Perhaps Kerry Group was just unlucky that back in 1962 when Kerrygold was launched under the leadership of Tony OReilly, it took its name from the Kingdom county.

Apparently there were 59 other name suggestions in the mix. They included Shannon Gold, Tub-o-gold, Butter-cup and even Leprechaun.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 03:11:21|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian and French naval forces held joint military training in the Red Sea, Egypt's armed forces said in a statement on Sunday.

The Egyptian frigate al-Fateh and the combat group accompanying the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle participated in the exercise, according to the statement.

During the training, the forces implemented many joint combat activities, including forming close and remote guard of formations.

The forces also conducted joint night sailing, which demonstrated the ability of the joint marine units to deter various threats, the statement said, adding that the drills effectively contribute to preserving maritime security and stability in the region.

Egypt regularly holds joint military exercises with other countries to boost military collaboration and exchange military expertise. Enditem
As many as 10,041 Vietnamese people have received AstraZeneca vaccine shots since the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign was launched on March 8, and no serious side-effects have been reported, according to the Ministry of Health.

Frontline healthcare workers are the first to be given the AstraZeneca vaccine shots.



Hai Duong province, the epicenter of the countrys latest coronavirus outbreak, topped the list of localities with the highest number of vaccinated people (6,287).

It was followed by Hung Yen (840), Bac Giang (823), Ho Chi Minh City 774) and Gia Lai (200).

In all people in 12 cities and provinces have been inoculated against COVID-19 and none of them have shown serious side-effects, said the Ministry of Health.

According to the ministry, only several cases of anaphylaxis have been reported and they have all been handled promptly.

Some others have shown mild post-injection symptoms such as pain, fatigue, or a low fever, and experts say these are common side-effects.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan on March 12 played down public concerns about the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a number of European and Asian countries suspended the vaccine following reports of blood clots in some vaccinated people.

There has been no evidence of a link between serious incidents and AstraZeneca shots, and Vietnam will continue use of the vaccine, said Thuan, citing scientists studies.

Vietnam kick-started the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign on March 8, using the AstraZeneca vaccine. It first imported 117,600 doses in late February, and more than 5.6 million doses are scheduled to arrive in March and April.

Three waves of the novel coronavirus outbreaks have attacked Vietnam since January 2020, with more than 2,500 people infected.

The latest outbreak, which started in late January 2021, has spread to 13 cities and provinces across the country.

The epidemic has been brought under control, with several cases sporadically recorded in Hai Duong only.

VOV
A hot potato: Four zero-day exploits in Microsoft Exchange are being targeted by at least 10 advanced persistent threat (APT) hacker groups, with web shell backdoors  which allow remote control of a server via a web browser  being installed on some 5,000 servers spanning 115 different countries.

Four exploits in Microsoft Exchange Server hit the news last week, when we heard that a Chinese hacking group had targeted the email servers of some 30,000 U.S. government and commercial organizations. The exploits had been patched by Microsoft, but the hacking group known as Hafnium had doubled-up on efforts targeting unpatched servers.

Security research firm ESET has found that at least 10 APT groups are taking advantage of the exploits in an attempt to compromise servers around the world. Winniti Group, Calypso, Tick, and more are among the groups identified.

The security firm adds that for the past few days, ESET researchers have been monitoring closely the number of web shell detections for these exploits. At the date of publication, we had observed more than 5,000 unique servers in over 115 countries where web shells were flagged. By using the Exchange Server exploits to install web shells, hackers can gain remote control of a server via a web browser.

Followed by that report, ransomware activity has also been detected as hackers try to take advantage of the slow patching on Exchange servers, with attack rates "doubling every few hours." A ransomware called 'DearCry' is encrypting email on unpatched Exchange servers to later demand payment from the victims for releasing the data.

Microsoft Defender customers utilizing automatic updates do not need to take additional action to receive these protections. On-premises Exchange Server customers should prioritize the security updates outlined here: https://t.co/DL1XWnitYO  Microsoft Security Intelligence (@MsftSecIntel) March 12, 2021

The bottom line? Organizations should patch their servers using Microsofts update as a matter of urgency, before carefully checking logs to see whether web shells have already been installed.

To further safeguard servers, organizations are advised to restrict network access to users (via a VPN, for example). This should protect servers from both the current exploits, and any future ones which inevitably crop up in the years to come.

KP Tissue (TSX:KPT) is Canadas leading tissue products supplier by overall dollar and volume market share. It produces, distributes, markets and sells a wide range of disposable tissue products, including bathroom tissue, facial tissue, paper towels and napkins, for both the consumer and the Away-From-Home (AFH) markets. While the companys principal focus is on the Canadian consumer-branded tissue products market, KP is also a leader in the Canadian AFH market and has a considerable presence in the U.S. private label tissue market.

Capacity to scale up

KP is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario and has approximately 2,700 employees across Canada and U.S. KP operates a total of eight production facilities, including five plants, four of which are located in Canada and one in the U.S. KPs Canadian paper manufacturing facilities, consists of four tissue plants in Quebec and one plant in British Columbia.

The company has a combined annual tissue production capacity of approximately 345,000 metric tonnes representing approximately 38% of Canadas annual production capacity. Recently, a new paper machine (TAD) was successfully started up by the company with an aggregate annual capacity of 70,000 metric tonnes.

Respected consumer brands

KP has held the number one dollar market share position in the consumer bathroom tissue category since 2000. Further, KP is the leading tissue manufacturer in Canada with strong market share positions across all major consumer tissue product categories including bathroom tissue, facial tissue, paper towels and napkins. In the Canadian consumer business, KP primarily sells branded products. These products are marketed under a number of trademarks, including Cashmere, Purex, and SpongeTowels, all of which are owned by KP.

KPLP sells both branded and private label tissue products to customers in the U.S., primarily at the premium quality level. The U.S. private label business continues to grow, and KP has great relationships with several U.S. retailers. TAD bathroom tissue and towel products are a key component of KPs strategy of growing its sales in the U.S. market, as TAD products are increasing in demand and allow KPLP to provide the highest level of quality to major U.S. retailers.

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Diverse customer base

KPs consumer products are sold to the Canadian and U.S. retail grocery industry, either directly or through wholesalers, and to a number of other retail distribution groups, including drug stores, variety stores, mass merchandisers and wholesale clubs. Distributors deliver KP products to end-users, which can range from local restaurants and schools to major hotels and office buildings across the country. KP also supports other segments including healthcare and a variety of manufacturers.

Robust product development

KPs strong product development program plays a significant role in the companys ongoing objective of developing and maintaining products that are clearly differentiated in the marketplace. KPs product development team creates products designed to meet customer and consumer needs, which in turn leads to increased sales as well as opportunities for cost reduction.

A small team of specialized technical personnel work closely with the product development coordination team to schedule and manage anything from pilot to commercial trials.

Due to significant competitive advantages, KPs stock should outperform the general market over the long term.

The post This Toilet Paper Stock Could Make You a Billionaire appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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Fool contributor Nikhil Kumar has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

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 2021
In the year since his son Oran has been inside a classroom, Tim Flood says its not reading or math that has suffered, but the things he actually needs school for like socialization and physical and behavioral therapy.

A high-functioning autistic student with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the second-grader is one of the students who fell through the cracks particularly badly, Flood says, while Ann Arbor Public Schools has stayed in remote learning since in-person classes were shut down last March due to COVID-19.

We were handed a laptop and a years worth of homework and they just kind of said, Have at it, Flood says. He hasnt been well-served by that.

Students, parents, teachers and school districts throughout Michigan have experienced frustrations similar to the Floods in the year since the pandemic sent districts across the state scrambling. But the pandemic also has taught districts how to better meet students technological and social-emotional needs where they are.

On March 12, two days after the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered K-12 schools closed until April 6. Some thought a return to the classroom could happen then, but reality set in when the shutdown was extended another week before ultimately lasting the rest of the year as the number of COVID-19 cases steadily grew.

Related: COVID-19 one year later: This is our life now

What has unfolded since then is a reimagining of what is expected from schools and an overhaul of how they operate. Michigan school districts continue to work through the nuances of offering more in-person classes now, while balancing plans and hopes to offer more in the fall.

The early stages of the pandemic gave parents a glimpse into what this school year has looked like.

Chaotic mornings of rushing between their childs Zoom classroom and their own work-from-home duties has been the new normal. Spare rooms have been converted into classrooms. Some parents had to decide between their jobs and taking care of and educating their children.

Without face-to-face interaction with teachers and friends, children have experienced the effects of isolation. Screen fatigue has set in. Activities like sports, musicals, prom and graduation have been called off or done virtually.

When Oran was going to school, I would hear about how he was doing from teachers, which is a degree of separation, Flood says. I think Ive gained some really valuable first-hand experience about what his needs are and what his limitations are and what he needs to succeed.

When school buildings shuttered last year, districts found themselves serving their communities in new ways with lunch distribution sites to reach at-risk students, as they dashed to snap up laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots for virtual learning.

Lessons were delivered online and check-ins with students were done via email. Teachers recorded videos of themselves to remind students what they looked and sounded like.

Despite these stopgap measures, Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Beal says the patchwork finish to the year last year was a mistake and more time was needed to teach students and parents how to virtually learn.

I think, in all honesty, what we did during that time was we taught students how to do virtual wrong, Beal said.

We taught our parents how not to do virtual and we put our teachers in an untenable position of trying to provide packets for online work without any accountability or any requirements. I think that set up this false sense of what virtual learning could be or should be.

Districts learned what school would look like in the fall when Whitmer issued the Michigan Safe Start Plan in June, giving them guidance for remote learning, in-person learning with strict rules and a more flexible plan for face-to-face learning depending on how the virus had spread in their communities.

Administrators balanced the opinions and needs of students, families, parents, teachers, staff and even politicians in making their decisions.

Parents were torn over sticking with the virtual learning many districts initially offered, or to transfer their children to private schools, which were offering more in-person classes. Others took matters into their own hands and established learning pods, leading to questions about equitable access to education during the pandemic.

More laptops and tablets were distributed and districts technology departments were forced into leading roles to keep students online. With many parents returning to work, students spent their days working in front of a computer, some struggling academically and others suffering mentally and emotionally.

The Zoom experience is extremely overstimulating for his son, who thrives on the routine in-person school provides, Flood says.

I cant just open up the laptop and sit Oran down at his desk and expect that hes going to work and study. I would have to stand over him, pretty much constantly, Flood says. As a single parent, I cant really provide the same degree of structure and routine he would ordinarily see in the classroom.

The return to school in the fall was anything but normal. Face masks and plexiglass separate teachers from students. Arrows line hallways to keep students adhering to social distancing rules.

As temperatures dropped, COVID-19 cases rose, resulting in quarantines and outbreaks in schools that left many lacking staff, which forced students back into virtual learning again even if they had been face to face.

Concern for childrens wellbeing grew as the year progressed.

The struggles for students (in virtual learning) center around the fact that they are less engaged than when they are in-person, Beal said. Virtual learning has worked wonderful for some of our students. At the same time, we have more students failing, and for many, thats a reflection of distance learning.

In 2021, the focus has shifted to getting students back into classrooms. Development of the COVID-19 vaccine and its availability to teachers and school staff has given hope this is possible.

Now, as districts contemplate how to make up for a lost year and reach families who might have left their districts, Beal said communication is critical in helping students recover from the last year.

Weve done a lot more social and emotional check-ins with our parents and we start to recognize when students are falling off or not participating, Beal said. Will some of that continue into next year? Almost assuredly.

To help you navigate this complicated school year, were pleased to offer you a simpler way to get all of your education news: Our new Michigan Schools: Education in the COVID Era newsletter delivered right to your inbox. To receive this newsletter, simply click here to sign up.

READ MORE:

Childrens social and emotional learning another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic

The pandemics psychological toll on our children

Art, music and PE are wild subjects to teach online. But creative Michigan teachers are making it work

As pandemic continues, some students are disengaging from remote learning

Student failure rates drive in-person learning increase at Jackson Public Schools

More Michigan students back in class since Gov. Whitmers call for more in-person learning

Group works to reduce chronic absenteeism exacerbated by pandemic in Grand Rapids-area schools

Certain Michigan schools have found a winning formula for vaccinating teachers
Securities Litigation Partner James (Josh) Wilson Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses Exceeding $50,000 In Jianpu Technology Inc. To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their Options

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - March 14, 2021) - Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential claims against Jianpu Technology Inc. ("Jianpu" or the "Company") (NYSE:JT) and reminds investors of the April 19, 2021 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company.

If you suffered losses exceeding $50,000 investing in Jianpu stock or options between May 29, 2018 and February 16, 2021 and would like to discuss your legal rights, call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310). You may also click here for additional information: www.faruqilaw.com/JT.

There is no cost or obligation to you.

Faruqi & Faruqi is a leading minority and Woman-owned national securities law firm with offices in New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, California and Georgia.

As detailed below, the lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by making false and/or misleading statements and/or failing to disclose: (1) that certain of the Company's transactions carried out by the Credit Card Recommendation Business Unit involved undisclosed relationships or lacked business substance; (2) that, as a result, Jianpu's revenue and costs and expenses for fiscal 2018 and 2019 were overstated; (3) that there were material weaknesses in Jianpu's internal control over financial reporting; (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, the Company's fiscal 2018 Form 20-F was reasonably likely to be restated; and (5) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

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On February 16, 2021, Jianpu announced the results of its review into "transactions carried out by the Credit Card Recommendation Business Unit" with third-party business entities. The Company concluded that previously reported revenue and associated expenses had been inflated due to "certain transactions [that] involved third-party agents (including both upstream agents and downstream suppliers) with undisclosed relationships and some transactions [that] lacked business substance."

In the same press release, Jianpu stated that it would restate its financial statements for fiscal 2018 and that "investors must exercise caution" with respect to the previously reported fiscal 2019 financial information. Jianpu stated that it "anticipates the total amount of overstated revenue for the fiscal years 2018 and 2019 to be approximately, RMB 90 million and RMB 164 million, respectively, representing approximately 4.5% and 10.1% of the total revenue previously reported."

On this news, the Company's share price fell $0.60, or 13%, to close at $3.94 per share on February 16, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not.

Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Jianpu's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others.

Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/77124
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.
The Saturday night released a list of its 21 candidates for the April 6 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

The list was issued after a meeting of the Congress' central election committee chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

The is contesting 25 of the 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly, with the DMK fighting on a majority of the seats.

The had contested 41 assembly seats in the last assembly polls.

The Congress also announced its candidate for the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha bye-elections, fielding V Vijayakumar from the seat.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Qatar is trying to facilitate a dialogue between the U.S. and Iran, advocating that both sides return to the 2015 nuclear deal and reduce tensions, Qatari officials say.

Why it matters: In 2012 and 2013, it was Oman that facilitated the secret talks between the U.S. and Iran that paved the way to the nuclear deal. It seems the Qataris want to play a similar role.

Driving the news: Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani spoke last week with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Iran envoy Rob Malley.

On Monday, Thani met in Tehran with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to discuss possible re-engagement with the Biden administration. He also gave Rouhani a letter from the emir of Qatar.

What they're saying: Rouhani told Thani that Iran will fully implement its commitments under the nuclear deal only after the U.S. removes all nuclear-related sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, according to Iranian media.

Thani told Rouhani he hopes the U.S. will remove sanctions and return to the deal and stressed that Qatar would try to help make that happen.

It's unclear if the Qatari foreign minister passed on any messages from the Biden administration to Iran.

Between the lines: Unlike in 2012, many in the Biden administration know their Iranian counterparts and how to contact them, so the Qatari facilitation might not be necessary.

What to watch: Irans ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency sent a letter this week notifying the IAEA's director general of Irans intention to stop implementing the additional protocol of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty starting Feb. 23.

That would see Iran curtail its cooperation with UN inspectors, suspend their ability to conduct unannounced visits to nuclear sites.

The message to Biden is that the window to save the nuclear deal is closing.

What's next: The director general of the IAEA is expected in Tehran on Saturday.
Our nation is at a crossroads  not only as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also as we enter a complex future defined by continued technological developments, evolving globalization, demographic shifts, racial inequity and climate change.

At the center of these trends is the fate of working people, who were struggling long before the pandemic and who cant afford a return to the status quo.

This moment represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the trajectory of work in the United States to ensure that the average worker can benefit, not be left behind. We must create a new social compact for work and workers that commits all stakeholders, including workers, employers, government, and other institutions, to values of equity and inclusion and bold goals including ensuring quality jobs, eliminating working poverty, and equipping all workers with the skills and supports to fully participate in the economy now and into the future.

As we write that social compact, we dont need to speculate about what the future of work will look like in this country  in California, its already here.

The Golden State economy is responsible for some of the most iconic innovations and home to leading companies that are the envy of the world. But workers in California face challenges that are severe symptoms of trends that exist nationwide, including the rising cost of living, persistent wealth and income inequality, and diverging trajectories across geographies. Compounded by challenges many workers face on the job, these factors limit the potential of Californias economy, especially coming out of a pandemic that has devastated communities of color.

In addition to these current challenges, we must prepare and solve for challenges around the corner. The types of jobs projected to grow the fastest, from personal care aides to food service cooks and cashiers, are also those with the lowest pay and lowest quality working conditions, and as technology and economic trends advance, while shocks due to climate change grow in frequency and intensity, workers will need to change occupations, learn new skills, and adapt to new challenges.

To ensure an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic with good, high-road jobs at its center, the Future of Work Commission  convened in 2019 by Gov. Gavin Newsom to study the systemic challenges facing workers  proposes a new Social Compact for Work and Workers. It outlines a shared set of values and principles for workers, employers, government, and other stakeholders, framed around a set of ambitious, moon shot goals over the next decade.

First, job creation will be critical as we recover from this crisis. There should be enough jobs for everyone who wants to work, with a focus on raising the quality of jobs. Job creation should be led by the private sector, in priority areas like green infrastructure and health care and we should provide incentives for businesses that acknowledge that employer and worker well-being are inextricably intertwined.

Bold policy goals to address issues such as climate sustainability, affordable housing, transportation infrastructure, and quality care for children and the elderly are opportunities to create good quality jobs in the communities that need them the most. In addition, the California Future of Work Commission is calling on the federal government to enact a job guarantee to make this a reality across the country.

Second, our nation must eliminate the working poverty that has plagued too many communities, especially women and workers of color, for far too long. By raising wages for workers in growing, low-paying industries; addressing the high cost of living across the state; extending employment benefits to traditionally excluded workforces; and empowering workers, such as through labor unions to achieve higher wages and benefits, we can position the future of work to work for all. A national response would lift the floor for all workers.

Third, we must prepare workers for the future. This will require a major focus on creating jobs that meet future needs and priorities, while preparing and equipping current and future workers with the training and skills to transition to in-demand jobs, work safely and effectively alongside technology, and relocate, in response to technology, climate and other shocks. For example, as we have seen in California, jobs in vegetation management and utilities are key to preventing fires and mitigating the effects of global warming.

Our aim in proposing such a social compact is to address the systemic challenges that have burdened working people for far too long, and commits our nation to a few bold goals for equity and inclusion. Without it, the success and growth of our economy will be constrained.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us, our fates are interconnected  all of us cannot truly prosper as long as those who pick and serve our food, sew our garments, build our homes, sort and deliver our goods, and care for our family members continue to struggle.

Thats why solutions will need to involve all stakeholders working together: businesses and industry associations, workers and worker organizations, educational and training institutions, nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, government and others.

Central to our success will be the commitment and collaboration of a diverse set of employers and entrepreneurs that are ready to embrace a better future for working people.

Take it from the leaders in the Business Roundtable, who already declared before the pandemic that we need an economy that prioritizes all stakeholders, not just shareholders. Now more than ever we must join together and create the future of work that will work for all of us.

Julie Su has been nominated by President Biden to be deputy secretary of labor, Mary Kay Henry is president of SEIU, and James Manyika is president of McKinsey Global Institute.
FMCG major will set up a dining and retail shop in Chennai for Rs 50 lakh, said the company on Sunday to mark the entry of its dairy brand in retail business.

The company said it plans scaling up the My Cavins brand with 150 outlets across regions by 2025. My Cavins will give consumers a blend of shopping and dining experience under one roof.

The Chennai outlet spreads across 1000 sq. ft and sells the companys cold chain products like milkshake, lassi, paneer and curd.
Nara Ramamurthy Naidus son called for a united struggle to protect Visakha Steel Plant as it was a symbol of self-respect for the people of Andhra Pradesh.  By arrangement

VIJAYAWADA: Tollywood actor Nara Rohith has given a clarion call to all sections of people to rally together to make a success of the Save Steel Plant agitation.

Nara Ramamurthy Naidus son called for a united struggle to protect Visakha Steel Plant as it was a symbol of self-respect for the people of Andhra Pradesh.

In a statement here, Rohith said that VSP was like a mother, who is creating livelihoods by providing jobs for the present and future generations.

My support will always be there for the agitation. It is not my nature to turn my back when people face a problem. I will stand by every fellow-Andhra citizen in the hour of need, he said.

Meanwhile, Visakha Steel Plant Parirakshana Committee activists took out a procession from Bhanugudi centre to Kakinada MP Vanga Gitas house on RTO office road, demanding the Union Government to withdraw the VSP proposal. After submitting a memorandum, they said that all MPs should tender their resignations to achieve the demand.

CITU National vice-president G. Babirani, AITUC district general secretary Tokala Prasad, INTUC state organizing secretary Talluri Raju, IFTU state secretary J. Venkateswara Rao and others were present.

Babirani recalled that 32 persons had sacrificed their lives and 65 MPs had resigned to achieve the Visakha Steel Plant and 22,000 acres have been given to the plant and 68 villages were vacated for the purpose. But, the Union Government is wishing to sell the plant to corporate forces, which was a move that everyone should oppose.
Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

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Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

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A lottery ticket vendor was subjected to quarantine as she had been found infiltrating an isolation ward for COVID-19 patients in Vietnam this week.

Doctor Tran Thi Thanh Thao, director of the Department of Health in Tien Giang Province, confirmed on Saturday that the incident took place at Makeshift Hospital No. 1 in the province's Chau Thanh District.

The ticket seller was identified to be Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, 52, from the provincial capital of My Tho City.

On Wednesday morning, Thuy was found sneaking into in the makeshift hospital and entered the isolation chamber that hosts patient N.T.T., 34, a COVID-19 case who landed in Vietnam from Malaysia the same day.

After being spotted by medical staffers on the scene, Thuy was sent to a medical center in Chau Thanh where she was monitored by three police officers.

However, the officers discovered around 12:00 am on Thursday that she had fled confinement.

It was later revealed that Thuy headed to her rented room in My Tho and continued selling lottery tickets after she escaped the police officers.

She then visited the house of Huynh Van Hoang, a resident in Ward 10 of My Tho, and asked him for a ride to Go Cong Town.

After arriving in Go Cong on Friday, Thuy and Hoang were intercepted and sent to the local medical center for mandatory quarantine.

Medical officers check on COVID-19 patients in isolation rooms at Makeshift Hospital No. 1 in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam. Photo: Hoai Thuong / Tuoi Tre

Functional forces are working to track down Thuy's direct and indirect contacts before putting them through COVID-19 testing.

According to Tran Thanh Thao, Thuys first test result from the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute came out negative once.

So far, Thuy and Hoang have remained in good health and been kept in quarantine for further observation.

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Women will not reach parity at the pinnacle of power for another 130 years, predicts UN By Thalif Deen View(s): View(s):

UNITED NATIONS (IPS)  The United Nations says the highest levels of political power remain the furthest from achieving gender parity in an increasingly male-dominated power structure worldwide.

Women serve as Heads of State or Government in only 23 countries (10 women Heads of State and 13 women Heads of Government out of 193 UN member states), while 119 countries have never had a woman leader.

At the current rate, says a new report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, parity at the pinnacle of power will not be reached for another 130 years. (based on calculations of UN-Women data, as of 1 November 2020).

But this triggers the question: Does this also apply to the United Nations, which has never had a woman as Secretary-General, while only four women have been elected to lead the General Assembly  over a period of 76 years?

Available research demonstrates that womens and mens education, political experience and ages upon entering executive office are similar.

Gendered perceptions that executive offices should be filled by men, and not on the basis of credentials, account for womens severe underrepresentation at this level, according to the report which will go before the annual sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), March 15-26. https://undocs.org/E/CN.6/2021/3

The CSW, described as the principal global intergovernmental body, exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women, is a functional Commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Speaking on International Womens Day March 8, Guterres singled out the progress made on gender parity under his administration.

Overall, we in the United Nations are on a positive trajectory towards gender parity. Two decades after the General Assemblys first deadline, we are finally making progress across the entire United Nations system. We achieved the goal of 50-50 gender parity amongst my senior leadership, two years ahead of my commitment, he said.

In the Secretariat, the proportion of women in the professional categories and above has increased to over 41 percent from 37 percent in 2017  a steady annual increase. This shows that our strategy works.

In the Secretariats field operations, the gender balance is 31 percent women and 69 percent men.

Guterres also said: We are taking steps to identify qualified women candidates to replace many of the 3,000 international staff who are retiring in the next eight years, the majority of whom are men. This includes measures to develop staff and build internal talent pipelines.

Gender equality is a question of power. We live in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture and male-dominated power structures. This has inevitably affected the institutional culture of the United Nations, and of diplomacy as a whole, he declared.

But does that male-dominated power structure reach out to the office of the UN Secretary-General?

Ian Richards, a former president of the UN staff coordinating committee, told IPS there have been varied reactions from UN staff to the Secretary-Generals gender parity policy, particularly when it comes to downsizing in peacekeeping operations.

However, this year many staff have been asking us if the Secretary-General plans to apply the gender parity policy to his own position, which up to now has only been filled by men. We dont know how to answer them on this as it is outside our mandate, said Richards.

The Secretary-General may wish to address this question directly, he added.

Barbara Adams, chair of the board of Global Policy Forum, told IPS: Its a relief to see that the Secretary-General is no longer equating gender parity with gender equality. As we know overcoming structural or institutional discrimination of any and all kinds extends to measures beyond individual appointments.

The recognition of importance and impact of power dynamics is welcome, but taking power in the present setup is a bit of a contradiction in terms, she argued.

Perhaps the quote of Simone de Beauvoir would be of interest, said Adams, a former Associate Director of the Quaker United Nations Office in New York (19811988).

Considered one of the most pre-eminent French existentialist philosophers and writers, Simone de Beauvoir, once famously remarked: The point is not for women simply to take power out of mens hands, since that wouldnt change anything about the world. Its a question precisely of destroying that notion of power.
Candace Avalos

Avalos is a Portland State University educator, co-founder of the Black Millennial Movement and chair of Portlands Citizen Review Committee. A resident of Portland, she also serves on the citys Charter Review Commission. Her column appears on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.

Since I began my work on Portlands police accountability board almost four years ago, I have witnessed the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement in moving forward the conversation on changing our institutions of policing. More political candidates are talking about policing issues on the campaign trail. Portland voters overwhelmingly passed a charter amendment to revolutionize our system of police accountability. And the general public has become more engaged in these conversations and want to be part of the solutions. Last years racial justice movement sparked a fierce debate across the country prompting a range of reactions about how police should evolve or if they should even exist at all. But no matter where you fall on that spectrum, the movement for police reform can find common ground in the goal to reduce the overall need for a law enforcement response in our society.

I recently attended the Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policings town hall in which Portlanders discussed their vision for what role police should play in our society. When asked what kinds of calls police shouldnt handle and should be removed from their current structure, participants suggested mental health crises, wellness checks, and school conduct issues, among many other examples of problems that were social service related rather than criminal in nature. The pandemic made it even clearer that the several decades of disinvestment from our federal government in our social safety net has pushed our cities to the brink, leaving us with limited resources to solve these problems upstream. This has resulted in a culture that criminalizes poverty and disadvantage, resulting in police intervention in nonviolent calls that brings the power of the law and a gun into a situationimmediately escalating it.

But we cant expect that politicians and the government are going to be able to reverse our tendencies to overcriminalize simply through legislation and policy work. We, as a community, have a responsibility to stop interpreting any action thats out of the norm as criminal. This means we need to train our brains to avoid the kneejerk reaction to introduce a police response into a situation that really needs a human one. One thing I heard repeatedly when I ran for Portland city commissioner last year was that people dont want to call the police, but they dont feel they have many other options.

This is where government communication is so critical. The city and the county, along with their many nonprofit, business and organizational partnerships across the state, offer so many supportive services that are alternatives the public can seek instead of defaulting to police. People can call 211 for help in accessing various community resources; or if youre looking for a more grassroots resource, check out dontcallthepolice.com/portland that collects a long list of alternatives. As we work towards the long-term structural investments to change our first responder systems, our leaders should find better ways to consolidate communication about resources, make it more multilingual, and fund more personnel to help connect people to services.

I am proud of the hard work Portland City Council is doing to introduce new alternatives to police like the Portland Street Response, which launched last month. The reality, though, is that its going to take some time for us to work through the kinks of that program and adjust our systems to make sure when people call for help, the right service is responding. As a recent study found, municipalities that had Black Lives Matter protests reported progress in police reform, such as greater support for community policing initiatives and other changes. I want to offer a different solution in the meantime: instead of police officers getting to know the community, the community should get to know each other. The emergence of mutual aid networks in the face of a global pandemic and racial justice reckoning shows us that if we just put our heads together and stay focused on the goal of getting people the help they need, we can create that change on our own. Stop calling the police and start calling on your neighbors to build the community relationships that will go way further in changing our systems and making our communities safer.
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Singapore and Australia target "travel bubble" deal

Singapore's Changi Airport. The Lion City is looking at a potential travel bubble with Australia. File image: Shutterstock

Australia is "working with Singapore" to create a travel bubble between the two nations as early as July, officials said on Sunday, in an effort to restart tourism and travel put on hold by Covid-19.



Early in the pandemic Australia effectively closed its international border to slow the spread of the coronavirus, with non-citizens banned from visiting except in special circumstances.



Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said Australia was "working with Singapore at the moment potentially for a bubble (beginning) in July".



"As the vaccine rolls out, not only in Australia but in other countries, we will reopen more bubbles," he told public broadcaster ABC.



The Sydney Morning Herald reported the deal would allow Singaporeans and Australians who had been vaccinated to travel between the countries without quarantining.



The newspaper said Canberra is also hoping that people from third countries  such as international students, business travellers and returning citizens  could complete two weeks' quarantine in Singapore before flying to Australia.



But Singapore, which has already opened its border to a handful of countries that have controlled the virus, including Australia, said it was "not in discussion on the concept of a quarantine centre or vaccination hub".



"Singapore is currently in discussions with Australia on the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and resumption of travel with priority for students and business travellers," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Sunday.



"We are also discussing the possibility of an air travel bubble which will allow residents of Singapore and Australia to travel between both countries without the need for quarantine."



Singapore had agreed a travel bubble with Hong Kong and flights were set to begin in November before a surge in cases in the SAR forced its indefinite postponement.



Australia's 14-day hotel quarantine requirement for arrivals has left tens of thousands of Australians stranded overseas, with caps on returnees introduced as the limited system has been unable to cope with large numbers. (AFP/RTHK)
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has amended the corruption and certificate forgery charges it filed against an ex-presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla.

The amendment, coming less than two months after Mr Obono-Obla and his co-defendants were arraigned by the commission, reduced the number of counts from 10 to five.

The amended charges filed at the High Court of the FCT, in Apo, Abuja, on March 4 and seen by PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, also revealed that the anti-corruption agency has backtracked on its allegations of certificate forgery sensationally levelled against Mr Obono-Obla in 2019.

Obono-Oblas suspension, sacking

Mr Obono-Obla, a former special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecutions, was suspended by the President as the chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP) for the Recovery of Public Property in August 2019 over alleged falsification of records and financial impropriety against your person.

The President suspended Mr Obono-Obla in an August 14, 2019 letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

About a month later, on September 17, 2019, the President disbanded the SPIP, ordered the ICPC to probe the allegations against Mr Obono-Obla, and prosecute him.

The commission subsequently declared Mr Obono-Obla wanted and arrested him in March 2020.

Charges

On July 1, 2020, the ICPC filed 10 counts against him and his co-defendants at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

But the commission subsequently withdrew the charges and refiled the 10 counts at the FCT High Court on July 8, 2020 with Mr Obono-Obla, his former Senior Assistant, Special Duties (Protocol), Aliyu Ibrahim, and the Managing Director of ABR Global Petroleum Resources Ltd, Daniel Omughele Efe, charged as co-defendants.

ICPC accused Mr Obono-Obla in two of the 10 counts of forgery and falsification of his OLevel examination result with which he was allegedly admitted to University of Jos (UNIJOS) to study Law.

He was specifically accused of dishonestly using as genuine, a Mary Knoll College, Ogoja General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level, May/June 1982 (GCE) Statement of Result for Ofem Okoi Ofem with candidate No: 09403/247 showing an OLevel credit (6) score for Literature in English as part of the five OLevel credit requirement for him to study Law for the 1985/86 academic session in UNJOS.

The commission alleged that he used the result when he had reason to believe that the document (GCE), the basis upon which you were admitted to study Law in UNIJOS, was forged as you never sat for the English Literature examination for May/June 1982 GCE.

In another count, the commission alleged that Mr Obono-Obla, while being a prospective undergraduate of University of Jos (UNIJOS) made a false made a false document,  which was the same GCE OLevel result he was alleged to have presented as genuine for admission into UNIJOS.

The prosecution alleged that the offences are contrary and punishable under the Penal Code.

It also alleged, among others, that Messrs Obono-Obla, Ibrahim, and Efe conspired in 2018 and to use their offices to confer an unfair advantage on Mr Ibrahim by allegedly diverting N19,994,185 received from the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to furnish SPIP offices.

It alleged that the money was diverted into the personal account of Aliyu Ibrahim, using proxy companies, without furnishing the said SPIP offices as proposed to the NDIC.

ICPC said in another count that Obono-Obla, around July 2018 in Abuja, as SPIP Chairman failed to attend/honour an invitation by ICPC for an investigation, contrary to Section 28(1)(a) and (6) and punishable under section 28(10) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

Amendments

But in the amended charges filed by ICPC on March 4, 2021, the commission dropped the two charges of result forgery and falsification contained in the original 10 counts.

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Aside from reducing the total number of counts to five, the commission also removed Mr Efes name from the charges leaving Mr Obono-Obla and Mr Ibrahim as the remaining defendants.

The amendment also saw the removal of diversion of funds from the charges.

It also removed the N19,994,185 allegedly diverted by the defendants in July 2019.

The prosecution substituted the N10, 174,000 with N10, 174,000 which it now claims, in the amended charges, to have been paid to some contractors from the N15, 187, 917 the NDIC was said to jave paid to some contractors for the furnishing of the SPIP offices.

In the previous charges, ICPC claimed the N19,994,185 was paid into Mr Ibrahims personal account, but in the amended charges, it claims the N10, 174,000 was paid into the account of ABR Global Petroleum Resources LTD, a company where Mr Ibrahim was said to be a director and signatory to its account.

Re-arraignment

The trial judge, Olukayode Adeniyi, had on January 23, 2021 after the defendants were re-arraigned, fixed March 17 for commencement for trial.

But with the amendment of the charges, Mr Obono-Obla and Mr Ibrahim will likely be re-arraigned on amended charges on the date for the resumed hearing.

Part of the amended charges read, That you OKOI OFEM OBONO-OBLA(M) (aka Ofern Oko Ofem) and ALIYU IBRAHIM (M) m the month of April 2019 or thereabout, at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court while being the Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP) and Senor Assistant Special Duties (Protocol) to the Chairman SPIP, respectively conspired among yourselves to use your positions to confer unfair advantage an Aliyu Ibrahim by diverting the sum of N10,174, 000 (Ten Million, One Hundred and Seventy Four Thousand. Naira) being part of the total sum of N15, 187, 917.00 (Fifteen Million, One Hundred and Eighty Seven Thousand Nine Hundred Seventeen Naira) paid to some contractors by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) for the furnishing of the SPIP offices into the account of ABR Global Petroleum Resources LTD, a company where Aliyu Ibrahim ss a director and signatory to its bank account and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 26(1)() and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

That vou OKOI OFEM OBONO-OBLA(M) (aka Ofern Oko Ofem) and ALIYU IBRAHIM (M) m the month of April 2019 or thereabout, at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court while being a public officer, to wit: Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP) did use your position to confer unfair advantage on your associate (ALIYU IBRAHIM) when the sum of N10, 174, 000 (Ten Million, One Hundred and Seventy Four Thousand Naira) being part of the total sum of N15,187, 917.00 (Fifteen Mullion, One Hundred and Eighty Seven Thousand, Nine Hundred Seventeen Naira) paid to some contractors by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) for the furnishing of the SPIP offices was diverted into the account of ABR Global Petroleum Resources Ltd), a company where Aliyu Ibrahim is a director, and signatory to its hank account without furnishing the said SPIP offices as proposed to the NDIC by you and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
The attendees kept up a light buzz of chatter for most of the night but only paused momentarily when ABC election whiz Antony Green called the seat of Dawesville on the large screen playing in the background and said Mr Kirkup could not possibly win. Loading Mr Kirkup, who is the first WA party leader to lose his seat in 88 years, had a massive 15 per cent swing against him as his opponent and new Dawesville MP Lisa Munday recorded more than 58 per cent of the first preference vote from what was counted on Saturday. The swing was replicated around the state and when looking at the political casualties for the Liberals, it is easier to point out who still remains with just Deputy Leader Libby Mettam and Cottesloe MP David Honey, the architect of the partys renewable energy plan, certainties to stay in the lower house. Former leader Liza Harvey was gone alongside other blue ribbon seat holders that appear to include Tony Krsticevic from Carine.

Supposed safe seats of South Perth and Bateman were lost with the retirement of the sitting members in John McGrath and Dean Nalder respectively. The seat of Riverton that Mike Nahan bled to gain also switched to Labor, as did Alyssa Haydens Darling Range, Peter Katsambaniss Hillarys, and Kyran ODonnells Kalgoorlie. Zak Kirkup mingles with Liberal supporters after conceding while former leader Mike Nahan dissects the result on television. Credit:Peter de Kruijff Sean LEstrange out of Churchlands and Bill Marmion in Nedlands were behind in the count on Saturday night but may still make a comeback. About six Liberals were predicted to return in the upper house as of last night, but this will not be concrete until the end of the week.

Among them are potential rookie MP Steve Martin, returning politicians Steve Thomas, Tjorn Sibma, and Donna Faragher and party powerbrokers Peter Collier and Nick Goiran. Ms Mettam is the likely choice for the new Liberal leader but the Nationals look at this point like they could be the new opposition. Generational change needed, but without Kirkup Mr Kirkup said the Liberals in WA were now looking down the barrel of the toughest four years it had ever experienced. My message to all Liberals across our state, those who supported us and those who did not, is that please do all that you can to work with us now when we need you more than ever to make sure that our party is as strong as it can be for the future of our state, he said.

Loading Public criticism of Mr Kirkups policies by Liberals willing to put their names to the barbs came to the surface when the 34-year-old said his party could not win the election. The biggest of those internal blows came from Federal MP Andrew Hastie, who Mr Kirkup has worked with closely for several years, who described the partys renewable energy policy as a lemon. This was followed by anonymous sniping of Mr Kirkup by nameless Liberals a few days out from March 13. No federal MPs were in attendance at Mr Kirkups election night event and the only state politician or candidate was Ryan Burns who had been running for Mandurah.

Zak Kirkup will fade away from public office. Credit:Peter de Kruijff Mr Kirkups father, Rob, was disappointed there had not been more better backing from the federal Liberals in an election where Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not even send a video message to be played at the partys launch event last month. Thats politics, thats circumstances, thats how it rolls, thats how it is, Rob said. When asked if there was enough support from the state Liberals, Mr Kirkups dad tried to hold his tongue. I guess [theres] things I could say but shouldnt, and I wont, he said.

[But] theyll rebuild, theyll come back. As for Zak, his dad said there were already job offers coming in although this was a surprise to the now ex-politician. Thats news to me, but I appreciate hes saying that, Zak said. The outgoing leader said generational change was now needed in the Liberal Party, but despite the protests of the crowd he would not be a part of it. For me I go back to Zak Kirkup, private citizen, Mr Kirkup said.

Loading Mia Davies steps into the breach Central Wheatbelt MP Mia Davies was one of a few Nationals to have a swing in her favour after a multi-year campaign built around reversing changes made by Labor to the Royalties for Regions program. She is now in the box seat to become Opposition Leader and told the ABC her party would be up for the challenge of representing not only country but city interests. [I have] no doubt we have the people in our team and the capability to do the job, Ms Davies said.

Weve never shied away from a challenge. Nationals leader Mia Davies looks set to be the new Opposition Leader. Credit: Supplied Ms Davies, Nationals Deputy Leader Shane Love, and Roe MP Peter Rundle will comfortably hold their seats while veteran politician Terry Redman is still ahead in Warren-Blackwood. North West Central MP Vince Catania is in a tough fight with Labor to retain his seat for the Nationals and could be a possible challenged to his partys leadership if he manages to hang on. The Nationals are on track for four seats in the upper house as of Saturday night.

Kirkups greatest fear of total control appears to be realised Labor meanwhile is looking like it could gain the very thing Mr Kirkup campaigned against in the past few weeks to try and save Liberal seats, total control in both houses. Loading Mr McGowans government was on track to win an unimaginable 22 of 36 seats in the upper house to go along with a projected 52 out of 59 in the lower house. Labor insiders had been hoping for 18 to 19 on a good day but WAs red tsunami means fourth tier candidates who were not even spruiked in election material could soon be elected. If the numbers stick in the Legislative Council at the end of counting, it will mean for the first time in WA that Labor can pass any legislation it wants and remove the old reliance on Greens and cross-bench support.
A prominent member of the ultra-wealthy Liberman family says it is too early to say whether they will work again with the Grollo family after a major fallout between the two high-profile Melbourne dynasties.

Large parts of Grocon collapsed in November last year with 45 companies put into administration and one of the casualties was Libermans $111 million office construction project in Melbournes Collingwood.

Liberman family members acquired the office block in 2017 through a trust managed by ethical investment fund the Impact Investment Group (IIG), which is owned by Berry Liberman and her husband Danny Almagor. The fund tore up its contract with Grocon in December. Liberman has now resumed work on the office tower with building giant Probuild brought in to replace Grocon with the project delayed by about a year.

Danny Almagor of the Impact Investment Group.

It was difficult for us, it was difficult for the people who were working on the project, it was difficult for Grocon, Mr Almagor said . So my heart goes out to everyone there, these are some of those circumstances where its just hard and I think the best thing we can do is try and support each other through it rather than fight each other on it.
Defence Minister on Sunday will address three public meetings in the poll-bound state of Assam.

According to the official Twitter handle of the personal website of Rajnath Singh, the Defence Minister will address a rally in Biswanath at 12.25 pm, then address a public meeting in Gohpur at 01.40 pm following a public meeting in Deragaon at 3. 05 pm in Assam today.

Singh, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda are among 40 star campaigners of the BJP for Assam Assembly elections.

Polling for the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on March 27, April 1 and April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

BJP has announced the first list of 71 candidates for Phase-I and Phase-II Assam Assembly Elections 2021. Of the 71 candidates, the party has given tickets to 11 new candidates. It has also fielded candidates on seats that were earlier held by its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and former partner Bodoland Peoples' Front (BDF).

In 2016, the BJP scripted history and formed the government for the first time in the state ending Congress's 15-year rule. BJP and its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF) won a combined 86 seats in the 126-member Assam Assembly. BJP bagged 60 seats, AGP 14 and BPF 12 seats.

This time the BPF has joined the Congress-led coalition 'Mahajath' after breaking away from the BJP-led alliance.

(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.)
Following the prosperous year of 2020, commercial banks have devised more ambitious business plans for the new year. Meanwhile, bank share prices have hit a decade high.

The Sai Gon  Ha Noi Commercial Bank (SHB) has announced its 2021 business plan with an expected pre-tax profit of VND5.555 trillion, or 70 percent higher than 2020.

This is an ambitious goal, analysts say, as SHB has just settled problems after admitting Habubank in 2016-2020.

As of the end of 2020, the problems had been mostly solved, with a 10-year high profit and 10-year low bad debt ratio.

Also in 2020, SHB fulfilled all three pillars of Basel II Accord, forming a safe foundation for an effective growth period following its business strategy. The bank has also fulfilled the plan to increase capital to VND17.5 trillion through dividend payments and share issuance.

ACB plans to announce its business targets at the shareholders meeting slated for April. It is expected that business targets would be equal or higher than 2020.

Vietcombank, one of the big four bankd, plans to obtain pre-tax profit of VND25.2 trillion, up by 12 percent, and reduce the bad debt ratio to below 1 percent this year. Meanwhile, MBBank has projected the 25-30 percent profit increase in 2021. VietiBank strives for the 10-20 percent growth rate.

As for OCB, the targeted pre-tax profit of the bank is expected to increase by 15 percent to VND5.56 trillion. Maritime Bank wants a pre-tax profit higher by 30 percent.

Most of the forecasts released by prestigious institutions project higher growth rates for banks in 2021. VN Direct believes that banks profit will be higher in 2021 because the banking system serves as the major channel used by the government to stimulate economic growth.

VCSC also predicts that banks will see their profits increase in 2021 because it is highly possible that the State Bank will maintain a loose monetary policy to promote economic development. Bad debt is not a big problem now because banks have strengthened provisioning against risks.

According to SSI Research, banks NIM in 2021 will increase by 15 percent compared with 2020 in the context of the 12-13 percent credit growth rate of the whole banking sector.

Meanwhile, non-interest income is expected to increase by 8.7 percent compared with the last year thanks to the recovery of the income from service fees.

Bank shares saw impressive price increases on the first days of 2021, serving as the pillar of the stock market as the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on investors decisions.

Sacombank shares (STB) have seen prices increasing from VND10,000 per share in early January to VND19,000 per share, while VP Bank shares (VPB) from VND20,000 to VND42,000.

M. Ha

Bank shares still sought despite Covid-19 Commercial banks are facing challenges, including an increase in bad debts because of Covid-19 and pressure that has forced them to increase charter capital. But bank shares remain attractive to investors.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Partly cloudy early then heavy thunderstorms this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 83F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Doodnath Maharaj was the general secretary of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union for nearly two decades. This is out of a total of 40 years service.

He was a dedicated and loyal comrade who did his best work away from the limelight. Indeed, he shunned it, embodying a self-effacing personality that was deeply mystifying to many who came to know him.
Raleigh is a year older and a year wiser, when it comes to handling the pandemic in 2021. So this year, St. Patrick's Day celebrations are looking a bit different with safety being a priority.

Video Transcript

ANA RIVERA: This time last year Glenwood South was a ghost town but now even though the restaurants aren't full and they're not exactly filling all of their tables to capacity, they are feeling very lucky this year.

The music is playing and the tables are full. The bars and restaurants are used to this weekend being a huge moneymaker. This would normally be the day people flock to downtown Raleigh dressed in green for the St. Patrick's Day parade and the celebrations would continue throughout the night. Unfortunately, the parade was canceled but bars and restaurants like Hibernian, having their first major event to celebrate the holiday and it's breathing some hope back into the city.

CECE YARBOROUGH: So hopeful. And we were just talking earlier about hopefully in a week it won't shut down again. Hopefully it'll stay at this pace. But I think the phased approach is nice.

ANA RIVERA: Hibernian did sell out of their reserve tables already but they are accepting walk-ins at first come, first served. But keep in mind, if you are coming out tonight they're still going to have to close up shop at midnight because of the current mandate. I'm Ana Rivera, ABC 11 Eyewitness News.
Pope Francis celebrates Mass to mark the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, and urges Filipinos to renew their commitment to Christ as missionary disciples.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis on Sunday joined the Church in the Philippines in commemorating 500 years of Christianity in the Southeast Asian nation.

He celebrated Mass in St. Peters Basilica with several representatives of the Filipino Church, including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, formerly the Archbishop of Manila.

Missionary disciples

In his homily, the Pope said Filipinos received the joy of the Gospel half a millennia ago, and this joy is evident in your people.

We see it in your eyes, on your faces, in your songs and in your prayers, he said. I want to thank you for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian communities.

Recognizing the witness of faith Filipinos offer through their discreet and hardworking presence, Pope Francis also urged them to persevere in the work of evangelization.

He said the Gospel message of Gods closeness must be constantly proclaimed to others, so that none might perish.

As the Church in the Philippines celebrates the quincentenary of her birth, the Pope urged Filipino Catholics to walk courageously along the path of missionary discipleship.

Never be afraid to proclaim the Gospel, to serve and to love, he said. With your joy, you will help people to say of the Church too: she so loved the world!

Jesus is source of our joy

Turning his reflections to the Sunday Gospel, Pope Francis pointed out that it contains the heart of the Gospel message. God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son (Jn 3:16).

He added that the Gospel message is not an idea or doctrine, but Jesus Himself.

The source of our joy is not an elegant theory about how to find happiness, but the actual experience of being accompanied and loved throughout the journey of life.

The Holy Father then spoke about two aspects of the days Gospel passage: God so loved and God gave.

Pope Francis greets a Filipino child

God so loved

Pope Francis said that God so loved that He came to seek us out when we were lost and raise us up.

He has always looked at us with love, and for the sake of love, He came among us in the flesh of his Son, said the Pope. In Jesus, God spoke the definitive word about our life: you are not lost, you are loved. Loved forever.

He added that sometimes we prefer a glum, sorrowful, and self-absorbed religiosity, even though the Gospel should enlarge our hearts and make us grasp the immensity of Gods love.

Listen to our report

God gave

Pope Francis then reflected on the action of Gods love: God gave his Son for our salvation.

Love, noted the Pope, takes us out of ourselves, and always seeks to give itself fully.

That is the power of love, he said, it shatters the shell of our selfishness, breaks out of our carefully constructed security zones, tears down walls and overcomes fears, so as to give freely of itself.

Gods love in Jesus, said Pope Francis, is so great that He cannot fail to give Himself to us.

Pope Francis incenses the altar

Joy in self-giving

As we see in people who love one another and share their lives in love, he said, the more we love, the more we become capable of giving.

The Pope said that sometimes we seek joy in dreams of glory or in the false security of material possessions.

Yet, true joy can only be found in complete self-giving, as God shows in giving His Son.

Life teaches us that true joy comes from realizing that we are loved gratuitously, concluded Pope Francis, knowing that we are not alone, having someone who shares our dreams and who, when we experience shipwreck, is there to help us and lead us to a safe harbor.
New Delhi, March 14 : The BJP on Sunday named several Union Ministers, MPs and actors as its candidates in the West Bengal Assembly polls.

For the high octane polls, the party has fielded Union Minister Supriyo Babul from Tollygunge, actor-turned-politician and Lok Sabha member Locket Chatterjee from Churchura, journalist and MP Swapan Dasgupta from Tarakeshwar, and noted economist Ashok Lahiri from Alipurduar.

Releasing the list of candidates at a press conference here, BJP national General Secretary Arun Singh said that the names were finalised in the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting, chaired by party chief J.P. Nadda and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others, held on Saturday.

Singh said a wave of "Poribortan" clearly visible in West Bengal and the BJP will form the government by winning over 200 seats.

Sitting Lok Sabha member from Coochbehar, Nishit Pramanik will contest the Dinhata assembly constituency as per BJP list of candidates for 27 seats going for poll in the third phase and 36 for phase four.

Former Trinamool Congress Minister Rajib Banerjee will contest from his present Domjur seat.

Renowned oncologist Dr Indranil Khan has been fielded from Kasba Assembly seat.

The BJP has fielded actors Tanushree Chakraborty from Shyampur, Anjana Basu from Sonarpur Dakshin, Payal Sarkar from Behala Purba and Yash Dasgupta from Chanditala assembly constituency.

Elections for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases between March 27 to April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 2.
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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.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 68F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 53F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
RTHK: China urges Myanmar to protect Chinese

China urged Myanmar on Sunday to stop violence and protect Chinese companies and personnel after attacks on Chinese-financed factories there, China's state-run CGTN news service said.

It said that according to reports, several people were injured but the identities of arsonists had not yet been ascertained.

"China urges Myanmar to take further effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar," CGTN said, quoting a Chinese embassy statement. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
3 new Colombo city railway lines to ease traffic congestion By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

The Government is building three new railway line-routes connecting Colombo and the suburbs, the first new tracks in 70 years since the end of British colonial rule, to ease growing traffic congestion in the business capital city.

These three railway lines will be constructed from Ragama to Kirulapone via Colombo Fort, the other route to Kelaniya via Moratuwa, Piliyandala, Narahenpita and the third to Hunupitiya (Wattala) via Kottawa, Pannipitiya and Thalawathugoda.

The project will be initiated as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and is scheduled to be completed in four years (once started) at an estimated cost of US$ 5 billion with foreign investment invited with the return based on a revenue sharing model, officials said. The Governments share would be around 6 per cent of the total cost while the daily saving following the implementation of the project is around Rs. 550 million, a senior Treasury official told the Business Times.

This railway service will integrate the bus rapid transit system at Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center, Kottawa easing heavy traffic congestion in the Colombo city limits while saving 50 per cent of the Rs.1 billion economic loss, a Transport Ministry project report revealed. The Park and Ride now in operation from Kottawa to Fort aims to minimise the number of vehicles travelling to and from Colombo and suburbs by providing comfortable, convenient and safe public bus transportation for passengers, motorists and motorcycle riders.

Details on the first phase of the proposed railway project were revealed at a high level official meeting chaired by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Ministry of Finance in Colombo recently. He directed officials to include Maharagama also in the railway project plan as a large number of people arrive from outstations to this town. Maharagama town could be included in the 21.5 km Kottawa-Hunupitiya railway line, Urban Development Authority officials who attended the meeting assured the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile the government is implementing the ADB-funded Railway Efficiency Improvement project aimed at repairing and upgrading the aging railways network. Egis an international firm, along with its local partner Greentech is entrusted with the task of the Project Implementation Consultancy.

During this 36-month assignment, the team will monitor the contractors works by performing the overall project management activities, monitoring the social safeguard and environmental requirements and act as the Clients Engineer.

Project benefits include travel time savings from reduced operating delay, shorter waiting time for purchasing tickets, reduced access and transfer time at the two main stations of Colombo, and congestion alleviation for other transport mode users, primarily in suburban Colombo.
Flags in the city of Tomball were lowered to half-staff this weekend in honor of late City Manager Robert S. Hauck  a longtime, beloved community leader who passed away in a single-vehicle crash on Saturday.

The crash occurred at 1:20 p.m. in Waller County, an obituary from the Tomball Police Department states. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen Hauck, and their three children Lauren, Conner and Madeline.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Tomball city manager dies in vehicle crash

Robert Hauck served as Tomballs Chief of Police from 2008 to 2014, and as assistant city manager from 2014 to 2018.

He served in the role of city manager from April 2018 until his passing.

He was an incredible person  somebody who was a friend, a leader, who would just really would go out of his way to help anybody, said Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan. Every employee that I think he ever touched felt that kindness that he had; felt his heart and knew that everything he did, every decision he made was looking out for the people of Tomball and our employees.

The Office of the Mayor issued a proclamation following Haucks death, ordering U.S. and Texas flags to be flown at half-mast in Tomball.

Robert Hauck began his full-time career in public service as a Los Angeles police officer in May 1988, where he worked a variety of assignments  his last being Captain, assigned to Metropolitan Division, until his retirement in June 2008, when Robert joined the City of Tomball, where he served as Chief of Police, Assistant City Manager, and City Manager. Robert Hauck has been instrumental in Tomballs continued growth and was dedicated to the service of his family, coworkers, and his community, states the proclamation.

Fagan said shed remember Hauck first and foremost as a friend.

Hes somebody that you could get close to, that you could talk to, that you could bounce ideas off of, she said. Everything Im reading, everything Im seeing thats coming out on my Facebook page is all talking about how much hes going to be missed and how much of a leader he was and a mentor to people.

Haucks contributions have long been recognized by the Tomball community, including by the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce who named him the 2020 Citizen of the Year.

We are saddened by the news of our beloved city manager, Rob Haucks sudden passing, states a chamber Facebook post. We were blessed and honored to have him as a wonderful community partner and leader. We will truly miss our 2020 Citizen of the Year and are sending prayers and condolences to the Hauck family and our city of Tomball community.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Tomball Chamber selects City Manager Rob Hauck as Citizen of the Year

His involvement in the Tomball community extended well beyond city government.

His past roles include being president of TOMAGWA HealthCare Ministries from 2012 to 2018, a board member with First Community Credit Union, and an active member of his church, The Potpourri previously reported.

Rob Hauck will be missed dearly by all, the obituary states.

In a message to TOMAGWA supporters, the nonprofits CEO Timika Simmons described the effect Hauck had on the community as like a stone cast across waters.

Hauck became a supporter of TOMAGWA and their mission soon after coming to Tomball in 2008, she said, advocating on behalf of those in need of a medical home, regardless of income and insurance.

In 2010, Hauck joined TOMAGWAs board of directors before becoming board president in 2012.

We would like to thank the late Mr. Hauck for his invaluable contribution to TOMAGWA, during his tenure of service and express our deepest condolences to his family, who we ask that you keep in your thoughts and lift up in your prayers, Simmons writes.

mfeuk@hcnonline.com
London, March 15 : Another 4,618 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,258,438, according to official figures released on Sunday.

The country also reported another 52 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 125,516. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test, the Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 24.1 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

The data were revealed as experts raised concerns over the difference between vaccination rates in richer and poorer areas in England, where black, Asian and other minority ethnic populations are often the majority.

A research by The Guardian newspaper has found the vaccine gap was most pronounced in the borough of Southwark, south London.

In the richest areas in the borough, 95 percent of those aged 60 or older had been vaccinated by March 7, but the number fell to only 70 per cent of people in the poorest areas of Southwark, according to the London-based newspaper.

The vaccine rollout is a vital part of Britain's plan to recover from the pandemic.

On February 22, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his long-anticipated "roadmap" exiting the lockdown. The March 8 reopening of schools was the first part of the four-step plan which is expected to see all legal restrictions in England being removed by mid-June.

Other parts of Britain, including Wales and Scotland, have also unveiled plans to ease the restrictions.

Experts have warned Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants and the risks of the public breaching restriction rules.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
In the days after Ms. Everards disappearance, a group calling itself Reclaim These Streets announced that a vigil would be held on Saturday night in a South London park. The event would be partly to mourn and partly to protest the police instructions to women to stay home for their own security and to demand safer streets instead.

But the Met, as Londons police are known, once again told women to stay home. Citing lockdown restrictions, the police threatened steep fines if the vigil was not canceled.

Eventually the organizers capitulated and called off the event, in part because they could not bear the thought of their fines going to subsidize the very police force they were protesting, said Mary Morgan, a writer and scholar focused on body politics who was one of the events original organizers. It makes my stomach rot, she said in an interview.

Image Sarah Everard had taken pains to ensure her safety but was killed this month. Credit... Metropolitan Police, via Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

Whatever the Mets internal reasoning, the message it sent to women across the country was that the police were doubling down on restricting womens freedom instead of mens violence.

@metpoliceuk really do want women off the streets dont they? Anne Lawtey, 64, wrote on Twitter after organizers announced the cancellation of the gathering. She was shocked, she said in a telephone interview, that it had been shut down. We cant have a vigil? People standing still, in a park, wearing masks?

A huge crowd turned out anyway, carrying candles and bouquets, crocus bulbs in glass jars and flats of pansy seedlings to add to the pile of blooms.
The New Space India Limited or NSIL is a Central Government run Public Sector Enterprise stated that it has plans to invest around Rs. 10,000 crore over the next five fiscal years. NSIL plans to capitalise this demand for launch of commercial satellites among other services to raise revenue.

The New Space India Limited or NSIL is a Central Government run Public Sector Enterprise stated that it has plans to invest around Rs. 10,000 crore over the next five fiscal years. NSIL has been allocated Rs. 700 crore by the Union Government in this budget 2021-22. NSIL has also been paid an amount of Rs. 10 crore and an authorized capital of Rs. 100 crore.

NSIL plans to capitalise this demand for launch of commercial satellites among other services to raise revenue. Four dedicated launches are lined up over the couple of years, with its revenue mostly earned through services, the officials commented. We have contracts for four more dedicated launches but our NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) prevent us from revealing more details. All are foreign satellites, added Radhakrishnan Durairaj, executive director of NSIL said on Friday in Bengaluru.

The 18 co-passenger satellites onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C51, considered the workhorse of the space agency, included four from IN-SPACe and 14 from NSIL. Only one of the 14 commercial satellites was from India while the remaining 13 were from the USA. ISRO has put 342 customer satellites from 34 countries into orbit so far.

There are other global players like SpaceX, led billionaire Elon Musk among others are also on the market for commercial launches of private satellites for various applications like communications, broadband, DTH, GPS and earth monitoring.

NSIL has established itself as a major space service provider in a very short period and in the not so distant future, you will see it emerging as a key player in all areas of space sector and space-based services in India with a significant global presence, NSIL chairman and managing director C Narayanan said.

The first commercial mission of the NSIL was Amazonia-I. In addition, NSIL has also floated Request for Proposals to five Indian companies to build PSLV launch vehicles which will be through licensed production.
Beyonce made history on Grammys night

Women won every major Grammy at Sunday's history-making gala, a joyful night for music's biggest stars after a devastating year for the industry, with Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion and Taylor Swift triumphing at the socially distanced event anchored by electrifying performances.

It was a monumental night for Beyonce, who broke the record for most career wins by a female artist with 28.

Swift became the first woman to win the coveted Album of the Year prize three times, this year for "folklore," the first of her twin quarantine releases.

And rap sensation Megan Thee Stallion charmed while accepting her three awards including Best New Artist -- and disarmed viewers with a performance that set the Los Angeles stage ablaze.

Megan and Queen Bey earned two awards together, for their remix of the rapper's smash hit "Savage."

The Houston rapper teased with that track along with her single "Body," before serving up a thirst trap of a duet with none other than Cardi B, both of them in metallic gear that left little to the imagination.

Megan Thee Stallion (L) and Cardi B (R) offered a steamy performance of their mega-hit "WAP" at the Grammys

The audacious duo performed "WAP," a gyrating, thigh-baring celebration of female sexuality that ended atop an enormous bed.

The night featured a host of impressive performances featuring Dua Lipa, DaBaby, Swift, Bad Bunny and Record of the Year winner Billie Eilish, among others -- a line-up that kicked off with chest-baring Harry Styles, who won his first ever award.

The ceremony, which fell nearly a year to the day after Covid-19 grounded tours and forced performance venues to close, stood as a concerted effort by the music world to try to move past a crushing 2020 by celebrating its biggest stars.

And there is perhaps no one bigger than Queen Bey, whose Best R&B Performance award for her summer track "Black Parade," an homage to Black power and heritage, sent her into the Grammy record books.

Grammys 2021

It was not even clear initially that Beyonce would attend the event, when she did not Zoom in to accept her first trophy of the day, which she shared with her daughter Blue Ivy, for best music video for "Brown Skin Girl."

But she set social media alight when she was spotted in the audience and then took the stage in a figure-hugging black leather mini wrap-dress alongside Megan Thee Stallion to accept their prize for Best Rap Song.

"As an artist, I believe it's my job and all of our jobs to reflect the times. And it's been such a difficult time," Beyonce said, with her husband Jay-Z looking on, as she received her history-making award.

"So I wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful Black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the whole world."

- Eilish strikes again, honors Megan -

Billie Eilish, 19, won her second straight Record of the Year award, after sweeping the general fields last year, and a second award for her James Bond film theme song

But it was Billie Eilish who took Record of the Year -- a category in which Beyonce had two nominations, one with Megan Thee Stallion -- a moment that brought to mind Beyonce's controversial losses to Adele in 2017.

In accepting her second straight Record of the Year prize, the 19-year-old Eilish nodded to Megan, who she said had an "untoppable" year and deserved to win.

"You deserve it, honestly, genuinely, this goes to her -- can we just cheer for Megan Thee Stallion," she told the small audience of mainly nominees and performers.

The soulful 23-year-old R&B performer H.E.R. pulled an upset in scooping the Grammy for Song of the Year for her justice-minded song "I Can't Breathe," which tackles Black pain and police brutality.

"I didn't imagine that my fear and that my pain would turn into impact," the musician said in accepting her trophy.

And Swift snagged Album of the Year -- while losing all of the other five awards she was up for.

She thanked her fans, saying: "You guys met us in this imaginary world that we created, and we can't tell you how honored we are."

Taylor Swift became the first woman to win the coveted Album of the Year prize three times, for the first of her twin quarantine albums, "folklore"

It was a less shiny night than predicted for British star Dua Lipa, who was shut out of the major categories but won Best Pop Vocal Album, for her sparkly disco ball of a record released just as the pandemic took hold.

"I felt really jaded at the end of my last album, where I felt like I only had to make sad music to feel like it mattered," she said.

"And I'm just so grateful and so honored because happiness is something we all deserve and need in our lives."

Brittany Howard -- known for fronting the band Alabama Shakes -- won Best Rock Song, as Fiona Apple scored two awards for her album "Fetch The Bolt Cutters," which many critics hailed as a masterpiece.

The soulful 23-year-old R&B performer H.E.R. pulled an upset in scooping the Grammy for Song of the Year for her justice-minded song "I Can't Breathe," which tackles Black pain and police brutality

Though most of the rock fields were unprecedentedly dominated by women, The Strokes won for Best Rock Album for "The New Abnormal," their first Grammy ever.

Rap legend Nas also won for the first time after 14 nominations, with his "King's Disease" winning Best Rap Album.

And Nigerian superstar Burna Boy scored his first trophy for Best Global Music Album, ecstatically accepting the prize which he said "is a big win for my generation of Africans all over the world."

But it wouldn't be the Grammys without controversy.

The Weeknd has pledged to stop submitting music for awards consideration after he surprisingly received no nominations, despite a big year commercially.
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New Delhi, March 14 : Using gamma oryzanol -- a powerful antioxidant -- in supplement form on Covid-19 patients with obesity can significantly prevent cytokine storm in them and thereby safeguard them from negative clinical outcomes, health experts said on Sunday.

The findings suggest that rice bran supplement containing natural compounds as gamma oryzanol can be considered a coadjutant therapy to prevent the cytokine storm in Covid-19 patients with obesity conditions.

"Gamma-oryzanol has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and due to which it has the potential to be helpful in preventing negative clinical outcomes in such patients who have inflammatory tendencies," Neha Gupta, Infectious Diseases specialist, Medanta - The Medicity told IANS.

Cytokine storm is an umbrella term encompassing several disorders of immune dysregulation and multiorgan dysfunction that can lead to multiorgan failure if inadequately treated.

The main reason for a higher prevalence of negative clinical outcomes due to Covid-19 in obese individuals is due to the cytokine storm, result from the cytokine production from both obesity and viral infection.

"Its consumption is helpful in reducing inflammation in body and if by chance that person catches Covid-19, complications in such person who is already using anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound i.e. gamma oryzanol will be very less severe and the chance of cytokine storm will be prevented by the body's own immune system," said S P Byotra, Chairman of Department of Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.

In a meta-analysis, published in the journal Obesity Reviews, a team of researchers pooled data of 399,000 patients and found that people with obesity who contracted SARS-CoV-2 were 113 per cent more likely than people of healthy weight to land in the hospital, 74 per cent more likely to be admitted to an ICU, and 48 per cent more likely to die.

According to the experts, people with obesity are more likely than normal-weight people to have other diseases that are independent risk factors for severe Covid-19, including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes.

They are also prone to metabolic syndrome, in which blood sugar levels, fat levels, or both are unhealthy and blood pressure may be high.

"In Covid-19, patients might develop a hyperinflammatory condition and the cytokine storm syndrome, which can lead to organ dysfunctions and failure, and even, death. Very recently, a study conducted confirmed that Gamma Oryzanol is a potential therapeutic adjuvant to avoid or attenuate the cytokine storm in Covid-19 patients," said Gupta.

A recent study from Tulane University of 287 hospitalized Covid-19 patients found that metabolic syndrome itself substantially increased the risks of ICU admission, ventilation, and death.

Studies have also shown that the gamma-oryzanol has a positive action in the treatment of some obesity-related comorbidities and attenuation of proinflammatory cytokines.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)


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MPs last night demanded action over the Armys ageing armoured tanks  saying some of them dated back to when Elvis was the Christmas No 1.

In a damning report, they warned that the Armys current capability was so obsolescent and outgunned that it could cost lives.

And the cross-party Commons Defence Committee raised fears that the UKs armoured forces were at a very serious risk of being outmatched by potential adversaries of similar size.

MPs say some of the Army's armoured tanks date back to when Elvis Presley was number one

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, the committee chairman, said: Over the past two decades, the Ministry of Defence has allowed our armoured fighting vehicles capability to atrophy at an astounding and alarming rate.

'Of the vehicles we do still have, some date back to the early 1960s, when the Morris 1100 was the most popular car and Elvis was the Christmas No 1.

Mr Ellwood, a former Defence Minister, added: A mixture of bureaucratic procrastination, military indecision, financial mismanagement and general ineptitude has led to a severe and sustained erosion of our military capabilities.

That could have a profound and potentially devastating impact on the UKs ability to respond to military threats, he added.

Tobias Ellwood added the tanks could have a profound and potentially devastating impact on the UKs ability to respond to military threats

Mr Ellwood urged Ministers to take this into account in the impending Integrated Review on defence and hoped there was still time to include action to strengthen our decaying armoured fighting vehicle fleet.

He added: In a conflict, the capable men and women working for the Armed Forces may find themselves outmatched, reliant on a fleet of outdated and outmoded fighting vehicles.

'These failures may cost lives.

The committees report described the recent history of the armoured fighting vehicle capability as deplorable, saying the fleet was characterised by increasing obsolescence and decreasing numbers.

It warned that even under the MoDs current plans, the UK was four years away from being able to field a war-fighting division.
WAtoday has looked at the vote count as it stands at the end of election night and picked the seats where we got the biggest surprise outside of the headline-making defeats in Dawesville, Riverton, Scarborough and Hillarys.

Liberal strongholds have fallen, pushing the party into the political abyss, while several Labor seats have blown pollster predictions apart in what was the partys best result in Australian history.

Labors return to power was no surprise but seat by seat this election revealed some of the biggest surprises in WAs political history.

In elections past, regardless of the winning party, Nedlands was always locked up by the Liberals early on.

This year, however, longstanding member and former Barnett government minister Bill Marmion is actually trailing his Labor opponent Katrina Stratton thanks to a 9.5 per cent swing against him.

To remind our readers; this is a seat that includes the suburb of Dalkeith, which has a median annual income of $200,000 according to the last census and counts Gina Rinehart as one of its residents.

Likewise, South Perth has always been a beacon of blue but the swing has hit it hard and with the retirement of popular local member John McGrath, Labors Geoff Baker has romped it home over lawyer Ryan Chorley with just under 50 per cent of the primary vote.

One of the most marginal seats yet to be called by pollsters is Churchlands, where incumbent member and shadow treasurer Sean LEstrange is trailing Labors Christine Tonkin by just 0.4 per cent. In any normal year, Churchlands would have been called for the Liberals within minutes of polls being closed.
Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday (March 14) wrote to the chief electoral officer of West Bengal seeking that the medical records of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's injury be made public.

In a letter to the CEO, the party's state unit said that "the alleged attack has been used to extract maximum possible political mileage."

"The TMC and its cadre have attempted to use Honourable Chief Minister's purported injury, which seems self-inflicted, in order to gain sympathy and cause violence in different parts of the state," read the letter.

It further said that the unverified allegations of attack by BJP party workers were in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

"The TMC has alleged that the attack was carried out by BJP party workers. Such unverified allegations are in violation of the Model Code of Conduct," said the letter.

The party further claimed that the health bulletins issued by the SSKM hospital authorities were "opaque and non-specific", which have left the people of the state guessing whether the CM "sustained a bone fracture or tendon injury or bruise or something else."

WB BJP writes to chief electoral officer demanding that CM Mamata Banerjee's treatment history at SSKM hospital be made public; reads, "It's necessary that truth be brought out before public so that staged incidents don't repeat to deceive masses&manipulate their voting choices". pic.twitter.com/fVASewC2R5  ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2021

"It is necessary that truth be brought out before public so that staged incidents do not repeat to deceive masses and manipulate their voting choices," wrote the party.

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission said that the injury caused to Banerjee in Nandigram was not a result of an attack, as per the findings of the state's Observers and Chief Secretary.

Injuries sustained by the TMC chief was caused due to a lapse on part of security personnel in charge of the CM, EC declared.

According to the report of her initial medical examination, the TMC supremo sustained 'severe bony injuries' on her left foot and ankle as well as bruises and injuries on her shoulder, forearm and neck.

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Belgian police said Sunday they arrested around 10 people from among 200-300 looters who clashed with police on the fringes of a Black Lives Matters protest in Liege.

A total of 36 officers were injured during Saturday's clashes, one of whom was still being treated in hospital, said Liege police chief Christian Beaupere.

The violence happened on the fringes of a demonstration called to protest an incident on Monday in Liege, when officers arrested a woman of Congolese origin for "rebellion".

Officers were working to identify other members of the group that looted and vandalised shops in the city centre, Beaupere added, speaking at a news conference beside city mayor Willy Demeyer.

Beaupere stressed the organised nature of the looting and the violence the offenders had unleashed.

Those arrested came not just from the eastern city of Liege and its outskirts, but from the capital Brussels.

Most of those detained were between 20 and 30 years of age, but there was also one minor, he added.

Demeyer expressed his support for the police and promised support for the businesses hit by the vandalism and looting.

He said he and Beaupere would be attending a meeting Friday with members of the city's sub-Saharan community, to try to build bridges.

The woman arrested Monday has filed an official complaint accusing the police of violence and racism, a charge the force has rejected, saying she had resisted arrest.

Video footage of the incident shows two officers pinning her to the ground as others prevent members of the public from intervening.

alm/jj/wai
Meeting with Amit Shah not about change of leadership: Karnataka Minister

Cyclone Yaas: Amit Shah to hold review meeting with Chief Ministers of states to be affected

Lakshadweep MP says Amit Shah has assured draft laws won't be finalised without consulting locals

Home Minister Amit Shah to address rallies in Assam today

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Kolkata, Mar 14: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to poll-bound Assam and West Bengal from Sunday.

The BJP said Shah will address two public meetings at Margarita and Nazira in Assam on Sunday.

He will then leave for Bengal where he will hold a road show in Kharagpur in the evening.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on two-day campaign in poll-bound Assam, West Bengal

On Monday, Shah will address public meetings at Jhargram and Ranibandha in West Bengal before flying to Guwahati where he will address a Town Hall programme.

Shah and BJP president J P Nadda are also expected to meet the family members of 129 party workers in West Bengal who were allegedly killed in political violence in the last few years, PTI quoted party leaders as saying.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 9:31 [IST]
Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

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92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

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Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

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Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

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Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

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Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

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Armenia President appoints judges

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Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

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Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

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Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

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Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

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Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

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With Royal commentators accusing The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle of putting an act from start to the end in her wide-ranging interview with Oprah Winfrey, a new perspective has been lended by the British royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams. Speaking with UKs broadcaster Express, the acclaimed commentator and royal public relations consultant said that despite Meghan and Harrys sensational interview, he does not expect an overall change in attitude of the Brits towards institutional monarchy.

Queen is not an act that you can follow, Fitzwilliams alleged, adding that there might be changes in the style of monarchy by Prince Charles when he takes over, but as rumours have had it, the Prince of Wales will not thin the line when he ascends the throne. The former had earlier condemned the "absolutely devastating accusations" made by Meghan on LIVE TV against the Royal family.

Experts have been speculating that after the possible demise of the 68-year-old British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, her trusted royal, also the one closest to the throne Prince Charles will streamline The Firm, a name given by his grandfather, King George VI.

This, made easier with Harry and Meghan and Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, opted out of the crown lineage owing to the mounting controversies. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex brewed fresh lurid headlines with allegations of racism, The Duke of York had earlier subjected the Royals to scrutiny for being a confidant to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell who are convicted sex offenders.

Prince of Wales 'in despair'

While it has been reported by the British press for some time that when he inherits his mothers throne, Prince of Wales will shrink the monarchy to minimalist abolishing extended Windsor members, Royal expert Fitzwilliams negated that view in the aftermath of Markles interview. This comes in spite of the British royal aides in the palace informing sources of British broadcasters that Prince Charles, Harrys father, was in a state of despair after he learnt about the interview.

Among the four royal commentators, namely Queen's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter, the editor of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward, and royal commentator Fitzwilliams and Victoria Arbiter that came forward to analyze the aftermath of the faltering interview on Prince Charles and the monarchy, Fitzwilliams said that the Britishers opinion will hardly change. Monarchy goes back to a thousand years with the exception of civil war, he told the network, adding that the percentage of citizens that support a republic according to YouGov has always been around 20 per cent.
PH Real Estate, one of Dubais oldest real estate brokers, has announced that it has purchased 50% shares owned by its co-founder Myles Bush in the company for a 'seven-figure amount'.

Bush, who has announced his retirement, had set up the company in 2008, aalong with Nick Grassick, who joined PH Real Estate seven years ago and remains its managing director.

A reputed company in Dubai, PH Real Estate has achieved several milestones over the last 12 years including the Dubais most expensive villa sale in 2017; the most expensive land sale in 2018 and the most expensive rental property in 2019.

On the new development, Grassick said: "Bush and I have had a fantastic run and we shall certainly all miss him. As we move into an exciting new era for PH Real Estate, Im delighted that our new partners share the values that Myles and I began the company with  trust, integrity and transparency."

One of the two new partners is real estate expert and serial entrepreneur Mamad Kashani-Akhavan who had spent his entire career investing in highly successful ventures.

"For me, PH stands out as a growing business built on admirable values and a strong vision of what it needs to do to keep growing. I myself started my own real estate brokerage at just 18 and managed to sell a property in Knightsbridge, London for a record-breaking 1 million in 1984, so our values certainly align," noted Akhavan.

The other partner is Vahid Mazaherioun, born in 1976 into a well-known entrepreneurial family in Iran and whose father was one of the most successful importers of consumer products of his generation.

After graduation in 1993 from one of the top universities in Iran, Mazaherioun moved to Dubai 20 years ago and started a career in Dubai real estate. During this period, he has done many successful transactions.

Between Grassick, Akhavan and Mazaherioun, the current partners possess more than 80 years of international real estate experience. The company now has a 70-member strong team and occupies a 5,000 sq ft office space in Marina Plaza, Dubai Marina.-TradeArabia News Service
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A mother-of-two who quit her corporate job to start her own business has revealed how she earned $100,000 in one month selling crystal-infused candles.

Janelle Palibrk, from Melbourne, launched her brand Myles Gray in March 2019 - but it wasn't until a global coronavirus pandemic she saw a huge spike in sales.

She credits Covid over the rise in popularity of crystals after the booming business made $100,000 in December 2020 - recording its biggest month of sales ever.

Janelle Palibrk (pictured), from Melbourne, launched candle brand Myles Gray in March 2019

The mother who quit her corporate job to start her own business has revealed how she earned $100,000 in one month selling crystal-infused candles (pictured of one of her products)

'Crystals have always been popular, but they haven't truly boomed like this,' Ms Palibrk told news.com.au.

With the world in lockdown, she believed an increasing number of people were spending more time at home educating themselves on the 'benefits' of crystals.

'This hasn't always been explained and it made some people more timid to explore crystals,' she said.

The working mother predicts her fragrant candle brand is on track to 'become a seven-figure' business in the 2021/2022 financial year.

The idea to launch her own business came to mind shortly after her dad tragically died at work from a heart attack in 2018.

'At the time my son Myles was two and I was working my way up in a corporate career. I had high expectations for my life and wanted to show my son how important it was to work hard and chase your dreams,' she wrote on Instagram.

The working mother predicts her fragrant candle brand is on track to 'become a seven-figure' business in the 2021/2022 financial year (picture of model Tahlia Skaines with the candles)

Crystal-infused candle brand Myles Gray launched in March 2019 - but it wasn't until a global coronavirus pandemic she saw a huge spike in sales

Before her father's death, Ms Palibrk said her parents would babysit their grandson Myles 'a lot' while she worked.

'My dad would always tell me how important spending time with Myles was, that if he could go back in time, he would change how much he worked when we were little and he would spend way more time at home,' she recalled.

'He was always so supportive of my decisions but he would always remind me that "time was not refundable".

'When he died, I couldn't get that conversation out of my head.'

And so she quit her corporate job after her dad's funeral.

'I began meditating every day to work through my grief and keep my mind busy. I used crystals in the meditation as I have been drawn to crystals since I was a child,' Ms Palibrk said.

The mother said she noticed how much crystal healing improved her mental health and healing through grief.

'I created a candle for my mum to help her with her grief, I made it smell like her house did when it was filled with flowers after my dads funeral,' she said.

The crystals are matched according to the meaning and fragrance of each candle

The mother credits Covid over the rise in popularity of crystals after the booming business made $100,000 in December 2020 - recording its biggest month of sales ever

She infused the candle with rainbow moonstone and black tourmaline - a candle she now calls 'Navre', which means the 'candle of healing'.

'This was the start of our small business that has grown into something I am so proud of, it allows me to work authentically with products I am so passionate about and balance my life to spend as much time with my children as I can,' she said.

'I can't imagine going back to a life filled with work and barely seeing my babies and I am so passionate about building a company that will support women, mostly mothers who want that balance too.'

The crystals are matched according to the meaning and fragrance of each candle.

'We hand pour all of our candles, cleanse our vessels and bring you the world's best, ethically sourced crystals. We have felt the power of crystal energy improve our life and our fertility,' she said on her website.

'Each candle is soulfully created with intent and purpose, our scents are matched to each crystal's healing properties to offer unprecedented power and magic.

'As our business grows, we will always be connected to our purpose, to bring crystal healing into your home and assist you during times of need.'
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Alva Al Besst, a familiar face in his community, was shot in the back of the head while he was driving his 1985 Lincoln Town Car on 31st Street in his lifelong neighborhood of Bridgeport. He was shot around 6 p.m. just west of Halsted Street.
BETHEL  Penney Parkes cant talk to her son on the phone.

Her 28-year-old son, Eric, who has autism, lives in a group home run by Ability Beyond, a Bethel-based nonprofit that supports adults in Connecticut and New York with intellectual disabilities.

She has been able to see him outside at times over the past year, but COVID-19 restrictions on visitors are tight at the facility and talking to him on the phone is a challenge.

When we tried [phone calls] in the beginning of the pandemic, that got him very upset, said Penney Parkes, of Fairfield. [He asked] Why are you on the phone? Why arent you here? Why arent we going to Stew Leonards? Why arent we going to dinner? He doesnt understand were in a pandemic.

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are three times more likely to die from the virus compared to patients without health conditions, according to an analysis from a nonprofit.

Its why Ability Beyond, which serves about 3,000 people annually, has limited visitors and held many programs virtually.

Weve been really cautious, said Jane Davis, chief executive officer of the nonprofit.

The approach has been effective, she said. COVID-19 rates among group home clients have been about one-third less than the surrounding community, she said.

The organization turned its Bethel headquarters into an isolation hub for clients who got COVID, with 28 beds and a COVID positive and COVID possible side, Davis said.

Its what kept our numbers incredibly low, she said.

Vaccines critical

The states vaccine rollout does not prioritize people with disabilities for the shot  which led the nonprofit Disability Rights Connecticut to file a federal complaint.

Davis said her organization is advocating for the clients to be next in line, as well. Many clients are front-line workers, she said.

But the nearly 500 clients living in group homes were eligible for the vaccine. About 92 percent have gotten their first shot, while around 40 percent have both doses, Davis said.

Eric Parkes got his second shot on Feb. 22, his mom said. She and her husband, David, are getting their first dose on March 20.

Nearly all staff were eligible because they worked at the group homes, but fewer employees  about 25 percent as of a couple weeks ago  are vaccinated, she said. Staff has struggled to get appointments, she said.

Some day programs have been held in-person and families were allowed to visit outside, but the organization tightened restrictions when cases climbed again in late fall.

But with the vaccines and declining COVID-19 rates, the nonprofit is looking toward easing visitor restrictions at group homes and phasing into in-person day programs, Davis said.

Davis hopes outside visits will be permitted soon, two weeks after nearly all clients have had the second dose. She said the organization is still working out rules for family members with and without the vaccine.

But day programs will likely not resume 100 percent in-person until the fall, she said. This depends on when clients living with their own families can get vaccinated, she said.

Were being very careful about the phases and the space, Davis said. Well be watching just to make sure  because our community is so at risk  that the prevalence rates are staying low and it seems to be going well.

The pandemic has put a financial strain on the organization, too. Davis estimated the nonprofit spent close to $1 million on isolation kits, special helmets for those who cannot tolerate masks and other personal protective equipment.

State agencies continued to reimburse the organization for its virtual programs, while the nonprofit has received federal COVID-19 relief funding. A fundraising gala will be held virtually and in-person at the Amber Room Colonnade on April 24.

He wasnt isolated

Penney Parkes said its been challenging not to see her son often.

What I think has gotten us through the day is that we know hes so well taken care of, she said.

Penney Parkes said the organization has been amazing throughout the pandemic. Even without the day programs, Eric Parkes has grown by doing activities with his housemates and through the one-on-one support he receives, his mom said.

He wasnt isolated, which was incredible, she said.

He has played croquet and wiffle ball outside, while his family has sent puzzles and a pretzel-making set.

The pandemic has not been as severe on some clients mental health as Davis had feared, she said. Its been incredibly hard for those living alone, but clients with roommates in the group homes have been OK.

Weve been working really hard for the folks residentially to keep everyone engaged and busy, Davis said.

Virtual services, like Zumba, arts classes and an upcoming lip-sync battle, have helped clients on the day programs, she said.

Weve been trying to come up with things like [the lip-sync battle] occasionally to keep it fun and keep folks focused on positive things, Davis said.

The hardest moment was when Eric Parkes had a seizure in April and his mom could not see him, Penney Parkes said.

That was one of the worst days of my life, she said.

He had another seizure in August. She sat outside and watched him through the window screen.

The family was permitted to visit outside for Eric Parkes 28th birthday on May 30. The backyard was set up with balloons and a cake.

He was really happy and laughing and a little confused at the beginning, Penney Parkes said.

The Parkeses have explained the pandemic to their son by calling it the big flu.

He understands the flu, Penney Parkes said. Hes had the flu. But I dont know that he can comprehend more than that. Its been hard for us to comprehend, really.
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Today

Cloudy this morning followed by isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. High 71F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
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China's Ministry of Education has issued a notice to improve second bachelor's degree programs in universities.

Universities should fully harness their educational resources to train interdisciplinary talents, thus providing support for stabilizing employment and enhancing students' employability, said the document.

It also made clear that universities are allowed to enroll students across schools for a second bachelor's degree education.

Also, the ministry will establish a national online platform for universities to release relevant enrollment information.
Three states have acted swiftly to issue travel warnings after a Sydney hotel quarantine security guard tested positive to coronavirus.

The man, 47, who has already received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, broke New South Wales' streak of 55 days without a locally-acquired case when he returned a positive test on Saturday night.

The new case came two days after a hospital doctor tested positive in Queensland.

As health authorities scramble to track down the places the Sydney hotel security guard visited while infectious, Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria have issued alerts to travellers who have arrived from NSW in recent days.

Victoria Health will contact all arrivals who entered the state via Sydney since March 13 using data captured by the Travel Permit System.

Victorian authorities said anyone who visited Pancakes on the Rocks Beverley Hills in Sydney's south between 10.45am and midday on March 13 must get tested and immediately quarantine for 14 days.

All travellers who have entered Victoria via Sydney since March 13 will be contacted by health officials. Pictured are travellers being screened by health workers at Sydney Airport

The security guard visited Pancakes on the Rocks in Beverly Hills on Saturday, March 13 from 10.45am to midday. Victorian and Western Australian health officials have urged anyone was there at the time and entered either state since to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days

'Anyone now in Victoria who visited this site at the designated times will be treated as a primary close contact and is required to quarantine for 14 days,' Victoria's health department said in a statement.

Western Australia's Department of Health issued similar advice for travelers who have recently returned from NSW: anyone who visited the Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre in Bexley on March 13 from 9am to 9.30am and Pancakes on the Rocks in Beverly Hills the same day must get tested immediately and quarantine until March 27.

'We believe any risk to WA remains very low,' WA's Chief Health Officer Dr Andrew Robertson said in a statement on Sunday night.

'We will continue to monitor the situations in Queensland and NSW very closely and will issue updated health advice if required.'

Any recent arrivals into WA from Queensland and NSW should remain vigilant and get tested and isolate immediately if even mild symptoms developed.

The Mantra Sydney Central pictured on Sunday hours after a security guard tested positive to coronavirus

The infected Sydney man also visited the Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre (pictured) in Bexley on March 13 from 9am to 9.30am

The man worked at the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket and the Sofitel Wentworth (pictured) housing returned international travellers on March 11 and 12 while infectious

Tasmanian Health officials also acted swiftly, ordering that anyone who had visited the Sydney locations specified by NSW Health at the dates and times listed is urged to self-isolate immediately and phone the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738.

The Sydney hotel quarantine guard works at the Sofitel Wentworth and the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket.

He was infectious while working a shift at the Mantra from 7pm on Friday night to 7am on Saturday, coming into contact with 130 people.

During his shift, the man visited the Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket, between 12.15am and 12.20am, before going to the nearby 7-Eleven in Capitol Square, on George Street, from 12.20am to 12.25am.

The man, whose household members had since tested negative, also caught a train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on March 12 and from the city to Hurstville leaving at 7am the next morning.

Venues visited by the infected worker Pancakes on the rocks at Beverly Hills - Saturday, March 13 from 10.45am to midday. Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket - Saturday, March 13 from 12.15 to 12.20am 7 Eleven in Capitol Square, Haymarket - Saturday, March 13 from 12.20am to 12.25am Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre in Bexley - Saturday, March 13 from 9 to 9.30am. A train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on Friday, March 12 and city to Hurstville leaving at 7am Saturday March 13. Hudson's Coffee Shop, Hurstville Private Hospital: Monday March 8, 8.30 to 9am Tuesday March 9, 8.30am to 9am Wednesday March 10, 8.30am to 9am Thursday March 11, 8.30am to 9am Friday March 12, 8.30am to 9am Coles, Hurstville Station - Wednesday 10 March, 8pm to 9pm Advertisement

'At the moment we think these venues are low-risk but what we're doing is reviewing CCTV footage to refine the information, and we will be using that text to those patrons that have used the QR codes for these venues,' Dr Chant said.

'It is likely some additional venues will be identified.'

Alerts have since been issued for a busy supermarket and a popular coffee shop that were attended by the man earlier this week.

Anyone who visited Coles, in Hurstville Station, on Wednesday March 10 between 8pm and 9pm or Hudson's Coffee Shop, Hurstville Private Hospital, between Monday March 8 to Friday March 12 from 8.30am to 9am have been urged to monitor for symptoms.

If symptoms appear, people are advised to immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

The same advice applies to anyone who attended the other venues during the listed times, except those who visited Pancakes on the Rocks who are considered close contacts and must be tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days.

Dr Chant said the hypothesis was that the security guard caught the virus at Sofitel Wentworth during a shift on 7pm March 6 to 7am on March 7 when there was an infected guest at the hotel at the same time.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the security guard was out in Sydney while infectious but 'not excessively so' and he was confident about the likelihood of preventing an outbreak.

'I am relatively relaxed today, knowing we have the systems in place that we have, and I am also relaxed about the fact that the testing did its job, picked up the gentleman,' he said.

However, he said he was disappointed that NSW residents had relaxed their adherence to coronavirus rules and precautions.

'The message from this to everybody is don't be complacent. I have certainly seen complacency everywhere I go, actually, now,' he said.

'Our hotel quarantine system is all that is standing between us and situations like England, the [United] Sates, South America. We need to recognise we all need to do our bit.'

Mr Hazzard the new case highlights the importance of staying vigilant despite the state enjoying a 55-day streak.

The man briefly visited the Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket (pictured), between 12.15am and 12.20am on Saturday during his night shift

He also visited 7-Eleven in Capitol Square, on George Street (pictured), from 12.20am to 12.25am

'This is the reality of a pandemic. The science and medicine can only go so far... don't become complacent,' he said.

'It is a real and present danger that will continue until we have most of the population vaccinated.

'As we have said all along, vaccination helps but it does not necessarily stop you getting the virus.

'The purpose of vaccination is of course, as you are well aware, having two doses in the case of Pfizer, and with AstraZeneca, it makes you far less likely to get as sick as you would get and far less likely to die.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the man received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on March 2, but had not yet had his second shot. It takes up to two weeks for the jab to take full effect.

'I'm not disturbed by it, I'm not surprised by it because you would expect these things to happen on the odd occasion,' he said.

Anyone who visited Coles, in Hurstville Station, (pictured) on Wednesday March 10 between 8pm to 9pm has been urged to monitor for symptoms

'There are no risk-free responses when you deal with Covid-19, it is unrealistic and naive to think so... there are always vulnerabilities.

'This is an important point, the [effectiveness of the] vaccination is not immediate. I have had my second dose and it does take a while,' Mr Morrison said, moments after receiving the jab.

'You should still try to observe the Covid-safe behaviours  I'm wearing a mask today.'

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said it was 'unusual' for someone to catch coronavirus after getting the first jab.

'This is not a silver bullet that is going to fix everything right away,' he said alongside the prime minister.

'There will still be outbreaks, even as we go through this vaccination program.'

Professor Kelly said a 'small proportion' of people may get 'mildly sick' in the unlikely event they caught the virus, but would not become seriously ill.

'There is a time lag of getting that vaccine and the protection kicking in, of a few weeks, and as you get the second dose, particularly with the Pfizer vaccine, that protection increases,' he said.

The worker's positive tests was reported on Saturday night, breaking the state's streak of 55 days without a locally-acquired case

The man also caught a train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on March 12 and from the city to Hurstville leaving at 7am

Health authorities are working to identify where the virus came from and who may have been exposed.

'The source of the new infection reported overnight is under investigation and urgent genome sequencing is underway,' Dr Stephen Conaty from NSW Health said.

NSW Health said the emergence of the case 'underscores the need for continued community vigilance for any signs and symptoms that could be Covid-19'.

'It is critical that everyone continues to practise Covid-safe behaviours and that people come forward for testing if they have even the mildest of symptoms,' a statement read.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the hypothesis was that the security guard caught the virus at Sofitel Wentworth during a shift on 7pm March 6 to 7am on March 7 when there was an infected guest at the hotel at the same time

NSW Health said the emergence of the case 'underscores the need for continued community vigilance for any signs and symptoms that could be Covid-19'

The case will be recorded in Monday's figures as it was detected after 8pm on Saturday.

There were no locally-acquired Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, and three cases in travellers in hotel quarantine.

The tally came from more than 9,200 tests.

Meanwhile, Scott Morrison received his second Pfizer vaccination dose on Sunday morning.

The prime minister joined 20 nurses, GPs, frontline workers, aged care staff and ADF personnel to receive their first dose on February 21.

Three weeks had since passed - the recommended waiting time between jabs - so those people were now getting their second shot.
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Now that he's received his second dose of the vaccine, Thomas feels more confident that he and his family are safe.

"The positives far outweigh the potential negatives," he said of getting vaccinated.

Nancy Vanduyne was concerned about her health. "I don't want to get the disease," she said after her second dose. But there is another motivation for getting vaccinated.

Vanduyne's sister is in a nursing home. Because of restrictions on nursing home visitation, she hasn't seen her sister in a year. The vaccine puts her closer to being able to see her sister again.

There was agreement that getting vaccinated was a smooth process. The four people interviewed for this story received both doses at county-run clinics. The Citizen followed Taylor from his entry into the clinic at the Fingerlakes Mall Event Center to the observation area after he got his second dose.

The clinic has several stations, starting with a table where vaccination appointments are verified. Individuals with appointments then get their temperature checked and provide insurance information. At another table, they complete a health screening form before advancing to registration. Once they finish registration, they get in line for their dose.
The acting leader of Myanmars parallel civilian government said it will seek to give people the legal right to defend themselves as the death toll in protests against last months coup exceeded 80, according to an advocacy group.

Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is on the run along with most senior officials from the ruling National League for Democracy Party, addressed the public via Facebook, saying, This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close.

An injured man is carry away after security forces dispersed an anti-coup demonstration in Mandalay, Myanmar on Saturday. Credit:AP

He said the civilian government would attempt to legislate the required laws so that the people have the right to defend themselves against the military crackdown.

More than 80 people had been killed as of Saturday in widespread protests against the militarys seizure of power, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group said. Over 2100 people have been arrested, it said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  For Vice President Leni Robredo, the recent breach in health protocol by Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Debold Sinas should be a teaching moment for everyone on the importance of responsibility, especially for public officials, amid the pandemic.

"Dapat nga tayo yung example. Walang excuse dahil wala namang nae-excuse sa virus 'diba so dapat talaga kung ano 'yung policy on the ground sumunod tayo," Robredo said Sunday in her weekly radio show Biserbisyong Leni over RMN DZXL.

[Translation: We should even be the ones leading by example. There should be no excuses because no one is excused from the virus, right? We should be following the policy on the ground.]

"Gaya ng sabi ko, responsibility natin na hindi tayo carrier eh. Again, maraming circumstances na hindi natin kontrolado pero kung ano yung kontrolado yun yung gagawin natin."

[Translation: Like I said, it is our responsibility not to be carriers. There are a lot of circumstances that are uncontrollable but we should act on the ones that we can control.]

Sinas confirmed last Thursday that he contracted COVID-19 and had to undergo quarantine at the Kiangan Billeting Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City. However, on the same day, the Oriental Mindoro provincial government said Sinas skipped health screening in Calapan City upon his arrival there.

READ: No health screening for PNP chief upon arrival - Oriental Mindoro gov't.

On Saturday, Senator Panfilo Lacson also called out Sinas for hitting "strike two" in his protocol breach.

This is not the first time that Sinas violated health protocols as the government grapples with rising COVID-19 cases.

In May 2020, he and 18 subordinates were charged for entertaining guests to a birthday blowout despite strict quarantine rules, an event which also sparked outrage due to the perceived "double standards" on law enforcers imposing health protocols.
The Congress on Sunday released its second list of candidates for the multi-phase West Bengal polls, with 34 names.

The Congress, which is contesting on 92 seats of the state's 294 in alliance with the Left Front and the ISF, has so far announced 47 candidates.

The Congress list contains candidates for seats that will go to polls from the third to the final phase and includes Mainul Haque from Farakka, Rabin Ray from Tufanganj, Kamlesh Chatterjee from Bharatpur, and Manoj Chakraborty from Baharampur.

The Assembly elections in West Bengal will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 and the results will be declared on May 2.
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The Kaduna State government said security operatives in the early hours of Sunday foiled another attempt by bandits to kidnap students at Government Science Secondary School, Ikara.

Ikara is about 150 kilometres from Kaduna town.

The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Homeland Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, discosed the development at a press briefing in Kaduna on Sunday.

Mr Aruwan said the bandits stormed the college in an attempt to kidnap the students but were repelled by security operatives who were alerted by people of the community.

Between the late hours of Saturday night and the early hours of today, suspected bandits stormed the Government Science Secondary School, Ikara, Ikara local government area, in an attempt to kidnap students.

Fortunately, the students utilised the security warning system in place, and were thus able to alert security forces in the area.

The security forces comprising the troops of the Nigerian Army, Police and some security volunteers moved swiftly to the school and engaged the bandits, forcing them to flee.

 The military and police are still on the trail of the armed bandits.

 Following a head count by the school management, the Kaduna State Government can confirm to you that all 307 students have been verified safe and present. The attempted kidnap was foiled completely and no student was taken from the school.

Similarly, around Ifira village in Igabi local government area, bandits attempted to attack a senior staff quarters around the Kaduna Airport general area.

This attempt was also foiled as troops of the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Army engaged and repelled them, with several escaping with gunshot wounds.

The Kaduna State Government acknowledges the efforts of the security agencies in the recent rescue of 180 students in the vicinity of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka. These efforts have being mentioned in interviews given by some of the rescued students.

By virtue of access to the facts of the event, the Kaduna State Government extends its unequivocal solidarity to the Military, Police, Department of State Services and other security agencies, whose swift intervention prevented the bandits from abducting more persons.

The Kaduna State Government maintains a clear focus at this time, and that is to ensure the safe return of the missing students, and to consolidate intelligence gathering and security vigilance towards forestalling possible attempts on other facilities or institutions.

As a Government, our focus is on getting back our missing students and preventing further episodes of school abductions. We will continue to provide updates as further information becomes available.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 03:58:39|Editor: huaxia

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Palestinian men sit on an empty street in the West Bank city of Nablus, March 14, 2021. Palestine on Saturday announced a decision to extend the full lockdown on the West Bank for five more days, starting on March 15, amid increasing daily COVID-19 cases and deaths. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)

RAMALLAH, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Saturday announced a decision to extend the full lockdown on the West Bank for five more days, starting on March 15, amid increasing daily COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The decision was made during an online meeting held between Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye, Health Minister Mai al-Kaila and governors of all the districts.

"The government decided to ban transportation and movement of vehicles and individuals, except medical teams, between all the West Bank districts, towns and refugee camps, starting on Monday for five days," an official statement said.

It said all schools and kindergartens will remain closed during the five-day lockdown, adding that the education process will be online except for high-school students.

Weddings, rallies, festivals, mass parties, and mourning will also be prohibited, the statement added.

The government said it decided to tighten the precautionary measures in the West Bank following a high increase of fatalities and infections from COVID-19 and its new strains.

On Saturday, Palestine recorded 1,784 new COVID-19 cases, 27 more deaths, and 1,484 recoveries in the last 24 hours in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, according to the Health Ministry.

Currently, 170 COVID-19 patients are getting treatment in intensive care units of Palestinian hospitals, the ministry said. Enditem
NEW IRA chiefs are bracing themselves for a string of arrests as detectives work their way through secret recordings of two meetings of the gang's 'Army Council'.

The summits, which were bugged by MI5 double agent Dennis McFadden, have led to nine dissidents being charged with directing terrorism, including prominent republicans Davy Jordan and Kevin Barry Murphy.

Others who were not present at the meetings but were named on the tapes are being targeted for arrest. Among these are the New IRA's Belfast boss Gary McNally, who was arrested by police last Monday before being freed without charge later that day.

The 61-year-old, who is an ex-Provisional IRA prisoner and originally from Strabane, took over as the New IRA's OC (Officer Commanding) in the city last year. This was after he left the violent ONH (Oglaigh na hEireann) dissident gang, having been instrumental in getting it to call a ceasefire.

After McNally was taken into custody, Detective Chief Superintendent Raymond Murray, the head of the PSNI's Serious Crime Branch, said: "The arrest is part of Operation Arbacia, an ongoing investigation into the activities of the New IRA."

The following day, a 38-year-old man was arrested in north Belfast by the PSNI's Terrorism Investigation Unit as part of the same probe. He too was later released without charge.

Security sources described last week's operation as "the start of things to come", with more arrests planned over the coming months.

They confirmed that the names of the dissidents being targeted feature on MI5 recordings of two New IRA meetings held at leased rural properties in Co Tyrone last year.

The houses were rented by Scottish-born double agent Dennis McFadden, who infiltrated the New IRA for the security services and sat on the national executive of its political wing Saoradh.

He fled his home on the outskirts of north Belfast last summer shortly before cops arrested nine hardline republicans in early morning raids.

"The initial arrests last summer were of those at the meetings. They were easily identified on the recordings," a security source told Sunday Life.

"Last week's arrests, and those that will come in the near future, are of those who were not present at the meetings but who were named as being involved in the New IRA by those in attendance.

"Dennis McFadden has been debriefed, and his information, coupled with what was said on the recordings will, be enough to charge individuals, irrespective of whether they were at the (New IRA) meetings or not."

Publicly the New IRA is playing down the huge extent of McFadden's infiltration and betrayal, with political party Saoradh accusing the PSNI of "terrorising" the families of its members and "invading" homes.

But privately, its bosses are bracing themselves for more arrests, with the organisation in disarray and unable to mount attacks on police for more than six months.

"The harm caused by McFadden goes beyond nine people being arrested. It's also created a really damaging sense of paranoia," explained an insider.

"Republicans are questioning each other, asking why certain individuals have not been arrested while others have.

"There's a real feeling of distrust, to the point that the Derry brigade, under Thomas Mellon, is acting almost as a satellite unit which does its own thing."

Mellon - who is on a 10-year MI5 watchlist - briefly resigned from the New IRA last year after a row with its leadership. He accused them of allowing him to take the blame for the organisation's murder of journalist Lyra McKee in 2019.

Although persuaded to come back on board, he remains the target of internal critics who question why he did not attend the two New IRA leadership meetings bugged by MI5.

Mellon's gang is also the focus of intense scrutiny by the PSNI after this newspaper revealed republican gun gangs have crippled 31 people in punishment-style shootings in the Derry city area in the past five years.

In the past week, cops have arrested five men in connection with these attacks, making arrests in Derry, Dungiven and Limavady.

All of the suspects were later freed without charge.

The PSNI's Foyle district commander, Chief Superintendent Darrin Jones, told us: "Behind every shooting incident is a person who has been brutally injured because thugs with guns want to control their communities with fear and violence.

"It scars the partners and family members, and children who have witnessed these shootings over the years, and results in a lifetime of trauma for the victim."

The New IRA is responsible for the majority of the kneecappings that have occurred in Derry since 2016, with CS Jones branding the gang "criminals who have turned their guns on the communities where they live, mutilating a number of men".

He added: "Paramilitary-style assaults conducted by these groups exercise coercive control over the communities they claim to represent.

"We will continue to do all we can to remove paramilitaries and violent dissident republicans and their influence from our communities because that's what people want."

cbarnes@sundaylife.co.uk
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Living in rural New Mexico, students can be far removed from the arts.

This is why the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation is stepping in to be the bridge and helping New Mexico organizations reach rural students.

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The foundation created the Thoma Equity Grants, which builds partnerships that improve the lives of young people in rural and under-resourced areas of New Mexico.

Through the grant, organizations are able to push forward the arts, education and community to inspire the next generation of leaders.

The Thoma Equity Grant supports rural youth, art-focused community programming, and education.

The Thoma Equity Grant funds programs that will increase opportunities for youth and young adults in rural areas of New Mexico, said Nicole Danti, PR and communications manager at the Thoma Foundation. Offering access to career education in these underserved areas becomes an investment in an entire community.

In fall 2020, the foundation started conversations with educators, government officials and nonprofits in New Mexico to learn about the needs of young people throughout the state.

From that point, we sought out different nonprofits that we were interested in and weighed if their needs met our goals, Danti said. Carl and Marilynn are strong supporters of education and they know the challenges of geographic isolation. They understand and support that.

The foundation then partnered with four nonprofit organizations to support pilot programs and enhanced engagement at each organization. The Equity Grant partners represent diverse communities and strategic initiatives sharing a passion for advancing equity and creating pathways to opportunity in New Mexico.

The Thoma Equity Grants funded $555,000 in programs throughout New Mexico in 2020, in partnership with the New Mexico nonprofits:

 Moving Arts Espanola received grant support to design and build out a space in the former Ohkay Owingeh casino, allowing expanded access to digital arts and media education for youth and young adults.

 High Plains Regional Education Cooperative and NS4ed serve northeastern New Mexico, and received the grant to implement a virtual series in eight school systems for counselors and teachers on Social-Emotional Learning, as well as professional development for teachers in up to 20 schools to implement NS4eds career-focused math curriculum.

 Creative Startups is parterning to pilot a Native American Entrepreneurship Portal. It will develop and implement learning resources, peer networks, mentorship and support of Native American entrepreneurs with support through Equity Grant funding.

 CNM Ingenuity received the grant to provide 16 full scholarships, including a laptop and materials, for a 15-week UX/UI coding Deep Dive for rural New Mexican young adults starting in August.
Mar. 14A Black Lives Matter protest Saturday in downtown Dayton in honor of the anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death drew several dozen people and a small police response when participants briefly marched in downtown streets.

The protest began on Courthouse Square at around 1 p.m. Saturday included a short march. Organizers asked those in attendance to march in the street for a few blocks, but to remain peaceful.

Police at one point ordered about 20 people off the streets and back onto the sidewalks.

"People need to listen and the more we stay on the sidewalk, walk in the lane they tell us to walk in, do the things they tell us, as long as we stay in the box that they built for us then we're not really making a change," organizer Fred Lambert said. "Part of what this has to be is we have to be up front and we have to face the enemy and we can't just continue walking the line that they set for us."

Members of the New Black Panthers were there providing security, Lambert said. Some of those members were carrying guns.

Lambert said he worked with a network of different organizations to organize the protest.

About 40 people attended the beginning of the protest in Courthouse Square, which mostly consisted of speeches and discussion.

Ari Divine, said the day was about honoring the people and lives that have been lost.

She added the day felt like the same day 12 months ago.

"Very little has been done," Divine said. "It's a day of honor though, honoring the lives we have lost to the movement. And just really acknowledging their sacrifices, their families' sacrifices."

Kathy Yohn, of Germantown, spoke at the protest and said she was "trying to do the work and trying to learn."

"I'm just here as someone who wants to see more coalition building, more people turning out, more people holding on to hope, whether that be in a higher power or in the ethics of this, or just in the hope that we will progress," Yohn said. "We will progress. We will prevail."

Story continues

One speaker, Talis X, said both the past and the future are important in this fight. Teaching the children is important, he said.

"To fix the future, you must work on the children," he said.

He said the movement must be "uncompromising."

"Don't tell me to forget my history, because my history is where my power is," he said. "My power is in my ancestors. My power is in my history. I can't forget it."

Contact Eileen McClory at 937-694-2016 or eileen.mcclory@coxinc.com.
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People wearing face masks walk on the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, on March 13, 2021. Belgium has so far confirmed a total of 801,723 coronavirus cases, according to figures released on Saturday by the Public Health Institute Sciensano. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

BRUSSELS, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Belgium has so far confirmed a total of 801,723 coronavirus cases, according to figures released on Saturday by the Public Health Institute Sciensano.

The country's total coronavirus-related deaths now stood at 22,397. New infection cases are on the rise, albeit at a slower rate. From March 3 to 9, an average of 2,522 new infections was reported per day by Sciensano.

Belgium's COVID-19 vaccination campaign started on Dec. 28, 2020. Three types of vaccines are currently being used across the country, namely Pfizer/BioNtech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Some 721,826 people have received their first dose of the vaccine. Among them, 365,808 have already received the second dose.

However, two suspected cases of blood clots have been reported on Saturday after the AstraZeneca vaccination in Belgium, according to the Belgian newspapers Sudpresse.

The COVID-19 vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, has been suspended in a number of countries across Europe and Asia, following reports of blood clots in some vaccinated people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the Geneva-based UN health agency "systematically reviews safety signals, and is carefully assessing the current reports on the AstraZeneca vaccine."

But France Dammel, a spokesperson for Belgium's health minister, said that the AstraZeneca vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine for people aged 18 and over.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 263 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 81 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to information released by WHO on Friday.
Cashews are big business in Ivory Coast, the world's leading producer, and the country is waging an intensifying campaign to stop smuggling of the nut known there as "grey gold".

The West African nation has strengthened its laws to punish those caught sneaking the nuts over its borders and is trying to make growers aware of the damage the illegal trade is having on the economy.

Between 150,000 and 200,000 tonnes of Ivory Coast's cashews were illicitly sold last year to neighbouring countries, including Ghana and Burkina Faso, up from nearly 100,000 tonnes the previous year, according to official figures.

"Each year, the leakage of production is a great concern," said Adama Coulibaly, director of the Ivorian Cotton-Cashew Council, which manages the sector.

"We try to do everything possible to limit the departure of our wealth to neighbouring (countries)," he told AFP.

In 2020, a government ordinance repealed and replaced a previous one from 2018, which was deemed "ineffective" to fight against contraband in both cashew nuts and cocoa, of which Ivory Coast is also the world's top exporter.

"We have more room to manoeuvre against those who harm the economy," Coulibaly said, "because every kilogramme (2.2 pounds) that gets out is a loss for the national economy and for the sector."

 'We must hit hard' 

People convicted of smuggling now risk up to 10 years in prison, a fine of 50 million CFA francs ($92,000) and the seizure of their harvest.

"We must hit hard, where it hurts, in the wallets" of those behind the illegal trade, said Coulibaly, who believes that the majority of smuggling barons are based in neighbouring countries.

Without disputing the value of new punitive measures, many specialists argue that a good price paid to growers for a product of higher quality would constitute the best way to prevent illicit trade.

The kernel of the cashew is widely used in cooking and in cosmetics, while the resin from its shell is suitable for a surprising range of industrial uses /  AFP/File

"There's a well-organised network," said a grower from Ferkessedougou, the country's main cashew region in the far north, asking not to be named as he disclosed cross-border dealings with Burkina Faso.

"The prices fixed here at between 400 and 500 CFA francs (74 to 92 US cents) aren't respected, whereas we manage to sell for between 800 and 1,500 CFA francs in Burkina."

The sacks of cashews are transported along the many tracks that cross the porous border.

"Ivory Coast is paying today for the bad quality of its production," argued Klotioloma Soro, coordinator of the National Agency of Support to Rural Development.

"Exporters offered (the growers) purchase prices lower than those paid in their neighbours like Ghana, where the quality is better."

 Awareness campaign 

A public awareness campaign is at the heart of efforts to tackle the smugglers.

Last week in the northern regions the government instructed "services responsible for protecting the borders... to take all measures to tackle the loss of the nuts by land borders."

The senior government official in these regions, the prefect, now runs an "awareness committee" comprising agricultural buyers, police and paramilitary gendarmes, along with soldiers, with instructions to crack down on illicit activities.

Cashews are sometimes known as "grey gold" as they are big business in Ivory Coast /  AFP/File

Apart from illegal smuggling, the 350,000 producers in the Ivorian cashew nut sector also face a major challenge to transform their business.

While Africa accounts for about 90 percent of global cashew production, only 10 percent of that output is locally processed for derivative products.

South America and especially Asia process not only their own cashews but also those imported from Africa -- often re-exporting them afterwards.

The kernel of the nut is widely used in cooking and in cosmetics, while the resin from its shell is suitable for a surprising range of industrial uses. The shell of the raw nut even contains a liquid used as a fluid for aircraft braking systems.

More than one million operations are performed in Switzerland every year. A surgeon's skill has a direct impact on the outcome of the operation. Training and experience, as well as momentary fatigue and other influencing factors all play a role. At present, skill is tested by experts, either directly during an operation or by evaluating video footage. This approach is very costly and only a limited number of experts are available. Moreover, the assessment may vary and is not always fully reproducible. For some time, attempts have been made to automate and objectify the assessment of surgeons' skills.

Proof of feasibility

The key result of the study is the proof of the fundamental feasibility of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based assessment of a surgeon's skill in the context of a surgical procedure. The AI used in the study identified good or moderate surgical skill with 87 percent accuracy. This can be considered a very good finding.

What was surprising was the high degree of algorithms' accuracy with the selected method. Our method of assessing surgical skills is based on the analysis of instrument movement. Surgical instruments were identified using computer algorithms and their movement was analyzed during the time period." Joel Lavanchy, Lead Author

Innovative, three-stage approach with AI

The research team used a newly developed, three-stage approach. The study was based on 242 videos of laparoscopic gallbladder removal procedures. The first step was to identify the instruments used. For this purpose, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained to recognize the instruments. In the second step, the movements were analyzed, and their patterns were extracted. In the third step, the extracted movement patterns correlated with rating results by experts using linear regression.

Broader database and in-depth training of algorithms is needed

The present study is an important first step towards assessing surgical performance. More in-depth steps are needed before the technology can be used in clinical practice. For one thing, the AI algorithms need to be trained on a broader database to further improve instrument recognition. For another thing, additional surgeries need to be investigated and, in the medium term, videos of open surgeries as well as procedures apart from the abdominal area can be addressed.

Dr. Enes Hosgor, a co-author of the study who leads the AI division at caresyntax, a medical technology company headquartered in Berlin and Boston, classifies the results as follows: "AI has mainly been used thus far to identify instruments or specific surgical phases. In our study, we now assess surgical skill based on surgical videos. In the future, the use of AI can solve problems at multiple levels: it is available on-demand peri-operatively (not dependent on a few hard-to-find experts); it is objective using algorithm-driven standards; it is comparable at a transregional level as well as surgeon level and could thus provide important support for decision-making processes at certification institutes."

AI at medical location in Bern: CAIM as an opportunity

The project provides an important indication of the future development of the use of AI in medicine. In the future, it will shift from the erstwhile evaluation of image material to the provision of expert systems. Prof. Guido Beldi, head of the study, clarifies: "The study is a first step. Now that we have demonstrated the fundamental feasibility, we can start planning assistance systems that will support surgeons during operations. For example, they will be alerted when fatigue is detected, thereby helping to prevent complications."

The promotion of AI at the Bern medical center will contribute to its further development when the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (CAIM) opens here on March 19.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (March 14) announced the list of 20 candidates for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections. The party will be contesting the assembly elections as an NDA partner with the AIADMK.

The party announced that Vanathi Srinivasan will contest from Coimbatore South against Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan. Additionally, Khushboo Sundar will contest from Thousand Lights in Chennai.

While addressing the press conference BJP national general secretary, Arun Singh said, "In Tamil Nadu, BJP is contesting as NDA partner and we will be contesting in 20 assembly constituencies spread across all regions of the state. State president L Murugan will contest from Dharapuram. Senior leader H Raja will contest from Karaikudi.

On the other hand, DMK has joined hands with Congress for the upcoming elections.

In the last assembly elections, back in 2016, the AIADMK had won 134 seats, DMK bagged 80 seats, Congress got only eight seats and BJP drew a blank.

Meanwhile, the elections to the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly will be held on April 6 and the counting of votes will take place on May 2.

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The police suspects suspecting that some fraudsters might have sent the mail so that after the account has been verified, it would be easy for them to cheat job aspirants by issuing fake job notifications and alerts. (Representational Image/AFP)

HYDERABAD: A spoofed official mail from the TS Service Commission (TSPSC) account sent to a micro-blogging and social networking firm requested that an account be shown as a verified has created a storm.

Digital team officials found out that it was a fake and lodged a complaint with the Hyderabad cybercrime police. Hyderabad cybercrime ACP K.V.M. Prasad said, It is not hacking but a spoofed mail. The mail was sent to the micro-blogging company requesting for verification of seven social media accounts of which six belong to a government department and one of an unknown account  TRteam-official  which is termed as teachers recruitment team handle.

The micro-blogging company had sent the information to the governments digital team for confirmation. The digital team contacted the TSPSC which said it had not sent any such mail. The police suspects suspecting that some fraudsters might have sent the mail so that after the account has been verified, it would be easy for them to cheat job aspirants by issuing fake job notifications and alerts.
Myanmar security forces opened fire on anti-coup protesters in the commercial capital Yangon on Sunday (March 14).

Protesters stood their ground behind shields and barricades as security forces lobbed tear gas canisters.

At least three people were killed, witnesses and domestic media said.

Video taken at the site showed protesters holding handmade shields and wearing helmets as they confronted security forces.

At least two people were killed elsewhere in the Southeast Asian nation, a day after the acting leader of the parallel civilian government said it will seek to give people the legal right to defend themselves.

More than 80 people had been killed as of Saturday in widespread protests against the military's seizure of power last month.

That's according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group.

More than 2,100 people have been arrested, it said.

Video Transcript

- Myanmar security forces opened fire on anti-coup protesters in the commercial capital Yangon on Sunday. Protesters stood their ground behind shields and barricades as security forces lobbed tear gas canisters. At least three people were killed, witnesses and domestic media said. Video taken at the site showed protesters holding handmade shields and wearing helmets as they confronted security forces.

At least two people were killed elsewhere in the Southeast Asian nation, a day after the acting leader the parallel civilian government said it will seek to give people the legal right to defend themselves. More than 80 people had been killed as of Saturday in widespread protests against the military's seizure of power last month, that's according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group. More than 2,100 people have been arrested, it said.
ISLAMABAD : Pakistan will block a popular social media app TikTok after a court order, a spokesman for the country's telecoms regulator said on Thursday.

"The court has asked PTA to block access to TikTok," Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) spokesman Khurram Mehran told Reuters, adding the authority would comply with the order.

A high court in the northwestern city of Peshawar said it was ordering the ban after a private complainant said the social media app was spreading indecent content, said Jehanzeb Mehsud, a lawyer who represented the PTA.

TikTok's representative in Pakistan said he had heard about the court order and the company would issue further comment in due course.

The South Asian Muslim majority nation had previously banned the app in October, but restored it within 10 days after the company vowed to block all accounts involved in spreading "obscenity and immorality."

The telecom regulator said the social media company had agreed to moderate accounts in accordance with local laws.

TikTok has been one of the most-downloaded app in Pakistan behind WhatsApp and Facebook.

TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, has become hugely popular in a short period of time, by encouraging young users to post brief videos.

But the app has been mired in controversy in a number of countries, with authorities raising privacy concerns and security fears due to its links with China.

TikTok has denied that its ties to China pose a security concern in other countries.

It was blocked by India in June - then its largest market in terms of users - which cited national security concerns amid border tensions with China.

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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador attends the commemoration of his second anniversary in office at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on Dec. 1, 2020. (Marco Ugarte/AP Photo)

Updates on CCP Virus: Mexicos President Knocks US Over Vaccines

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took a dig at the U.S. government Sunday, saying the United States has not helped Mexico with coronavirus vaccines.

Lopez Obrador thanked India and Russia, which have each sent small amounts of vaccines, and China, whose firms have promised millions of doses.

Lopez Obrador said, I hope that soon I will be able to say thanks to the U.S. government, because I am sure they are going to help too, it is just that that havent done so so far.

Netherlands Halts Use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine

The Netherlands on Sunday joined a fast-growing list of countries suspending use of AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine after reports of unexpected possible side effects from the injection.

The vaccine will not be used until at least March 29 as a precaution, the Dutch government said in a statement.

The move, which follows a similar decision by Ireland earlier in the day, is based on reports from Denmark and Norway of possible serious side effects, the government said.

Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the vaccine were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots, and a low count of blood platelets, Norwegian health authorities said on March 13.

White House Wont Tell Officials How Many Illegal Immigrants Entering Texas Have COVID-19: Gov. Abbott

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that the White House has refused to tell Texas officials how many illegal immigrants who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border have tested positive for COVID-19.

When asked in a Fox News interview on Sunday about whether illegal immigrants are spreading the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, the Republican governor responded, I have not seen any data about what the COVID rate is while adding that agents have reported to his office that there are illegal immigrants coming across the border with the virus.

French Must Avoid Lockdown, PM Says

France must do everything to avoid a new lockdown as pressure on hospitals grows, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Sunday as the country reported more than 26,000 new cases of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

The French government has so far resisted pressure from some health experts to impose a new, third lockdown in the face of rising case numbers.

The French government has been relying on curfews for monthsalong with the long-term closures of restaurants and some other businessesto try to avoid a costly new lockdown.

Ireland Suspends AstraZeneca Vaccine

Ireland has temporarily suspended AstraZenecas CCP virus vaccine out of an abundance of caution on Sunday, after three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca vaccine were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots, and a low count of blood platelets.

Italys northern region of Piedmont on Sunday said it would temporarily suspend AstraZeneca shots after a teacher from the town of Biella died following his vaccination on Saturday.

French Labor Minister Tests Positive

French Labour Minister Elizabeth Borne said on Sunday she had tested positive for the virus, the latest senior French official to catch the virus.

The 59-year-old, who is number eight in rank in the cabinet, said on Twitter that she was doing well despite having some symptoms. She added she would continue working.

Hungary Sets New Daily Record for Virus Cases

Hungary reported a record-breaking day of new virus cases on Saturday, and the number of patients being treated in the countrys hospitals also reached a new high.

Health authorities announced 9,444 new confirmed cases, more than 1,000 more than the previous record set on Friday. The jump came amid a rapid spread of a coronavirus variant first discovered in the United Kingdom.

Big Burden for Schools Trying to Give Children Internet Access

When governments shut down schools in response to the pandemic, educators had to figure out how to get children online.

With federal relief money and assistance from state governments and philanthropists, they have helped millions of students get online for distance learning. Still, a year into the pandemic, millions of others remain without internet because of financial hurdles and logistical difficulties in getting students what they need.

Jack Phillips, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report
Three candidates, two with familiar names in political circles, have jumped into the Jefferson Parish race to replace Charles Henry as the 82nd District member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Eddie Connick, a member of one of the region's best-known political families, and Laurie Schlegel, whose husband is a sitting state court judge, are Republicans. Criminal justice professor Raymond Delaney is a Democrat.

The three are vying to fill the remaining three years on the term Henry left with his sudden resignation in January. None of the candidates has held public office before.

The district, which is on the east bank of the parish, includes parts of Metairie, Jefferson and Elmwood. The election is March 20. A runoff would be April 24. Early voting ended Saturday.

Connick cites his experience as a medical industry executive, but knows it's his last name that garners the most immediate notice. One of Connick's cousins, Paul, is the District Attorney in Jefferson Parish. An uncle, Harry, was the longtime district attorney in New Orleans. Another cousin, Pat, is in the state Senate now, representing a west bank district.

"My dad and his brothers worked hard on their reputation and valued it," he said. "I am very fortunate to be the beneficiary of it."

The 59-year-old from Metairie wants to make the state more business friendly by reducing the number of dedicated revenue sources to free the Legislature to budget based on priorities.

"We've got to rewrite the (Louisiana) Constitution and the tax code," Connick said. He vowed to push for convention to rewrite Louisiana's Constitution, which was adopted in 1974.

But in a video on his website, Connick asserted that the state's constitution was nearly a century old. He did not mention that it was adopted in 1974.

Connick acknowledged this week that he should have been clearer, arguing that much of the language of the 1974 constitution was carried over or based on the state's constitution adopted in 1921. The message remains the same, he said.

"We've got to get back to basics," he said. "I know how to manage finances, cut expenses and negotiate contracts."

Connick holds a sizable financial advantage in the race. As of the end of February, the last time comprehensive reports were available, he had more than $113,000 on hand, compared to about $18,000 for Schlegel and $3,500 for Delaney.

Charles Henry, Jefferson Republican state representative, abruptly resigns seat State Rep. Charles Henry, an Old Jefferson Republican who won election to the House in 2019, abruptly resigned Tuesday, saying he had to shif

Delaney knows it's an uphill battle for a Democrat in a district that has sent Republicans to Baton Rouge in recent years, including Henry, his brother, Cameron Henry, and before that Steve Scalise. But, Delaney said, citing the hashtag he is using with his campaign, "Jefferson is ready."

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The 39-year-old Delaney is an assistant professor of criminal justice at Southern University at New Orleans. He is also a member of Jefferson Parish's Democratic Executive Committee and the State Central Committee.

He said he is running to represent those who don't feel represented by the current crop of legislators.

"I want to see the interest of the people represented not by politics, but by policy," Delaney, a River Ridge resident, said. Those policies need to be aligned to "public safety, improvement of education, economic development and affordable senior living," he said.

Delaney said party identification is less important to him than making sure policies benefit the constituents, citing especially those of different generations.

"People want to know who you are, where you stand and will you be open to their voice," he said. "I think Jefferson is ready for leadership that will go the House and make sure that we will not be left out."

Schlegel points to her professional experience as the bedrock of her qualifications. A professional counselor, Schlegel said she understands how to get people to the table, listen to them and then figure out how to proceed. It's also how she's approaching her campaign.

"I knock on doors and I ask about their concerns," she said. "It's sort of a continuation of what I do all day long."

Schlegel is married to 24th Judicial District Judge Scott Schlegel. Like Connick, she said she wants the state to develop a more business-friendly tax structure in order to climb out the cellar of many rankings.

Laurie Schlegel, 44, said she would focus on making the state more "user friendly" for businesses, including by reforming the tax structure and working for tort reform.

"We need more jobs, less politics," she said.

She also wants to expand educational opportunities in the state, including the creation of more vocational education for students who would prefer to learn a trade.

Schlegel said she believed her grass-roots approach would help overcome Connick's financial advantage.

"I walk the district at least five times per week," she said.

Editor's note: This story has been changed to reflect that Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick is Eddie Connick's cousin.
A flurry of trade figures has signalled that the world economy is springing back from the effects of the pandemic much faster than anticipated.

Leading the charge was the US Congress approving the $1.9 trillion (1.6tn) stimulus which will see a direct deposit of $1,400 (1,171) payment landing in Americans bank accounts starting this week.

This is the third stimulus since last spring, bringing the total pandemic relief to $5.5tn (4.6tn), one of the largest rescue packages in history.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) saw this as a gamechanger not just for the US but also the global economy, forecasting a sharp surge in global GDP growth this year as a result of the significant roll-out of the vaccine in many countries and the US stimulus.

However, access to vaccines continues to be problematic in Ireland, as it is in many other countries, and the OECD cautions that faster and more effective vaccination deployment across the world is critical.

It points to the need for the EU to both accelerate its vaccination campaign and do more to stimulate the European economy, urging the creation of "more jabs, more jobs".

Christine Lagarde, president of the ECB, while broadly indicating an economic improvement in the second half of the year across the EU, last week called on the various governments to step up their responses.

She argues that the burden cannot lie solely on the shoulders of the central bank.

And there is also the problem that although the EU agreed to an unprecedented level of fiscal stimulus last year, the roll-out has been painfully slow, with stimulus funds only due to be disbursed from this summer onward.

Irelands initial allocation from Brussels is 853m, with an estimated 70m more due in later years.

To access funding, Ireland must develop a National Recovery and Resilience Plan for approval by the EU.

The plan will set out the reforms and investments to be supported by the facility and is due to be submitted to the European Commission.

Last month Expenditure Minister Michael Mc Grath said he was seeking views on the development of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan that will enable Ireland to access funding under the EUs Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Having avoided the potential devastation of a no-deal fall-out, the British market after Brexit remains a worry for Irelands exporters who saw their largest market in Europe contract in January.

UK exports to the EU plummeted in the month representing the biggest hit to their economy since the start of the pandemic.

Earlier this month at the launch of the UK budget, chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak pledged tens of billions more for further emergency support measures for workers and businesses.

Britain is seeking to stimulate its economy and enable businesses to gain from the fast roll-out of the vaccine in the coming months.

It has had one of the worst health tolls from Covid in the world and the hit to its economy last year was one of the largest in Europe.

However, the new lockdown has taken a further toll.

In the latest quarterly report into the health of the UK economy, the Bank of England predicts GDP will grow 5% this year  which is down from the growth forecast in November of 7.25%.

The growth would still be a significant bounce back for the British economy this year and in 2022.

For Irish exporters, it could mean they recoup lost sales to the British market since the onset of the Covid crisis.

Any recovery in Irish exports to Britain would also be helped by the surge in support for sterling.

Gains for the UK currency against the euro will improve Irish export competitiveness, despite the additional Brexit-related shipping and administrative costs.

Brexit has also helped focus the minds of Irish exporters.

In finding better ways to get their goods to the expanding mainland European market, they are seeking ways to get around having to sue the so-called landbridge to channel ports, which currently means that most Irish goods exports to the continent are trucked down Welsh and English motorways.

Since January, the problems of the landbridge in getting Irish goods to European markets has been in part tackled.

Irish ports report a 50% fall in volumes shipping to British ports.

But in stark contrast, there has been a large increase in direct shipments to French ports for access to the European markets, with 36 sailings a week from the ports of Cork, Dublin, and Rosslare direct to the continent. There were only 12 such sailings a year ago.

There are other positive signs.

China rebounded earlier and faster than the rest of the world after the success of its response to the outbreak of Covid 19.

It was the only major economy to grow last year, largely due to its massive dominance in manufacturing for world markets, including personal protective equipment.

The size of the surge was unexpected, with trade data for January and February showing exports were up more than 60% over the same two months last year.

Imports were also up strongly, and Irish exporters benefited too.

Exports by Irish companies to China rose 22% to 10.6bn last year, with indications that the trade spat with the US is playing out in Irelands favour.

There is strong evidence that continued growth in Irelands exports to the Asian market can be expected this year and next.

Remarkably, China will become a larger market than the UK for Irish businesses.
Demonstrators rallied throughout Portland Saturday on the anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by police serving a no-knock warrant in Louisville, Kentucky.

About 100 people gathered under the Burnside Bridge adjacent to the spans eponymous skate park Saturday evening. After a half hour of speeches, the crowd, led by a pair of vehicles providing a makeshift motorcade, led protesters onto the bridge where people lit about two dozen paper lanterns and released them in Taylors memory.

The group blocked both ramps of the bridge, stopping about halfway to light and release the lanterns.

Speakers throughout the event told the crowd the night was about making good trouble, a nod to the late Rep. John Lewis, who used the phrase often in relation to the rallies and demonstrations he attended during the Civil Rights movement of the 60s.

Kinaya Haug, who sits on the board of the Eugene chapter of an activist organization called Black Unity, made the two-hour drive Saturday to support the Portland iterations demonstration.

She was among the first to light a lantern and watched as it joined a chorus of others float north toward the Steel Bridge.

What happened here tonight was an art installation, Haug said.

Earlier Saturday, a rally in Taylors name drew a sizable crowd downtown around noon, and a vigil for the slain Black woman started at Revolution Hall at 6 p.m.

An afternoon car caravan snaked through the city, led by shouts of Justice for Breonna Taylor, a popular rallying cry during last summers protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

The caravan passed by a 3 p.m. rally in front of Portland Public Schools headquarters where families and school employees were gathered for a different cause: pushing back against Oregon Gov. Kate Browns executive order demanding that schools begin offering in-person instruction for elementary schoolers after spring break.

Late Saturday, a group of about 200 protested outside the downtown Portland Justice Center, which serves as Portland Police headquarters and a Multnomah County jail, and the nearby federal courthouse, a focal point of mass protests last summer that was targeted again on Thursday after a security fence was removed.

Some pounded on the fortified doors of the courthouse, and several windows were broken. Federal authorities warned protesters over a loudspeaker not to damage the building but werent seen before the crowd dwindled in the early hours of Sunday.

--Eder Campuzano | 503-221-4344 | @edercampuzano | Eder on Facebook
Gov. Phil Murphy made the right decision when he ordered New Jersey schools to close last March, but he now needs to take charge again and mandate in-person learning across the state, exasperated parents demanded at a rally Saturday.

More than 100 parents from different communities gathered in Montclairs Rand Park, elevating a fight that has been largely fought locally to a statewide rallying call. Their message: Its time for Murphy to act and order schools to schools reopen five days a week for in-person learning.

Aside from our [superintendents] and our board of ed, the person that I blame ultimately for this is Gov. Murphy, said rally organizer Danielle Wildstein, a parent in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District.

She added: It has come down to [Murphy], who gave the responsibility to the superintendents back in August, gave them a very gray blueprint and then stepped aside... its really about him stepping up now.

The demand comes as about 5% of New Jersey students  70,000 children  currently have the opportunity to learn full-time in person because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest data provided the state. Roughly 367,000 students remain in all-virtual instruction, while the majority of students are in hybrid learning with limited access to their classrooms.

The Governor understands that there is no substitute for in-person learning and the administration continues to encourage districts to pursue in-person instruction as soon as it is safe to do so, his office said in statement Saturday evening.

The state has provided more $100 million in federal relief funds to assist districts in reopening, covering costs of acquiring PPE, plexiglass, cleaning materials, HVAC filters, and other supports, the statement said.

Murphy last June announced schools would be required to provide in-person instruction. Then, amid increasing safety concerns in August, he said schools would be allowed to delay reopening if they could offer legitimate reasons for not teaching in-person, such as poor ventilation or a lack of protective equipment.

The governor has since said local officials are most knowledgable about when their buildings can safely reopen, though he hopes all students can return as quickly as possible. He has also said he hopes more schools will open soon now that teachers are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

Families from Essex and neighboring counties gather to protest a full year of school closures, at Rand Park in Montclair on Saturday afternoon. 3/13/2021

The rally was held in Montclair, a district where the school reopening fight landed in court, but featured a coalition of school reopening advocates from across the state. Throughout the pandemic, a network of parents found solidarity over social media, mobilizing other residents to take up the same rallying cry and share strategies.

On Friday, South Orange-Maplewood parents and children gathered on the lawn of Marshall Elementary School for a school-in, so students could log on for virtual instruction with hotspots. And parents at Bridgewater-Raritan Schools also rallied Saturday, calling for a clear plan for the future which prioritizes the education and the safety of all.

Even in districts where major demands have now been met, the fight doesnt seem to be dying down. In Scotch Plains-Fanwood, elementary students have gone back to five half-days of in-person instruction and grades 5-12 will have the same option starting Monday.

Yes, my son and the children in Scotch Plains-Fanwood are lucky, but its not enough, Wildstein said. And I come here, because I will not stop fighting until every single public school in New Jersey is open full-time for every single child.

Mateo Reau, 6, of Montclair adds his voice to protest a full year of school closures, at Rand Park in Montclair on Saturday afternoon. 3/13/2021

Speakers told personal accounts of their kids remote instruction struggles to a cheering crowd holding signs that read no child left online and home school makes me drool.

Nadine Fuller, a Monroe Township parent, described how her 6-year-old with autism has missed out on crucial speech and occupational therapy while schools were closed.

When these skills go away, because kids havent been in school for over a year, its terrible, its painful and it leaves parents like me and many other parents in a very compromising position, Fuller said.

Other featured speakers included Amy Kayda, a mental health professional and Nutley parent, as well as Rachel Rosenberg, a family physician and Montclair parent.

Kayda, who provides adolescent mental health treatment, according to her LinkedIn profile, explained how the lack of routine, structure, socialization and social-emotional learning has resulted in increased depression, anxiety, self-injury, eating disorders and suicidal ideation among children.

The impact of the lockdown and prolonged school closure has been devastating to childrens mental health, Kayda said.

She cited a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 67,000 pediatricians, who found that pediatric emergency department visits for mental health rose by 31 percent in 2020 for kids ages 12-17.

Danielle Prussin-Wildstein of Scotch Plains leads a rally to protest a full year of school closures, at Rand Park in Montclair on Saturday afternoon. 3/13/2021

Rosenberg also drew on the recommendations of the AAP, which has advocated for students to return to classrooms.

The lockdown that started a year ago today was undoubtedly the right thing to do, Rosenberg said. But science has brought us a long way in the last year. Science has helped us identify and protect those most vulnerable to COVID. Science has helped us understand how to best support and treat hospitalized patients with COVID. Science has brought us a vaccine and science has brought us a clear understanding of how to make our schools safe.

She pointed to five guidelines for schools: three feet of physical distancing, clear instructions to stay home when feeling sick, face masks, handwashing and a quarantine procedure.

Of course, not everyone is in complete agreement on these guidelines, with the debate over three feet or six feet of social distancing proving to be a flashpoint in the school reopening movement.

Parents from Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Montclair and South Orange-Maplewood have all filed lawsuits against their boards of education to see their districts reopen for all students.

In South Orange-Maplewood, the district announced that kindergarten, first and second grade students would return to the classroom on Monday, after weeks of failed negotiations with the teachers union. In Montclair, the parties agreed to bring students back in school on April 12, earlier this week.

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Josh Axelrod may be reached at jaxelrod@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Monks and students from Myanmar hold a street protest against the military who took control of Myanmar's government by force, in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Han Jin-tak



By Park Ji-won





A group of Korean Buddhist monks and students from Myanmar held a street protest earlier this week. They prostrated themselves on the streets of Seoul in an act known as "ochetuji" that requires a person's elbows, knees and forehead to touch the floor. Ochetuji has been used by Buddhist worshippers both as a sign of reverence to Buddha and as a form of peaceful protest.



In response to news articles and videos online showing the monks and students holding the protest, online commenters appearing to be Myanmar's citizens continue to express gratitude for the show of unity.



One commenter wrote, "It touches my heart and even makes me cry. Thanks and we will never forget your voices and support, Korea."



Another wrote, "I have been a fan of K-drama since 10 years ago. Then I become a big fan of EXO. Now you and your people bring tears to my eyes as I am so grateful for your help and support. God bless South Korea."



Myanmar has been paralyzed by street protests since the military seized control on February 1 and detained Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The NLD won a landslide victory in last year's election, but the military claims the vote was rigged. A brutal crackdown on ensuing protests has led to more than 70 fatalities, according to reports.



Korean religious groups, including the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), have been expressing solidarity with demonstrators in Myanmar.



"We will pray for the realization of democracy, freedom and human rights in Myanmar in alliance with Korean churches and religious groups and civil societies here and in the world," the NCCK said in a statement Thursday.



It called on Korean churches and worshippers to offer a special one-minute prayer for peace and democracy in Myanmar every day, while urging the Korean government and businesses not to provide arms or other military supplies to the Southeast Asian country.



Archbishop of Seoul, Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, also released a statement Friday expressing solidarity with the citizens of Myanmar: "I am saddened to learn that those responsible for Myanmar's military coup are conducting ruthless crackdowns and taking violent action against peaceful protesters. Violent suppression cannot be accepted in any kind of situation. I express deep solidarity with Myanmar's citizens and hope the country will establish democracy."



Earlier this month, Korea's Ministry of Justice said it will provide special stay permits for Myanmar nationals on humanitarian grounds. Under the measures, the government will issue temporary stay permits to Myanmar nationals here whose visas are about to expire but cannot be extended.?The measures will affect around 25,000 Myanmar nationals residing in South Korea until conditions stabilize in the Southeast Asian country.


After a year marked by economic uncertainty, the Charleston area's leading pro-business advocacy group is feeling cautiously optimistic as it looks down the road.

The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce presented its yearly predictions during its Economic Outlook Conference March 10, which this year was held virtually and focused on recovery and resiliency as the region marks 12 months since the COVID-19 health crisis reached the Lowcountry.

While unemployment ballooned last spring, it tapered later in the year and is expected to continue to improve locally, especially as vaccinations help to revive the tourism sector.

Similarly, though retail sales dropped by 12 percent last year, consumer confidence is starting to recover, according to the report.

Now in its 30th year, the forecast has tracked changes in the region's economy over those three decades. By 2019, population in the tri-county area had swelled by 58 percent, and the number of private-sector employers had jumped 73 percent.

"And then there was 2020," said Jacki Renegar, director of the chambers Center for Business Research, while introducing the 2021 forecast last week. "In March of last year, everything changed."

When the chamber held its previous outlook event in 2020, the looming health crisis had not yet been declared a pandemic.

South Carolina was a couple days away from identifying its first cases of the coronavirus, and, by the end of that month, Charleston was under a stay-at-home order. Many employees began working from home, restaurants closed or switched to takeout only, and tourism came to a near halt.

But, without knowledge of what would happen in the weeks or months ahead, business leaders predicted on March 4, 2020 that another year of growth was in store. Almost every metric showed positive predictions. The tight labor market was projected to become even tighter, and tourism was expected to have another banner year.

With the onset of COVID-19, though, hotel revenue fell sharply. Employment, instead of growing 2.5 percent, as predicted, fell 3.8 percent. And Charleston International's prediction that it would cross the 5 million-passenger mark for the first time was upended as air travel plummeted.

In its new forecast, the chamber predicts most metrics will see year-over-year growth in 2021, but, given what the 2020 numbers looked like, that does not mean gains over pre-pandemic figures, at least in most categories.

One exception is the Port of Charleston. If it hits the 6.7 percent cargo volume increase that's been predicted, it will exceed its 2019 record.

Numbers related to tourism, however, only look impressive when compared to 2020.

With an estimated improvement of 25 percent, revenue per available hotel room would come out to about $68 this year, better than $54 in 2020 but well below the $116 of 2019, which remains the high-water mark for tourism in the region.

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Similarly, the airport is predicted to see airplane boardings and arrivals improve by 10 percent, but that will mean a passenger count that's less than half of the 5 million travelers that, without the effects of COVID, should have passed through the passenger terminal last year.

Renegar said it's difficult to predict when Charleston International will reach that suddenly elusive milestone. The forecast predicts 2022 won't be the year, but it's impossible to know now if the actual numbers will be better or worse than predicted, since tourism growth will depend heavily on the speed and success of the vaccination process.

Anirban Basu, CEO of the Baltimore-based consulting firm Sage Policy Group, said Charleston should expect a real payoff from the anticipated surge once more vacationers feel comfortable traveling again.

The region will "see so many visitors ... it's going to boggle your mind," Basu told conference attendees during a presentation focused on national trends.

While COVID vaccinations and pent-up demand from a year's worth of cabin fever are likely to kickstart leisure travel, the rebound could be weighed down by continued lags in business travel and group business, according to Renegar of the Center for Business Research. That's largely why hotel revenue isn't predicted to snap back as quickly.

"The wealthy leisure visitor may come back in the latter half of 2021," Renegar said. "But we think the convention and group business won't really swing back until maybe 2022."

Beyond next year, though, there is more optimism for the sector. Despite the fact that the leisure and hospitality industry was hit hardest by employment losses  roughly 27 percent of those jobs in the Charleston area hadn't returned at the end of last year  it's still the category expected to add the hire the most workers in the region by 2024.

Beyond the bread-and-butter tourism industry, the health crisis also exacerbated a perennial issue for the Charleston economy: Housing affordability. High demand for more square footage in 2020 drove up home prices in the region to a median of more than $300,000. Demand this year will push that figure 5 percent higher in 2021, the chamber predicted.

The "biggest challenge" for the housing sector will be inventory, or the number of properties that are actively seeking buyers, according to the forecast.

One group that claimed some of the increasingly scarce supply: Workers who are moving from larger cities, motivated, in part, by employers that opted to go remote permanently, allowing them to relocate to places like Charleston and keep their jobs.

"That definitely had an impact on our market by soaking up the little bit of housing supply that we did have," Renegar said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14) - A total of 9,634 cops will be deployed to the National Capital Region as the region implements uniform curfew hours, which will be from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., starting Monday, March 15.

Philippine National Police officer-in-charge Lt. General Guillermo Eleazar on Sunday said the cops will come from the Quezon City Police District, Manila Police District, Eastern Police District, Western Police District, Northern Police District, and Southern Police District to assist various local government units in enforcing the curfew.

Eleazar also said that police augmentation will come from the Highway Patrol Group, the Reactionary Standby Support Force, and other units that have already conducted similar operations before.

NCR mayors agreed last week to implement uniform curfew hours in a bid to control the spike of COVID-19 cases in the region. Meanwhile, some cities have also imposed localized lockdowns.

The PNP added that 373 checkpoints will also be set up.

Eleazar said in a statement that the deployment of cops in Metro Manila and in Cebu City last year compelled the people to behave and eventually resulted in the reduction of COVID-19 cases.

Moreover, the PNP reminded cops to observe maximum tolerance and respect peoples rights. The police also advised the public to observe minimum health protocols and respect law enforcers.

"Let us bear in mind that your PNP is not the enemy here, our common enemy is the coronavirus, and it takes our cooperation to contain the spread of the virus," said Eleazar.

Among those who are exempted from the curfew hours are medical frontliners, people dealing with medical emergencies, drivers of delivery trucks, people delivering essential goods, private employees who are on their way to and from work, construction workers, media workers, people coming to and arriving from airport, private transportation drivers, security guards, and fast-food restaurant employees.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairperson Benhur Abalos earlier clarified that essential workers who are on duty, or who will be going to or coming home from work during curfew hours will still be exempted as long as they present their IDs to authorities.

Liquor ban

On the other hand, the Quezon City government suspended the retail sale of alcoholic beverage starting Monday until end-March.

The city government will also close all gyms, spas and internet cafes for two weeks, following a serious outbreak in an unidentified gym.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/14/2021



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[ Spoiler Warning: This report features spoilers that reveal whether Hazel and Tarik are still together or if the couple split up.]

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

's eighth season has shown Hazel Cagalitan and Tarik Myers arguing often and having trust issues, so did they ever make it down the aisle? What do spoilers reveal about Tarik and Hazel's relationship and if the couple is still together or has split?Tarik was a 43-year-old realtor and single father from Virginia Beach, VA, when he first saw Hazel, a single mother from Quezon City, Philippines who is now 28-years-old, on an Asian dating website.Following a three-month courtship, Tarik traveled over 9,000 miles and 36 hours to meet Hazel in-person in the Philippines on : Before the 90 Days' second season.Tarik's family and friends worried Hazel was after a Green Card, money and a better life, but Tarik had to see for himself.Hazel was, in fact, quiet and reserved with Tarik and wasn't very affectionate, but Tarik was still optimistic about his relationship and decided to pop the question at the end of his trip.Once Tarik returned to the U.S., he filed for Hazel's K-1 visa and she agreed to sign a prenuptial agreement to prove she was with Tarik for the right reasons.At the time 's eighth season filmed, Tarik and Hazel had been together for two years and Hazel finally got approved for a K-1 visa.Hazel was finally going to move to America and meet Tarik's seven-year-old daughter Auri for the first time. Auri apparently stays with her father five out of seven days a week and lives with her mother on the weekends.Tarik shared how Auri has high-functioning autism and everything in his life revolves around her. Tarik hoped Hazel would love Auri and that they'd get along wonderfully.Hazel also has an eight-year-old son Harrey, and Hazel was having a tough time leaving him behind. Tarik and Hazel therefore planned to bring Harrey to the United States "eventually" in order to give the boy more opportunities in life.Speaking of "opportunities," Hazel looked forward to having a girlfriend on the side in the United States.She and Tarik had once introduced a woman named Minty from Thailand into their relationship but Hazel ended it after a few days because she was jealous of how much Tarik seemed to like Minty. (Tarik began dating Minty alone when he and Hazel were on a break)."Hazel felt like Minty was more into me than she was into Hazel," Tarik explained."Hazel could see I was just fascinated by Minty. It was refreshing to me to be able to speak in Thai and talk about all the stuff I experienced in Thailand, but there was this jealousy that came over Hazel immediately and it ended right there. Hazel told me to never contact Minty ever again."However, Tarik confessed he had texted Minty again a couple of weeks back to check on her amid the coronavirus pandemic. Tarik was afraid to tell Hazel about his little betrayal.Tarik then picked Hazel up at the airport and the pair had a sweet reunion."This is the turning point in my life. It's like everything before her and then everything after her," Tarik said.Once Hazel arrived in America, she was a bit overwhelmed and needed to adjust. She also apparently didn't like the spiritual center at which Tarik hoped to wed.Hazel and Auri bonded right away and things were going great for a while -- until Hazel discovered a message to Minty on Tarik's phone.Hazel asked why Tarik hadn't been honest with her right away, and he acknowledged that she was right.Hazel felt the virus was just an excuse to get in touch with Minty, but Tarik promised he wouldn't contact their ex again.Production then shut down for two weeks due to coronavirus, and Tarik and Hazel tried to make the best out of quarantining together.The couple searched through women's dating profiles together, for example, and Tarik just hoped Hazel still considered marrying him the No. 1 priority.Hazel told the cameras that she wanted to find a sexy, brown American woman to date."I really hope we can find a perfect girl that we both agree on. Having a girlfriend is always what I wanted, but my relationship with Tarik is more important. So I just hope it feels different from the last time with Minty," Hazel explained.With 35 days to wed, Tarik and Hazel decided to concentrate on their wedding planning since they were running out of time and needed to make some progress as soon as possible.About two weeks later, Hazel explained she wanted a girlfriend not just for sex but to also have a sister-like best friend in her life.Tarik suggested to Hazel they ask Minty for help on their search because Minty knew them very well and might have a good recommendation for them, but Hazel was annoyed about how much Tarik talked about Minty."If Tarik still has feelings for Minty, I don't know how we can get married," Hazel noted.Hazel wondered if Tarik was just looking for an excuse to be able to communicate with Minty again.In May 2020, Hazel agreed they could contact Minty, who might be able to give them relationship advice and tell them what type of woman would complement both of their personalities and lifestyles.Hazel didn't like asking Minty for advice, but she apparently said "yes" to see how Tarik and Minty would interact with each other. Hazel wanted to know if Tarik was going to flirt with Minty and if she could really trust him."I am attracted to Tarik very much," Minty told the cameras. "If Tarik not engaged to Hazel, I think me and him would be together."Hazel made it very clear she didn't want to date or be friends with Minty, but Minty told Hazel to compromise since Tarik really likes Thai woman. Minty therefore suggested she could join their love triangle again.Minty told Hazel that they wouldn't be able to find another girl like her in the future, but Hazel asked her to stop talking."She will not be our girl," Hazel confirmed.With 18 days left to wed on Hazel's K-1 visa, the couple wasn't in a great place.Tarik was afraid Hazel was going to throw in the towel and refuse to get married, and he just hoped they could move past their issues given Hazel was upset at him and a bit jealous of Minty.Hazel told Tarik that Minty had been very "disrespectful" to her, and Tarik agreed it was a bad idea to contact Minty and communicate with her at all."I don't trust you with her and I still think you call her because that's what you like," Hazel explained.Tarik wondered when Hazel was going to stop worrying about Minty and his past. Tarik said he needed Hazel to trust him and she was making him out to look like the "villain" or "the bad guy."Tarik insisted he had done nothing wrong and never tried to get back with Minty. He didn't appreciate being accused of something he didn't do."What if one day he gonna fall in love with her again? But Tarik wants me to think that will never happen," Hazel said, adding that she didn't believe Tarik.When the couple's wedding was only two weeks away, Hazel still wasn't sure whether she could trust Tarik 100 percent -- and so she was feeling "uncomfortable."Tarik was then shown shopping for wedding attire, and he revealed his wedding date was June 7, 2020. Tarik told his friend that he didn't have cold feet but he and Hazel had been arguing a lot.When a friend asked if he had any lingering feelings for Minty, Tarik hesitated at first and replied, "Umm, no... She's not [in my life anymore]."Tarik determined he should probably delete Minty's number from his phone in order to please Hazel.Tarik said Hazel's behavior didn't bode well for the future considering throwing a girlfriend into the mix could spiral their relationship out of control."If you don't have [trust], you don't have a relationship," Tarik said.Tarik and Hazel are still a couple and their romance appears to be thriving.Tarik uploaded a video of Hazel and himself dancing together in early March."Men. Wanna get outta the doghouse? Try Wil Smith style dumb dancing. If you're deep in the doghouse, add the running man with jazz hands. Hazel is wearing her own lipstick. Available soon. #Tarzel 4L #90dayfiance #90daybaresall #90dayfiancepillowtalk #beforethe90days," Tarik captioned the video.In late February, Tarik posted a video of Hazel posing as computer-generated snowflakes fell around her face."I remember when you said you'd always wanted to see and play in the snow. I said I had to walk to school calf high in it in Ohio. So I'm very happy without snow but not without you," Tarik captioned the video, before promoting her new lipstick. #Tarzel #allnatural."Tarik posted a video of Hazel driving a lawn mower in mid-February and captioned it, "Hazel doesn't just sit around searching profiles all day. She also nearly crashes the riding mower into the fence lol. Maybe I'm a bad driving instructor."He added the hashtags "Tarzel," "girlpower" and "ilovevirginiabeach."On January 31, Tarik shared a video of Hazel and himself driving in the car, and about a week earlier, he posted a photo of Hazel in glasses and added a funny caption with it."Me : I clearly text Minty to see if she was ok bc there was a big Covid outbreak in her city. Hazel : I put my glasses on to clearly see if this was BS. #Tarzel #90dayfiance #90daybaresall #90dayfiancepillowtalk #beforethe90days #rayban #allnatural," Tarik wrote.On January 16, Tarik posted a photo of Hazel standing in the sunlight with her eyes closed, and he captioned the image, "You are an original. You are misunderstood. You are ridiculed and hated on by many close to you. But you are still perfect."He continued, "I am an original. Misunderstood. Ridiculed and hated on by many close to me. We soak up the sun different. #Tarzel #90dayfiance #90dayfiancebaresall #90dayfiancepillowtalk #beforethe90days #nomakeup #nofilterneeded."A few days earlier, Tarik uploaded a photo of Hazel and his daughter flashing peace signs, showing they're still together as a family.Tarik also apparently rang in the New Year of 2021 with Hazel by his side.Tarik posted several photos of Hazel standing in front of a sunset, including two pictures of Hazel standing out of the sunroof of a car."Ok. So the house may have been a LITTLE messy," Tarik captioned the slideshow, referring to Hazel's first impression of his home in America."I'll make it up to you with a beautiful sunset. 2020 GO THE F AWAY ALREADY! BYE FELICIA! Everyone have a SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2021 #Tarzel #90dayfiance ##90daybaresall #90dayfiancepillowtalk #beforethe90days."On December 18, Tarik posted two selfies with Hazel in which she looked stunning in a burgundy dress and matching lip. In one of the pictures, she was kissing Tarik on the cheek."Hawt Sauws. Hella Hawt Sauws. #Tarzel Watch #90dayfiance Sunday at 8pm EST on @tlc #90daybaresall #90dayfiancepillowtalk #90dayfiancebeforethe90days," Tarik wrote alongside the images.One day earlier, Hazel posted a similar photo and captioned it, "Haters don't hate hate, haters hate LOVE.' #Tarzel #90dayfiance."Tarik reposted Hazel's quote on his own page saying he agreed with her, and then Hazel commented with multiple kiss-blowing emoticons.Tarik also posted a video of Hazel on October 25, 2020.In the video, Hazel told her fans, "I'm here to send good tidings and well wishes to your family and friends... I'm here for y'all! Have a good one!"Tarik captioned the Instagram post, "My beautiful Hazel is on Cameo now. Book her for all occasions. She is Hazel Cagalitan on Cameo. Thanks. #beforethe90days #90dayfiance."On August 28, 2020, Tarik posted a selfie of the couple, revealing they had watched Black Panther three times in one week together because Hazel loved it so much. He said it was "the first move we ever watched together."Tarik posted a photo of Hazel and her father on June 21 and gushed about how he raised 14 children in poor conditions."I thought I knew the difficulties of fatherhood until I met this man. He raised 14 children in conditions most of us only see on TV. Never once shirked his responsibility. The definition of a real man. Salamat Pa. Happy Father's Day," Tarik wrote.Tarik also wished Hazel a happy Mother's Day in May."When life dealt you crap, you turned it into fertilizer. I was proud of you before the cameras rolled. And I'll be proud of you... Well anyway. I'm your defense mechanism against anyone. And I mean anyone. Happy Mother's Day Zellybean," Tarik wrote alongside a photo of Hazel and her son.Back in October 2019, Tarik gushed about Hazel on Instagram."I had so many rules that you became the exception to. So many standards that you exceeded. Also, I'm forever grateful to you for pulling those knives out of my back that a smiling faced Judas shoved in. You are goals. #TarZel #90dayfiance #90dayfiancepillowtalk," he wrote.And in August, 2019, Tarik called his girl "an implausible, irreplaceable gift from God."In Summer 2019, Hazel gushed about Tarik and wrote, "Sometimes I still pinch myself to make sure Im not dreaming. Sometimes I still cant believe that youre real and that ur mine.""I never thought that some1 as amazing as u would fall in love with someone as silly as me," she continued."But Im so glad that u did because my life has been nothing but wonderful. Thank u 4 coming into my life and for letting me show u how much u mean to me. #TarZel #ILoveYouHoney."Tarik and Hazel's posts about one another date all the way back to Fall 2018.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
After AstraZeneca announced the shortfall in the production of the COVID-19 vaccines Saturday, the European Union suffered a setback as fresh chaos ensued over the jabs adequate supply. In an online statement, the pharmaceutical firm announced that it was hit with delay in shipments due to the export restrictions and while the vaccines consignments were dispatched to the UK, as many as 5 countries, including the EU were expected to suffer.

"AstraZeneca is disappointed to announce a shortfall in planned COVID-19 vaccine shipments to the European Union (EU) despite working tirelessly to accelerate supply," the Swedish-Anglo pharma company wrote in a release. It added that the countries were warned about the disruption of the supply chain earlier as there was  "lower-than-expected output from the process."

Together with our partners, @gavi @WHO @CEPIvaccines, we are doing everything possible to ensure people around the world have access to safe, effective Covid-19 vaccines, wherever they live and regardless of income level. More from CEO Pascal Soriot: https://t.co/gQp9VDTsTz pic.twitter.com/NuTuThUaFV  AstraZeneca (@AstraZeneca) March 10, 2021

The firm said that it was relying on the global network to source the vaccines but as it had informed earlier when the export restrictions reduced deliveries in the first quarter, that such a scenario might incur in future and hamper deliveries in the second quarter. AstraZenecas announcement is expected to cut short the EU's second-quarter supply by less than half of the total 180 million jabs that it promised to deliver in the procurement deal, hampering the blocs initial target of inoculating at least 70 per cent of its population. This replicates the situation during AstraZenecas first commitment of delivery of the life-saving shots to the EU that obstructed the blocks mass vaccination campaign and led to a total fiasco between the drugmaker and the union.

The EU alleged that it lagged behind in vaccination due to AstraZeneca plcs inability to meet its shipment targets, accusing the manufacturer of slowing its rollout. Following the controversy about the pharma company secretly dispatching shipments to countries allegedly the UK, some EU countries including Denmark, Norway and Iceland, suspended the use of AstraZenecas vaccine. Meanwhile, as the drug manufacturer announced the news of shortfall, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Latvia called for the European Union to hold talks about the disparities owing to the vaccine distribution, according to local press reports.

EU indulges in spat over COVID-19 vaccines

Earlier, UK and EU indulged in a spat over the COVID-19 vaccines after the EU president Charles Michel released a newsletter, stating that the EU was the driving force and leading donor in the international fundraising that enabled the financing of the research into vaccines." He alleged, that the US and UK, saying that the two countries imposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components produced on their territory." UK's Foreign Secretary Dominic wrote to President of the European Council expressing angst over the bloc's completely false' claims that the UK banned the export of coronavirus vaccine. He summoned the EU's UK delegation to hold talks for clarification at the UKs Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office over EU President'sunsubstantiated remarks.

(Image Credit: AP)
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is considering defusing the row over NHS pay by offering a one-off bonus for health workers.

Unions were angered by a proposed one per cent rise, threatening strikes and demanding 12 per cent instead.

They said it was a slap in the face for nurses.

In response, Ministers said the rest of the public sector was having to accept a pay freeze.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is considering offering a one-off bonus for health workers amid a row over pay increases

Unions were angered by a proposed one per cent rise, threatening strikes and demanding 12 per cent instead.

Sources claim a bonus could avoid a U-turn.

One said: It is an idea being discussed on the margins.

'But the fear is that if it is like the 500 dished out in Scotland, they will just bank it and repeat demands for a rise.

'The likelihood is that negotiations end up in the 2-3 per cent zone.
Receiving a second COVID vaccine dose is often a cause for celebration and, in one Massachusetts clinic, legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma marked the occasion with a surprise recital.

Ma was pictured playing the cello while wearing a mask and sitting on a plastic chair at the Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts during his 15-minute observation period after getting the shot on Saturday.

Ma 'wanted to give something back,' Richard Hall of the Berkshire COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative told The Berkshire Eagle, describing it as a 'very special' concert that was greeted with warm applause from listeners.

Legendary cellist Yo-Yo is seen above performing a pop-up concert after receiving his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts on Saturday

Ma 'wanted to give something back,' Richard Hall of the Berkshire COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative told The Berkshire Eagle, describing it as a 'very special' concert that was greeted with warm applause from listeners

The 'audience' - a group of local residents who arrived at the clinic to get their vaccine - is seen above at the socially distanced 'concert' on Saturday

'What a way to end the clinic,' wrote Hall in an email.

A clip on the recital was posted on the college's Facebook page.

The quick concert came a year after the 65-year-old cellist started posting recordings of himself using the hashtag #SongsOfComfort on social media.

'In these days of anxiety,' he wrote on Twitter on March 13, 2020, 'I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort.'

Since then, he also has played surprise pop-up concerts for essential workers.

The soloist has also performed online on several occasions in memory of the victims of the pandemic and in honor of medical personnel.

Ma is an American cellist. Born to Chinese parents in Paris, France, he was considered a child prodigy, having started performing beginning at the age of four-and-a-half years old.

Ma (seen above posting a short performance a year ago during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic) has won 18 Grammy Awards over the course of his illustrious career

A graduate of The Juilliard School and Harvard University, Ma has performed both as a soloist and with orchestras around the world.

Last year, he was named one of TIME magazines 100 most influential people of 2020.

Over the course of his career, he has won 18 Grammy Awards, including five for best chamber music performance and four for best instrumental soloist performance.

In 2011, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The number of vaccine doses distributed and administered each day in the United States is rising, with more than 2.5 million daily shots in arms on average in the last week.

About 1 in 5 Americans - or roughly 69 million people - have received at least one dose, with about 1 in 9 fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At least 36.9 million Americans have received both doses of the two-shot vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to Bloomberg COVID-19 Tracker.

The coronavirus is blamed for over 530,000 deaths in the United States.

Deaths and newly confirmed infections per day have tumbled over the past two months.

But cases are running at a still-troubling average of about 55,000 a day.

President Joe Biden has directed his administration to order another 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, growing a likely US surplus of doses later this year while much of the rest of the world struggles with deep shortages.

Even before Wednesdays order, the U.S. was to have enough approved vaccine delivered by mid-May to cover every adult and enough for 400 million people total by the end of July.

Enough doses to cover 200 million more people are on order should vaccines from AstraZeneca and Novavax receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

The new J&J doses, which would cover another 100 million people, are expected to be delivered in the latter half of the year.
Women have opened up about their experiences of being harassed and feeling unsafe following the death of Sarah Everard.

The 33-year-old was abducted and killed on her way home in Clapham on Wednesday 3rd March. A police officer was charged with her murder after a week-long search.

A vigil in Sarah's memory was overtaken with violence on Saturday, when dozens of police officers had moved in on the Clapham Commons bandstand at the vigil to block access to speakers sparked tensions in the crowd and mourners started chanting 'arrest your own' and 'shame on you' as scenes quickly turned violent.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said she is seeking a 'full report' on events, describing footage from the vigil as 'upsetting', while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on the Commissioner to 'consider' her leadership of the force, adding: 'Cressida Dick has lost the confidence of the millions of women in London and should resign.'

Sobering testimony from London women highlighted the harassment they had been subjected to on the streets of the capital, from being cat-called to men grabbing them and threatening them.

ANNIE, 24, BRIXTON, STUDENT

London women have shared their experience of street harassment following the murder of Sarah Everard, 33, who was killed on her way home in Clapham on Wednesday 3 March. Pictured: Annie, 24, and Danielle, 25, outside their home in Brixton

'I was groped in broad daylight on a busy street having just left a work drinks celebrating my recent promotion. I had only just left the pub and was about a street away walking to the Tube, when a man shoved me into a wall and assaulted me.

'I was so scared and embarrassed, and Im mortified that I didnt fight back. I just couldnt believe how quickly I went from feeling like a confident, successful woman to violated, weak, little girl. Again, this was in broad daylight on a busy street.

'I still cant get over how many people saw the incident take place, yet didnt intervene. Even after Id pushed the man away, no-one came to check if I was OK.

'Allyship  particularly male allyship  is so important.

'It might not have prevented what happened on that day, but it would have made me feel less powerless and invisible knowing that I wasnt totally alone on that busy street.'

ADERONKE, 25, BRIXTON, EDITOR

Aderonke, 25, from Brixton, said the impact of the constant threat of male violence was 'distressing, sad and infuriating

'Whilst we may be conditioned to normalise the constant threat of male violence and to develop instinctive protective measures against it, the impact of regularly feeling unsafe is distressing, sad and infuriating.

'I hate that I have to make fake (and sometimes real) phone calls to family or friends when walking alone at night. I hate that my day can be completely derailed by a man feeling he can stare at me whilst touching himself on the Tube.

'Its also important to remember how the threat of male violence is further heightened for women of colour, disabled women, trans women and queer folks.

'The solution to all of this begins and ends with men.'

Emma, 25, from Battersea, said there was 'no time to switch off' and said a man had approached her at Waterloo station, which made her 'scurry' away

EMMA, 25, BATTERSEA, WRITER

'It first hit me when I was 16, and my dad gave me a rape alarms to take to V Festival.

'Since then, its been a lot of getting off the bus early when things just dont feel right, fake phone calls, changing Tube carriages to escape predatory conversations, sharing my location with friends as I make my way home, and the obligatory "Im home" text.

'Its making decisions on what to wear based on what attention it might provoke, and its running to my front door, slamming it and breathing a sigh of relief when I make it home.

'Just yesterday I was approached by a man at Waterloo station, and had to scurry away, checking I wasnt being followed on to the train.

'Theres no time to switch off, we have to be always on, and sometimes that isnt even enough.'

Emeline, 42, from Clapham, said she explained to a friend women feel 'vulnerable all the time' and asked for men to understand

EMELINE, 42, CLAPHAM, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

'In a time where we should be in our most progressive, weve regressed to our most misogynistic.

'I explained to a dear wise male friend of mine, that as women, were vulnerable all the time.

'To see the penny drop on his face, as his belief of me being a strong woman, hed never even considered that might be the case. And I think thats the problem, men cannot have empathy, theyve never lived it, but weve lived this our whole lives.

'Theres no "men bashing" in my words, only to request this be an opportunity for understanding, otherwise its just kind of like the Handmaids Tale.'

ELLA, 26, CLAPHAM, NURSE

Ella, 26, outside her home in Clapham, said a man stopped his car to ask for her number and got aggressive when she gave him a fake one, making her fear for her life

'Whether its a beep of a horn, noticing the turn of a head once youve walked past or an unwanted comment, I, and so many women, live with this every single day.

'In broad daylight, a car drove past me and I saw the driver turn his head back and beep but I pretended to not have heard  walking with my headphones in but no music playing as I often do.

'As I walked further up the road, the car had stopped and he tried to talk to me as I walked past.

'I politely said please dont talk to me.

'He got out of his car and followed me down my own road to ask who I was and what I was doing.

'I stopped and entertained conversation, wondering how to close it off.

'Before long he had asked for my phone number and I felt so worried for my safety about giving a fake number because he would call it there and then.

'He did.

'When he realised it wasnt correct he was aggressive and abusive.

'I couldnt go home because I knew he was on my road for fear of him watching me so I crossed the road and walked the other way before turning back to go home.

'The tragic story of Sarah has triggered my feelings from that day and left me questioning why I shrugged it off initially.

'It wasnt OK.

'I prepare every day, particularly when going out at night, which route to take, shortcuts to avoid and the points where comments may be made which happens regularly where Clapham meets Brixton on Ferndale Road.

'My best friends, my parents and my housemates are all able to track me on Find Friends and Ive sent countless Im home messages.

'Ive even been told Im lazy by male friends for getting an Uber from Vauxhall to Clapham which clearly shows the difference in male and female attitudes to walking around in the dark.

'It is not all men but it is enough men for girls to feel unsafe, therefore we need to call out and prosecute those who do not treat women right and educate others on how to avoid making women feel unsafe.'

Maddy, 25, from Clapham, said she had had to change Tube carriage or take the long way home in order to feel safe

MADDY, 25, CLAPHAM, DEPUTY EDITOR

'Its hard to articulate the fear that women live with on a daily basis.

'Its everything from cat calls and cars slowing down when youre out for a run to men telling you to smile on the street and then becoming aggressive when you dont.

'For the people who say you shouldnt be on your own, Ive been stood with a male friend while the boys behind me in a queue discuss what theyd like to do to me.

'Ive had a man follow me through the streets of Brixton early in the morning demanding I speak to him, only stopping when I loudly started talking on the phone.

'This doesnt cover the countless times Ive changed Tube carriage, lengthened my journey home to make it "safer" or had headphones in with no music playing so I could hear what was going on around me.

'Its drummed into you from a young age to always be alert, be prepared to protect yourself and never look like youre lost or vulnerable, and unfortunately we all learn far too quickly why that is.'

DANIELLE, 25, BRIXTON, MARKETING EXECUTIVE

'I havent been able to stop thinking about Sarah and I know that many women are feeling the same  connected by this deep sense of hurt, anger and fear.

'Ive been really moved hearing my friends and other womens experiences of sexual harassment and assault this week and theyve forced me to re-evaluate the everyday so-called safety-tools that have been ingrained in us from childhood  the sharing of live locations, the text me when you get home messages, the real (and fake) phone calls.

'Its been heartening to see men offering support on social media so far, but I still cant help but think  will we ever be able to stop living in fear?'

ELLEN, 28, CLAPHAM, ALLIANCES MANAGER

Ellen, 28, said she couldn't remember the last time she had walked alone without feeling scared, and said it was 'exchausting'

'I cant remember the last time I walked somewhere alone without feeling scared, I am on high alert every single moment of my journey, one headphone out, phone in hand, looking behind me every minute.

'This is a result of horrible personal experiences and being told by my friends and family that these are the things that will help keep me safe.

'Its exhausting.'

JESS, 27, CLAPHAM, BARISTA

27-year-old Jess said she woke up to a man on top of her trying to kiss her on the Tube after a night out, and that another man in the Tube had done nothing to help her

'A few years ago I fell asleep on the night Tube.

'I woke up with a man on top of me trying to kiss me and get under my coat. I froze.

'There was a man across from where I was sat playing on his phone.

'Apparently this interaction looked totally normal to him, even though I was slumped across the seat clearly inebriated and the man was twice my age, as he barely looked up from his phone.

'I got off the Tube and reported the incident to TFL a few days later. Two weeks later, I saw there had been four more reports of sexual assault at that station.'

ELIZA, 25, CLAPHAM, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Eliza, 25, shared messages she had exchanged with friends, where many were asking for 'help' or asking them to tell her when they got home safe

WhatsApp messages sent between me and my female friends:

'Help. Will share location.'

'Ring me help. Help'

'This is the guys address, just in case'

'Make sure u send me your location if you leave that bar. Just in case hes a murderer. He wont be but just in case.'

'A mans following me down the street shouting at me.'

'I cant leave them here because theyll get raped.'

'A colleague just told me I look sexy and that this dress will get "appreciative glances in the office" because it shows me as "all the woman I am". Is that sexual harassment?'

'Omg I was just on the Tube and these four guys got on and sat around me and one of them read my book aloud for ten minutes, then tried to close it while I was reading to see the cover, then put his head on my shoulder, and I dont think they were even drunk. It was horrible. I just want to cry.'

'This f****** creep is literally STARING at me on the Tube.'

'Erm bloke on the train platform just asked if I want to go to his house and hell give me drugs in return lol'

'Walk down the river? Mmmkay dont get murdered'

'Pls let me know when youre home safe x'

'Let me know when you get home safe.'

'Did you get home safe???'

'Can you just let us know if youre alive'

'Funny how literally harmless DMs can make you feel unsafe'

OLIVIA, 20, STOCKWELL, WAITRESS

Olivia, 20, from Stockwell, said she is scared of going on blind dates and meeting new men after being harassed several time by men, including once on a Tinder date

'I have dealt with harassment from men on the streets, harassment from men I have worked with, harassment on the Tubes, buses and taxis all of my life and Im only 20.

'Its never ending for us and Im so tired of it, we all are.

'In 2019 I was assaulted three times in the space of four months.

'The first on a Tinder date, the second in a bar by a friends friend and the third time at work by a colleague.

'On the blind date he trapped me in a booth and wouldnt even let me go to the toilet.

'He was forcing himself on me and groping me. I had to ask a member of staff to help me leave.

'Im now scared to go on blind dates or meet new men because I fear it will happen again and I wont be able to get myself out of the situation.

'A month later I was in a bar and I was with my friend. His friends were there and he introduced me to them.

'One of his male friends took a liking to me and wouldnt leave me alone. He kept forcing himself on me, trying to kiss me and make me touch him.

'I was making it very clear how uncomfortable I was. My friend, he saw how uncomfortable I was and said and did nothing to help me.

'A month later I was alone at work with my male colleague. He took the opportunity to inappropriately touch me in an empty restaurant.

'He would frequently make disturbing comments that made me feel constantly on edge. He wasnt satisfied with just looking so he took it upon him self to touch me.

'Women everywhere are angry, as we should be. Men are attacking us, assaulting us and killing us for standing up for ourselves.

'Women are being taught how to stop themselves from being attacked when the responsibility to stop this should fall to men. Call out your friends, your dads, your brothers and your uncles.

'We know its not all men, but its enough men. We dont know who is going to quietly walk past us in the street or scream abuse in our faces.

'Not all men, but all women.'

BECKY, 23, WANDSWORTH, SALES EXECUTIVE

'Once while visiting friends in Spain, my friend and I went on a boat trip and on the return we noticed these two men staring at us.

'We made it clear we werent interested but this didnt stop them.

'Once we left the boat, we started to walk home and realised the men were following us.

'We tried to lose them first by hiding in some public toilets but when we came out they were waiting by the entrance.

'We carried on walking, speeding up but every time we turned around they would still be a few steps behind us.

'Unsure of who or where to go to, we felt completely helpless even in such a busy area in broad daylight. We eventually managed to lose them by winding round a market.

'Another time with the same friend we were sat outside a cafe and a man was lingering around our table.

'We asked to move inside but he stayed outside staring in at us.

'Thankfully, someone called the police and it was dealt with.

'We were later told that the man had been touching himself whilst watching us from afar and he was also being charged for other assaults.

'I feel lucky that these instances never became physical for myself and my friend but these things shake you up.

'In both cases we spent the rest of our days hyper aware of everyone around us, constantly checking if we were being watched or followed.

'Women shouldnt have to live in fear of this happening.

'Something needs to change here  speak to your boys.'

CECILIA, 25, MARKETING; JULZ, 25, FINANACE; SUSIE, 26, POLICY ADVISOR, STOCKWELL

From left to right: Cecilia, 25, Julz, 25 and Susie, 26. The tree women said they were followed home by a man after he asked for direction at the bus stop

'Assaulted. Belittled. Cat-called. Degraded. Eyed-up. Followed. Groped.

'Weve all had unwanted experiences. Aged 15, in school uniform, one of us got off the bus on our way home, the same as every day.

'A man stopped to ask for directions which we happily gave and we started to walk home.

'Following the usual route, down a busy road then turning left down some quieter streets, we heard fast footsteps behind, someone catching up.

'Glancing behind, it was the same man from the bus stop. We picked up our pace, as did he, getting closer.

'You could now hear his voice, he was asking questions, asking for our name. Heart racing, hands shaking, we walked faster, turning down our road, picking up the speed to a jog.

'The questions continued and his pace picked up too. Sprinting up the driveway to the front door you could feel his presence still there.

'We ran upstairs and looked out the window, he was still there, standing behind the gate.

'Even once physically safe at home in bed youre still shaking, questioning what you had done wrong to get this unwanted attention.'
A GIRL who designed a greetings card featuring her favourite cat has seen sales take off.

Winter Cullen, nine, was diagnosed with autism three years ago and has found the coronavirus pandemic hard to deal with but her creativity has helped to pull her through.

She lives in Crays Pond with her father Brian, 34, who is also autistic, and mother Sarah, an artist.

Mrs Cullen has an online business selling pet and baby portraits as well as cards and wrapping paper.

Winter had always wanted to have an item of her own on sale so earlier this month her mother arranged as a birthday treat.

She is obsessed with cats, which is a common feature of people with her condition, and drew a ginger one for her card.

Within two days of going on sale, more than 250 of her cards had been sold to buyers as far as America, Portugal and South Africa.

Mrs Cullen, 37, said: She is outselling me by about 500 per cent.

She said Winter liked all breeds of cat but one of her favourites was a ginger cat called Jasper that belongs to a friend.

Winter thinks of Jasper as her little brother and she adores him, so I think that is where the idea came from, said Mrs Cullen.

Because that friend moved away to another school, she has not seen her for a long time, so I think that played a part.

Winter has been desperate to have her own design as she sees me packing up my cards on a daily basis and Ive kept putting it off because I was worried about her expectations.

I told her if she put lots of effort in, I would get some printed. The response was really positive and I had lots of people asking me if they could buy some. I did 20 and within two hours they were all sold.

She put a post on a Facebook page called Not on Amazon, an international group for people to promote and sell their work, and this has been liked by more than 3,000 people so interest in Winters card soared.

It absolutely exploded, said Mrs Cullen. We were eating dinner and my phone was on the side and it just wouldnt stop beeping.

Winter said, What on earth is going on, Mummy? and I explained to her that every time it made a noise she had sold another card.

Winter, who has two sisters, Clio, seven, and Scout, two, attends Checkendon Primary School.

She has spent most of her time in between home-schooling drawing. She said: Drawing is definitely my favourite hobby because you can just draw anything. Im not quite sure why I like cats so much but I love their tails and that they can walk on all fours.

When Im older, I want to make a potion that can make cats grow bigger. I also draw a lot of dogs and dragons and squiggly things that are really colourful.

When Winter experiences a challenging situation or negative emotion, known as deregulation, she sometimes reverts to behaving like a cat as a form of protection.

Her mother explained: She loves cats and tigers but I am actually allergic to them.

I cant really say where the obsession comes from but it is common for autistic people to like cats.

Ever since she was two, she would take The Tiger That Came To Tea to bed with her, even before she could even read.

She would look at that book for hours and hours. This went on for years and for some autistic people when they have these moments of deregulation they will go into safety mode.

Also referred to as stimming, this is a process of repetitive action that allows people with autism to feel a sense of control. Winter has high-functioning autism, which simply means she is verbal.

Mrs Cullen said: From the age of eight weeks old, I remember saying to my husband that she may be autistic. She was different from all the other babies and it is something I constantly referred to at doctors appointments. They dont take you seriously for a very long time if your child functions relatively normal most of the time.

Winter is smart, she has got friends and she is less challenged than some autistic people but that doesnt mean the stress and the difficulties she overcomes are any less.

Mrs Cullen said staff at Winters school had always been very supportive of her condition and went out of their way to make her feel at ease in the classroom.

She said: I am unbelievably proud. I have always had high expectations for Winter and all of my children.

I have always said she is brilliant  she is a pain in the neck sometimes but she is brilliant and when I sit down to appreciate what she has overcome this last year it is mind-blowing.

I couldnt be more proud of all of my children. Clio is such a good sister to her, too.

Mr Cullen, 34, works for Hanover Investors and his wife said the discovery that he also had autism has been a great opportunity for the family. The testing process involved seven hours of being interviewed by a psychologist to identify how long he had lived with the condition.

His wife said: He finds it difficult to empathise and has moments where his social commentary isnt appropriate. He has gone his entire life not knowing why he feels and experiences life differently but it is also a fantastic way to support Winter by saying, Look, Daddy is autistic too and this can be a wonderful thing.

Brian is the most intelligent person I have ever come across. It is a great way for us as a family to say there is a hugely positive side to having an autistic spectrum disorder and you can embrace life in ways that other people cant.

It is not all doom and gloom and there are some wonderful aspects of the disorder.

Brian is unbelievably successful and happy with three beautiful children and it is a great way for us to talk openly as a family.

The ginger cat card costs 2 from etsy.me/3kNTHhX
Judging by his sprightly appearance on our Zoom call, Edward Bonham Carter has spent a good chunk of lockdown twisting and stretching on his yoga mat.

The fund manager, 60, reveals that regular sessions at his bolthole in the South Downs have been the key to maintaining his svelte physique  and his mental wellbeing.

'It's my main method of trying to keep healthy and sane,' he explains.

But when he's not been balancing on one leg, Bonham Carter has been busily contorting his business life after 26 years at asset management giant Jupiter.

Switch: Edward Bonham Carter is backing low-cost 'passive' investment funds

For almost three decades now  most of it as chief executive  Bonham Carter has championed highly paid City fund managers who use their expertise to pick stocks on behalf of savers.

Now, he's started advocating for the exact opposite: low-cost passive funds where investments are picked by robots instead.

Having stepped back to vice-chairman in 2014, Bonham Carter is set to leave the Jupiter board altogether in May as he ploughs his energies into a new role as chairman of start-up investing firm Netwealth.

The brainchild of former investment bankers Charlotte Ransom and Thomas Salter, Netwealth is a money manager that invests customers' cash at a low cost to deliver a steady income for long-term goals.

The concept is hardly new. But while traditional wealth managers have tended to charge 2 per cent or more, Netwealth's fees are less than 1 per cent.

This, Bonham Carter explains, is because the bulk of the process is done online (although human advisers are available on request) and investments are made through passive robot funds that mirror the rise or fall of shares or bonds.

'You could say it's ironic, since I've worked for many years as an active fund manager,' Bonham Carter admits. '[But] I think active and passive funds coexist; there are many ways up the mountainside to enlightenment  there's no one way.'

His new-found passion for passives is all the more surprising given that under Bonham Carter's leadership, Jupiter steadfastly declined to follow asset manager rivals such as Legal & General and Fidelity by launching its own passive funds  despite savers ploughing billions of pounds into these types of investment.

But Bonham Carter is now putting his money where his mouth is: as well as taking on the role of chairman in January, he has been among a host of City grandees who've provided early financial backing to Netwealth since it launched in 2015.

Other high-profile investors include Lloyd's of London chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown; former Prudential chair Harvey McGrath; and Michael Spencer, the founder of brokerage firm Icap.

Bonham Carter reveals he and his family are customers, too.

'My children are investing alongside me and my wife,' he says. 'I noticed that they're finding the technology easy to access and they're asking me more questions [about their investments]  both fortunately and unfortunately!'

Netwealth  whose customers must put in 50,000, but can then invite seven others with savings of just 5,000 each  is now on the hunt to acquire small advisory firms to boost its client numbers.

It could end up competing with large rivals such as Schroders Personal Wealth, many of whom are also looking to snap up advisers.

So Bonham Carter's experience in mergers and acquisitions could prove useful.

Having joined Jupiter in 1994, he rose to chief investment officer in 1999 and joint chief executive in 2000, before leading a swashbuckling management takeover with US private equity firm TA Associates in 2007  just before the financial crisis took hold.

'It was a bracing period, both as an investor and as a chief executive. Luckily, our fund managers did a good job.

Siblings: Helena has a 'famous' brother

'We were able to float in 2010, mostly with a motivation of paying down debt because we borrowed a bit of money to buy the business. It all worked out, but there were times it got my pulse rate up.'

His first foray into asset management was at blue-blooded Schroders and he says his parents provided inspiration: his father was a merchant banker and his mother a psychologist.

'I think I chose well with my parents,' he quips. 'Did I have a vocation? Not necessarily. Many of my colleagues think I should have done something else. I'm not sure if that's a compliment.'

While on the subject of family, I ask about his sister, the actress Helena Bonham Carter.

'Who?' he replies, before breaking into a chuckle. 'She's constantly, when she's in Hollywood, being asked if she's related to the famous fund manager,' he jests.

Bonham Carter isn't leaving Jupiter altogether in May.

He will remain an adviser on green and ethical investing. He has a few other non-executive roles, too, including ITV and Land Securities Group.

Jupiter, he explains, is still bedding down after its acquisition of fund boutique Merian Global Investors, which was also backed by TA Associates.

Jupiter reported a profit of 179million last year, up a tenth on the previous year, and now manages about 58.7billion, boosted by Merian's 17billion.

Bonham Carter expects more fund managers will join forces as stockpickers come under pressure from low-cost robot funds and a weak economy.

'I think there's going to be quite a lot of mergers and acquisitions in a number of different sectors in the UK,' he says.

Bonham Carter leaves the Jupiter board having helped the firm grow from 4billion in assets when he joined to nearly 60billion  but he is more keen to talk about Netwealth's huge potential than his impressive legacy.

In fact, when I ask him to reflect on his time at Jupiter's helm, he replies: 'The last thing I did as CEO was to insist that we had two ping-pong tables. I'm a great fan.'

And with that, he's off to challenge his children to another lockdown rematch at their rental cottage in the South Downs.
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Prison staff have revealed the secret mission to hide mass murderer Martin Bryant from the world as he serves 35 life sentences for the horrific Port Arthur massacre.

Bryant is locked up in Risdon Prison in Hobart, Tasmania after he ruthlessly murdered 35 people and injured 23 others in a senseless shooting spree in 1996 that shocked Australia and pushed then Prime Minister John Howard to overhaul gun laws.

The now 53-year-old is described by prison officers as a 'huge man' who knocks back his hourly exercise and instead spends his days consuming two-minute noodles and chocolate, which he is known to exchange for sexual favours.

Bryant spends his days behind bars in a high-dependence, maximum-security cell made for inmates who require special care and routinely has to undergo medical treatment, including for cataracts in his eyes.

A rare new prison photo of a pudgy-faced Bryant shows how the obese killer earned the nickname 'Porky Pig' by inmates.

One Risdon Prison officer said Bryant is 'ushered in' to the cataract clinic under the cover of darkness before the day's normal surgery starts to avoid any member of the public catching a glimpse of the killer.

Pictured: A rare new prison photo of a pudgy-faced mass murderer Martin Bryant as he serves 35 life sentences in Tasmania's Risdon Prison

Bryant is locked up in a maximum security unit at the prison after he murdered 35 people and injured 23 others at Port Arthur in 1996. He is pictured here before the massacre

'He was heavily guarded but they'd basically opened up the cataract clinic at whatever time of the morning he'd been taken in, I presume, around 5am' the former officer told News Corp.

'He'd been done so as to avoid any possible contact with the public and (not) run any risk of anyone seeing him.

'Ushered in, operated on, ushered out with no doubt a couple of patches on his eyes and then back to prison, back to his cell to recuperate, all under the cover of darkness literally, and all before the sun was up.'

Bryant is described by the prison officer as a 'huge man' who knocks back his hourly exercise and instead spends his days consuming two-minute noodles and chocolate, which he is known to exchange for sexual favours.

But the officer added despite his overweight appearance and propensity to sit at a table on the ground floor of the unit and stare at a chess board, he still has the ability to strike fear into prison guards.

Bryant, who was 28 when he opened fire at Port Arthur, has also been described as a shell of his former self by former prison supervisor Tony Burley, who spent more than 10 years keeping watch over the killer at Risdon Prison.

Risdon Prison (pictured) is where Martin Bryant spends his days behind bars in a high-dependence, maximum-security cell

Bryant's senseless shooting spree shocked Australia and prompted then Prime Minister John Howard to overhaul the nation's gun laws

In an interview for The Daily Telegraph's On Guard podcast in December last year, Mr Burley described Bryant as a 'big baby' who rarely speaks and is the laughing stock of the jail.

'In the unit he was last known to be housed in by himself, the Mersey unit, there may be prisoners in that unit that who wouldn't even know who he was,' Mr Burley said.

Since being incarcerated Bryant has been diagnosed with intellectual and social handicaps as well as Asperger's syndrome. Psychiatrists found Bryant to have an IQ of 66, which is classified as extremely low.

Mr Burley said Bryant has a sweet tooth and was known to perform sexual favours for other inmates in order to get his fix.

Bryant set fire to the Seascape Guesthouse (pictured) at the end of his stand off with police following his senseless shooting spree and suffered extensive burns

'He has a love of chocolate and to get extra chocolate, he had to do certain favours,' he said.

Professor Paul Mullen, a forensic psychiatrist who assessed Bryant after the horrific massacre, described him as 'dim, pathetic, angry' who felt the only way he could achieve anything 'was to take revenge on the world and kill the helpless and the innocent'.

Bryant is serving 35 life sentences for his heinous crime without the possibility of parole.
The mining and energy division of the CFMMEU has long campaigned against the use of labour hire and casual employment to put miners onto pay rates below the industry norm but said it had also negotiated for its members to get the best deal they could in the time being. It said the Chandler Macleod workers at Mt Arthur had voted up their pay deal, which reversed a set of previous wage cuts. Casualisation is out of control across Australias coal industry, driven by big mining companies looking to cut costs, the mining divisions general secretary Grahame Kelly said. But Turners stoush is not good news for the government, either. The massive Mt Arthur mine where Simon Turner worked. Credit:Wolter Peeters This week it hopes to pass an overhaul of Australias industrial laws through Parliament. It would make it much harder for workers like Turner who say they have been misclassified as casuals to bring big lawsuits. The purpose is to stop employees double dipping by taking a casual loading and then also claiming leave payments, which government modelling suggests could cost businesses tens of billions if applied across the economy.

It fears corner stores and frock shops employing a casual on weekend afternoons will otherwise be at risk of backpay claims if the High Court, which is considering just who counts as a casual and what the payment rules are, rules against employers. The governments industrial bill also comes with a pathway for casuals who work regular shifts for six months to convert to permanent work if they want to, albeit with exceptions where it would not work for the business, backed by civil penalties if employers do not comply. Loading Turner argues the double dipping argument does not stack up because he was paid thousands of dollars a year less than permanent staff employed directly by BHP, which declined to comment, who were working alongside him and his colleagues. Those BHP staff were covered by a different enterprise agreement. I was in the same crew sitting next to a bloke with a BHP shirt on, I was exposed to the same risks, got tired on night shift [the same], except they sack us when they want to sack us, Turner said.

He wants the backpay change gone from the bill and no changes to the definition of casual work. Roberts says he does not want businesses to generally be hit by double dipping claims but distinguishes that from cases like Turners. One Nation will reveal its amendments to the bill on Monday, and ahead of that employers are ratcheting up their campaign, with 10 groups including representatives of farmers, retailers, restaurants, builders and miners issuing a rare joint statement urging the crossbench to support the government. Noting unemployment remains high and economic growth low, chief executives of groups including the Business Council of Australia and Australian Industry Group say the bill will make it easier for businesses to hire staff. A failure to vote on the bill will increase uncertainty and stifle business confidence at the

worst possible time  just before the JobKeeper scheme ends and as businesses are

making critically important decisions on whether to retain staff, the statement reads. ACTU secretary Sally McManus will be in Canberra this week, lobbying to try to stop the governments industrial laws. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

ACTU secretary Sally McManus hit back, saying the employers were trying to advance their own self-interest at workers expense. The crossbench, she said, had a choice. Loading If they vote for this bill in full knowledge of the damage it will do to permanently suppress wages and make jobs more insecure, they will show they are not on the side of working people and I doubt this will be forgotten, McManus said. Anxiety is increasing for those in the government and unions because the three other Senate crossbenchers, Rex Patrick, Jacqui Lambie and Stirling Griff, are largely waiting to see what deals the government strikes with One Nation before fully engaging themselves, though each have raised concerns. With Labor and the Greens set against the bill, its fate is in the crossbenchers hands. And One Nation have proven mercurial on industrial relations in the past.
President Moon Jae-in speaks during an event in South Chungcheong Province, March 12. Yonhap



Land minister resigns; two LH employees found dead



By Do Je-hae



More people are demanding President Moon Jae-in apologize for a real estate scandal that has engulfed the nation.



Land Minister Byeon Chang-heum offered to resign March 12 over allegations of speculative land purchases by some employees at the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), an affiliated agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, while he was serving as the CEO of the state housing corporation from April 2019 until December 2020.






The senior officer in charge of policing Saturdays vigil is also responsible for the Mets response to its disastrous VIP child abuse probe.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist was Gold Commander for the operation in Clapham, meaning he had overall command of the officers on the ground and set its overarching strategy.

Mr Twist also leads Operation Larimar, which was set up to implement recommendations made by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques following the 2.5million inquiry into false claims of a murderous Establishment paedophile ring.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist (pictured) was Gold Commander for the operation in Clapham, meaning he had overall command of the officers on the ground and set its overarching strategy

leads Operation Larimar, which was set up to implement recommendations made by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques following the 2.5million inquiry into false claims of a murderous Establishment paedophile ring made by Carl Beech (pictured)

Sir Richard identified 43 mistakes by the Met and made 25 urgent recommendations.

The investigation was launched in 2014 following false allegations made by made by fantasist Carl Beech of rape and murder involving Establishment figures.

No officer has been held to account for the mistakes, with Steve Rodhouse, who was in overall charge, allowed to take up a 250,000-a-year job with the National Crime Agency.

Mr Twist also led a review into Scotland Yards use of handcuffs after Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams was subjected to a stop-and-search last July.

This led to new rules for officers, who must now justify any use of handcuffs.

He also leads Scotland Yards response to the pandemic and has promised harsh punishments for those who do not stick to lockdown rules.

Sir Richard and six former home secretaries have all written to Priti Patel (pictured with Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist in January) calling for a fresh independent inquiry into Operation Midland

In January he said officers had been told to be quicker to issue fines, adding that rule breakers would meet a strong response.

Sir Richard and six former home secretaries have all written to Priti Patel calling for a fresh independent inquiry into Operation Midland.

Merseyside Police are investigating Scotland Yards decision not to examine two false complainants, men known as A and B, who gave accounts that backed up Beechs claims.
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 41 Colleges In Indiana for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 168 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 168 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 41 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-indiana/

2021 Colleges In Indiana featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Ancilla College

Anderson University

Ball State University

Bethel University

Butler University

DePauw University

Earlham College

Franklin College

Goshen College

Grace College and Seminary

Hanover College

Holy Cross College

Huntington University

Indiana Institute of Technology

Indiana State University

Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Indiana University East

Indiana University Fort

Indiana University Northwest

Indiana University South Bend

Indiana University Southeast

Indiana University, Bloomington

Indiana University, Kokomo

Indiana Wesleyan University

Manchester University

Marian University Indianapolis

Martin University

Oakland City University

Purdue University Northwest

Purdue University

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Saint Mary of the Woods College

Taylor University

Trine University

University of Evansville

University of Indianapolis

University of Notre Dame

University of Southern Indiana

Valparaiso University

Vincennes University

Wabash College

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
New daily coronavirus infections are rising steadily again in Germany, as well as in France, Poland, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands. Previously, the numbers of infections and deaths had fallen to a level corresponding to the peak of the first wave.

The R-value, which indicates the incidence of infection eight to 16 days ago, is currently back at 1.26 (compared to 0.96 only three days ago). Although only 7 percent of the population has received an initial vaccination and of these people only one in two is fully immunised, the federal and state governments are systematically lifting the remaining protective measures. In this way, they are setting the course for mass fatalities that goes far beyond what has happened so far.

The widespread and comprehensive reopening of primary schools three weeks ago has resulted in the incidence rate among primary school children officially exceeding the average rate for the population as a whole for the first time. Among 0-to-four-year-olds, the incidence rate has risen from 48 to 60 in 100,000 within one week, according to the RKIs current situation report. Among five-to-nine-year-olds, the incidence rose from 54 to 72 and among 10-to-14-year-olds from 51 to 62.

School children in Frankfurt (Michael Probst / The Associated Press)

In the German capital Berlin, the incidence rate among children under four years of age has more than doubled in the past fortnight. Among five-to-nine-year-olds, it rose from 41 to 77 and in the 10-to-14-year-old age group from 32 to 75.

Robert Koch Institute (RKI) head Lothar Wieler described the increase in cases of infection among the under-15s since mid-February as very rapid. At the same time, he noted that more outbreaks were currently being observed at day-care centres than in the period before Christmas, when a wave of 1,000 deaths per day occurred.

A map compiled by a teacher from North Rhine-Westphalia, providing a geographical overview in which reports from parents and teachers are entered, lists a total of 147 school clusters for the period from February 2021, including 58 infection clusters with 3 to 9 infections and at least five mass outbreaks with 10 or more infected persons. In the same period, 110 day-care clusters with mutated virus strains were reported.

In an interview with the Rhein-Zeitung, Leipzig epidemiologist Markus Scholz reported a tripling of infections in Saxony and urgently warned against further school openings: In our state, not even four weeks after schools reopening, we see the number of cases exploding among children and adolescents.

At the press conference, RKIs head Wieler also explicitly named the B.1.1.7 variant, which is now responsible for a total of 55 percent of infections, as a possible reason for the explosion of infections at day-care centres. A recent publication in the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal ) concludes that the virus strain is more contagious than the original type and is associated with a 64 percent higher mortality.

Yet despite the exponential spread of this highly dangerous variant and hundreds of outbreaks at day-care centres and schools, the deadly reopening policy is to be further intensified in the coming days and weeks. After the chairperson of the Conference of State Education Ministers, Britta Ernst (Social Democratic Party, SPD), declared on Friday that there was a nationwide consensus to bring all pupils back to school before the end of March, the state governments are outdoing each other with their life-threatening reopening plans.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, schools are to reopen completely as early as March 15. This is despite the fact it is quite possible that there will be no testing for pupils in the coming week, as Education Minister Yvonne Gebauer (Free Democratic Party, FDP) flatly declared. For the 2.5 million pupils in the state, they plan to provide a total of 1.8 million tests by the Easter holidays.

From Berlin, the Tagesspiegel reported on Friday that the Greens, the Left Party and SPD-led education administration agree to implement the reopening of schools to all classes as soon as possible, i.e., without the necessary protection. By Tuesday, grades four to six are to be attending school again.

Meanwhile, in Baden-Wurttemberg, ruled by a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Greens, fifth and sixth graders are to return to in-person learning in full classes today, without protection against infection and without mass testing. In Saxony, too, the 240,000 pupils in secondary schools are to return to school without regular testing, although state Education Minister Christian Piwarz (CDU) had promised the timely provision of tests only a few days ago. There is not even a voluntary testing option for grades 5 and 6.

Bavaria is even planning to open primary schools in coronavirus hotspots, i.e., in districts and cities with a seven-day incidence above the devastating mark of 100 cases per 100,000. State Education Minister Michael Piazolo spoke of a pilot experiment with additional tests, but strictly rejected compulsory testing, i.e., a systematic investigation of the incidence of infection. In Rhineland-Palatinate, where the incidence rate is currently lower than in other federal states, the government had introduced alternate in-person and at home teaching for primary school pupils on February 22.

These policies threaten countless lives and fly in the face of any scientific assessment of the pandemic.

Virologist Melanie Brinkmann told the press on Thursday that she was appalled by the decision to open up schoolswithout a testing conceptgiven the current high incidence rates in Germany. She said the current decision was an intellectual insult to everyone, which would lead to intensive care units filling us up and the country rushing into a third wave. I feel let down there as a citizen with old parents, on the one hand, and three school-age children, on the other. Back in February, Brinkmann had warned, in the event of extensive reopenings, 180,000 people under the age of 60 in Germany would not see the next springincluding children.

The prestigious medical journal The Lancet published an open letter from scientists on Wednesday titled, School reopening without robust COVID-19 mitigation risks accelerating the pandemic. The letter cites modelling studies by the University of Warwick and Imperial College London that suggest the school reopening scenarios proposed in the UK will be associated with at least 30,000 more deaths from COVID-19. The scientists conclude, Reopening fully in the setting of high community transmission without appropriate safeguards provides fertile ground for virus evolution and new variants.

A commentary by immunology professors Daniel Altmann and Rosemary Boyton in the medical journal BMJ further warns of the risk of COVID-19s long-term effects on children (Long COVID syndrome) in light of the schools reopening. The article refers to national research according to which 79,000 of those affected by Long COVID in the UK are less than 19 years old. The symptoms are similar to those of older people: fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain, rashes, headaches.

The authors also recall the high prevalence of asymptomatic spread among children and adolescents and point out that the resumption of classes was always accompanied by jumps in the R-value. Overall, the researchers say, children play a significant role in carrying the virus into the community and to older relatives. The BMJ had called the governments pandemic policy social murder in February, citing the writings of socialist Friedrich Engels.

I seriously wonder who doesnt notice the connection between the day-care/school reopenings and the case numbers rising again, educator Raphael W. told the World Socialist Web Site. As an educator, how are you supposed to feel about working every day with children from whom you cant keep your distance? Even before coronavirus, many children came to school or day-care sick. If I wanted to work with serious illnesses and potential risk of infection, I would have chosen a different profession. The kids are the only reason I still do the work at all.

Parents and educators find out a day in advance what the phase is for the next three days, Raphael continued. Instead of adjusting our salary to the importance of our job, we are asked to put our health, our lives and those of our loved ones on the back burner. Add to that the bad press that constantly screams open up! and suggests that we are lazy. The fact that educators have one of the highest incidence rates, dont keep their distance and cant demand it because of the children doesnt occur to them.

Raphaels experience is supported by comprehensive health data. Recent figures from Techniker-Krankenkasse (TK)the largest public health insurance company in Germanyhave confirmed that workers in social professions have the highest risk of contracting COVID-19.

For example, nurses, educators and occupational therapists are more than twice as likely to be on sick leave due to coronavirus than the average person with health insurance. Special needs teachers, doctors, social workers and paramedics are also particularly severely affected. Teachers, who are not covered by the TK statistics, are just below day-care workers, according to figures obtained by the authorities from broadcaster NDR. A study by health insurer AOK in October had come to comparable results.

While contact restrictions apply in the private sphere, I am forced to have contact with 200 households per week while on duty, says teacher Simone E. in a Facebook group for teachers from all over Germany. Because of the lack of pre-quarantine, I was not able to celebrate Christmas with my elderly parents. I am still very angry about that.

Before Christmas, Simone reports, we teachers mutated into auxiliary police officers: Mask checks, supervision, toilet guard, following up contactswith all the conflicts that entails. I wont do that any more, Im not a soldier. The few rapid tests available provide relative safety for three to five hours and yet only serve to pull the wool over parents eyes, Simone concludes. I dont do that kind of thing.

Instead, Simone advocates the continuation of at-home teaching: Distance learning is the finest hour for the quiet ones and a fiasco for class clowns. My students can learn well in distance learning. They also dare to write and say more at home than in the group.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Executive Club of Staten Island has joined forces with Meals on Wheels of Staten Island to raise funding and awareness for its campaign, #MarchForMeals.

The exclusive business group, created by young business owners, has volunteered to deliver food to seniors across the borough for the entire month of March.

To engage more volunteers and donations, the professionals are documenting their experiences on social media.

Part of our mission is to partner with organizations and give back to our community. We are honored to work with Meals On Wheels for their #MarchForMeals Campaign to deliver food to home-bound seniors while also trying to raise funding so they can continue helping seniors in need, said Massimo DiDonna, newly elected president of the Executive Club of Staten Island.

The campaign, which comes from the National March for Meals program, highlights Meals on Wheels programs in every county in each state across America.

Meals on Wheels participates each year in the campaign, said Joseph Tornello, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels of Staten Island.

This year we have been honored to have the Executive Club of Staten Island take on a special role in our annual appeal for support as their members deliver meals to our meal recipients, said Tornello.

Some of the business owners who have participated in the campaign include Pamela Columbia, Statewide Fire; Ryan Melis, Integration Charter Schools; Vincent Innocente, St. Geroge Theatre; Bridget Lorenzo, Bee Forever Events; Steve Molloy, Molloy Electric; Regina Boukhvalova, Northfield Bank; Mike Bloomfield, Tekie Geek; Massimo DiDonna, Partners in Sound; Mike Scarimbolo, First Home Bank; and Anthony Rapaccuiuolo, PRcision LLC.
The Bhartiya Kisan Union-led farmer agitation against the three central farm laws may continue till December this year, the outfit spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said here on Sunday.

Tikait made the statement while talking to reports here after his recent visit to the poll-bund West Bengal.

This agitation possibly will stretch up to November or December this year, he said.

Talking about his Wes Bengal visit, Tikait said during their poll campaigning there, the central government people have been asking farmers to give them one feastful of rice.

I have advised Bengal farmers to ask grain seekers to fix an MSP of Rs 1850 per quintal for paddy before giving them a single grain of rice, Tikait told reporters here.

He said after Bengal, he was planning to visit other parts of the country to press for the enactment of a law guaranteeing an MSP for various crops.

In Bihar, the paddy is currently being bought by traders at an abysmally low rate of Rs 750 to Rs 800 per quintal. I want a law guaranteeing the minimum support price for various crops, said Tikait.

He said he was not going to sit in Delhi alone but was planning to visit all over the country, including Madhya Pradesh on March 14 and 15, Ganga Nagar in Rajasthan on March 17, Ghazipur's UP Gate border in Delhi on March 18, Odisha on March 19 and Karnataka on March 21 and 22.

During his visit here, Tikait also garlanded a statue of his late father and farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait at Tikait Park in Jhalwa near here.

The BKU spokesperson claimed the three central laws will lead to the closure of all small-time neighbourhood shops, leaving only big commercial malls to survive.

These farm laws will ruin traders and lead to the closure of small business utilities and the collapse of small industries. These laws will bring in big multinational firms like Wallmart," claimed Tikait.

Had this government belonged to a political party, it would have talked to farmers and resolved the matter, Tikait said.

But this government is being run by big business houses. It is bent upon selling the entire country, he alleged.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: Climate activist Disha Ravi, who was arrested for her alleged involvement in the "toolkit" case being accused of sharing the document on social media related to the farmers' protest, wondered since when did it become a crime to think about planet earth.

"Locked in my cell, I wondered when it became a crime to think the most basic elements of sustenance on this planet were as much mine as theirs," the 22-year-old activist from Bengaluru said in her first statement since she was arrested in February.

In her four-page statement shared on Twitter, she said that by people's reactions she realised that not much is known about climate activism or climate justice. "My grandparents, who are farmers, indirectly birthed my climate activism. I had to bear witness to how the water crisis affected them, but my work was reduced to tree plantation drives and clean-ups which are important but not the same as struggling for survival. Climate Justice is about intersectional equity. It is about being radically inclusive of all groups of people, so that everyone has access to clean air, food and water," she wrote.

Ravi said the human race would be inching closer to its own expiry "if we did not act in time to stop the endless consumption and greed." She wondered why should millions pay the price for the greed of a few hundred.

The activist claimed during her arrest her autonomy was violated and her photographs were splashed all over the news. She also accused some media outlets of declaring her guilty to gain TRP's.

"My actions were pronounced guilty -- not in the court of law, but on flat screens by seekers of TRPs," Ravi lamented.

Disha Ravi was arrested by Delhi police and charged with criminal conspiracy and sedition in connection with the probe into the toolkit or the Google document on farmers protests.

The Delhi police in its first information report stated that the contents of the toolkit led to the violence that broke out in Delhi during the tractor parade by farmers on January 26. She was however granted bail after a court found that there was no inflammatory or seditious material in the document.
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Stanley Tucci heads to his hometown of Tuscany as his adventures in Italy continue in this CNN special series. The actor will explore Tuscany with a wine bar crawl and a celebration of the lowly loaf.

HOW TO WATCH: LIVESTREAM CNN via Sling by clicking here (Free 3-day trial). Episode 5 airs on Sunday, March 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy is a six-part CNN original series following Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci as he travels across Italy to explore regional cuisines and Italian cooking. While there, he will immerse himself in the countrys rich history and culture.

During a time when everyone wishes they could travel, the series will transport you through Italys cultural past and present through its extraordinary cuisine, said Tucci. The food tells the story of this countrys unique history and Im thrilled to serve as a guide through this journey.

VIDEO PREVIEW:

LIVESTREAM CNN via Sling by clicking here (Free 3-day trial).
When a shoe begins to wear down, the support and cushioning becomes less effective. The bottom of your shoes will give you some guidance as well. If you notice the tread is worn out, or even balding in some places, its a sign that you are due for a new pair of sneakers. The patterns of wear and tear will also provide clues as to how you load your weight as you run, and these markers could be helpful when you look for your next pair of shoes.

Next, head to a local running store.

A specialty shoe store should be staffed by local runners who know the sport and have had their own aches and pains.

Ideally, a staff member will take a look at your feet and watch you walk or run to evaluate your stride. You want a conversation, where you have the opportunity to run or walk (on a treadmill or outside) in a handful of shoes and discuss goals and concerns, such as specific pain points or training plans.

You may try on a variety of shoes with different levels of arch support and cushioning. Make sure you have about a thumbnail-width of space between your toes and the end of the shoe, and pay attention to what feels most comfortable.

Finding expert advice has become easier during the pandemic, thanks to the emergence of virtual running-shoe appointments. Many running stores now have the option of making a video appointment and will ship a selection of shoes to you. Expect all of the same service you would get in person, including some walking tests and discussions around any specific physical concerns and running goals. Make sure to read the fine print before taking any shoes out for a test drive, as some retailers take returns with minimal hassle while others may have more restrictive return policies.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in processing an increasing number of children and teenagers who have filled detention facilities at the southwest border, as criticism mounts over the treatment of young migrants.

FEMA, which normally provides financial assistance during natural disasters, will help find shelter space and provide food, water and basic medical care to thousands of young migrants, Michael Hart, a spokesman for the agency, said in a statement.

The administration also asked officials in the Homeland Security Department to volunteer to help care for and assist unaccompanied minors who have been held in border jails that are managed by Customs and Border Protection.

Previous administrations have also dispatched FEMA to help process migrants during surges in border crossings. However, the Biden administration cannot use disaster aid funding to support the processing of migrants in Texas after they cross the border without the consent of Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. States must request the funding from the federal government.
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A true Shinobi in terms of his reverential and restrained discretion, the young chef in his forties, Mitsuru Tsukada, is a true Daimio  of Nikkei Cuisine in Switzerland and beyond. Trained by the master of this culinary style, Nobu Matsuhisa, he has successfully created his own gastronomic identity at the Izumi restaurant of the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva. Leveraging the synergies between ancestral Japanese gastronomic know-how and the richness (among other things) of the spicy flavors characterizing Latin American-Peruvian cuisine, he is the Sensei of his art. Witness his commitment and accuracy in creating menus embodying a perfect alchemy of tastes and ingredients. His creativity is also enlisted by other restaurants of the Four Seasons group in Megeve, Madrid, Beirut and soon Budapest.

Restaurant Izumi  Hotel Four Seasons des Bergues

Chef, the immediacy of your cooking requires accuracy; which was the first watch to grace your wrist ?

If Im not mistaken, at the time I had chosen a model from a Japanese brand that was sturdily resistant to the trials of my professional activity: a Casio G-Shock, capable of facing the challenges of my intense moments in the kitchen. It faithfully accompanied the start of my career in Kumamoto, Japan and I still have it today.



You were able to export your talent to both Greece and the United Kingdom before coming to Switzerland; have you changed timepiece too?

Yes, indeed. It is worth pointing out that there is a Japanese culture of appreciating watchmaking that I share with many of my compatriots. At the time, I was won over by one of my favorite watches, which is now proving to be a lasting investment, a superb Rolex Master GMT Pepsi 16700. Timeless, sporty and chic, it has crossed the seas and oceans while remaining as youthful as ever, unlike me!



Did your 2013 arrival at the head of the Izumi restaurant enable you to nurture your passion for watches?

Definitely, I have been able to satisfy my passion by becoming the owner of two watches focused on durability and the aquatic field and the oceans, first of all with a Panerai PAM 88 that I particularly appreciate for the XXL readability of its dial as well as its slightly vintage, military and emblematic look. I was subsequently attracted to a black IWC AquaTimer Galapagos Island. Easy to wear and highly durable, it also combines the qualities I need for my daily activities as well as my spare time. I like them both and alternate between them.

Restaurant Izumi  Hotel Four Seasons des Bergues

If you had to choose your ideal watch, what would it be?

Its a tough choice, as there are so many watches I would like to own, but if you limit my response to justone, yet without it being too obvious, I would choose a Patek Philippe Calatrava that encompasses all the quality standards I love: design, style, precision, beauty, resistance to the passing of time as well as  without being overly philosophical  longevity and success.

*Written by Louis-Olivier Maury


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The Charleston Animal Society is issuing a challenge to South Carolina: become a no-kill state by 2024. If the state completes that goal, the Petco Foundation will donate $1 million to South Carolina's animal welfare-organizations.

To qualify as a no-kill state, all healthy and treatable dogs and cats must not be euthanized. Such dogs and cats make up about 90 percent of the animals shelters handle, the Charleston Animal Society said in a March 14 news release.

A 2020 study by the nationwide nonprofit Best Friends Animal Society listed South Carolina as 16th for the number of animals killed in its shelters. Around 28 of the state's shelters were no-kill, according to the survey. Delaware was the only state listed as no-kill.

The Charleston Animal Society started a "No Kill South Carolina" initiative in 2015 that it says has saved more than 500,000 animal lives in the past six years. The initiative, funded by the Petco Foundation, has meant 30,000 fewer animals euthanized, the release said.

Petco Foundation has invested $3.5 million in South Carolina animal welfare organizations since 2015.

According to the initiative's website, South Carolina has 350 animal-welfare groups and 82 shelters. In 2020, 92,000 dogs and cats entered those shelters, the initiative reported.

No Kill South Carolina lists several strategies to reduce euthanasia and promote animal welfare. Aggressive adoption programs, spay and neuter programs and fostering are among the ways listed.

According to the Charleston Animal Society, in 2016, 19 percent of dogs and 47 percent of cats were being euthanized in South Carolina shelters.

Those numbers dropped to 8 percent for dogs and 18 percent for cats in 2020, the society said.

Joe Elmore, the society's president and CEO, said many think it's impossible to make South Carolina the first no-kill state in the South.

The problem is solvable, but it's definitely going to mean a lot of hard work, Elmore told The Post and Courier.

"The resources are just not where they need to be across the state," he said.

One problem is a lack of accessible and affordable veterinary care, especially in rural areas. Another is a lack of progressive public policy that could aid the no-kill initiative, like incentives for spaying and neutering.

"We've got to make it by 2024, because it's a challenge," Elmore said, speaking of the potential $1 million grant by the Petco Foundation.

Charleston Animal Society's 150th anniversary is on March 14, 2024.

In a March 14 virtual meeting, Elmore said the focus should be on no-kill communities rather than no-kill shelters.

"Life saving is not a shelter issue, it's a community issue," he said.

Community members can get involved in this effort by adopting, volunteering or donating at their local shelters.
The first set of rains in the new season has come with heavy rainstorms, destroying over 200 houses in Ekiti in the last one week.

It is estimated that over 1,000 persons have been rendered homeless following the devastation, according to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

Residents of Erimope Ekiti of Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State are mostly affected.

Fridays downpour began at about 6 p.m., and was accompanied by strong winds which wreaked havoc on residential buildings in the town.

Displaced persons are taking refuge in a neighbouring community.

Apart from private homes, the storms destroyed two public primary schools and buildings belonging to Pentecostal and Catholic Churches in the town.

Mangled roofing sheets of different makes, kitchen utensils, mattresses, household materials, electrical poles and appliances, littered the places completely damaged.

While inspecting the wreckage on Saturday, the SEMA Chairperson, Sunday Adebomi, described the incident as strange in the history of the community and the entire local government .

The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi was particularly happy that no life was lost during the storm, which affected about 200 houses in this town, he said.

We learnt over 1,000 residents had been displaced already.

We are here to assess the level of destruction by the storm which was a mystery.

The present administration in Ekiti State under the leadership of Dr Fayemi would do everything within its capacity to ameliorate the plights of the victims.

The government commiserates with the victims and I advise our people to as a matter of urgency embark on the planting of trees in their environment. The move would further avoid future occurrence of such an unfortunate incident.

A community leader and victim of the storm, Oladipo Isaac, lamented the destruction and called on the government to intervene quickly.

As you can see many houses including schools and churches have been blown off, he told reporters.

We appeal to the government and and public spirited individuals to come to the aid of our community. This kind of disaster is happening for the first time since I was born 75 years ago in this community.

In a similar event, at least 20 hectares of cocoa and kolanut plantations were razed by a raging midnight inferno in Isan-Ekiti, the hometown of the governor.

The SEMA boss, who also visited the ravaged farm sites located along Ipere-Ekiti road, described the fire disaster as unfortunate.

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He said the government was compiling the names of affected farmers and would ensure they were compensated.

A community leader in Isan town, Ray Akin-Oguntosin, said the fire affected cocoa, kolanut, orange, and coffee plantations and had rendered farmers in the town jobless.

We appeal to both the Federal and Ekiti state governments to come to the aid of the community over the disaster, he said.

We have contacted the relevant state and federal authorities to come to the aid of our people and I also appeal to the indigenes of the town both at home and in the diaspora to come home and help their people.
Katrina Has Always Been Very Supportive, Says Sister Isabelle Kaif

Newcomer Isabelle Kaif, who recently made her acting debut in Bollywood with Time To Dance, says her actor-sister Katrina Kaif has advised her to work hard and be focused. The film is directed by Stanley Menino D'Costa, longtime assistant of filmmaker-choreographer Remo D'Souza. Isabelle Kaif said, visiting Katrina Kaif on the sets of films like Singh is Kingg, Partner, and Ek Tha Tiger, gave her an insight into how the Hindi film industry works.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Isabelle Kaif (@isakaif)

"She (Katrina) has always been very supportive. It always helps when you know people. She has always said 'stay focused, keep working hard and not get yourself distracted by anything or any person' as one can't please everyone," the 30-year-old debutante told PTI. "I had an idea about what I was going to get into. I had a desire to enter the industry but I had to finish my schooling, then I went to college and then got into acting," she added.

There has been constant chatter about Bollywood superstar Salman Khan launching Isabelle Kaif in the movies, but the actor said she landed the role in the dance drama after clearing the audition. "I have auditioned for the film and got selected after the producers liked me," she said, adding Khan has always been supportive of anyone who is trying to make it in the industry. "I have been auditioning for films for sometime (now) and this time everything fell in place. The more you do it, the better you get," she said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Isabelle Kaif (@isakaif)

Before entering Bollywood, Isabelle Kaif said she worked on a film set as a junior assistant director in the US. After finishing her studies from an acting school in America, she came to India to join films. Working behind the camera helped her understand the process of movie making. "The long hours of shoot, setting up of the shot, prep for the film and you get a feel of what set life is like."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Isabelle Kaif (@isakaif)

Time To Dance sees Isha (Isabelle), a ballroom dancer team up with Rishabh (Sooraj Pancholi) a street dancer for a dance competition. Backed by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series and Lizelle D'Souza, wife of Remo D'Souza, the film released on March 12. Isabelle Kaif is currently shooting in Agra for her next film Suswagatam Khushaamadeed, also featuring Fukrey star Pulkit Samrat.
Tens of thousands of BT staff are set to vote on strike action in a fresh blow to beleaguered chief executive Philip Jansen.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the Communication Workers Union  representing 45,000 BT staff  will tomorrow kick off the formal legal process to ballot members for the telecom giant's first national strike since 1987.

The union is furious at Jansen's attempts to rapidly modernise the former state monopoly, with plans including the closure of about 270 offices and compulsory redundancies that could run into thousands.

The Mail on Sunday understands the CWU expects a large majority of workers at BT, EE and infrastructure division Openreach to vote in favour of industrial action with walkouts likely from May.

The union is furious at Jansen's attempts to rapidly modernise the former state monopoly

A spring strike would raise the prospect of internet outages before the Covid lockdown is fully lifted, and while millions of people are still being asked by the Government to work from home.

The decision to launch a strike ballot tomorrow will deliver an untimely blow to Jansen after several weeks of damaging stories about boardroom unrest.

City veteran Jan du Plessis earlier this month announced plans to retire as BT chairman after just four years.

It has since been claimed that Jansen prompted him to jump by threatening to resign unless a new chairman was appointed.

Jansen, who was brought in as chief executive in February 2019 to modernise BT, is said to want a chairman who will support a much faster pace of change.

BT has downplayed the unrest, denying any 'misalignment' between board and management and praising du Plessis.

But it did not refute claims that Jansen had issued an ultimatum before du Plessis revealed plans to step down.

The threat of strikes comes as regulator Ofcom this week publishes its long-awaited Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review, which will determine the pace  and financial returns  on BT's 12billion upgrade of Britain's broadband network.

Jansen is also under pressure from a court case over an accounting scandal in Italy, which resumes next month, while a review of BT's pension fund in May is expected to show a 9billion deficit.

The CWU's threats are a response to BT's plan to slim down its operations from 300 to 30 UK sites. The plans have angered workers. Unions say staff face 'postcode redundancy' if they live too far away.

CWU deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said BT is in 'denial' at the prospect of strike action.

'People are at risk of redundancy, not because they're not good at their job, not because their role is going, only because they live somewhere that it doesn't suit BT for them to live,' he said.

The Communication Workers Union is furious at Philip Jansen's attempts to rapidly modernise the former state monopoly

'Our argument is you could have these people working remotely. You're a technology company that's selling this technology to everybody else to allow them to work remotely, but you're not using it as much as you should be in your own company.'

Kerr claimed BT is refusing to share the details of its plans, which meant negotiations could not begin. He also said staff had been refused pay rises.

Kerr said du Plessis was 'more accommodating and more cautious' than Jansen, 'who is used to moving quickly, at a private equity pace'.

Before BT, Jansen was hired by payments giant Worldpay's private equity backers and floated it, before later making an estimated 34million from its 2017 sale.

The CWU is a formidable opponent. Last year, Royal Mail chief executive Rico Back was ousted after a long-running dispute with the union.

Kerr added: 'Philip Jansen is underestimating the power of the union.'

He pointed out that the CWU had not considered significant industrial action since 2010. 'We're still willing to work with the company, but we need to be listened to,' he added.

In a consultative survey before Christmas  involving 74 per cent of the union's BT members  98 per cent voted for action.

BT's share price has collapsed from 4.47 five years ago to 1.37 today.

A BT spokesman said: 'BT needs to go through a period of immense change and investment to modernise itself. Once complete we will have a much simpler operating model with fewer people and we'll be better able to serve our customers.'

Michael Hewson, chief markets analyst at CMC, said: 'Industrial action doesn't help anybody. If you go down that route, then both sides have lost.'
Terry Knorrs story was too fantastic to believe. Her mother and two of her brothers, she said, had killed her sisters more than eight years ago and left their bodies in the mountains near Lake Tahoe.

At first, police officers, a lawyer and a therapist she told dismissed her tale as fiction, authorities said. But when she called the Placer County Sheriffs Department last month, her grisly account of burning flesh and starvation rang true.

Her detailed descriptions of her sisters--down to the chipped teeth from force-feedings--matched the bodies of two young women that were found in the Sierra Nevada in the mid-1980s and never identified. Soon, detectives began unraveling a tale of domestic violence so sordid and depraved that even they were shocked.

I have been here 33 years and I have never seen such a bizarre case, said Placer County Sheriff Donald J. Nunes. Its pathetic. Its a situation thats beyond comprehension.

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Nunes said authorities now believe that the mother, Theresa Jimmie Knorr, shot and burned one daughter to death and killed another by starving her in a broom closet at their run-down apartment in Sacramento.

The mother allegedly enlisted two of her sons, William and Robert, to help torch one of their sisters along a road near Squaw Valley and, a year later, to dump the second sisters body near Truckee, the sheriff said.

Over the past 10 days, Placer County authorities have tracked down the mother and sons and charged each of them with two counts of murder.

Robert Knorr, 24, was discovered in a Nevada prison, where he recently began serving a 15-year sentence for an unrelated murder that occurred during a Las Vegas robbery. William Knorr, 26, was arrested Nov. 4 at a warehouse in Woodland, Calif., where he worked.

And Theresa Knorr, 47, was arrested Wednesday in Salt Lake City, where she was taking care of an 85-year-old woman and sharing her house. The 5-foot, 4-inch, 250-pound Knorr, who has been married five times, was using her maiden name, Theresa Cross.

The Knorrs have not publicly discussed the allegations since being charged, and Theresa Knorr is fighting extradition to California.

The revelations have prompted authorities to re-evaluate Knorrs acquittal 29 years ago on charges that she murdered her first husband. A jury found that she acted in self-defense when she shot her husband, Clifford Sanders, with a hunting rifle.

And the new allegations have led the Placer County Sheriffs Department to renew its investigation into the unsolved strangulation of Knorrs sister, Rosemary Norris, 39, whose body was dumped in Placer County in 1983.

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Authorities investigating the Knorr case have pieced together a portrait of a woman who dominated her family by beating her children, manipulating their emotions and inspiring their fear.

Knorr was especially hard on her three daughters, they say. A woman with some nursing experience, she apparently did not want her daughters to be thin and allegedly force-fed them foods such as macaroni and cheese.

In Sacramento, the family lived in a small, cheap apartment near Auburn Boulevard in a neighborhood well known for its prostitutes.

On at least one occasion, Sacramento child welfare authorities were notified of abuse in the family but apparently took no action. County officials were unable to discuss the case, noting that records are destroyed after five years.

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Nunes, who also serves as coroner and marshal of mountainous Placer County, gave this account of the deaths of the two young women, Suesan Knorr and Sheila Sanders:

During a heated argument in 1983, Theresa Knorr allegedly took out a small-caliber gun and shot her daughter, Suesan, in the chest. Suesan, then about 16, recovered from the shooting--even though she received no medical care and the bullet remained lodged in her body.

About a year later, Suesan announced that she wanted to move to Alaska and her mother agreed to let her go--as long as she left the bullet behind.

Concerned that the slug could be used as evidence of the shooting, Theresa Knorr allegedly used the kitchen floor as her operating table and extracted the slug from her daughters back with a kitchen knife.

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Infection set in and Suesan grew weaker, eventually becoming delirious. The mother decided she would have to get rid of her and recruited her brothers to take her to the mountains, the sheriff said.

On their way up Interstate 80, the car broke down, and they had to return to Sacramento. The next night, they made it to Squaw Valley, stopping about half a mile from the entrance to the ski resort.

On the side of the road by Squaw Creek, they placed Suesan, with her mouth taped shut, on a pile of clothes, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire, Nunes said. Her body was discovered still smoldering the next morning. A coroners examination showed that she had stab wounds in her back but was alive when she was set on fire. The body could not be identified.

The next year, Knorr got into a violent argument with her eldest daughter, 20-year-old Sheila, and tied her up and locked her in a broom closet that was about two feet square, the sheriff said. She ordered no one in the family to feed her, although Terry Knorr, then about 13, brought her beer.

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Sheila died in the closet within several days and the stench of her decomposing body filled the apartment.

Theresa Knorr again enlisted the brothers to help, Nunes said. The mother and sons put the body in a cardboard box, taped it shut and took it to the mountains, where they dumped it near the Truckee airport, he said.

On their return, they found that the smell did not go away and Theresa Knorr allegedly ordered Terry to set the apartment on fire. In the middle of the night, the teen-ager sprinkled barbecue lighter fluid around the apartment and lit it, the sheriff said.

The Fire Department, however, responded so quickly that the closet was not damaged. This month, detectives armed with a search warrant came to the apartment, now occupied by other residents, and removed the stained subfloor of the closet. Tests are being conducted to determine if the stains are from a human body.

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After the fire, the family left Sacramento. Theresa Knorr and her daughter, Terry, ended up in the Salt Lake City area. In recent months, Terry had been employed as a clerk in a grocery store in the same neighborhood where her mother lived and worked. But it is unclear whether they knew of each others whereabouts.

Terry, now 23, lives with her husband in the suburb of Sandy, near Salt Lake City. Sandy Detective David Lundberg said police have been called to their house at least a dozen times in the past three years to resolve complaints of domestic violence. Both have been arrested more than once for their mutual combat, said Lundberg, who was among the officers called to her house.

Terry apparently tried in 1989 to report the alleged murders of her sisters to police in Utah, but they did not believe her, Lundberg said. Even a therapist she consulted did not take her seriously, he said.

But while watching an episode of Americas Most Wanted on television last month, she realized that charges could still be brought. Authorities said she called the Placer County sheriff instead of Utah authorities.

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She didnt want her mother to get away with any of this and she wanted to tell her story, Lundberg said.

Before her mother was arrested, Terry went to a Utah television station, KUTV, and told the story of abuse and murder. What kind of mother would do that? she said. What kind of person am I going to be for the rest of my life because of this?

It is uncertain whether Knorr saw the broadcast, but shortly before her arrest she withdrew $4,000 from her bank account and notified her employer she was leaving town, Lundberg said.

Placer County detectives tracked her down by checking various aliases with drivers license records across the country.

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Bud Sullivan, who had hired Knorr to care for his ailing mother, was stunned by the arrest. I cant say anything bad about her, he said. She was there 24 hours a day for the last 15 months. We consider her a part of the family.

Sheriff Nunes said the case would have been solved much sooner if anyone had believed Terry when she tried to report the murders in the late 1980s. Her descriptions were so detailed, he said, that a computer check should have turned up a report of the unidentified bodies.

Utah authorities said they are trying to find any officers who might have received information about the alleged murders from Terry Knorr.

Times special correspondent James G. Wright in Salt Lake City contributed to this story.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
China on behalf of a number of countries condemned Australia at the UN Human Rights Council on Friday over its serious human rights violations, urging the Australian government to close offshore detention centers and launch a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the killing of civilians and other serious crimes the Australian troops have committed overseas.





In a joint statement to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, a number of countries, including China, Russia, Belarus, Egypt and Venezuela, condemned the unlawful killings and abuse of civilians including children committed by Australian overseas military personnel.

At the same time, the statement expressed deep concern over Australia's practice of setting up offshore detention centers in other countries. The statement noted that these detention centers fall short of adequate medical conditions. A large number of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers have been detained over a long period of time, some indefinitely, and their human rights have been violated.

China and other countries urged Australia to immediately close all offshore detention centers and take concrete steps to safeguard the rights of vulnerable immigrant groups, especially children. They called upon the Human Rights Council, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and relevant special mechanisms to monitor the Australian government in the judicial process to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice and that the victims receive reparations.

The joint statement also expressed concern over the growing phenomenon of racial discrimination in Australia, the increase in violence against women and the unprotected rights of indigenous people in the country, calling on Australia to effectively protect human rights.

Global Times
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The civilian leader of Myanmars government in hiding vowed to continue supporting a revolution to oust the military that seized power in last months coup.

Mahn Win Khaing Than, who was named the acting vice president by Myanmars ousted lawmakers and is a member of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyis party, addressed the public on Saturday for the first time since the February 1 military takeover.

This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close, he said in a video posted on the shadow governments website and social media.

We will never give up to an unjust military but we will carve our future together with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished

In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades really desired, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together.

He added: We will never give up to an unjust military but we will carve our future together with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished.

At the end of the message he flashed a three-finger salute that has become a symbol of resistance to the military rule.

Earlier on Saturday, security forces opened fire at demonstrators, killing four in Mandalay, the second biggest city, two in Pyay in south-central Myanmar, and one in Twante, a suburb of Yangon, Myanmars largest city.

Details of all seven deaths were posted on multiple social media accounts, some accompanied by photos of the victims.

The actual death toll is likely to be higher, as police apparently seized some bodies, and some of the victims suffered serious gunshot wounds that doctors and nurses working at makeshift clinics will be hard-pressed to treat.

Expand Close Anti-coup protesters hold signs that read We dont accept military coup during a march in Mandalay (AP Photos) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Anti-coup protesters hold signs that read We dont accept military coup during a march in Mandalay (AP Photos)

Many hospitals are occupied by security forces, and as a result are boycotted by medical personnel and shunned by protesters.

The independent UN human rights expert for Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said last week that credible reports indicated at least 70 people had died so far, and cited growing evidence of crimes against humanity by the military.

Other unofficial but carefully compiled tallies put the number of deaths since the coup at around 90.

Saturdays killings did not faze demonstrators in Yangon who crowded a downtown commercial area past the official 8pm curfew to hold a mass candlelight vigil and sing about their cause.

The mostly young protesters rallied at an intersection where they usually gather for daytime protests.

After-dark rallies were also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.

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Reports on social media also said three people were shot dead on Friday night in Yangon, where residents for the past week have been defying the curfew to come out onto the streets.

The nighttime protests may reflect a more aggressive approach to self-defence that has been advocated by some protesters.

Police had been aggressively patrolling residential neighbourhoods at night, firing into the air and setting off stun grenades as part of intimidation.

They have also been carrying out targeted raids, taking people from their homes with minimal resistance.

In at least two known cases, the detainees died in custody within hours of being hauled away.

Another possible indication of heightened resistance emerged on Saturday with photos posted online of a railway bridge said to have been damaged by an explosive charge.

The bridge was described as connecting the rail line from Mandalay to Myitkyina, the capital of the northern state of Kachin. The photos show damage to part of a concrete support.

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No one took responsibility for the action, which could be seen as support for the nationwide strike of state railway workers, part of the civil disobedience movement against the coup.

At the same time, it could also disrupt military reinforcements in Kachin, where ethnic guerrillas have been fighting the central government.

The prospect of sabotage has been openly discussed by some protesters, who warn they could blow up a pipeline supplying natural gas to China, seen as the juntas main supporter.

In Washington on Friday, the Biden administration announced it is offering temporary legal residency to people from Myanmar, citing the coup and deadly force against civilians.
To expand ideological foot-print, BJP needs to win Bengal: Ghosh

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, Mar 14: West Bengal BJP Chief Dilip Ghosh on Saturday said that the party has to fulfil its long-cherished mission of winning the state not only to expand its ideological footprint but also to secure India's eastern borders, which have turned into a "transit point for terror elements" trying to create unrest in the country.

Amid an exodus of TMC members to the BJP ahead of the assembly elections, Ghosh conceded that the saffron party needs people from other political outfits to come to power in the state, after which it will put an end to the practice.

In an interview with PTI, Ghosh said the BJP's ideology, its expanding organisational strength, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity are its strengths, while the lack of popular faces in the party at various levels in the state is one of the drawbacks for the saffron camp in the elections.

Allaying apprehensions of party old-timers that turncoats are becoming more important than them, he said that switching political allegiance doesn't always guarantee leadership positions and party tickets.

Ahead of Assam Assembly elections 2021, BJP booth committee president stabbed to death

"West Bengal is important for the BJP not only because of our origin in the state as Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee was born here but also because the country's security is linked with it. We have waited for long for an opportunity to come to power in the state. This is our mission and challenge," he said.

"India's border with Bangladesh that West Bengal shares is the most unsafe in the country. The Centre has been able to bring peace in Kashmir and other disturbed areas but the eastern borders have turned into a transit point for terror elements to infiltrate into the country to create unrest," he said.

Exuding confidence of coming to power in West Bengal with a two-thirds majority, Ghosh said the TMC government has failed and betrayed the aspirations of the people of the state, who had voted it to power in 2011.

Elections to the 294-member assembly, poised to be a stiff contest between the BJP and the Centre, will be held in eight phases from March 27 to April 29. The results will be declared on May 2.

The BJP has been able to "knock the door of the seat of power" due to the martyrdom of hundreds of party workers and the indomitable spirit of the activists in the state but lack of popular faces at various levels is a drawback for the party in the elections, he said.

"Our ideology, Modiji's popularity and the indomitable spirit of our workers are our strengths but we need several popular faces at various levels to take on the TMC. The ruling party in the state has several faces not because they are efficient but because they have been in power for 10 years," he said.

Asked whether the rift between old-timers and newcomers will affect the BJP in the elections, he said that everyone has to abide by the party's rules and regulations.

"The BJP is getting strengthened in West Bengal with each passing day. People from other parties including the TMC are joining us. If we don't take them, how will we grow?

"Everybody can't get a ticket. Only some will be candidates and others will have to work as per the responsibilities assigned to them. No one is above the party," he said.

Saffron party sources and media reports have indicated that the RSS is not happy with the BJP inducting certain leaders from other political outfits.

Ghosh said although party hopping can't be supported, there are certain necessities in electoral politics.

"We will put an end to the practice of party hopping after we are voted to power in West Bengal. But numbers play an important role in democracy. We need to get the numbers. With leaders, their supporters too come to our party," he said.

Since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the BJP bagged 18 seats, just four less than the TMC, 26 MLAs of the ruling party in the state, two of its MPs and three legislators each from the Congress and CPI(M) and one CPI MLA have joined the saffron party.

However, barring former state cabinet ministers Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi, none have resigned from their posts.

"Tickets are given on the basis of winnability. It is not necessary that all the elected representatives who have joined from other parties will get tickets," he said.

Ghosh said inducting tainted TMC leaders will not impact the party's anti-corruption narrative in West Bengal.

"People vote for the BJP because of our ideology and policies and not by looking at politicians joining us from other outfits.

"We won't judge anyone. Law will take its own course. In their previous party, there was a culture of corruption so they worked accordingly, but in the BJP, they have to work as per our principles," he said.

Ghosh dismissed allegations that identity politics has risen in West Bengal simultaneously with the BJP's growth and blamed the TMC's "appeasement politics" for the rise of communal politics in the state.

"Development for all is our election plank. But communal politics has grown in the state due to the TMC's appeasement politics. The TMC is solely responsible for this," he said.

Noting that it is up to the top BJP leadership whether to project a chief ministerial candidate ahead of the elections, he said, "In states where we have a strong organisation, we don't project a CM face because we don't need one to win the elections but in states where we have a weak presence, we have sometimes projected a CM face. Now, we have a strong organisation in West Bengal."

He dismissed media reports that newly inducted actor Mithun Chakraborty might be projected as the party's chief ministerial candidate in the state.

Asked whether he will take up the challenge if the party anoints him as the CM face, Ghosh said he is a loyal soldier of the BJP and has always taken up the responsibilities bestowed upon him.

"Whatever responsibility the party bestows upon me, I will perform my duty diligently," he said.

On the 'outsider versus insider' debate in West Bengal, the state BJP chief said that the TMC has raked up the issue as it has nothing else to talk about.

"The TMC, after remaining in power in the state for a decade, has nothing else to talk about, it seems. Ours is a national party, and our leaders will come here to assist us. But those fighting the elections and the ground workers are from this state. So, the TMC's allegations are baseless," he added.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 8:27 [IST]
Mumbai, March 14 : Mumbai Police's Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze -- nabbed by the National Investigation Agency minutes before midnight on Saturday -- was produced before a Special NIA Court on Sunday afternoon in connection with the case involving an abandoned SUV found near the home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

Vaze was arrested after nearly 12 hours of grilling by the NIA team and this morning underwent the mandatory medical checkup before he was taken to the court in tight security.

Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that the action in the case involving the planting of a SUV Scorpio with gelatin sticks and the subsequent death of businessman Mansukh Hiren "would be based on truth".

"The matter of the gelatin sticks found in a Scorpio vehicle near Ambani's residence and the Hiren murder cases are being investigated by NIA and ATS. Action will be taken based on the truth that comes out of it," he said in his brief comments this morning.

While the ruling Shiv Sena slammed the Centre's moves to unilaterally take-over important cases which were demoralising the Mumbai Police, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party launched a fresh attack on the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said this (Vaze's arrest) is merely the beginning and it is necessary to probe who are the people behind him, supporting him in the government, since the involvement of police officials in crimes will shake the people's faith in the police.

Suspecting that it is not a small matter, but "a larger plot" in which the truth must come out, Fadnavis termed it as "a serious matter that the person who was the investigating officer has been arrested".

Leader of Opposition (Council) Pravin Darekar demanded answers from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray since he was seen defending Vaze last week.

Demanding a narco-test on Vaze to unravel the names of the 'master-conspirators', BJP city spokesperson Ram Kadam asked whether the MVA government was worried that the policeman's revelations could create problems for the ruling dispensation.

BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya demanded the sacking of state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh in the wake of Vaze's arrest.

"The Thackeray-government is protecting Vaze. I expected arrest of more members of the Vaze 'gang' What discussions did the CP (Singh) hold with Vaze for 3 days," Somaiya sought to know.
The former chief executive of Davy Stockbrokers and one of the 16 people involved in the Anglo bond deal, Tony Garry, has resigned from the board of Dublins Mater Hospital.

A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed his resignation in a statement to the Sunday Independent: Tony Garry offered his resignation as a director of the board of the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and it was accepted. He is no longer a director of the Mater Hospital.

Mr Garry was CEO at Davy at the time of the Anglo bond deal at the centre of the scandal at the firm. He was also one of the Davy 16 who were the buyers of the bonds in 2014, unbeknown to the seller, developer Patrick Kearney. Mr Garry left the company in 2015.
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Last fall, Connecticut residents voted absentee in unprecedented numbers. COVID-19 provided the legal justification for expanding absentee-ballot access. But voters embraced it because it is convenient, safe, and secure.

The results spoke for themselves: turnout increased to a record-breaking 79.7 percent. Lines at polling places were reduced. Voters  especially those who voted absentee  overwhelmingly reported satisfaction with their experience.

Why dont we do this every election? The short answer: currently, no-excuse absentee balloting is against the law. Our state Constitution lists certain limited, approved reasons to obtain an absentee ballot. As a result, we need a Constitutional amendment to allow absentee voting outside those reasons. On the Government Administration and Elections Committee, we are considering one right now. Thats great, and hopefully well pass it.

But even if we do, amending our state Constitution requires a special process that takes years to complete  perhaps as many as five. Not for nothing are we called The Land of Steady Habits.

Heres what people arent talking about: we could expand absentee-ballot access right now. As restrictive as our state Constitution is, our absentee-ballot statutes are even more so. By expanding the statutory reasons to obtain an absentee ballot to their Constitutional limits, we can ensure thousands and thousands more Connecticut voters can conveniently and securely cast their vote. And statutes can be changed simply by passing a bill passed through the General Assembly with the governors signature.

Thats why I proposed H.B. 6205, An Act Revising Certain Absentee Voting Statutes.

Heres how it works. The current statute requires voters to be absent during all of the hours of voting to obtain an absentee ballot. But the state Constitution does not  they may obtain absentee ballots if they are merely unable to appear at the polling place on the day of election because of absence from their city or town. Likewise, the relevant statute specifies that a voter must obtain an absentee ballot only for the voters sickness or disability. But the Constitution does not specify whose sickness or disability matters: the sickness or disability may be that of a family member or a patient.

This has dramatic  and absurd  real-world consequences. Right now, thousands of commuters must either stay out of town all day until past 8 p.m. to get an absentee ballot, or be at the mercy of traffic or train schedules, racing back from work trying to get to the polls in time. A home health worker who goes from a daytime shift to take care of his own family has no chance to go to the polls  and cannot vote absentee. Someone who cannot leave her disabled mother to go to the polls cannot get an absentee ballot. These people are all simply disenfranchised.

Under H.B. 6205, all these people  commuters, health care workers, caretakers  would be eligible to obtain an absentee ballot. And the law could go into effect before the municipal elections this fall.

H.B. 6205 is not a panacea  we still need a constitutional amendment to permit full no-excuse absentee voting and allow all citizens to participate conveniently in our elections. But it would allow many more Connecticut voters absentee-ballot access while the amendment process progresses. And we have strong evidence it is Constitutional: the Governors Executive Order (and our statute codifying it) allowing everyone to vote absentee because of COVID-19 interpreted the Constitutions sickness excuse broadly in much the way H.B. 6205 does, and was approved by the Connecticut Supreme Court.

We have no time to lose. The right to vote is one of the most sacred American rights, enshrined in both our federal and state constitutions. Where there is disenfranchisement, our state Supreme Court has declared, a grievous wrong is done to the citizen.

Unfortunately, our state has a long history of disenfranchisement through unduly restrictive absentee-voting laws. Absentee voting first came to Connecticut in 1864, when the state Constitution was amended after our Union soldiers were barred from mailing in their votes from the front. Those too sick or disabled to go to the polls were first allowed an absentee ballot only in 1932. Those whose religious dictates barred election-day voting have been allowed an absentee ballot only since 1964. Today, our absentee-ballot laws are some of the most restrictive in the country.

Voting is a fundamental right. To redeem it, we must make voting safe, convenient, and secure for every citizen  and do so as quickly as possible. This session, the General Assembly must pass a resolution for a Constitutional amendment to allow no-excuse absentee balloting. But we should also pass a bill that will immediately allow the maximum possible absentee-ballot access. We should pass H.B. 6205.

Matt Blumenthal is state representative for the Connecticut General Assemblys 147th District, serving Stamford and Darien.
The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on May 27, 2014. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Biden Administration Asks Supreme Court to Drop Abortion Case

Just weeks after the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving a Trump-era rule preventing federally funded health care providers in a family planning program from referring patients for abortions, the Biden administration asked the court to drop the case.

All the parties in the case consented to ask that it not be heard, in expectation of President Joe Biden withdrawing the rule.

Biden telegraphed that he would do so when he issued an executive memorandum on Jan. 28 directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider rescinding the rule governing the family planning program for poor people under Title X of the Public Health Services Act.

The rule has caused the termination of Federal family planning funding for many womens healthcare providers and puts womens health at risk by making it harder for women to receive complete medical information, Biden said in the document.

A law called the Hyde Amendment bars federal funding from covering abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the womans life is considered at risk.

The petition for review in the case, American Medical Association (AMA) v. Cochran, court file 20-429, was granted Feb. 22. The request to dismiss the case on consent of all the parties was filed after normal business hours on March 12.

The case is actually three lawsuits, which the court combined. The other two actions are Cochran v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and Oregon v. Cochran. Norris Cochran is the acting secretary of HHS. All the parties in two of the lawsuits filed a joint stipulation to dismiss with the court on March 12. A separate joint stipulation to dismiss was filed in the Baltimore case the same day.

On Feb. 22, 2019, HHS issued a rule revising regulations governing the Title X family planning program, which serves about 4 million low-income Americans. The new rule was hailed by pro-life groups as a step in the right direction.

In its filing with the high court, the AMA praised the program, stating:

For five decades, the Title X program has been an extraordinary success, serving to ensure that all individuals have access to family planning careregardless of where they live or their economic means. The program provides vital health care services, like contraception, testing, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, breast and cervical cancer screening, and pregnancy testing and counseling.

The aspect of the new rule that proved controversial was a ban on referring patients for abortion as a method of family planning, HHS said in 2019. This gag rule, as critics called it, does not bar nondirective counseling on abortion, but eliminates the requirement that Title X providers offer abortion counseling and referral.

The rule protects Title X healthcare providers so that they are not required to choose between participating in the program and violating their own consciences by providing abortion counseling and referral, HHS said.

That same year, various federal courts blocked the rule but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed it to take effect, after which abortion provider Planned Parenthood withdrew from the program. In 2020, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a conflicting ruling, upholding a lower court ruling preventing it from taking effect.

On Oct. 1, 2020, the AMA argued in a petition filed with the Supreme Court that the rule prevented medical doctors participating in the program from recommending abortions to their patients and this violated medical ethics.

Every leading medical organization in the United States opposed the Rule. All were unequivocal that it would violate fundamental principles of medical ethics, the petition stated.

The AMA warned in comments on the rule that it would dangerously interfere with the patient-physician relationship and conflict with physicians ethical obligations, and that long-serving Title X providers made clear they would be forced out of the programresulting in a mass exodus of providers to the detriment of patients and public health.
BERLIN (AP)  A court in Germany has convicted a special forces soldier of breaking firearms laws for hoarding rifles, explosives and ammunition at his home.

The Leipzig regional court on Friday sentenced the 46-year-old, whose name wasn't released, to a suspended term of two years' imprisonment.

Judges concluded that the defendant had stashed away 5,000 rounds of ammunition, and firearms including an AK-47 rifle, at the base of the elite KSK unit in the southwestern town of Calw. After concerns were raised about missing weapons and ammunition, the defendant moved the material to his home where his son helped him bury some of it in the garden.

The defendant maintained that he had stored the weapons for use in training.

Germany's military intelligence agency, known by its acronym MAD, had been observing the man since 2017 amid concerns he might be involved in far-right activity.

Police searching the man's house found a magazine containing far-right content but prosecutors said there was no evidence he had an extremist background.

The commander of the KSK unit last year said soldiers who handed in missing ammunition would receive an amnesty, a move that prompted widespread criticism after it came to light this year.

Germanys defense minister disbanded one of the KSKs units in July and vowed to further investigate extremism and implement reforms.

Musicians were among several hundred demonstrators who gathered in central Belgrade on Sunday to protest the weekend closure of all non-essential businesses aimed at curbing rising infections.

The crowd rallied outside the Serbian parliament building, carrying banners reading "Let us work!" and "We don't accept life without music."

They have demanded more help from the state after a year of crisis that has left many without an income.

Authorities have banned all concerts and have only allowed food stores, gas stations and pharmacies to open this weekend as the country struggles to contain a surge of over 4,000 daily new infections in the past week.

Officials are hoping the country's vaccination program will help put the outbreak under control.

Serbia has vaccinated more than 1.2 million of its 7 million people with at least one shot from Chinas Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Russias Sputnik V or AstraZeneca, which is among the highest rates of inoculations in Europe.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
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A loaded older trotting division got a little bit deeper Saturday night (March 13) at The Meadowlands, as Get Legs, from driver Andy Miller and trainer Julie Millerthe duo known as Team Orange Crushput a beating on six overmatched foes in the $18,500 high-end conditioned trotting feature.

We are really excited about him, said Andy. Right now, and for the future as well.

They should be. Because if all goes as hoped, Get Legs could end up facing such standouts as Manchego, Atlanta and Amigo Volo during what is his sophomore campaign after having not raced as a two-year-old.

The still relatively inexperienced four-year-old son of Muscle Hill-Legzy, known heading into the night for his late rallies, was put on the point this time around, and continued his winning ways switching from being a pursuer to the pursued.

Get Legs, whose every lifetime start has come at The Big M, was away quickly from post 4 in the seven-horse (with two scratches) field along with 5-2 second choice Mission Accepted and 3-1 chance Pikachu Hanover. When they settled in at the quarter, even-money favourite Get Legs hit the beam in :27.4 with Pikachu Hanover and Mission Accepted willing to sit behind along the rail.

I just thought it was a good spot to be a little more aggressive with him, said Andy. Hes been taken back enough.

Miller was able to rate the second fraction in a leisurely :29 on a night where the front was where you wanted to be. Before Pikachu Hanover popped out the two-hole at three-quarters to take his shot, and just as it seemed he might threaten as they straightened away, Get Legs got serious.

When he felt them move up on him, said Andy. He just took off all the way to the wire.

The margin may have been just a half-length, but Get Legs reported home a safe winner in 1:53, just two-fifths of a second slower than two weeks ago when he established his lifetime best. Mission Accepted outlasted Pikachu Hanover in the race for place.

Get Legs, who returned $4.20 to his backers, now has eight wins from just nine lifetime starts and earnings of $63,610 for owners Andy Miller Stable and Michael Anderson.

A NIFTY SCORE: Colossal Stride A, driven by Dexter Dunn and trained by Nifty Norman, wore down speedy 70-1 shot Yacht Seelster in deep stretch to take the high-end conditioned pacing feature by a neck in 1:50.3, giving him three wins in four North American starts since shipping in from Australia less than two months ago.

Hes a pretty powerful horse, said Dunn, whose horse sprinted home in :26. The fractions werent strong but he paced hard through the stretch.

As the 3-5 public choice, Colossal Stride A, who won despite going parked for the final half-mile, paid $3.20 to win.

HANDLE ROLLS A YO-LEVEN: The Meadowlands streak of seeing the $3-million handle barrier busted on Saturday nights stayed intact, as all-source wagering totaled $3,155,578. There have been 11 Saturday programs at The Big M thus far in 2021, and all 11 have seen a handle of over $3 million.

A PAIR OF FOURS: Yannick Gingras and Andy McCarthy had the hot hands on the 13-race card, as both drove four winners on the program.

A LITTLE MORE: One shrewd player wagering into the Oregon Express hub raked the pot in the 20-cent Survivor Pick 7 and collected $12,059. The sequence saw four winning favorites, including a pair of 3-5 shots in the final two legs.

There will be a bit more time for players to handicap the first race 20-cent Pick-5 starting Friday, as racing resumes with a new post time of 6:20 p.m. (EDT).

(The Meadowlands)
Bein said that 73% of students in the district are currently learning in-person, with the remaining 27% opting for remote instruction. If state public health guidelines related to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic move to what Illinois officials call Phase Five  which means no restrictions at all  she said the board would revisit whether the option of remote learning would still be offered.
On Friday, 1.357 million people passed through U.S. airports, the highest number on any day since March 2020, just after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

The figures from the Transportation Security Administration represent welcome news for the aviation industry, which has been particularly hard hit during the pandemic but was granted some relief in the stimulus bill that President Joe Biden signed Thursday.

Still, nonessential flights go against the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which warned last week that even fully vaccinated people should avoid travel unless necessary.

We know that after mass travel, after vacations, after holidays, we tend to see a surge in cases, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday on MSNBC. And so, we really want to make sure  again with just 10% of people vaccinated  that we are limiting travel.

Plane travel remains relatively low in the United States; Fridays figures are nearly 38% lower than on the same day in 2019, according to TSA data. The latest increase in airline passengers comes as states continue to expand vaccine eligibility criteria and during the peak of spring break season.

Photos of spring break partygoers without masks in Florida spread on social media this week, prompting concern from some local officials. Unfortunately, were getting too many people looking to get loose, Mayor Dan Gelber of Miami Beach said. Letting loose is precisely what we dont want.

The TSA said it had prepared for a possible increase in spring break travel between late February and April, including through recruitment and vaccination efforts for its officers. The agencys employees had previously alleged that the more than 6,000 cases among their ranks were fueled by lax safety measures.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Jason Holman knew something was wrong when the ride attendant at Sydney's Luna Park yanked him from the Ghost Train just as he was about to enter 'Hell's Doorway'.

'There was a man with panic written all over his face,' he said of the life-changing moment on that balmy winter's night.

He didn't know at the time that he would never see his friends Richard Carroll, Jonathan Billings, Seamus Rahilly and Michael Johnson again as they would perish in the theme park's infamous fire of June 1979.

'I've started to cry, wee myself, have the start of the meltdown. I've just lost it,' he said of the blaze which killed seven people and shocked Australia.

Mr Holman, now 54, was dubbed 'the luckiest boy alive' by the media, but of course he did not feel that way.

The Luna Park Ghost Train fire in June, 1979 claimed the lives of John Godson, and six children - Damien Godson, Craig Godson, Richard Carroll, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Billings and Seamus Rahilly

The inferno was blamed on an electrical fault, but a coronial inquiry held later that year was unable to determine the cause

And almost 42 years later little has changed as he breaks his silence as the lone survivor of the inferno to open up to the ABC's investigative documentary series EXPOSED.

He can still hear the screams. Smell the smoke. See the flames.

'As I'm retreating, the smoke, the flames, the absolute mayhem starts to kick in,' Holman recalls in the show which airs at 8:30pm, Tuesday, March 16.

He still feels the incessant guilt. Why did he survive? How did it happen?

The then 12-year-old and his 13-year-old friends were on their first night out without parental supervision after many months nagging their mums and dads for permission.

Mr Holman was eagerly sitting in a separate carriage behind his friends who he watched excitedly roll through the ride's entrance doors inscribed 'Hell's Doorway'.

Jonathan and Richard had piled into the first carriage, and Micheal and Seamus into the next, leaving Mr Holman to sit alone in one behind them.

Mr Holman was seconds from entering the ride, which at 10.15pm was to be their last for the night, when the Guardian Angel whisked him to safety.

At this point, Mr Holman had no clue of the terror that was about to unfold as nothing seemed amiss from outside.

Footage from ABC's investigative documentary series EXPOSED shows police at the scene of Luna Park moments after the blaze in 1979

On June 9, 1975 a fire on the Ghost Train ride at Luna Park in Sydney (pictured) killed seven people and changed the lives of a community forever

But the ride's black interior had begun filling with thick smoke after a small blaze that started deep within the ride billowed into a roaring inferno, swallowing the entire train.

Within moments, chaos unfolded as scrambling passengers started kicking down partition walls and pouring out of fire exits just moment before the ride exploded into a fireball.

Mr Holman's schoolboy friends as well as John Godson, 29 and his two young sons, Craig, four, and Damien six, all died after becoming trapped inside.

'This fire was something different. This fire was just nuts, out of control  and massive, dwarfing us,' Mr Holman told the ABC.

'My friends, engulfed by flames, died in front of me. Why did I survive? Why me? I ask myself that question nearly every single day.'

Mr Holman waited outside for his friends but they never emerged as Mr Godson's body was found with his arms outstretched attempting to shield his young sons.

Jason Holman was the lone survivor and has broken his silence for the first time since the tragedy rocked the nation in 1979. Pictured: The entrance of Luna Park today

Pictured are four of the children who died in the fire, including Richard Carroll (second from left). The cause of the fire is still unknown, but there is speculation is was an electrical fault

Luna Park reopened in 1982 under the name Harbourside Amusement Park before relaunching under its original name in 1995

Police the next day put the fire down to an electrical fault, but a coronial inquiry held later that year was unable to determine the cause.

The tragedy has since been shrouded in mystery, sparking conspiracy theories of arson and cover-ups - with the source of the fire yet to be resolved.

Mr Holman believes it was the work of arsonists after speaking with Australian artist Martin Sharp who repainted Luna Park's iconic face after the blaze.

Before his death five years ago, Mr Sharp had carried out his own makeshift investigation and collected pieces of evidence which lead him to believe the theme park was deliberately set on fire.

Mr Holman said it was now his mission to get justice for those who perished in the flames on that winter's night when laughter was replaced with screams of terror.

He said he will never forget the sight of the empty carriages emerging from the ride along the mechanical track completely engulfed in flames.

The theme park, which opened in 1935, was shutdown immediately after the incident but reopened in 1982 under the name Harbourside Amusement Park, before later reclaiming its original name and relaunching in 1995.
A lecturer at the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) and expert in Finance and Economics, Dr Joseph Yensu, has praised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for using the 2021 State of the Nation Address (SONA) to call for unity.



Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, Dr Yensu said he was particularly impressed with the President's call for Ghanaians to work together for the progress of the country.



He said one of the good news in the SONA was the revised capital requirement for the financial sector.



Capital requirement



According to him, the downward capital requirement, which has been the cry of many of the banks, would ensure that some local banks would be able to remain in business and not have the practice where only international banks would be operating in the country..



Dr Yensu, who is also a former Director of the Kumasi campus of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), said President Akufo-Addo gave a very positive SONA..



He said there was the need to encourage and support the local banks to operate and not leave everything to the foreigners..



That notwithstanding, Dr Yensu said there would be need for the central bank to monitor the system and ensure that the banks were adhering to the rules and regulations of the sector to sustain the confidence in the banking industry.



LGBTQI



He, however, said the President missed the opportunity to state the country's stand on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) discussion to state clearly Ghana's position on the issue and bring a finality to the discussion..



Again, he said even though the President aligned programmes to be undertaken by the government such as the Agenda 111, he failed to tell us where we are going to get the resource to execute such an agenda.



Support for SMEs



He said President Akufo-Addo touched on the support extended to Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and that even though the effort was laudable, there was no mechanism to ensure the beneficiaries used the support for the intended purpose..



According to him, there were people who benefited from the support but were not into any business and he believed that if such interventions were not properly structured and monitored, the government will continue to throw away money under the guise of extending support to the SME as such money will never be retrieved. In all, it was a good address which gives hope to the people, he stated.





Source: Graphiconline.com









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These arent people who are uninsured because they dont think its valuable, or dont have health concerns, said Stacey McMorrow, a principal research associate at the Urban Institute and author of the study. They are people who have medical needs.

Her research found that, between 2015 and 2018, 11.5 percent of new mothers lacked health insurance coverage. That rate is slightly higher than the general populations. About half of those uninsured women were Hispanic, and two-thirds lived in the South. The uninsured rate for new mothers is especially high in states that do not participate in the Affordable Care Acts Medicaid expansion, which provides public coverage to all citizens who earn less than 133 percent of the federal poverty line.

Recent studies have found that increased Medicaid access for the general population, which will cover some new mothers, is associated with lower maternal mortality and more use of medical care in the postpartum year.

Extending Medicaid coverage longer would also help women comply with new postpartum guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In 2018, it began recommending that postpartum care be delivered as a series of visits from three to 12 weeks after delivery. Before that, the association recommended only one visit at six weeks after birth.

This is an evidence-based, well-supported proposal, said Katy Kozhimannil, a professor of health policy at the University of Minnesota. It would be extremely helpful for women to have financial access to health insurance and health care after they deliver.

She said the extension of postpartum Medicaid should be seen in the context of the larger set of benefits the stimulus will provide parents. There are the $1,400 checks for each family member, including children, that will go out to most Americans. The new child tax credit will also provide big financial boosts for many families with children.

Taken together, the changes in the stimulus should lessen the financial strain that comes with becoming a parent, both for medical bills and other expenses. Still, experts say major stressors and gaps in the safety net will remain. The United States does not guarantee paid leave for new parents. States will have to sign up to add this benefit to Medicaid, and pay a share of the costs. Even in states that do make that decision, new mothers could still find themselves uninsured after the year of coverage ends.
Demonstrators hold signs as they gather outside the New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office calling for his resignation, in the Manhattan borough of New York on March 2, 2021. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Cuomo Should Stick to His Guns: Alan Dershowitz

Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz said on Saturday that since accusations dont constitute guilt in the United States, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should not prematurely resign in response to the sexual harassment allegations against him.



Accusations dont constitute guilt, Dershowitz told Newsmax host Carl Higbie. I wrote a book about it called Guilt by Accusation, so I think that Gov. Cuomo should stick to his guns. Let there be a full investigation.

Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz. (Roger Askew/Shutterstock.com)

And if nothing more comes out, these sexual allegations are not enough to deprive him and deprive the millions of voters who voted for him of his governorship, Dershowitz added.

I take the same position whether a person is a Democrat or Republican, whether I voted for him or against him. The law has to be the same. The shoe on the other foot has to fit.

Dershowitz said of the media reports, Those are not the kinds of things that should result in impeachment or resignation because first of all, the most serious allegation, the only one that alleges possible criminal conductgroping, which in a legal concept is just a made-up wordbut thats by an anonymous source, Dershowitz said.

In America, we dont make people resign. We dont even publish anonymous sources. And so we ought to discount, until shes willing to come forward and be subjected to vetting and find out who she is and what her agenda might be.

The latest allegation of groping from an anonymous source has been referred to the Albany Police Department, according to the New York Post.

Dershowitz said the other allegations dont yet rise to a level of impeachable conduct.

He noted that the nursing home scandal and reported cover-ups are quite different.

Cuomo remains the subject of multiple investigations over nursing home deaths during the pandemic.

Two senators from New York, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, on Friday joined a rapidly growing group of Democratic New York lawmakers calling on Cuomo to resign, after the additional allegations of sexual harassment emerged.

Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also joined the calls on Friday for Cuomo to resign.
Many European countries have banned the use of the coronavirus vaccine developed in whole or in part by the British company AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The decision to suspend the use of the vaccine in these countries has been taken after the suspected deaths due to blood clotting after vaccination.

It has been learned that the Danish Health Authority said in a statement on Thursday that the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Denmark has been suspended for 14 days due to fears of serious adverse events. There were several reports of blood clots after vaccination. Also, in one such case, a 60-year-old woman was also killed. It is also being said that the European Medical Agency (EMA) on Thursday called Denmark's move a precautionary step. Also stressed that there are no such indications that these conditions were caused by vaccination.

People continue to be vaccinated in the UK: According to the information found, in addition to Denmark, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia and non-European Union (EU) countries Norway and Iceland also have blood clotting. Following similar reports, the vaccine has been banned as a precautionary measure. Of this, Bulgaria had booked more than 4.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said in a statement that "there is no confirmation yet that blood clots have formed due to the AstraZeneca corona virus vaccine. So people should still continue taking the corona virus vaccine.''

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Boston Public Schools on Sunday opened its first COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Gallivan Community Center in Mattapan, getting shots in the arms of educators, bus drivers, monitors and district employees and contractors at a site that will offer about 200 appointments daily over the next couple weeks.

District officials said the Boston Centers for Youth and Families facility adds a new level of access to the vaccine to ensure the health and safety of the workforce. BPS plans to operate the clinic to provide first doses of the vaccine over the next two weeks; after 21 days, the clinic will operate for another two weeks to provide second doses.

The clinic will run Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

More and more Bostonians are receiving their vaccines, and vaccinating our educators is a key step in the City of Bostons reopening and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. Boston Public Schools educators and staff have worked tirelessly and selflessly over the past year to be there for our students. As additional students return to our school buildings, we are working to provide our teachers and school staff with as many vaccine access points as we can to further promote the health and safety of our school communities.

The school district recently launched an internal website that includes recordings of virtual information sessions for staff, including frequently asked questions and a link to register for a vaccine, BPS said in a news release last week.

As we near the first anniversary of last years school closure, the opening of our first clinic to administer vaccines to our workers is a monumental milestone in our battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said in a statement. There is more work ahead in our recovery, but this is a profoundly important moment for the Boston Public Schools and the City of Boston. I am so proud of our teachers and staff who have reinvented education over the last year in support of our students and families, and I thank the Boston Teachers Union and the Boston Public Health Commission for their continued collaboration and guidance.

When more vaccine doses become available, BTU Hall will serve as the second BPS clinic offering vaccines for employees and contractors only, the district said.

A regional COVID-19 vaccination site is set to open in Uxbridge this week.

The site at the former McCloskey Middle School at 62 Capron St. is a collaboration between the towns of Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Grafton, Hopedale, Mendon, Milford, Millville, Northbridge, Oxford, Sutton, Upton and Uxbridge, officials said in a news release.

A news conference including federal, state and local officials is planned for 9 a.m. Monday, when officials will announce more details regarding the opening of the site.

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Sunrise's new host Natalie Barr has taken a stab at her predecessor Samantha Armytage for claiming that women are given an easier ride at work when they are married with children.

Natalie, 52, who shares two teenage sons with husband Andrew Thompson, remained silent for two weeks before finally hitting back at Sam's views on Sunday.

'I don't feel like I've worked less being a wife and mum. I don't feel like I've had to prove anything either, that's how it's always worked for me,' she told The Courier Mail.

'I don't feel like I've worked less': Sunrise's new host Natalie Barr, 52, (left) has hit back at 44-year-old former anchor Samantha Armytage's (right) claims that women don't have to work as hard when they are married with children

While Natalie agreed that 'everyone is entitled to their opinion', the veteran presenter insisted that she's always worked just as hard as her unmarried and/or childless female colleagues.

'I feel like I've worked really hard and I've put my hand up for every job, every news story that involved going away,' she said.

'I've been to floods and fires and terror attacks and US elections and I love taking on all that extra load, it's why I became a journalist. I put my hand up as high as I can to get to those jobs and do the extra stuff,' Natalie said.

Agree to disagree: Speaking to The Courier Mail on Sunday, Natalie agreed that 'everyone is entitled to their opinion' but insisted that she's always worked just as hard as her unmarried and/or childless female colleagues

Working mother: Natalie shares two teenage sons with husband Andrew Thompson (pictured together in 2006)

Natalie insisted that her workload would be the same, even if she was unmarried or without children.

On March 1, Samantha sensationally wrote in her column for Stellar magazine that 'bosses don't ask as much of you if you're a wife or mother'.

She wrote: 'I've never shied away from hard work, but there was an expectation that Sam would do it because she's got nothing else going on.'

Taking a stand: Samantha boldly claimed that 'bosses don't ask as much of you if you're a wife or mother' in an article for Stellar magazine earlier this month

'[Sometimes I'd think], "Well, actually, I'd get something else going on if you didn't make me do this,"' she added at the time.

Many readers took issue with the fact the opinion piece seemed to pit women against each other based on their family situation.

'I think most bosses see the importance of raising a future generation,' one person Tweeted, while another wrote: 'Thank you Sam you just pushed us back 30 years.'

'Thank you Sam you just pushed us back 30 years': Many readers took issue with the fact the opinion piece seemed to pit women against each other based on their family situation. Sam is pictured on set of Sunrise with her dog Banjo

One Twitter user said they 'struggled' listening to the 'wailing of celebrities' who complain about their workplace despite being paid extraordinarily high salaries.

'Many would swap! Harsh industry, BOO!' they added.

It comes amid the news that Natalie has been confirmed as Samantha Armytage's permanent replacement on Sunrise.

It's official! Natalie has been confirmed as Samantha's permanent replacement on Channel Seven's breakfast show Sunrise

In a statement on Sunday, Natalie told viewers she's looking forward to stepping into Samantha's shoes.

'Sunrise has been my work family for 18 years and while I've absolutely loved my role as newsreader, I've now been given the chance to move half a metre along the desk closer to Kochie and give something new a try,' she said.

As of Monday, Natalie will sit alongside co-host David 'Kochie' Koch on the panel as she makes her official debut in the coveted role.
Aerial photo taken on Feb. 24, 2020 shows the Haizhu wetland and the Canton Tower in the distance in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. (Photo by Xie Huiqiang/Xinhua)

The Fortune 500 company P&G has planned to launch an intelligent technology innovation center this year in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, another move of expanding the investment in the country after setting up a digital innovation center in 2017.

"The digital innovation center was established just within four months in Guangzhou. Since then, the center has invested 100 million U.S. dollars in strengthening innovation in big data, artificial intelligence and other areas," said Matthew Price, president of P&G Greater China in an interview with Xinhua.

"Our business achievements over the years have fully proved that P&G's choice of long-term investment and development in Guangzhou is a very correct decision," Price noted.

P&G is just the epitome of global leading companies ramping up investment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and beyond in recent years.

As China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) kicks off, investors from all over the world reckon that China's strong growth prospects, the promise of further opening-up and improvement of the business environment are attracting them to increase investment in the world's most populous market.

EXPANDING INVESTMENT

P&G, one of the first Fortune 500 companies to invest in Guangzhou, established its first joint venture and production base in 1988, which was put into production two years later.

Following more than three decades of development, China has become P&G's second-largest market in the world after the United States and P&G's largest e-commerce market.

"About 10 percent of our business in the United States is done through e-commerce, while the number in China is 45 percent," said Price. "The innovation in big data and artificial intelligence will help us better serve the consumers in the Internet era."

Like P&G, a growing number of foreign companies are now beginning to set up R&D and innovation centers in the Greater Bay Area.

In January, NCS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fortune 500 company SingTel Group, launched NEXT Shenzhen Innovation Centre (SIC), its first innovation center in China. Siemens Energy also launched an innovation center for advanced energy technologies in Shenzhen in January.

"The new innovation center in Shenzhen is another lighthouse project to promote the China-EU green partnership and digital partnership," said Christian Bruch, CEO of Siemens Energy AG, adding that "this will bring us closer to the most dynamic energy market and, together with Chinese partners, create technologies and innovations that have an industrial and social impact."

Meanwhile, since the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was released in February 2019, more and more multinationals have moved their headquarters or regional centers to this more inter-connected area.

In January, New World Development Co., Ltd., one of the largest real estate developers in Hong Kong, signed a cooperation agreement with the Guangzhou municipal government to settle the headquarters of New World China, its flagship property arm, in the city, marking the company's new stage of layout in the Greater Bay Area.

AstraZeneca, a multinational pharmaceutical company, will also establish its south China headquarters in Guangzhou this year, with a focus on R&D, operation management and innovation incubation in the Area.

IMPROVING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Guangzhou and Shenzhen, two major cities in the Greater Bay Area, are lauded by foreign firms for their efforts to foster an enabling business environment.

Huang Shaomei, executive director of New World Development Co., Ltd., said that the company decides to invest in Guangzhou due to its continuous improvement of the business environment.

"If you invest in the city back in 2013, approval of a real estate investment project involved 100 procedures and at least 799 working days. However, the time has been reduced to 50 days in 2018 and 35 days in 2019. And now, it only takes 11 days to get approved for low-risk industrial projects," Huang said.

According to a report on China's business environment in 2020 issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, Guangzhou was rated as a "benchmark city" in all the 18 assessment indicators and won the title of "best practice" in four indicators.

Growing foreign investment is the attestation of a city's notable business environment. With the first business license for foreign-invested enterprises issued in 1981, Shenzhen has approved 96,000 foreign direct investment projects in total, and its accumulated use of foreign capital has reached 120.5 billion U.S. dollars.

Early this year, two workstations were established in Shenzhen, aiming to provide foreign enterprises with services including business guidance, policy interpretation, investment consulting and complaint acceptance.

In addition, a plan for helping overseas professionals better work and live in Shenzhen was formally issued in January. According to the plan, foreign nationals engaged in finance, construction, cultural tourism, medical and health care and other 11 fields will enjoy more facilitations in the city.

"Shenzhen is on the way to build itself into a city with a more fair and internationalized business environment," said Guo Xiaohui, executive chairman of the Shenzhen Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment.

PROMISING GREATER BAY AREA

According to the outline of the new five-year plan, China will promote the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in an active and prudent manner.

While applauding the adoption of the plan, leaders of foreign enterprises said that the Chinese market remains appealing to global investors and the investment layout in the Greater Bay Area is just in line with their development prospects.

Leon Wang, executive vice president, international and China president with AstraZeneca, said the Guangzhou International Bio Island, where its south China headquarters is located at the core of the Area, is a highly innovative area. The setup of the headquarters is of great strategic significance in further expanding its market in the southern part of China.

Frances Yu, president of Amway China, also said that Amway will firmly seize the strategic opportunity of building a healthy China and leverage Amway's advantages to help develop the health industry in the Greater Bay Area and enhance the international competitiveness of the entire industrial cluster.

The southern region of China, especially the Greater Bay Area, is where most of the EU companies set foot in China. It is renowned for its highly developed and fully competitive business environment and transparency of government policies, according to George Lau, vice chairman of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.

"As outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan, China pledges to reduce the intensity of carbon emissions, and achieve the peaking of carbon emissions by 2030, which will unleash opportunities for the EU companies with an advantage in the field of renewable energy," said Lau.

Also, a report released by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China said that about 70 percent of surveyed American companies considered the Three-Year-Plan (2018-2020) for the development of the Greater Bay Area helpful.

"The Greater Bay Area is going to be a massive growth dynamic for the development in the southern region of China," said Harley Seyedin, president of the chamber.
Hyderabad: With the state economy bouncing back in the last three months, the Telangana government is likely to present a jumbo Budget for 2021-22 with an outlay ranging from Rs 1.85 lakh crore to Rs 2 lakh crore.

The Budget will be presented on March 18. The 2020-21 Budget had an outlay of Rs 1.82 lakh crore. However, revenues fell short by nearly Rs 30,000 crore due to the Corona lockdown. There were then reports that the government may slash the Budget size to less than Rs 1.50 lakh crore.

The plans were reversed with the economy showing signs of revival from December last and gathering momentum in January-March. Revenue earnings from all the sectors have almost reached the pre-Covid levels. The government is hopeful of sustaining this momentum in the new fiscal starting on April 1, to pay for the huge outlay.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is learnt to have directed finance minister T. Harish Rao and finance officials to draft a jumbo Budget. He has been giving the final touches to the proposals by holding meetings with senior officials for the past week.

With reports of the CM favouring extending 29 per cent fitment to government employees and pensioners under new Pay Revision Committee from April 1, the government needs to allocate an additional Rs 8,000 crore towards salary and pensions.

The CM wants to extend unemployment allowance of Rs 3,016 per month in the 2021-22. The cost is estimated at Rs 8,000 crore. Besides, he wants funds for crop loan waiver for which another Rs 10,000 crore is required.

To accommodate these three requirements, the Budget will go back to having a bigger outlay than the previous year.
About two-hundred people gathered in front of Mission High School late Saturday afternoon to remember Breonna Taylor one year after she was fatally shot by police officers in Kentucky, and to decry law enforcement.

Taylor, a 26-year-old medical worker, was shot and killed by police in Louisville last March when officers raided her residence in a botched operation. The police killing of Taylor, followed by the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd on May 25, prompted nationwide protests and demands to end police brutality against Black people.

Several speakers stood on the steps of Mission High School and exhorted the crowd to say Taylors name: Say her name, they chanted over and over. Breonna Taylor!

Nearly as frequent were chants of F the police and calls to abolish the police.

Speakers criticized San Francisco Mayor London Breed for promising to reform the police and doing nothing. As they prepared to march, participants urged people to avoid talking to police officers and to help each other in the event they were attacked.

Last month, city officials announced a plan to shift $60 million from law enforcement into the citys Black neighborhoods over the next year, and there are plans to redirect additional police funds to other programs to address deep-rooted, structural inequities.

As marchers set off Saturday afternoon, chanting ACAB, all cops are bastards! a dozen police officers on motorcycles waited around the corner on Dolores Street.

Ken Lundgreen, 71, marched in the middle of the crowd holding high a 2-by-4-foot photo of Taylor. When he heard of the march and rally just minutes before it started, he said he grabbed it from the wall of his Tenderloin neighborhood home, where it has hung for several months.

We need justice for Breonna and of course the whole system is rigged against us, Lundgreen said.

Chronicle staff writer Lauren Hernandez contributed to this report.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
She is currently filming a rock em sock em action film opposite Jake Gyllenhaal.

But Eiza Gonzalez was enjoying an off day from the shoot on Saturday, when she was spotted outside of San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood, California on her way into lunch.

The Baby Driver actress, 31, looked chic and glamorous in a knit cream turtleneck sweater that was backless and held together by a bow in the back.

Movie star: Eiza Gonzalez was enjoying an off day from her film shoot on Saturday, when she was spotted outside of San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood

The sexy top ended just above her navel, offering a peek at her belly button.

Eiza paired this with poured on blue skinny jeans, and heeled black boots.

She carried a coat that matched her top perfectly, along with a white Louis Vuitton purse ornamented with a gold chain handle.

Open in the back: The Baby Driver actress looked chic and glamorous in a knit cream turtleneck sweater that was backless and held together by a bow in the back

Gonzalez masked up with a blue patterned face covering, and shielded her eyes from the sun with delicate sunglasses.

She wore her dark hair down, and it blew slightly in the breeze, parted at the middle.

The Mexican-born actress is currently in the midst of filming the Michael Bay-directed dramatic thriller Ambulance, due for release next year.

Glamour: Eiza carried a coat that matched her top perfectly, along with a white Louis Vuitton purse ornamented with a gold chain handle

Meanwhile, elsewhere in LA: Gonzalez is currently in the midst of filming the Michael Bay-directed dramatic thriller Ambulance, which costars Jake Gyllenhaal; seen on set Saturday

The film costars Oscar nominee Gyllenhaal, who plays one of two robbers who steal an ambulance from a terrified EMT portrayed by Eiza.

And while she was enjoying lunch, Jake, 40, was seen on the set of the film elsewhere in LA, seated in a banged up ambulance awash in green with part of the windshield blown out.

At the end of this month, another huge action movie starring Gonzalez will hit both the big and small screen: Godzilla Vs. Kong, which will premier both in theaters as well as on HBO Max on March 31st.

Not a baby driver: Jake was seen on the set of the film, seated in a banged up ambulance awash in green with part of the windshield blown out
President Joe Biden and the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, flew to their home in Delaware Friday aboard Marine One after receiving criticism from the White House press corps about previous trips there on Air Force One.

Reporters told Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki that the trips on the presidential jet during the coronavirus pandemic set a bad example, Mediaite reported.

The change to Marine One, the president's helicopter, comes after two different briefing room exchanges during which reporters suggested the president was flouting COVID-19 guidelines set by the federal government and should scale back travel to his longtime home.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden depart Marine One, the presidential helicopter, at the Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Delaware, on March 12

President Biden assists his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, as they disembark Marine One amid military and security personnel after arriving at the Delaware Air National Guard Base on March 12. The couple traveled to their family home in Wilmington this weekend

President Joe Biden waves after exiting Marine One in Delaware with the first lady on Friday

Psaki countered that travel aboard Air Force One does not violate guidelines issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Biden has spent three of the eight weekends since he took office at his longtime home outside Wilmington, including this weekend. Biden also spent a weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.

Biden's home near Wilmington, the largest city in Delaware, is where he lived as a senator before being elected vice president in 2008 and where he returned after his time in that office ended.

Biden attends a church in Wilmington that has a cemetery where his first wife, Neilia, and their infant daughter, Naomi, were buried after they were killed in a 1972 car accident. Biden's son Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46, is also buried at the church.

'The president lives in Wilmington. It's his home. That's where he's lived for many, many years,' Psaki said recently. 'And as you know, as any president of the United States does, he takes a private airplane called Air Force One to travel there.'

'That is, of course, a unique  unique from most Americans, but I think most Americans would also see that as a unique circumstance,' Psaki said.

While many factors affect the method of presidential travel, including weather, security and possible public disruption, Marine One has the benefit of saving taxpayer money compared to the cost of operating Air Force One.

President Joe Biden waves from the yard of his family church in Wilmington, Delaware, on March 12

Biden and some of his grandchildren visit the church's cemetery, where his first wife and infant daughter were buried after they died in a 1972 car accident, on March 12. With Biden are grandson Hunter, at left in hat, granddaughter Natalie, center, and an unidentified family friend.

Biden regularly attends services at the church in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has lived for most of his 78 years

Biden walks with grandson Hunter and granddaughter Natalie, left, with his arm around an unidentified family friend at their church in Wilmington on Friday

Biden's son Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46, is also buried at the Wilmington church

In addition to the Air Force flight crew on the jet, presidential travel parties include Secret Service agents, White House staff and journalists. Lawmakers, Cabinet secretaries or other guests may also fly with the president depending on the circumstances and destination.

Biden also has traveled with some of his six grandchildren on trips during his vice presidency and last year's presidential campaign.

Federal agencies spent an estimated $13.6 million on four trips by then-President Donald Trump to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in February and March of 2017, the Government Accountability Office reported in 2019.

Biden salutes military personnel as he exits Air Force One, the presidential jet, in February

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks at a news briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday

The cost included $10.6 million to operate government aircraft and boats and $3 million for transportation, lodging, meals and other expenses for government support personnel, the report said.

Trump took the more familiar version of Air Force One, a modified 747, on the two-hour-plus flight to the commercial airport in West Palm Beach.

Biden has flown on a smaller version of the plane for the flight of about 30 minutes to the Delaware Air National Guard Base.

Biden's home is also a weekend refuge where he watched the Super Bowl in February and meets with advisers and enjoys Sunday dinner with family.

'We try to keep the Sunday night dinners,' Jill Biden told television talk-show host Kelly Clarkson. 'I mean, it's been a little busy lately. We still do it, and the kids look forward to it.'

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump depart Air Force One on Nov. 12, 2019, at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland following a trip to New York City

President Trump returns a salute as he steps from Marine One to board Air Force One as he departs Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 18, 2017

Biden owns a second home in the beach community of Rehoboth, Delaware, but he has yet to visit the address since becoming president.

Biden spent the majority of his 78 years in Wilmington after his parents relocated there from Scranton, Pennsylvania, when he was a boy.

He represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate for 36 years and was a regular passenger on the Amtrak train service between his hometown and Washington, D.C.

As he left Delaware in January to take up residence in the White House, Biden, who is of Irish descent, alluded to an Irish poet believed to have said Dublin will be written on his heart when he dies.

Biden said, 'When I die, Delaware will be written on my heart.'
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Malin Andersson paid tribute to her late mum and daughter in an emotional Mother's Day post on Sunday.

Alongside an image of her first child in an incubator, the Love Island star, 28, admitted she 'misses them more than anything' in the heart-breaking tribute.

The mental health campaigner lost her mother, Consy-Gloria, to stomach cancer aged 65 in November 2017, and her baby girl, who was named after her nan, died from complications as a result of being born premature in January 2019.

'Today is difficult for me': Malin Andersson paid tribute to her late mum and daughter (pictured) in an emotional Mother's Day post on Sunday

TV star Malin wrote: 'Happy Mothers Day. To those that dont think that youre a mum, you are. You always will be.

'To those that have lost their mother - I feel your pain today & every day. Remember to think of those around you that may not be celebrating today.

'Today is difficult for me even though I am strong.. so never presume. Miss my mum and daughter more than anything ..' (sic)

Earlier this month, the influencer discussed her suicide attempt after her one-month-old daughter tragically passed away.

Tragic: The Love Island star, 28, lost her mother, Consy-Gloria, to stomach cancer aged 65 in November 2017 (pictured)

'Remember to think of those around you': The mental health campaigner admitted she 'misses them more than anything' in the heart-breaking tribute

Loss: Her baby girl, who was named after her nan, died from complications as a result of being born premature in January 2019

The reality star said she hit 'rock bottom' following the death of her baby and felt like she 'didnt have a purpose'.

In a moving interview with The Sun, Malin spoke about how at her 'lowest point' she woke up in A&E after attempting to take her life.

She shared: 'I lost essentially all the love I ever had in my life in one hit. I was at my lowest point. There was nothing else I could do so I just surrendered.

'I hit rock bottom. I didnt want to be here any more and tried to overdose by taking lots of painkillers.

'I hit rock bottom': Earlier this month, the influencer discussed her suicide attempt after her one-month-old daughter tragically passed away

'Then I woke up in A&E. I felt like I didnt have a purpose, I felt like there was no point in me existing.'

Speaking about the agony she went through on the Yahoo podcast White Wine Question Time in June 2019, Malin added: 'When she passed away, I locked myself away for about three weeks. I just drank wine every night, I didnt want to speak to anybody.

'I was too scared to touch her, because of the wires and everything. I was slowly collecting tablets because I was thinking, "If shes going to go, f***, Im going too. Because what else have I got to live for here? I havent got a family to go back to."'

The past few years have been incredibly tough for Malin as she left her abusive boyfriend, who was later jailed, a few months after her loss.

Tom Kemp, 29, Consy's father, was jailed at Aylesbury Crown Court in September last year, after admitting to actual bodily harm, which left her 'black and blue'.

Her violent ex was freed from prison after just 12 weeks of his 10-month sentence, forcing Malin to up the security on her London home.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, or see samaritans.org for details.

Anyone affected by the death of a baby who wants to talk about their experience can call Sands on 0808 164 3332 or email helpline@sands.org.uk.
New Jersey may prohibit tax preparation software companies from charging taxpayers to file their state returns.

Sponsors of a bill to bar these filing fees argue since it is free to e-file in New Jersey, it is gratuitous and unfair to make customers pay software companies to e-file when the service is free to software companies.

These fees can be avoided by mailing the state tax return, but E-filing is safer, faster, and generally more convenient than paper filing, and often results in refunds reaching consumers sooner, Sen. Joe Cryan, D-Union, said in a statement.

The Senate Commerce Committee voted unanimously in favor of the bill (S850) Thursday.

Tax preparation companies that violate the rule could face fines of up to $10,000 for the first offense and up to $20,000 for the second, according to the bill.

Under the legislation, tax preparation software companies are those that offer a off-the-shelf software program loaded onto a taxpayers computer or an online tax preparation application.

The bill needs to pass the full Senate and Assembly and be signed by the governor in order to become law.

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

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com.
The rapid success of drive-through vaccination centres could lead the UK out of lockdown before Boris Johnson's roadmap suggests.

A trial that delivered 2,300 Covid jabs in just one day at a car park near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was 360 per cent more than an equivalent clinic, The Mirror reports.

But whilst the system of issuing the vaccines continues to run smoothly, health bosses said that the scheme was unlikely to be scaled up to its full potential due to issues with supply.

Dr Richard West, a senior GP at Woolpit Health Centre, created the drive-through trial at his practice and believes up to 6,000 people could have been vaccinated in one weekend if the supply of jabs was reliable.

A member of staff administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a member of the public at Queen Margaret University Campus on February 10, 2021, in Musselburgh, Scotland

He is one of a handful of enterprising GPs who have started their own drive-in jab centres, however NHS chiefs have failed to back the initiative.

Despite the backing of health minister Jo Churchill, Dr West's local MP, the centre has not been backed by the Department of Health and NHS England.

Dr West said he could run drive-through jabbing sessions several times a week, but he the practice can't get enough vaccine.

He said: 'We did one in the snow in February and haven't done one since. I've had the support of local clinical commissioning group but not NHS England. We'd do another tomorrow if we could but can't get the vaccine.'

Using drive-through clinics in each London borough four and half million people in the capital could be vaccinated in a month. This is based on seven day vaccinating and each London borough having at least one drive-through service.

Across the country the figure could be double say some experts.

Members of the vaccination team working at the drive-through Covid-19 vaccination centre in the Queen Margaret University Campus, Musselburgh

A member of staff administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a member of the public at Queen Margaret University Campus

GP surgeries can vaccinate an around 500 people a day on average, meaning a drive-through system is almost five times as quick.

The news comes as Britain reported 121 new COVID deaths on Saturday, taking the number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive test result to 125,464, daily government figures showed.

A further 5,534 people have tested positive for the disease, down from 6,040 last Saturday.

And yesterday the number of people who have received at least one vaccine dose rose to 23.684 million from 23.315 million the day before.

Other drive-through vaccination centres are already running in Whitstable in Kent, and other locations in Hertfordshire, and Warwickshire.

Other drive-through vaccination centres in England are running in Kent, and other locations in Hertfordshire, and Warwickshire. Pictured: Queen Margaret University Campus, Scotland

Patients are asked to have someone else from their household drive them to the appointment 'wherever possible' as they 'will not be able to drive for 15 minutes after vaccination'.

Scotland and Wales already have a mass drive-through vaccination framework, but no equivalent has been set up in England, The Mirror reports.

DE Richard Vautrey, chair of the British Medical Association's GP committee, backed the idea. He said: 'Drive-through clinics are a good idea. Some GPs have used them for flu jabs. We should be running them if we can.'

An NHS England spokesperson said: 'The NHS has already administered more than 20 million jabs in just a few months, with vaccines being delivered at more than 1,500 sites across the country and 98 per cent of the country living within ten miles of a vaccination site.

'Although we will continue to open more convenient community vaccination centres as supply allows, it's clear from our progress so far that the biggest factor in how quickly people can get a jab is the availability of supply.'

Despite this the vaccination programme has reportedly seen an acceleration as the roll-out quickly works through the next priority group - the over-50s - who are now expected to be offered a jab over the next week - three weeks ahead of the Government's initial target.

According to the Telegraph, it comes as stocks of Covid vaccines are set to more than double.

Britain's latest Covid wave is continuing to shrink as a further 52 people died after testing positive for Covid-19 today - down 37 per cent on last week

And today's case total has dropped too, with a further 4,618 people testing positive. The figure marks an 11 per cent drop on the 5,177 positive tests recorded on this day last week

And it means the over 40s can now be bought forward, with everyone in the group now set to be offered a jab by April 4, the paper adds.

Vaccination centres have already been instructed to recruit more staff to keep up with the jab supply surge, the paper reports.

Meanwhile, the Times says the UK's roll-out is set to be boosted by the arrival of jabs from Moderna, Janssen and Novavax.

The UK has ordered 17million Moderna jabs, 30million Janssen jabs and 60million Novavax jabs - all of which are over 80 per cent effective at preventing hospitalisation.

So far, the vaccine roll-out has relied on the Oxford University-researched AstraZeneca jab, of which the Government has ordered 100million doses, and the Pfizer-Biontech jab, of which it has ordered 40million.

Research firm Infinity says the influx of new jabs means the UK could have every adult vaccinated by June 10, according to the Times.

The newspaper also reported that under 40s may be able to get their vaccination at any GP-led vaccination site in a bid to boost uptake.

Health service chiefs have written to vaccination co-ordinators telling them, it 'may require alternative communication and delivery'.

Dr West said the NHS had not yet started to scratch the service on rapid mass vaccination. He said: 'We may have to do this annually and have to start vaccinating again in the Autumn if it proves that we will need to vaccinate each year against Covid-19,

He added: 'Doing the vaccinations like this is safe. Patients are monitored for 15 minutes after their injection as a precaution. It is far more efficient than doing them at the surgery.

NHS England is reported to be 'considering learning' from local pilots.
Self-correction is the answer. Otherwise, the Quad will merely be a limping Triad-plus

President Joe Bidens decision to hold the first-ever leaders summit of the Quadrilateral, or Quad, hosted virtually with the Prime Ministers of India, Japan and Australia, early in his tenure on March 12, days before his secretary of state Antony Blinken visits Japan, South Korea and China, sent a clear and unmistakable message to Beijing. Mr Biden wanted the group, with a nebulous agenda so far, to get more focused on meeting a number of contemporary challenges, many emanating from China.

The Quad has a chequered history, shaped by political developments in each country, amid unsettled debate in each nation on whether China was best managed through engagement or containment or a subtle mix of the two. The group was born in May 2007, on the sidelines of an ASEAN Regional Forum meeting in the Philippines. The then leaders of the four nations favoured closer engagement between the major democracies of the Indo-Pacific. Japans PM Shinzo Abe was a strong proponent; Australia had a right-wing Liberal Party government and US President George W. Bush was in the penultimate year of his second term. It was only in India that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh faced resistance from the Communists, who were giving outside support to the ruling UPA.

Thus, the preponderance of opinion favoured a low-profile meeting at the additional or assistant secretary level. I had the privilege to represent India at that historic meeting, which built on a rudimentary engagement between the four nations for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief during the deadly 2004 tsunami. China immediately understood that the criteria for membership being a democracy, it stood excluded, if not targeted. It made strong demarches in all the capitals opposing it.

But the favourable domestic factors altered when Prime Minister Abe lost power in September 2007 and the Labour Party won in Australia in the following December. New Australian PM Kevin Rudd, former diplomat and Sinologist, chose engagement with China over light containment or regional balancing. Chinese assertiveness is generally traced to the 2008 financial crisis which rattled the Western financial markets. China saw itself as the bulwark that stabilised the global economy. The Chinese leadership began its power grab in a world in which the United States seemed weakened and distracted by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, it took another decade before the four nations again had their domestic politics align in the hands of right-wing parties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi won power in May 2014, President Donald Trump took charge in January 2017, Liberals trounced the Labour Party in Australia in 2013 and Mr Abe was back in the office in Tokyo in 2012, to rule till 2020. The scenario was thus ripe and the Quad reincarnated in 2017. It matured gradually with meetings elevated to the ministerial level, including one hosted by Japan in person in 2020 despite the pandemic. Moreover, the China problem became clear after four years of Trumpian trade sanctions and fist-waving. Despite Chinese responsibility in letting the Covid-19 virus spread abroad, it was silent in the crucial initial phase, and after its quick economic rebound turned more aggressively to gain strategic advantage. Both its maritime ambitions and its continental territorial claims, such as the Ladakh intrusions into Indian territory in mid-2020, were pursued ruthlessly.

All that remained to be seen, before the Quad could be rallied to reach the next level, was the China policy of President Joe Biden. He showed early that with decades of experience as a senator and later as vice-president, he was for continuity with smarter calibration. The Quad leaders summit last week displays this new China policy. The US realises the European powers are unwilling to rock the Chinese boat as they are dependent on the Chinese market, especially the Germans and French. The British, having detached from the European Union, have little leverage to rouse their erstwhile partners and risk Chinese ire by taking up its clear violations of the Hong Kong handover agreement, contemptuously abandoning treaty obligations.

The Quad leaders delivered their statements and then interacted. The joint statement, poetically titled The Spirit of Quad, spells out the immediate agenda in five paras. It opens by stating two nostrums: the desirability of free and open Indo-Pacific; and the region anchored by democratic values. The first addresses the core anxiety of most ASEAN nations on whose maritime space China has unilaterally encroached. The second was always the raison detre for the Quad, including at its birth in 2007. Both send a powerful signal to the region as indeed China that, unlike President Trump who used rough instruments like trade sanctions, Mr Biden will use an eclectic mix of moves to corral and undercut China.

Three working groups are to cover vaccinations, which posits the Quad as the saviour of the region from what Mr Trump called China flu, climate change and critical technologies. It is realised that developed nations cant or will not decouple from China by cutting off all trade. The strategy now is to undermine what Chinese President Xi Jinping calls dual circulation, a version of self-dependence on itself for markets and critical technologies.

China controls over 58 per cent of the global supply of rare earths like neodymium and lithium, needed for batteries of electric vehicles or wind turbines for clean power generation. Four years ago, China controlled 90 per cent of that supply. On February 24, Mr Biden issued an executive order for a 100-day review of critical product supply chains. China continues to be critically dependent on imported advanced chips.

Therefore, in para 3 of the joint statement, the common goals and global challenges adumbrated are: economic and health impacts of Covid-19, climate change, cyberspace, critical technologies, counterterrorism, quality infrastructure development and disaster relief. The need for a Quad plan for infrastructure development is a recognition that China has managed to embed its influence all across Eurasia by its Belt and Road Initiative, which need to be countered. Indias prowess in vaccine manufacturing has been recognised and financing and knowhow promised to multiply Indias vaccine exports.

But as soft power is at the root of the Quad, even Mr Modi conceded that the Quad members were united by democratic values. President Biden echoed that strongly. Will the BJP government finally realise, as foreign parliaments debate whether democracy is degrading in India, that denial and anger is not the answer. Nor is an agitated media counterattack or new laws to control independent news platforms. Self-correction is the answer. Otherwise, the Quad will merely be a limping Triad-plus.
Organisers of rally seeking justice for women have rejected an offer from Prime Minister Scott Morrison to meet behind closed doors in Parliament House.

Women's March for Justice founder Janine Hendry said with more than 100,000 women expected to march in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane a meeting with 'just three women' was not enough.

'We have already come to the front door, now it's up to the government to cross the threshold and come to us,' she tweeted on Monday.

'We will not be meeting behind closed doors.'

More than 100,000 women expected to march in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Thousands marched in Perth on the weekend

The rallies are being held to protest the 'unacceptable' treatment of women in the workplace and the community and the right of women to feel safe

The rallies are being held to protest the 'unacceptable' treatment of women in the workplace and the community and the right of women to feel safe.

Organisers had taken the night to consider the meeting offer extended by Mr Morrision and Minister for Women Marise Payne on Sunday.

The march comes as the Morrison Government is under a cloud over the alleged rape of a former Liberal staffer by a colleague and rape allegations dating back to 1988 levelled at a federal minister, which he strongly denies.

KEY DEMANDS OF MARCH 4 JUSTICE ORGANISERS * Investigate gendered violence within parliament * Stand down politicians who perpetrate violence * Implement recommendations of Australian Human Rights Commission's Respect@Work report * Ratify Convention on Eliminating Violence and Harassment in the World of Work * Strengthen Sex Discrimination Act so parliamentarians and judges are held to account for sexual harassment and discrimination * Create code of conduct for federal MPs that includes prevention of gendered violence * Mandate annual gendered violence and sexual harassment training for federal MPs and their staff * Enact federal Gender Equality Act and conduct a national gender equity audit of all parliaments * Lift public funding for gendered violence prevention from one per cent to world's best practice standards of nine to 12 per cent of the federal budget * Ensure all Australian parliaments are gender equal by 2030 Advertisement

'Enough is enough. This is a national reckoning,' Fair Agenda executive director Renee Carr said in a statement.

'Women and girls around the country are completely grief-stricken by the federal government's failure to respond to this crisis, and intervene in the systems that enable gendered violence across our communities.'

The prime minister's office had invited up to four march delegates to meet with him and Senator Payne on Monday afternoon after the rally from 12pm.

Senator Payne also offered a separate meeting earlier in the day.

But organisers want Mr Morrison to attend the rally in person.

An estimated 100,000 people are expected to attend more than 40 marches around the country, which coincides with the first day of a fortnight of parliamentary sittings in Canberra.

'I won't be going out to the march,' Mr Morrison said in Sydney on Sunday.

'I will be happy to meet with a delegation from the group that is coming to Canberra.'

He said the issue of violence against women continues to be a high priority of his government.

Pressed on why he won't attend the march, Mr Morrison said: 'I don't have a habit of going to any marches when I come to Canberra because as prime minister when you are in Canberra it's a very busy day.'

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack is also too busy to attend.

'I've already got commitments that I will meet, and I believe if you make commitments, then you should stick to those,' he told the ABC on Sunday.

'I appreciate that this is an important issue and I understand, part of democracy, that people have their right to march and protest.'

However, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese does plan to attend the gathering outside parliament, saying it would be unsurprising if the coalition snubs the grassroots campaign.

March for Justice organiser Janine Hendry (right) speaks with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack in the Media Gallery at Parliament House on Monday morning

'It is important that we listen to what the community is saying, that was the message that Grace Tame, the Australian of the Year, said at the National Press Club,' Mr Albanese told Sky News on Sunday.

'We do have a scourge of violence against women and against children. We do need to listen to what people are saying.'

Lisa Wilkinson, co-host of Channel 10's The Project, will speak at the Canberra event and deliver a message from Brittany Higgins, who spoke out about her alleged rape at Parliament House in 2019.

'We are women and women have had enough with not being heard,' Ms Wilkinson said in a statement.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Over the past year, nine people in the custody of the states largest jail have died  and eight of those deaths occurred during a five-month period from August 2020 to January 2021.

Its an unprecedented spike, says attorney Peter Cubra, a longtime advocate for inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Ive been working around this jail since 1984, Cubra said. This number of deaths is astronomically higher than any other time in history and it should be treated as a crisis. If its not being treated as a crisis it means these people are being devalued by the government.

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Before 2020 there were 10 inmate deaths at MDC in the past four years combined, with none in 2018 and five in 2015.

Over the past year, none of the inmates died from COVID-19. Instead, autopsy and incident reports show, the causes vary: a heart attack, two suicides, two deaths from chronic ethanol abuse, pneumonia and other medical issues.

Two men died within 24 hours of each other.

But six of the nine deaths appear to have occurred while inmates were detoxing from drugs or alcohol or in medical units  all under the care of medical contractor Centurion  a statistic Cubra finds telling.

Its clear that when people die while detoxing from alcohol or drugs that means they either were in the wrong place and needed a different level of care or that the services in the place they were housed are inadequate, he said.

The Bernalillo County Commission voted in 2018 to award Centurion, a St. Louis-based company, a four-year $53 million contract to provide a wide array of medical services at MDC.

Julie Morgas Baca, Bernalillo County manager, said one death is too many and the county is taking the issue very seriously and has been in contact with the provider.

Were working with Centurion on improving the operations out there as far as them administering the medical contract, she said, calling the spike in deaths tragic and horrible.

Its our job to make sure that we communicate our concerns and that were all at the table addressing this together  this is all of our problem.

In a statement, MDC Chief Greg Richardson said the jail takes every loss of life very seriously.

My staff along with our medical and psychiatric providers review and analyze loss of life to ensure we are employing the best practices and procedures, he said. The increase of in-custody deaths is very concerning to us at MDC and we are striving to understand what is occurring in our facility to ensure that we are giving the best continuity of care possible.

At least two cases have led to discipline for the officers involved.

Richardson said in the suicide of Ronny Pacheco a corrections officer is on administrative leave and a probationary officer  who was sleeping when Pacheco hanged himself  has been terminated. In the case of Nickolas Garcia  who died while detoxing from alcohol  he said one officer has been put on notice of action to be terminated.

He did not provide further details in those cases, citing an ongoing investigation.

But inmate advocates also point to Centurion health care services, with Cubra saying the medical and mental health care in the jail is unconstitutional because it is so poor.

A union official accused the medical staff of often leaving officers to carry the burden of medical help in life-or-death scenarios.

Al Parks, an attorney for Centurion, declined to discuss the MDC deaths with the Journal. But the company, in a statement, said it strives to provide quality care to the patients it serves.

MDC spokeswoman Julia Rivera did not respond to questions regarding Centurions services due to the fact that we have not received all the data to analyze at this time.

She said as with any circumstances MDC Chief Richardson authorizes a thorough investigation into every inmate death by the Office of Professional Standards.

Should there be areas identified for process or policy standards to be improved we actively do so. MDC looks for training, equipment and policy changes accordingly, Rivera said. Along with (Centurion), we have an in-depth corrective action plan developed.

Im just detoxing

The last time Peggy Bryant saw her stepson was an afternoon in mid-September. Samuel Bryant, 46, had come over to get something he had been keeping at her house.

She had raised him since he was a gangly 12-year-old and they had remained close after her husbands death in 2016.

Peggy said Samuel was looking sick and gray when he left her that day, and she kissed him and told him to get help.

Instead, he was pulled over for a traffic violation. He was wanted on a warrant for failing to appear in a domestic violence case and was booked into jail.

Hours later, Samuel was dead from the toxic effects of methamphetamine with contributing factors of opiate withdrawal. The Office of the Medical Investigator determined his death was an accident.

He had a heart of gold, he helped everybody, Peggy said. He and I had our fights but we always made up and he never held anything against me  He was a very good man, he just got hooked on drugs and that took him down the road.

Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office incident reports obtained by the Journal in response to an Inspection of Public Records Act request show that Samuel was booked into MDC on Sept. 22 and placed in a single occupancy cell in the jails detox unit.

Around 11:30 p.m. correctional officers checked on him and saw he had vomited on the floor.

When asked if he needed anything, inmate Bryant responded with Im just detoxing and asked to take a shower, the report states. During graveyard shift it is not normal procedure to allow inmates to shower, so his request was declined. Both (correctional officers) Salas and Fields reported hearing inmate Bryant bang the wall and bunk and yell out throughout the night displaying his discomfort of his detox.

The report states that Samuel was checked on hourly and was last seen lying on his stomach around 2:30 a.m. About 50 minutes later a detox nurse went to take his vitals, and he was found unresponsive.

Officers and medical staff began trying to revive him but by 4:06 a.m. those measures were halted. Samuel was dead.

Peggy said she doesnt know the whole story about what happened to her stepson but what she does know  that he was alone in a cell and suffering when he died  makes her very mad.

I found out the other day that my grief regarding Sam and Philip, my husband, will sneak up on me at the strangest times and just about make me fall on the floor, Peggy said.

Samuels son has started the process of filing a wrongful death suit with the help of an attorney who has filed numerous suits against Centurion over the years.

History of trauma and poverty

The county jail has been under a yearslong settlement agreement that lays out more than 200 requirements for reform. The agreement was the result of a 1995 lawsuit filed by Jimmy Lee McClendon and although he died several years into the litigation the case continues to bear his name.

Along with that agreement, the county formed the Detention Facility Management Oversight Board.

Chairman Rick Miera said jail officials had apprised members of the deaths at the monthly board meetings. However, he said they had not been told about any security or training issues.

He concluded that the people who are getting arrested these days are taking longer than normal to detox, theyre coming in with different drugs.

Its unfortunate in this last year  for a variety of reasons, many of which you can imagine  more people are drinking more and theyre coming in with more health and mental health problems than ever before, Miera said.

Cubra, however, was indignant about this explanation.

First, this is admitting that people who have no business being in jail but should be in a treatment facility are being jailed, Cubra said. Second, you are ignoring 35 years of history. I have personally observed countless people who are extremely intoxicated in the jail detox and intake units. Chief Public Defender Bennett Baur of the Law Offices of the Public Defender echoed this sentiment, saying that the legal system has to be more deliberate about whos being jailed. He pointed out that some of the people who died were locked up for misdemeanors, like littering or DWI.

Many of the people who interact with the criminal justice system come from a history of poverty and trauma, subsequent drug addiction and coinciding mental and physical health issues, Baur wrote in a statement. It all comes packaged together. You cant just stick someone in a jail cell and assume theyll be OK or expect them to just snap out of addiction or mental health issues.

One of the biggest mysteries involves the death of Joleen Nez on Jan. 30.

Nez was arrested the day before on a warrant in a littering case from April. Police say Nez kicked over a cup and bowl in front of an officer in Southeast Albuquerque. When the officer asked her to pick up the trash, Nez only picked up the bowl  but not the cup  and was issued a criminal summons for littering.

She failed to show up to a court hearing and was arrested months later.

According to incident reports, Nez was booked into the detox unit and, around noon, was found by another inmate to be unconscious and not breathing. An inmate said Nez had been vomiting throughout the day.

MDC staff found a pulse and Nez was taken to University of New Mexico Hospital where she was pronounced dead on Feb. 3. The investigator in the case was not given a cause of death and was told the report could take several weeks.

When asked about Nezs medical treatment, Rivera forwarded a statement from Centurion saying the company is committed to providing high-quality healthcare services to all the patients we serve.

We cannot comment on any patient information due to federal privacy laws and our own policies, the statement read.

MDC understaffed

Rivera said the correctional facility industry generally is understaffed. She said MDC has 375 security personnel and the staffing plan calls for 476  and the current staffing vacancy is 20.38%.

A union official says the MDC staff is not only dwindling, but many are shaken up.

Joseph Trujeque, president of the Corrections Officers Association, said the last year has taken its toll on officers and added that they had to pick up the slack of what he described as Centurions disorganized medical staff.

During some of these deaths, (Centurion) was taking over and they were lacking, Ill put it that way, in their responses, he said.

Trujeque said that officers, who only take one CPR class, ended up doing CPR sometimes for 40 minutes.

When the medical professionals got there, they werent taking over right away. That put the burden on the officers. That prolonged exposure  it affects them mentally, Trujeque said.

He said a number of officers  some involved in back-to-back inmate deaths  are seeking counseling. One officer ended up quitting as a result.

Its a traumatic experience for anybody that has to see that or go through that, let alone hands-on trying to save somebody or cut somebody down, he said. Thats an event that stays with you for a while.

Trujeque said that right after Centurion took over in early 2019, its staff dropped the ball in the death of Vicente Villela. Villela was killed by guards who were restraining him in a prone position.

As guards did CPR on Villela, Trujeque said the Centurion staff wouldnt assist until their equipment arrived but then didnt have keys to unlock the medical cart, the oxygen tanks hadnt been filled and the defibrillator wasnt charged.

Things didnt get better from there, Trujeque said.

In the beginning of the year it was pretty disheartening, Trujeque said of 2020, recalling an incident where he saw an officer doing CPR on an inmate on a gurney as medical staff was walking behind him.

He said conditions now are moving forward but there was a lot of confusion in the beginning with regards to policies and procedure.
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The Metropolitan Police today deleted a tweet remembering officers who died during their service as the force faces outrage over its manhandling of screaming women at a vigil to mourn the death of Sarah Everard.

The force had tweeted this morning to commemorate the death of officer Anthony Haines, who died after his police car crashed into a bus shelter while answering a domestic violence emergency call on 14 March 2001.

But the tweet, which was accompanied by a video with the force's commemorative 'Eternal Flame', was swiftly deleted by the force within hours of it being posted.

The Metropolitan Police today deleted a tweet remembering officers who died during their service as the force faces outrage over its manhandling of screaming women at a vigil to mourn the death of Sarah Everard

The force had tweeted this morning to commemorate the death of officer Anthony Haines, who died after his police car crashed into a bus shelter while answering a domestic violence emergency call on 14 March 2001

But the tweet, which was accompanied by a video with the force's commemorative 'Eternal Flame', was swiftly deleted by the force within hours of it being posted

Met Police officer Anthony Haines who died whilst on duty in 2001

'We commemorate those officers who sadly lost their lives during their service in the Metropolitan Police. We remember Police Constable Anthony Haines. Lest We Forget,' the since deleted tweet read.

The deleted tweet comes as calls for Cressida Dick to resign mounted after police arrested and manhandled screaming women in extraordinary clashes with demonstrators at a vigil to remember Ms Everard.

It is common for the Met Police to remember fallen officers in tweets - at least three commemorative posts were tweeted in February.

But Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said he has never known the Met Police to delete a remembrance tweet before and has been left 'baffled' by the move.

He told MailOnline: 'I have no idea why they have deleted it is the honest answer. I have no idea. I am shocked that they have.'

The Metropolitan Police Federation tweeted this morning: 'Remembering Police Constable Anthony Haines, of the Metropolitan Police, who died on duty on this day in 2001. Lest We Forget.'

Mr Marsh said: 'We've run with it, quite rightly. I don't know why they deleted it.

'It's important that we never forget what our colleagues do in the line of duty. Our motto in the Federation is that we will never forget and that's why we've always recognised colleagues in this way.

'I can't remember any other times that they have deleted a tweet like this. It is bizarre. I'm baffled.'

Mr Haines, who was married and had over 23 years of service in the Met Police, was killed in a horrific crash while responding to a domestic violence incident in Lewisham in 2001.

The force have been contacted for comment.

The Met Police have an eternal flame flickering at the centre of a pool by the entrace of their headquarters on Victoria Embankment in London as a tribute to fallen officers.

The deleted tweet comes a day after the force faced outrage over their handling of people who attended Ms Everard's vigil.

Well-wishers gather beside floral tributes to honour murder victim Sarah Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common in south London on March 14

The deleted tweet comes a day after the force faced outrage over their handling of people who attended Ms Everard's vigil

'She was only walking home': Floral tributes are placed at the bandstand in Clapham Common on Sunday, March 14, 2021, in memory of Sarah Everard

The vigil was planned for Saturday in memory of marketing executive Sarah Everard, who disappeared while walking home to Brixton on March 3

A crowd of around 1,500 people gathered at Clapham Common in south London to mourn the 33-year-old marketing executive on Saturday, but scuffles broke out as police surrounded a bandstand covered in flowers left in tribute.

Dozens of police officers had moved in on the bandstand at the vigil to block access to speakers sparked tensions in the crowd and mourners started chanting 'arrest your own' and 'shame on you' as scenes quickly turned violent.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said she is seeking a 'full report' on events, describing footage from the vigil as 'upsetting', while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on the Commissioner to 'consider' her leadership of the force, adding: 'Cressida Dick has lost the confidence of the millions of women in London and should resign.'

Conservative MP for Folkestone & Hythe Damian Collins said: 'Appalling scenes in Clapham last night of aggressive police action at the vigil for Sarah Everard & a justificatory statement from the Met using the language of the abuser to its victims over the years - it's your fault, you made us do it. They need to be held to account for this.'

Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured being held on the floor by police at the vigil, said she was arrested 'for standing there, I wasn't doing anything'.

Calls for Cressida Dick to resign have been growing after police manhandled screaming women in extraordinary clashes with demonstrators at a vigil to mourn the death of Sarah Everard (pictured: Cressida Dick urging mourners not to attend the vigil)

Police officers arrive to police a gathering at the band-stand where a planned vigil in honour of murder victim Sarah Everard, which was officially cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, was to take place on Clapham Common, south London on March 13

And Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured being held on the floor by police at the vigil, said she attended the gathering in Clapham Common yesterday in support of women who cannot walk down the street by themselves 'because of the fear of men'.

Ms Stevenson went viral after she was pictured being held on the ground by officers. She said she was arrested 'for standing there, I wasn't doing anything, they threw me to the floor'.

When asked what demonstrators should do next, she said 'bigger protest'.

She said: 'To push people away seems to me to be a dreadful piece of misjudgment. Are they really improving the chances of Covid not spreading by putting their knees in the middle of the back of young women, and putting their hands in handcuffs? It didn't seem to me to be the right thing to do.'

A woman was arrested by a police officer in Clapham Common on Saturday evening as police tried to break it up

Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach in coronavirus restrictions.

After the clashes, organiser Jamie Klingler said the force's handling of events was a sign of the 'systemic ignoring and oppressing of women'.

'I think we were shocked and really, really sad and to see videos of policemen handling women at a vigil about violence against women by men... I think it was painful and pretty triggering to see,' Ms Klingler said.

Earlier yesterday, during more peaceful scenes, a maskless Duchess of Cambridge made a brief and unannounced visit to Clapham Common to lay daffodils in tribute to Miss Everard.

Kensington Palace said Kate Middleton 'remembers what it was like to walk around London at night before she was married' and 'wanted to pay her respects to the family and to Sarah'.

A woman reacts as she mourns at a memorial site at the Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, Britain March 14

People mourn at a memorial site at the Clapham Common Bandstand, following the death of Sarah Everard

The visit came after a planned vigil was cancelled, with organisers citing the police's 'lack of constructive engagement' to help make it Covid secure. Instead, officers gathered in force to break up the growing crowds

Earlier on Saturday, mourners broke down in tears as they paid their respects to the 33-year-old marketing manager who disappeared on her way home from visiting a friend on March 3.

It comes after Scotland Yard confirmed human remains found in Kent belonged to Ms Everard. On Saturday, serving police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, was remanded in custody after appearing in Westminster Magistrates' court charged with kidnap and murder.

The court heard Miss Everard's body was found inside a builder's bag and identified through the use of dental records.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
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Brazilian striker Gabriel "Gabigol" Barbosa was arrested early Sunday with some 200 other people at a clandestine Sao Paulo casino found to be flouting coronavirus distancing rules, state authorities said.

Health inspectors and police were alerted to a large gathering at the illegal establishment in the rich Vila Olimpia neighborhood.

On arrival, they witnessed people "flagrantly consuming alcohol, violating social distancing rules and without wearing masks," the Sao Paulo authority said in a statement.

Gabigol, 24, was brought to a police station and released after signing a document promising to return to give testimony, it added.

The young athlete, who plays for both the Rio de Janeiro team Flamengo and the national team, played down the incident in an interview with Globonews.

"I don't usually gamble," he said. "I was with my friends and we went to eat."

He said he always wears a mask, and had been moving to leave the casino -- after seeing how crowded it was -- when the police arrived.

A spokesman for his popular Rio de Janeiro club, league champions in 2020, told AFP the incident would be "dealt with internally."

Police official Eduardo Brotero told GloboNews the athlete was at "a rather large underground casino" where "many people crowded together, exposed to contagion" with the coronavirus.

Videos provided by the authorities showed the player known simply as Gabigol escorted away by police. He was dressed in a white shirt and black cap and wearing a facemask.

The state of Sao Paulo has been in a "red" alert since March 6 due to a coronavirus uptick, with the closure of parks, bars, restaurants, museums and non-essential shops.

The pandemic has killed more than 277,000 people in Brazil -- second only to the United States. It has recorded 11.4 million infections.

Sao Paulo is the hardest-hit state, with nearly 64,000 deaths, and will impose even stricter curbs Monday, with churches closed, sports events canceled, and a nightly curfew.

The managers of the casino will be investigated for crimes against public health and violating the ban on such establishments, said Brotero.

bur-bbk/st
When Mike Chinoy was growing up in Northampton, he was encouraged to follow interests that other teens might have found unusual.

A senior in high school, interested in Chinese? But my parents always encouraged me to read and to explore interests that might seem unconventional, says the now-68-year-old journalist and author.

Chinoys passions led to his hiring as one of CNNs first foreign correspondents. These days, his time is spent with think tanks and institutes, connected with the University of Southern California, and with work on a new book chronicling the history of American journalists in China.

Its an already published Chinoy book that will be featured in a March 24 virtual presentation. Are You With Me? Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement, is a biography of a lawyer whose efforts Chinoy considers vastly underappreciated.

Chinoy is excited for the event, which begins at 7:30 pm. He was contacted by the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts for the presentation being sponsored by Glenmeadow and Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

It is being presented in cooperation with the Western New England University School of Law. More information about the event can be found here.

Chinoys book was released a year ago to good reviews in Ireland and England. The United States release is underway after being delayed by COVID-19 issues.

Mike Chinoy's book on Irish human rights activist Kevin Boyle is being released in the United States, a year after its European release.

Chinoys parents were theater historian Helen Krich Chinoy and sociologist Ely Chinoy, both of whom taught at Smith College. Their impact on his future and his interests was enormous.

We traveled a lot to Europe, Mike Chinoy explains. My first trip to Northern Ireland was with my father.

A passion for world events, however, began at home in Northampton. At 6:30 each night, we would always watch The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. I still have such vivid memories of that, Chinoy shares during a telephone interview from his home in Hong Kong. I became a news junkie. Theyd be reporting from distant places, and I would think of how cool it would be to be doing that. And I wound up doing it, too.

Hes spent the last 50 years seeing and reporting on the world.

I moved to Hong Kong in 1975. My primary interest was in China, says Chinoy, a Northampton High School and Yale University graduate who was the Beijing bureau chief for CNN from 1987 to 1995. In 1989, he covered the historic protests in Tiananmen Square.

Chinoy freelanced in Northern Ireland during the 1970s, when he first met Boyle and wound up staying with the lawyer. He worked for NBC before his 1983 hiring by CNN, where his role of roving reporter was based in London, England.

Chinoy also spent time in Ireland, where he became a close associate of Boyle, whose self-effacing nature masked his role in most of the worlds most historic human rights issues. Even Boyles family and friends  including Chinoy  did not discover the full scope of the activists impact in Northern Ireland and globally until after Boyles death at the age of 67 in 2010 when his personal papers were revealed.

Hes such an extremely interesting and significant figure in the history of the human rights movement in Northern Ireland and on the international stage, says Chinoy of Boyle. He was always looking for solutions and to bring people together, often at great risk to himself.

Chinoy believes Boyles work is more relevant than ever as human rights are under threat around the world today  in Russia, Asia and even in Western democracies.

In 1971 and 1972, Chinoys parents took a sabbatical from Smith College during which came travel to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland with their son accompanying them.

Like many in that generation, I was involved with movements such as the anti-Vietnam War movement, he recalls. We went to Dublin, and I met with Joe Cahill, who was on the run as the most wanted man in Northern Ireland.

Describing the meeting nearly 50 years later, Chinoy expressed a sense of amazement that Cahill, a leader in the Sinn Fein political movement and the Irish Republican Army, would not only be accessible but open to a young American journalist.

It was an important experience for Chinoy, who had developed an interest in Northern Ireland while at Yale.

He gave me his side of the story, Chinoy said. Cahill died at 84 in 2004, years after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement gave Northern Ireland more autonomy than it had previously been allowed.

Chinoys book is more than just a retelling of old stories as he interviewed nearly 150 people in his research.

Chinoys parents are now deceased, his father having died in 1975. Since his mothers passing at 87 in 2010  as it happened, seven months before Boyles death, he has had less immediate reason to return to Northampton, and he hasnt been back for the past five years. He has kept in touch, though, with friends in what he called my old stomping grounds.

For as much as Chinoy extols Boyles work, his own life has crisscrossed many of the worlds most important moments. During his 24 years as a CNN foreign correspondent for CNN for 24 years, he won Emmy, Peabody and duPont-Columbia awards for journalism.

He has spent most of his adult life in Hong Kong, with reporting on North Korea and China as well as the stormy political turmoil in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s. Chinoys interest and knowledge in the latter grew through his long association with Boyle.

His book on American journalists in China, which is now being developed, will be his fifth.

Chinoys Hong Kong residence creates distance  the 13-hour time difference can cause issues, he explains in a pleasant, accepting tone  but he has not forgotten Northampton and is looking forward to the March 24 presentation.

The event will not only give him a forum to describe a book about someone he admires, but will bring him back  virtually, at least  to his roots.

I was so pleased the world affairs council contacted me. I still have friends (in Western Massachusetts), he says. I feel the connection. If and when COVID eases to where I can travel, Ill be back.

Related Content:
AUSTIN, Minn.  Two prison sentences have been handed down for drugs found during a probation check.

Austin police officers went to the home of Jose David Talamantes, 31, on September 16, 2020. Officers say they found Talamantes there with Mallory Jean Kurth, 34, who was also on probation. Police say a search of Kurths purse found three baggies of methamphetamine, which led to a search of Talamantes home. Court documents state officers found a total of 28 grams of meth, over $4,500 in cash, and several items of drug paraphernalia.

Talamantes pleaded guilty to fifth-degree drug possession. Hes been sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for 27 days already served. Kurth pleaded guilty to third-degree drug possession and has been given four years and nine months behind bars, with credit for 62 days already served.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 05:36:39|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN -- All the flights from Iraq to Iran were suspended for one week as of Sunday, the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization announced in a statement.

This decision was made as a preemptive measure to protect the health of the Iranian citizens amidst the spread of a mutated type of COVID-19, said the statement carried by the official IRNA news agency. (Iran-Iraq-Flights)

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TEHRAN -- Iran will appoint a special rapporteur pertaining to the impact of western sanctions on the Iranian people, a senior Iranian Judiciary official said on Sunday.

"We have decided to appoint a special rapporteur... to assess the impact of unjust sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe on the Iranian nation," Ali Baqeri Kani, the head of the Iranian Judiciary's High Council for Human Rights, was quoted as saying by Press TV. (Iran-Special Rapporteur-Western Sanctions)

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JERUSALEM -- Israel on Sunday revealed a new precise laser and GPS-guided mortar munition, Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems and the Israeli Ministry of Defense said.

The networked fire system, called Iron Sting, was revealed by the Ministry's Directorate of Defense R&D, the Israeli army's Ground Forces and Elbit Systems. (Israel-Mortar Munition)

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ADEN -- A total of seven government soldiers were killed in a missile attack launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz on Sunday, a military official told Xinhua.

"The Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at an abandoned school used by the government forces in Taiz's western countryside," said the local official who asked to remain anonymous. (Yemen-Houthis-Attacks) Enditem
A military mastermind who gave France its grandeur and civil code - or a brutal despot who reinstated slavery in the land of human rights and fatally overplayed his hand at Waterloo?

The jury is still out on Napoleon Bonaparte as France remains locked in argument over how - if at all - to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his death in captivity on the island of Saint Helena on May 5 1821.

The French have remained split over his legacy ever since, with more than 85,000 books written about the Corsican, and the debate has taken an incendiary turn as the anniversary draws nearer.

In the red corner are those who say Napoleon should be given a wide berth.

Alexis Corbiere, a deputy from Unsubmissive France, a left-wing party, declared: "It is not for the republic to celebrate its gravedigger."

In the age of Black Lives Matter, the idea of feting a leader who reintroduced slavery to Haiti in 1802 - eight years after it was abolished - is anathema to many.

"It's neither a stain nor a fault; it's a crime," said Louis Georges Tin, honorary president of the "black associations of France" group, Cran.

"He was racist, sexist, despotic, militaristic, a coloniser, but all that is generally swept under the carpet," said political scientist Francoise Verges. "There is such nostalgia over the former grandeur of France that all is forgiven."

Elisabeth Moreno, France's equality minister, also weighed in, calling him "one of history's greatest misogynists".

In the blue corner are those who assert modern France owes much of its state institutions to the him, including its legal code, the Bank of France, the administrative system of prefets, the state council, the Legion d'Honneur and lycees.

A poll in 2019 saw him crowned most important Frenchman in history, above Louis XIV and Charles de Gaulle - and his tomb in Les Invalides attracts more than a million visitors a year.

"People know very well that he re-established slavery but you can't reduce him to that. No other figure has marked history like him," said Thierry Lentz, head of the Napoleon Foundation, who published For Napoleon, a book in his defence, last week.

A huge exhibition on Napoleon will open (Covid permitting) in Paris on April 14, but it was reported that disgruntled museum staff - some of whom are from French overseas territories - would only proceed after receiving assurances it would be no hagiography.

A right-wing MP issued an open letter asking: "Will France be the only country in the world in 2021 not to admire Napoleon?"

The first consul-turned- emperor, he claimed, had fallen foul of the "dictates of political correctness", which seek to "expiate everything that made France great and glorious" and have turned Napoleon into "the odious symbol of the proponents of cancel culture".

French president Emmanuel Macron last week weighed in, saying: "Napoleon is a major figure of our history who should be viewed with eyes wide open."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
A Nigerian firm, Zenith Carex, has been blacklisted by Global Fund for an alleged $3 million fraud. Zenix was accused of systematically inflating invoices for the distribution of health commodities to warehouses and health facilities throughout Nigeria.

In its latest report published March 9, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Global Fund said Zenith Carex committed the fraud within a period of two years between 2017 and 2019.

The revelation builds on previous yearly reports by the OIG accusing Nigerian companies and government agencies of abusing millions of dollars of the Global Fund aid.

Nigeria responded to some of the allegations over the years by ordering probes by the antigraft agencies, EFCC and ICPC. Nigerian authorities in some instances faulted the findings of the OIG, noting the need for the setting up of an independent committee to review its reports.

These allegations, however, could result in an indefinite termination of such donations to Nigeria if left unchecked, anti-corruption campaigners said.

Global Fund is a funding mechanism that pools the worlds largest financial donations for the prevention, treatment and care of AIDS, Tuberculosis, and malaria.

Giving that Nigeria has the highest malaria burden in the world (one in four cases globally), the worlds fourth-largest tuberculosis burden, and about two million people living with HIV, funding programmes to stem the tide of these grim indices became a central focus for Global Fund.

Since 2003, the Global Fund has disbursed over $2 billion in Nigeria but the country is still dogged by disturbing health statistics partly because corrupt and incompetent officials undercut progress in health management, health experts say.

The OIG report

To understand why its investments are not translating to equivalent and much-expected results, the Global Fund set up the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

The OIG safeguards the Global Funds assets, investments, reputation and sustainability through its audits, investigations and advisory work.

Its latest report detailed how Zenith, a sub-contractor of Chemonics International (Chemonics), who managed an integrated supply chain for Global Fund Principal Recipients in Nigeria and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), allegedly inflated distribution invoices up to ten-fold and misrepresented the services executed, resulting in a $3 million overcharge.

Chemonics, a global development firm based in Washington, has worked with the Global Fund on technical assistance and logistics projects in 12 countries.

In Nigeria, via third parties such as Zenith Carex, Chemonics manages central and regional warehouses, Long-Haul distribution between warehouses, and Last Mile Distribution to 16,000 health facilities, for both pharmaceutical and cold chain commodities.

According to the OIG report, Chemonics approved and paid Zeniths fraudulent invoices for over two years. Combined with Chemonics percentage-based contract management fees, the fraud resulted in over $3.4 million in non-compliant expenditures charged to the Global Fund.

Chemonics controls were poorly implemented by negligent staff who missed key red flags when reviewing Zeniths invoices. Inadequate financial monitoring in the local office and US-based Headquarters, combined with potential collusion between Chemonics and Zenith staff, allowed the fraud to remain undetected, despite significant budget overruns in the Global Fund contract, as well as a 75% contract ceiling increase for Zenith, the report said.

The Genesis

In April 2019, the Global Fund Nigeria Country Team alerted the OIG after Chemonics made a retroactive request for additional funds and forecast multi-million-dollar budget overruns on their fixed-price Global Fund contracts.

The Country Team engaged the Local Fund Agent (LFA) to examine potential causes of the overspend, which led to the identification of numerous unsupported sub-contractor expenditures.

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As neither the outcome of the LFA work nor statements from Chemonics fully explained the root cause or extent of the budget overruns, the OIG opened a proactive investigation into potential fraud in the supply chain, the report stated.

The OIG said it reviewed over $20 million in third-party logistics provider charges to the Global Fund from 2017 to 2019, reviewing documentation for six key logistics providers including Zenith. It said it analysed invoices and proofs of delivery.

The OIG said it conducted two field missions to Chemonics Abuja office and interviewed various logistics providers and visited warehouses in Abuja and Calabar.

Zenith, the primary vendor of cold chain commodities  specialized, low volume items such as HIV testing reagents  to 400 health facilities across Nigeria was at the centre of the fraudulent overruns, preliminary findings by the OIG revealed.

Zenith assisted investigators by attending interviews but provided limited documentation in support of their statements, the report said.

Findings

About US$3,429,253 of distribution costs invoiced by Zenith, inclusive of Chemonics associated management fees, were fraudulent and non-compliant, the OIG investigation found.

This investigation uncovered a systemic invoice fraud which drove up the cost of distributing specialist HIV cold chain commodities between and from warehouses in Abuja, Lagos and Jos to 400 health facilities nationwide, the report stated.

The fraud was a significant factor in Chemonics subsequent requests for additional funding from the Global Fund. Unsustainable costs affected the financial viability of the supply chain in supporting the fight against the three diseases in Nigeria.

Chemonics has now ceased working with Zenith, taken administrative action against certain employees, and improved controls and oversight over key Field Office processes. The OIG and the Secretariat have agreed management actions to improve the monitoring of projects and risk in strategic, high-value, crossportfolio suppliers such as Chemonics.

The OIG recommends the Secretariat recovers US$3,155,514, and will evaluate the referral of the investigation findings to Nigerian law enforcement authorities. Due to the findings of this report, the Secretariat has ensured Zenith is no longer providing any service to Global Fund supported programs in Nigeria.

Fraudulent invoice scheme

The invoice scheme, according to the OIG, started from the first invoice Zenith submitted to Chemonics in August 2017, which charged $33,953 for transporting 60,000 kilogrammes of materials from Abuja to Jos.

Zenith inflated the charges tenfold: supporting documentation revealed that only 6,009 kg of packaged commodities had been transported, which should have cost US$3,400, the report stated.

Zenith defrauded the Global Fund by US$712,588, or 93% of the total charges, by invoicing for truck tonnage (the gross weight of the trucks used to transport goods).

According to the report, Zenith confirmed invoicing Long Haul based on truck tonnage, saying this reflected the vehicle volumes required to transport the commodities.

Zenith claimed they received verbal approval to charge by truck tonnage in a 2017 meeting with a former Chemonics procurement specialist, but could provide no records, or contract amendment, to support this.

Zenith continued with the truck tonnage invoicing scheme until June 2019. Following the LFAs review, the company changed its invoicing practice and began invoicing in commodity weight rather than truck tonnage.

The commodity weight charged, however, continued to be fraudulently inflated by up to ten times, the report stated.

Zenith also misrepresented the capacity of the vehicles deployed, increasing the overcharging, the report stated. Several charges were beyond the capacity of the vehicles in Zeniths fleet, according to the OIG.

In a review of a separate throve of inflated invoices, Zenith from May 2017 allegedly misrepresented its delivery practices and inflated invoices for a period of over two years, overcharging the Global Fund by $2,284,518, or 91 per cent of $2.6 million Last Mile Delivery (LMD) fees.

Contacted, a representative of Zenith said the company is aware of the OIG report. He told our reporter to visit the companys Abuja office on Monday for its own side of the story.

Africa in retrospect

The alleged fraud by Zenith appeared to follow a similar pattern by companies, NGOs, government contractors and agencies that have managed Global Fund donations in several other African countries.

PREMIUM TIMES in 2019 reviewed a Global Fund audit report that covered the period between January 7 and December 17, 2018. The report revealed how aid money disappeared in the hands of corrupt officials in seven African countries.

Mozambique, Guinea, Zambia, Kenya, Central African Republic, Nigeria and the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) were the top seven countries indicted of fraud in the report

Though investigations for each country were detailed in separate reports, they all revealed a similar pattern of fraud, coercion, collusion, administrative lapses, inefficiency, bad or no accounting, and non-compliance with grant agreement which dates back three to four years, the report had stated.

In the report, the national coordinator of the Civil Society for the Eradication of Tuberculosis in Nigeria (TB Network) orchestrated a scheme to misappropriate funds amounting to $51,038.

Responding, the National Secretary of TB Network in Nigeria, Obatunde Oladapo, said the OIG report and allegations were accurate. He noted that the organisation embarked on restructuring following the report of the investigation.

More allegations of fraud

Two years before the 2018 report was released, Nigerian officials were accused of stealing funds meant for HIV/AIDS campaign by misrepresenting or inflating the amounts paid to hotel venues and other expenditures.

Nigerias Auditor-General at the time had reprimanded the National Agency for the Control AIDS (NACA) managing the HIV fund for refusing to shed light on how the fund was used.

According to a Daily Trust Newspaper report dated May 12, 2016, NACA faulted the OIG report noting that the EFCC was notified of the alleged fraud even before the publication of the findings by OIG, adding that the commission had since swung into action.

The EFCC has yet to make its report public. The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwajuren, did not respond to calls and a text message sent on Sunday.

Even before that, Sahara Reporters in 2012 published a report detailing how seven NGOs misused funds from 15 grants, amounting to $682,149,515, provided between 2003 and 2009 to the country. This, the report said, put Nigeria in danger of not getting subsequent grants from the Global Fund.

Following the development, the ICPC vowed to probe the NGOs but nothing was heard of that probe since then.

Azuka Ogugwa, the ICPC spokesperson, could not be reached on phone Sunday afternoon. He has yet to respond to text messages seeking an update on the probe the commission said it commenced in 2012.

Appeased by refunds

Even though African governments indicted of fraud have not made any notable progress in bringing culprits to book, Global Fund appears to be appeased once refunds of misused funds are made. The refunds are made by the governments where the fraud occurred.

Amidst allegation of abuse of TB grant detailed in the 2018 audit which is still unclear how it was resolved, Nigeria has continued to receive fresh grants from Global Funds.

The Global Fund is a financing mechanism rather than an implementing agency. It is a pool where countries, public and private institutions donate money for disbursement according to HIV, TB and malaria burden of countries.

Between 2001 and 2016, the largest contributor by far was the United States, followed by France, UK, Germany, and Japan.

Garba Walla, a Nigerian anti-corruption activist, had advised Global Fund to partner with independent anti-corruption organisations and agencies and the media from start to end of a grant period.

Mr Walla and his team had in 2019 launched Anti-Corruption Africa, an initiative for tracking, investigating and exposing abuse of foreign grants in Africa.
The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and caretaker Minister for Finance, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has stated that the government will this year commence a new scheme that will provide eligible Ghanaians with low-interest loans to enable them to pay rent advance.



He said the scheme will be called the National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS) and will initially be funded by the government with GH100 million. Presenting the 2021 budget statement and economic policy on the floor of Parliament on Friday, March 12, 2021, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu added that the scheme will also receive additional investment from the private sector.



He said: "Mr Speaker, in partnership with the private sector, we will commence the establishment of a National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS), with a seed of GH100 million. The scheme will crowd-in additional investment from the private sector, to provide low-interest loans to eligible Ghanaians to enable them pay rent advance".



Scheme



The scheme was first mentioned by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia last August at the official launch of the New Patriotic Party's election 2020 manifesto, in Cape Coast last.

At the time, the Vice President said the scheme will help young people with their accommodation problems.

He also stated that the government was also looking for a longterm solution for some of the issues in Ghana's housing market.



"While we continue to pursue longterm solutions to the development of the housing market, to address, in our second term, the short-to-medium term market failures in the renter-segment of the housing market, we will establish a National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS). In partnership with the private sector, the Scheme will provide low-interest loans to eligible Ghanaians to enable them to pay rent advance," he said.



"There are lots of young people who when they finish school, to rent accommodation is a big problem especially because of the demand for rent allowance which is sometimes up to two years demand. But someone who just finished school and is starting a job doesnt have that savings to pay all these huge demands for rent allowance. This shows a market failure because of what the tenants and the landlords want. This is why the government has decided to come up with this to bridge this market failure by setting up a National Rental Assistance Scheme."



Dr Bawumia also noted that the scheme will mainly serve people in formal employment who will be required to provide guarantors to access the funds. He said the loans will be repaid on a monthly basis to match the tenure of the rent and will be insured to ensure sustainability.



The Scheme will target individuals (both in the formal and informal sectors) with identifiable and regular income. The rent advance loans will be paid directly into the bank accounts of landlords, who would have to register with the Scheme. Under this scheme, if you have a job and we can deduct regularly from your income under this scheme, the National rent assurance scheme will give you a loan to pay your rent allowance but it is to the landlord. You need to have formal employment.



He further noted that the government will also focus on providing low-income housing for low-income earners and put in place reforms within the Rent Control Department.



As part of our interventions, we will also implement the necessary regulatory, institutional, and operational reforms of the Rent Control Department, including the digitisation of its operations, to enhance delivery and make it better able to serve the changing needs of market players, including landlords and tenants. A new Rent Control Act has been drafted for review by Cabinet in this direction, he noted.





Source: graphiconline.com









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The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, and the rest of the 18 judges of the Supreme Court have paid a condolence visit to the family of their departed colleague, Sylvester Ngwuta.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that Mr Ngwuta died after a brief illness on March 7.

He died at 69 just about 23 days to his 70th birthday on March 30 when he was due to retire from the bench.

A statement by the CJNs media aide, Ahuraka Isah, on Sunday, said Mr Muhammad and his entourage paid a condolence visit to Mr Ngwutas family over the weekend.

PREMIUM TIMES understood that the CJN accompanied by the 18 judges of the apex court, the Chief Registrar of the court, Hadizatu Mustapha, and other members of staff and management of the court visited the family at Mr Ngwutas official residence in Abuja

They were received by the deceaseds cousin, Mr Nwali, his brother, Stephen Ngwuta and his daughter, Chidera Ngwuta.

Read full statement below:

PRESS RELEASE

March 14, 2021

CJN, OTHERS VISIT JUSTICE NGWUTAS FAMILY

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, over the weekend, led 18 Justices of the Supreme Court to pay condolence visit to the family of the late Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta, who passed on March 7, 2021.

Other officials who accompanied the Justices during the visit are the Chief Registrar, Barr Hadizatu Uwani Mustapha and some management staff of the Supreme Court.

The CJN and his brother Justices were received by Justice Ngwutas cousin, Chief Nwali; his brother, Stephen Ngwuta and his daughter, Chidera Ngwuta.

In his remark, the CJN stated that it was not an avenue for long speeches, being a sad occasion and so he was brief. He said the late jurist was a complete gentleman who wont hurt anyone.

He was highly dedicated to his duty and would definitely be missed by many people. May His Lordships soul rest in peace and may God Almighty continue to protect and provide for the family he left behind, the CJN said.

Responding on behalf of the family, Chief Nwali thanked the CJN and the Supreme Court for their support, saying the apex court has been taking care of the deceased from the day he fell sick, both physically and financially until his demise.

Up till date the court has been supportive of the family as regards arrangements leading to the burial of the deceased. We pray for the delegation, just as we will forever be grateful for the kindness and support extended by the court, he said.

His Lordship, the CJN subsequently signed the condolence register on behalf of himself and his brother Justices.

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Hon. Justice Ngwuta who was due to retire from the Supreme Court bench on attaining mandatory retirement age of 70 years on March 30, 2021 died by 2.30am on March 7, 2021.

His remains have been deposited in the National Hospital mortuary pending the conclusion of arrangements for his burial.

Ahuraka Yusuf Isah

SSA (Media) to the CJN
Brussels, March 14 : Leaders from five European Union (EU) nations have called for a debate on the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in the bloc.

In a letter sent n Saturday to European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the five EU leaders underscored the significance of European solidarity, which guarantees that all EU members, big and small, will have equal access to limited resources such as the Covid-19 vaccines, Xinhua news agency reported.

The five leaders are Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krisjanis Karins and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa.

They also recalled the conclusions of the January 21 video conference of the members of the European Council, according to which the vaccines should be delivered simultaneously and should be distributed proportionately to the size of the population in the EU member countries.

They believed that, if the principle of proportionality was not observed, it could lead to very big differences among the countries, with some being capable of reaching herd immunity in a matter of weeks, while others will fall behind significantly.

In response, the European Commission said in a statement on Saturday that the allocation of doses of vaccines under the Advance Purchase Agreements "has followed a transparent process".

The Commission agreed with recent statements by several member states that the most equitable solution for the allocation of doses of vaccines is on the basis of a pro rata of population of each member state, said the statement.

This is the solution that the Commission proposed for all Advance Purchase Agreements.

It is a fair solution as the virus strikes equally everywhere, in all parts of the EU, it added.
CHICO, Calif. - The historic 150-year-old Bethel AME Church in Chico was restored during the pandemic. The church has been in three Chico locations but has been on 9th and Linden since 1957.

Bettye Graves says she used to come to the church with her mother. "I have been coming to this church for over 50 years," she told Action News Now reporter Amy Lanski on Saturday.



Reverend Loretta Dickerson Smith Reverend Loretta Dickerson Smith

Chico community celebrates Chico community celebrates

Graves said her mother would have loved the renovations. "In fact, anyone would have," she said, "because I don't know the last time it was painted," said Graves.

Graves says that her favorite part about the church is the new pews. She said, "Everything matches now, which is nice."

"We had the structure of the floor done, strengthened... new roof... new steeple. The bell was repaired and returned," Reverend Loretta Dickerson-Smith told Lanski.

Reverend Dickerson-Smith said they also updated the bathrooms, added carpeting -- and put in new windows and new pulpit furniture.

She says she has been the Reverend there for about five and a half years and had imagined renovating the historic church.

"And it was through an adversity that restoration began," she explained.

"Like I said in the program this morning, all things work for the good for those who are called according to God's purpose," the Reverend explained.

Another part of the renovation that made parishioner Bettye Graves happy was the bell.

"After they moved the church they promised to give the bell back to us because it sat on the ground for years," she explained, expressing appreciation for its beauty.

Reverend Dickerson-Smith said right now they are still doing virtual services.

The church is registered with the state of California as a historical point of interest.

The North Valley Community Foundation set up a charitable project to raise money for the restoration of the church bell, tower, and steeple. The project involved more than $100,000 in repair costs. Much of the work was taken on by community members, who also provided the funds needed to restore the 150-year-old community icon on the corner of 9th and Linden in Chico.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Partly cloudy early then heavy thunderstorms this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 83F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

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After an already tumultuous and unpredictable year, now is not the time to create additional challenges and uncertainty for the hard-working men and women of our state. New Mexicos small businesses have worked hard to stay afloat amid the ongoing economic downturn and COVID-19 pandemic.

Unfortunately, the New Mexico Legislature is pushing a bill that, as currently written, would do significant harm to our struggling small businesses.

House Bill 20 is focused on creating a mandatory paid sick leave policy for all New Mexican businesses. Yet, if enacted, the hastily and poorly written bill would create economic turmoil, and hurt both employees and employers, and would immediately throw New Mexicos economy into a tailspin.

In addition to allowing for 64 hours of paid sick leave for workers each year, the bill would create supplemental leave, allowing a worker to immediately take 80 hours, or two weeks, of paid supplemental leave as soon as a public health emergency is declared in the state, with no time needed to accrue the benefit. These 80 hours are on top of the 64 hours of regular sick leave the bill would provide.

To put this into context, this means an employee can start a job and, on the second day of work, take two weeks, fully paid off from work. While the employee cannot take supplemental leave more than once under the same employer, after the two weeks are up, the employee could choose to quit, start a new job and, again, take two weeks, fully paid off from work  a vicious and dangerous cycle for our businesses.

Anyone who has a child in remote learning or who believes they may have an increased risk from a communicable illness would be eligible for the benefit. Employers are not permitted to ask for documentation of a higher-than-normal risk from illness and, given the virtual or hybrid school model in New Mexico, almost every employee with school-age children in the state would immediately qualify for the benefit. Saddling New Mexicos already struggling small businesses with this new burden would be devastating.

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Unfortunately, the supplemental leave portion is just one of the bills many flaws. From diminishing employees existing benefits by becoming the only state law in the country not to recognize an employers current PTO plans, to complicating the mere definition of an employer to include hard-working New Mexican families that hire a niece or nephew to watch their dog for the weekend or their children for a few hours.

A thoughtfully drafted paid sick leave bill that recognizes existing paid time off plans, makes accommodations or exemptions for small businesses, delays implementation until our businesses have time to at least fully open and recover, and includes preemption of local measures could be a path forward to paid sick leave in New Mexico, but, unfortunately, HB 20 is not that path.

Bridget Dixson is president and CEO of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce.
New Delhi, March 14 : Government should limit and streamline liability on independent directors, said the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Sunday in a statement.

In a statement, the industry body said that liability of an independent director under the Companies Act may be limited to the extent of such contraventions and defaults, which are committed by the company with the knowledge or consent of the said independent director.

"It is necessary to expressly exempt independent directors from vicarious criminal liability since they are not involved in the day-to-day running of the company," it said.

CII added that a non-obstante clause may be incorporated in the Act to exclude independent directors from any vicarious criminal liability for offences committed by the company.

The Centre recently concluded the exercise of decriminalising the Companies Act, 2013. CII recently submitted a paper to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs highlighting matters with respect to framework for settlement of offences, liability of independent directors, vicarious liability, impact of Covid-19 pandemic among others.

Noting that the government has enhanced in-house adjudication of penalties in respect of certain offences, it suggested that the mechanism be extended to additional provisions which involve technical lapses.

The industry body also recommended that the government should consider the decriminalisation of other compoundable offences under the Companies Act.

CII further suggested the government that as a general principle, given the onerous responsibilities and liabilities on directors, including independent directors and company secretaries, penalties ought to be limited to fines instead of imprisonment.

In relation to CSR, the penalty that be imposed for non-compliance should not exceed the unspent CSR amount, it said.

Regarding financial statements and books of accounts, a distinction between fraudulent maintenance and mere faulty maintenance be brought out, recommended the industry body.

Further, there is a need to create legal and procedural safeguards relating to personal liability of independent directors, and initiation of prosecution itself should be an exception rather than the rule, to keep risk and rewards of being an independent director proportionate.

"The whole idea of decriminalising civil duties is essential to conserve faith in the institution of independent directors," it added.
A 17-year-old girl was injured after police say the man in the residence below her fired a shotgun during a domestic dispute.

The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. Saturday on Woodstock Avenue in Swissvale, WTAE is reporting.

Allegheny County Police are now looking for 34-year-old Shawn Bennett, reports indicate.

Police say Bennett fired a shotgun during a domestic dispute, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting.

There was no indication as to who else was involved in the dispute, but reports indicate the shotgun blast struck the 17-year-old in the unit above Bennett. She was hit in the arm and was treated at the hospital for treatment of injuries that are not considered to be life threatening, according to reports.

Bennett fled before police arrived, reports indicate. They say he is driving an older-model white Ford SUV with blue rims and the Pennsylvania registration of LDZ-3027.

Anyone with information should call 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
Ericsson is working towards empowering more Saudi women in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) In line with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias (KSA) 2030 Vision, the company said.

As of December 2020, the overall company representation stands at 25% women. Moreover, Ericsson is actively taking steps to increase that number. In particular, Ericsson Saudi Arabia has recently hired over 100 Saudi fresh graduates in 2020 as part of its graduates program and out of these, 50 per cent are females, it said.

In line with these plans, Ericsson recently has participated in the Womens Enablement Summit hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT). Hessa Al-Quwaiee, Innovation Hub Manager at Ericsson Saudi Arabia, praised Saudi Arabias efforts at supporting and empowering women in the industry.

She highlighted Ericsson KSAs efforts at enabling women in the STEM industry with an achievement of raising the percentage of women from 7 percent to 15 percent in the past three years through a strong strategy to employ more women and particularly female engineers.

In its 145-year history, Ericsson has continually demonstrated its longstanding commitment to empower women in the STEM field. Ericsson aims to have 30% of its workforce comprising of female employees, it said.

KSA 2030 Vision aims to create one million jobs for women. In 2020, the Saudi female labor force participation increased from 25.9 percent in the first quarter to 31.4 percent in the second quarter. With country-specific programs and initiatives, Ericsson confirms its commitment towards the KSA 2030 Vision and its role as enabler of an ecosystem that can support Saudi Arabias socio-economic growth.  TradeAravbia News Service

Ballia: Taj Mahal will soon be renamed as Ram Mahal. At least this is what Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Bairia constituency in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, Surendra Singh claimed.

Speaking to media on Saturday, Singh said the Agra's Taj Mahal used to be a temple of Lord Shiva.

Taj Mahal used to be a Shiva temple, and it will soon be renamed to Ram Mahal in the Yogi administration, said Singh.

Singh further hailed UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a descendant of Shivaji.

"Shivaji's descendants have arrived in the land of Uttar Pradesh. Just as Samarth Guru Ramdas gave Shivaji to India, similarly Gorakhnath ji has given Yogi Adityanath to Uttar Pradesh," said Singh.

The BJP MLA strongly condemned the alleged assault on journalists in Moradabad.

An FIR was filed against Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and 20 other party workers on Saturday (March 13) for allegedly attacking the journalists which led to grievous injuries to a few of them.

Singh said that the incident showed the true character of Samajwadis, who use sticks on journalists. "But this will not be tolerated under Yogi Ji's rule," Singh added.

He said that no preference will be given to people with an "anti-national mindset". "Only those who speak the glory of India and Indianness will become leaders," he said.

The BJP leader, known for his bold remarks, is not new to stoking controversies.

Last year, in the aftermath of the brutal gang-rape of a teenage girl in Hathras, he had said that rapes could be stopped if girls are taught 'sanskaar'.
It looked like something out of science fiction  a mysterious, rocket-type object streaking across the darkened skies of New Jersey early this morning, a large plume in its wake.

So what was it? A meteor? A UFO?

Not quite, but still really cool.

While NASA has yet to provide confirmation, it appears scores of early-rising New Jersey residents witnessed the aftermath of a SpaceX launch in Florida early Sunday morning.

Danielle Lucas was walking on the boardwalk in Manasquan around 6 a.m. when she used her iPhone to capture an especially compelling image that lit up social media.

It was right in front of me, Lucas told NJ Advance Media on Sunday.

After about 10 seconds, it kind of dissipated and disappeared, Lucas said, adding that remnants from the plume were the last to fade.

Asked about the photos and videos circulating on social media, an FAA spokesperson said the agency is not in a position to confirm specifics, but noted that SpaceXs Falcon 9 Starlink 21 mission had launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Liftoff was at 6:01 a.m. Sunday, and the mission involved launching 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, according to Space.com.

Trying to figure out what we saw was fun while it lasted.

WHAT WAS THAT?!  Several News 12 viewers sent in pictures and videos across the tri-state area of what looked like a meteor streaking across the sky  It turns out that this was the @SpaceX Falcon 9. (Courtesy: Dennis OReilly, Aaron Tomlinson, Kathryn Casale, Kevin Nolty) pic.twitter.com/Rv93mLt6gB  News 12 New York (@News12) March 14, 2021

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday he was deeply concerned at footage of police breaking up a weekend vigil for a murdered woman that drew heavy public criticism of the force.

London police faced an official inquiry into their actions after they intervened on Saturday night in the vigil for Sarah Everard, 33, who disappeared as she walked home on March 3. A policeman has been charged with her murder.

"Like everyone who saw it I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night," Johnson said in a statement, referring to the London parkland near where the impromptu gathering took place in defiance of a police ban on due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Johnson said the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick had committed to reviewing the police action and Interior minister Priti Patel had ordered a review to learn lessons on how to improve policing of such events in future.

Everard's killing has provoked a huge outpouring of grief and dismay in Britain at the failure of police and wider society to tackle violence against women.

Johnson said he would chair a meeting of senior ministers and police on Monday to look at what more needed to be done to protect women and ensure streets were safe.

The meeting will cover how the criminal justice system works to protect victims of rape and sexual assault, and consider experiences that many women shared on social media and elsewhere in recent days about the fear they feel on Britain's streets.

"The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them," Johnson said.

(Reporting by William James; Editing by Edmund Blair)
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Dutch riot police used water cannon and batons on Sunday to disperse a crowd of several thousand anti-lockdown protesters gathered in the centre of The Hague a day before national elections.

Police took action after the protesters flouted social distancing rules, ignored warnings to disperse and threw fireworks and other objects at the police.

Police said they had detained 20 people and that two demonstrators had been injured by police dogs after refusing to leave.

A warning shot was fired by police when protesters kicked a police dog and threatened the dog's handler during an arrest, a police statement said.

Dutch authorities had stopped train services to the city, the seat of government, to prevent more protesters arriving.

Many in the crowd, gathered at the central Maliveld field in the city, were holding yellow umbrellas in a show of opposition and chanted "Love, freedom, stop dictatorship."

The Netherlands has been under a tough lockdown since late January with gatherings of more than two people banned, restaurants and bars shut and with the first night-time curfew since World War Two.

Voting in the national election will start on Monday, with polls open for three days to help to ensure social distancing at polling stations. Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative VVD Party looks set to get a new four-year mandate after being in power since 2010.

A majority of voters reluctantly support the lockdown, given the Netherlands' current coronavirus infection rate which is towards the high end of Europe's range.

But the curfew, which has been extended until the end of March, prompted several days of rioting across the country when it was first imposed on Jan. 23.

The country of 17 million has registered more than 1.1 million COVID-19 cases and more than 16,000 deaths in the pandemic.

(Reporting by Johnny Cotton; Writing by Anthony Deutsch. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 49 Colleges In Washington for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 185 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each institution is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 185 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 49 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-washington/

2021 Top Colleges In Washington featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Antioch University

Bastyr University

Bates Technical College

Bellevue College

Bellingham Technical College

Big Bend Community College

Central Washington University

Centralia College

City University Of Seattle

Clark College

Columbia Basin College

Cornish College Of The Arts

Eastern Washington University

Edmonds Community College

Evergreen State College

Faith International University & Faith Seminary

Gonzaga University

Grays Harbor College

Green River Community College

Heritage University

Highline College

Lake Washington Institute Of Technology

North Seattle College

Northwest Indian College

Northwest University

Olympic College

Pacific Lutheran University

Peninsula College

Pierce College, Fort Steilacoom

Renton Technical College

Saint Martins University

Seattle Central College

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle University

Skagit Valley College

South Seattle College

Spokane Community College

Spokane Falls Community College

Tacoma Community College

University of Puget Sound

University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington, Bothell

Walla Walla University

Washington State University

Western Governors University

Western Washington University

Whitman College

Whitworth University

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
NEMI, Italy  If stones could speak, the mosaic unveiled recently at an archaeological museum just south of Rome would have quite the tale to tell.

It was crafted in the first century for the deck of one of two spectacularly decorated ships on Lake Nemi that the Emperor Caligula commissioned as floating palaces. Recovered from underwater wreckage in 1895, the mosaic was later lost for decades, only to re-emerge several years ago as a coffee table in the living room of a Manhattan antiques dealer.

If you look at it from an angle, you can still see traces of a ring from a cup bottom, said Daniela De Angelis, the director of the Museum of the Roman Ships in Nemi, referring to the pieces modern use. The mosaic has been installed in the museum next to two other marble fragments salvaged from Caligulas ships, and was put on display on Thursday.

For us its a great satisfaction today to see the mosaic in this museum, said Maj. Paolo Salvatori of Italys elite art theft squad, whose investigations led to the mosaics return. Bringing back cultural artifacts to their original context is the ultimate goal of the squad, he said, and the recovery of the mosaic reflected cooperation among the squad, Italys cultural authorities and law enforcement in the United States.
Rio de Janeiro: Rumours and conspiracy theories swirled this past week regarding the whereabouts of Ze Gotinha, the mascot for the nations national vaccination program.

The clamor surrounding the costumed Ze Gotinha began on Wednesday, after former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew attention to his recent absence.

Last seen in December: BrazilIan President Jair Bolsonaro poses for photos with the mascot of the nations vaccination campaign, named Ze Gotinha. Credit:AP

Where is our beloved Ze Gotinha? da Silva said in a speech criticising President Jair Bolsonaros handling of the pandemic.

Ze Gotinha, whose name translates roughly as Joe Droplet and who resembles an overgrown but friendly ghost, was created in the 1980s to help the health ministry promote vaccination against the polio virus and put children at ease.
Roy Greenslade is no James Bond, but he sure seems to want us to think he is. The former Fleet Street editor turned ex-Guardian blogger had an eclectic circle of friends and is on record talking about his "fantastic sympathies with the Irish republican movement". He is now a member of Sinn Fein.

Last week, he denied ever passing information to the IRA - but a recording has now emerged proving he planted information on at least one occasion, from a republican contact to his newspaper on the Gibraltar killings, when he was then news editor of the Sunday Times.

Speaking to Louise Brody in 2007, in material subsequently uploaded to The British Library Online, he chuckles as he recalls: "My pro-Irish republican views led me to believe that perhaps the British government had misbehaved. I put another reporter on to the story to re-evaluate it all, an investigative journalist called Peter Hunan.

"And Peter investigated, and when I felt the investigation wasn't going as I wanted it to, I even made a fake phone call in an Irish accent to give him a bit of evidence to push him to investigate further nothing really came of it, to be absolutely honest"

It is an explosive admission in a revelatory interview with interesting nuggets of information such as this: "With the advent of a Labour government in '97 I found myself in a strange position and that is that the prime minister's right-hand man was a close personal friend, Alastair Campbell, who had been political editor under me at the Mirror and a close friend of my wife's, so I suddenly found myself very close to 10 Downing Street.

"This was advantageous, because I could get inside information in my area, and it was advantageous because whenever stories broke about the media and its relationship with the prime minister, I could have the inside track."

Campbell for his part, speaking on The Pat Kenny Show earlier this month, said he always knew Greenslade was a supporter of a united Ireland but didn't know of his support for terrorism.

Still, it raises concerns around Greenslade's access to senior echelons of the British government, given he was at the same time an "intellectual supporter" (whatever that is) of the IRA.

DUP politician Gregory Campbell has written to the British Home Secretary to ask for an investigation into the activities of Greenslade.

Last Tuesday, after I called for a review of Greenslade's former editor Alan Rusbridger's position on the Future of Media Commission, the Taoiseach and Media Minister Catherine Martin agreed "on balance" Rusbridger should remain. This decision was communicated to me by email three hours after the Commission "unanimously supported" his position, presumably after accepting his explanation he knew nothing about the blog post Greenslade penned about me.

That they choose to believe him is a matter for them.

Numerous journalists had heard allegations for decades about Roy Greenslade's support for Irish republicanism - though Rusbridger states he hadn't a clue about Greenslade's support for the IRA. He didn't need to. What he should have done, given allegations made in the public domain about Greenslade's support for Sinn Fein, was appraise himself of the issue, and ensure there would be no conflict of interest in whatever Greenslade was writing on kindred matters.

There is enough evidence in the public domain to raise serious questions around lack of editorial oversight regarding Greenslade's Sinn Fein-related columns, particularly when he was using his position to malign people.

Greenslade's lack of disclosure on his column about me, as The Guardian has since stated, "was especially unfair to a vulnerable individual".

Rusbridger as editor (even if he didn't see it) was ultimately responsible for it appearing on The Guardian platform.

The Spectator's current associate editor, Douglas Murray, writing about allegations it carried in the year 2000 regarding Greenslade and others at The Guardian, stated that "Rusbridger reacted angrily to this, denouncing the piece, to the magazine's then editor Boris Johnson, and demanding an apology".

He also alleged that Rusbridger in 2000, "ran a newspaper editorial saying the accusations were 'half-baked gossip'".

In 2008, journalist Nick Davies revealed that Greenslade had written for An Phoblacht in the 1980s under a pseudonym, George King. Was Rusbridger aware, like everyone else, that An Phoblacht was not a boy-scouts pamphlet but an IRA-supporting paper?

Indeed, Greenslade was still writing the odd column for An Phoblacht - under his own name this time - while also writing at The Guardian under Rusbridger.

In 2013 Greenslade wrote about a republican parade in Castlederg, and the media's coverage of the event.

In the column, he refers to "IRA volunteers" and later in the same piece writes the parade in Castlederg was to "commemorate the deaths of volunteers who were killed 40 years ago on active service".

Was anyone at The Guardian aware of this?

Private Eye has since the 1990s referred to Greenslade as 'Roy of the Provos'.

The satirical magazine, which most in the media in Britain read, ran the following in November 2014: "Last month, BBC Northern Ireland ran an hour-long documentary on allegations by Mairia Cahill that a senior IRA man had abused and raped her in 1997 when she was 16 years old."

The column, which described Greenslade as a "devoted Sinn Fein fanboy", also, crucially, printed lines from The Guardian's code of conduct which stated: "It is always necessary to declare an interest when the journalist is writing about something with which he or she has a significant connection."

It pointed out Greenslade's significant connections to Sinn Fein, namely he had previously written for the "Provisional IRA's propaganda sheet" An Phoblacht, spoke at the Sinn Fein 2011 conference and stood surety for John Downey, who was at that stage accused of carrying out the Hyde Park bombing.

Surely this didn't escape The Guardian editor's notice?

We have yet to hear if Rusbridger was aware of the allegations about Greenslade in the public domain before 2014, and what he did about it, if so. If he didn't see the blog about me, who did?

Did The Guardian have editorial conferences? When an article such as this had created public controversy - resulting in angry newspaper and magazine columns and widespread social media activity, how come it didn't reach the editor's attention?

This is not how newspapers work - and Rusbridger knows this. At the first hint of disquiet about a piece associated with a publication, an editor is normally appraised. It is up to Rusbridger to explain why he was not, and why the checks and balances process usually in place for scenarios such as this broke down.

And, if it failed in this case, causing huge controversy six years later - how does the Commission, the Minister and the Taoiseach retain full confidence in the editor who was in charge at the time, even if he is now apologetic? Did Commission members examine these issues before issuing a statement of unanimous support? If not, why not?

The nature of journalism is the story; all hacks read what the opposition is writing about them, not just for vanity but because they don't want to leave themselves vulnerable to attack.

Most editors make it their business to read everything in connection with their publication. It is simply astonishing that the man whose paper based its reputation on investigative journalism, such as Wikileaks and Snowden, failed to spot what was being written about one of his journalists under his own nose.

Rusbridger has since said if he'd known then what he knows now, he would never have run the piece Greenslade wrote on me. The Guardian has since apologised - but crucially it is still in the process of concluding its response to my complaint. The saga has a way to run yet - the issue was raised in the Seanad last week and the Oireachtas media committee will write to Rusbridger.

I would imagine the Future of Media Commission's unanimous support will come back to haunt it.

Meanwhile, I am picking up the pieces of a traumatic week, as Greenslade's actions resulted in me answering deeply personal questions on the airwaves again - while he and Rusbridger declined all on-air interviews. It is a strange approach, given their previous publication lectured others on media transparency.

James Bond? More like a pair of pussies galore.
Puppies!

Just saying the word makes you smile.

People who get puppies think its fun  no, its a huge commitment, said Stefanie Faris with Chief, her Golden Retriever puppy who is enrolled in Puppy Kindergarten classes.

Free play during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Since the start of the pandemic, theres been an increase in demand for puppies, said Diane Ashton of St. Huberts Animal Welfare Center in Madison.

People are working from home, people are getting a pet because they can spend more time with them, Tracy Hofer, Manager of Training and Behavior Center at St. Huberts. Now they are realizing the need to get some training, she added.

Thats where St. Huberts comes in. Puppies are cute, adorable with boundless energy, and have no boundaries. But that changes at Puppy Kindergarten.

Stefanie Faris holds onto Chief during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Puppies learn how to interact appropriately with a variety of dogs and people through positive experiences and training, said Hofer who has been the Training and Behavior Center manager for 25 years at St. Huberts. But the most important benefit of puppy class is learning how to prevent problems before they start. There is nothing quite like seeing your dog interact with an unfamiliar group of people and dogs to help you understand the areas that you need to focus on for your individual puppy,

Puppy kindergarten is an hour-long class that meets once a week for six weeks. It costs $199 and all proceeds benefit the animal welfare center. Class sizes are limited to six with social distancing rules for humans. One person per animal, masks are required. Virtual classes are offered as well as drop-off training.

St. Huberts has three separate indoor training rings with classes running 7 days a week at its Madison center. Classes are scheduled, daytime, evening, and weekends. Outdoor training areas are used seasonally but mainly for agility and outdoor behavior training.

Chief peers out from under owner Stefanie Faris during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Before COVID, they had 110-120 training classes a week and that has been knocked down to 70. Ten to 12 classes are for puppies.

Puppies have a very short time to experience and learn between eight and 16 weeks, said Hofer. The program offers six weeks of gearing your dog to be a well-mannered part of your family, and bond with him, she added.

Dogs learn specific skills like sit and lay down among a variety of experiences like walking nicely on a leash, said Hofer.

Stefanie Faris holds onto Chief during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

They get to experience quiet time, learn skills, and free play. Then theyre good and tired when they get home, said Hofer.

Your puppies have fun, they socialize, they learn what is appropriate and is not appropriate by being around other dogs, by playing, by learning body language and verbal clues so that transfers over when you get back into your home, said Hofer.

And its good for puppy parents, too.

Puppy kindergarten training the dogs to explore at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

The socializing, especially during the pandemic, has been great because she hasnt been around a bunch of other dogs, Faris said, adding, it was nice to be around other puppy owners.

Its like having a baby, you forget how difficult it is so when you meet other people going through the same thing its helpful, said Faros as she cradled Chief.

A positive reward system is used with puppies receiving treats when they do a good job. Puppies seem like they can eat forever but after an hour Dante was done. He wouldnt eat and looked like he just wanted a nap.

Scroll down to see photos from Puppy Kindergarten.

Dante stops during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center , in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Cooper is a little overwhelmed during free play at puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021 A gate was put up around him to give him time to adjust with the help of Lisa Bartenberg.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Macy with owner Anne Feith during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Chief and Caz play during free time at puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Three owners socially distance during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Free play during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Trainer Laura Gutjahr gets some affection from her students during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Dante does some exploring during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Free play during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Deborah Elsner and Dante during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Trainer Bridget Sullivan works with the dogs during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Free play during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Chief pworks on a drill and Stefanie Faris is ready to reward him during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Dante does some exploring during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Carolyn Fischer holds onto Ruth during Puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Caz and Chief play during free time at puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Anne Feith holds Macy during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Chief peers out from under owner Stefanie Faris during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Play time at puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Ruth looks up to owner Carolyn Fischer Puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Deborah Elsner and Dante during puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Caz and Chief play during free time at puppy kindergarten at St. Hubert's animal welfare center, in Madison, N.J. March, 2, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

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A year ago Saturday Alabama confirmed its first case of COVID-19.

"It was Friday, March 13th that we had our first case and I think it's worth considering how amazing it is that here even just shy of one year we've already vaccinated over 760,000 people here in our state," said Dr. Scott Harris.

Coronavirus vaccine vials Coronavirus vaccine vials

State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris is reflecting back to one year ago and how far we've come in the fight against this pandemic.

Which includes vaccination efforts.

Three vaccines are actively being put into the arms of Alabamians.

Waay-31 spoke with people in North Alabama about how they feel looking back and now., being apart of something bigger.

It's at John Hunt Park where thousands of people have been getting flu shots, nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing and now vaccines to be immune from coronavirus.

We spoke with two people who say they're looking forward to what's to come next, but will never forget what it took to get here.

"When it hit us, it was unexpected we didn't have anything to fight it," said Sean Chapman.

Sean Chapman is a veteran in Alabama and he says he's thankful for where we are today.

Especially thinking back to when the coronavirus was first being talked about.

After patiently waiting, Chapman has received his first dose of the vaccine and he's not alone.

Sara Shelton, an employee at the Marshall County Health Department calls this past year, a journey.

"First of all, scared hopeless, what is this... and now to this sense of hope and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," she said.

Soon, more Alabamians will become eligible for the vaccine.

Starting March 22, the state moves fully into 1-C: which includes people 55 and older, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and a variety of critical workers.

But by May, President Joe Biden is promising that everyone who wants vaccine can get it and it has people like Shelton excited for what's to come next.

"We feel like something is getting done and that there's hope and there's an overall sense of peace kind of now," she said.

Chapman says he knows people have their concerns with the slow roll out of the vaccine.

However, it's important to remain patient and be thankful for what researchers and health care workers have been able to accomplish.

"After it's sad and done, give them a hug and day thank you," said Chapman

Dr. Harris believes the age of coronavirus will be a monacle in history and he said the state is doing their best to keep everyone safe.

He did address the president's announcement about opening up eligibility to all Americans by May.

He said it may be a challenge for the state, but they may actually beat that deadline depending on vaccine supply.

In fact, Alabama is set to receive 5,000 of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine next week.
Indian COVISHIELD consignment delayed; vaccine diplomacy in motion By Kumudini Hettiarachchi View(s): View(s):

Sri Lanka will not receive the expected balance of a million doses of COVISHIELD vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII) on the time-line earlier pledged, the Sunday Times can further confirm today.

We are unable to meet that commitment, leave alone in mid-March and April, a top source from the Pune (Maharashtra) based Institute, who spoke on strict grounds of anonymity, told the Sunday Times.

His remarks were made this week after the management earlier weighed options of issuing a statement on the disrupted supplies to Sri Lanka in the backdrop of a campaign of misinformation by a State Minister and an official of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) carried out through the local media. They claimed the stocks were due as scheduled.

The SII source said, This (agreement) is one of several additional capacities we were to fulfil on behalf of AstraZeneca and the Indian government. The fire did not affect production as such, but due to increasing commitments, we need to ramp up our capacity. Hence this delay.

However, the SPC issued a statement on Friday night while confirming the fact that the SII had reneged on its earlier commitment to provide the vaccines (a part in March and the balance in April), stating that due to the long standing commercial relations between the SPC and the SII, and Government-to-Government level talks initiated by Sri Lanka, the SII had ensured the vaccines would arrive as previously agreed. No specific dates for these consignments arriving in Sri Lanka have been mentioned, though.

The Indian External Affairs Ministrys official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava and the Indian High Commission spokesman Eldos Mathew Punnoose refused to confirm or deny reports that the Indian Government has intervened to get the one million additional doses from the Serum Institute as originally agreed. While Mr. Srivastava referred the matter to the High Commission in Colombo, Mr. Punnoose asked for time to respond.

This refusal to make a formal response was in marked contrast to the wide publicity generated by the High Commission over the arrival of the first gratis consignment of the vaccine from India last month.

SPC General Manager K.M.R.D. Dassanayake admitted that he had not seen the March 3 letter from the SII to the SPC Chairman when he told the media that the first consignment of stocks of the vaccine would arrive in Sri Lanka as scheduled. With this being mid-March already, later the same media reports suggested the first consignment would arrive at the end of March.

Mr. Dassanayake said that after the Sunday Times published the SII letter of March 3, the SPC raised the issue with the Serum Institute by email and telephone calls. He refused to divulge further details of the SII response, citing a Non-Disclosure Agreement between the two parties.

In a March 3 dated letter to SPC Chairman Dr Prasanna Gunasena, the SII CEO Adar C. Poonawalla declared, SIIs vaccine manufacturing expansion has met an obstacle, which affects our ability to supply you in the near future. Pointing out that the Institute signed additional agreements with governments, Mr Poonawallah said, to meet these supply commitments we commenced expansion of our manufacturing facilities. However, he added Regrettably, a fire at one of our buildings has caused obstacles to the expansion of our monthly manufacturing output.

Mr Poonawallas remarks were in marked contrast to what he told the INDIA TODAY magazine on January 21, after a fire in the SII complex left five people dead. I would like to reassure all governments and the public that there would be no loss of COVISHIELD production due to multiple production buildings that I had kept in reserve to deal with such contingencies.

The letter said that to support the global effort fighting the pandemic, the SII had recently signed additional agreements with governments outside of the scope of its original sub-licence agreement with AstraZeneca. The letter urged the SPC to bear with us till the SII evaluates options to expand its capacity in the coming months. This whole week, the SII refused to officially make any further announcement of a change in its position.

Meanwhile, Fridays SPC statement stated that it was also exploring avenues of obtaining the Russian Sputnik V, Chinas Sinovac, Pfizer, AstraZeneca UK and India Bharath Biotech vaccines.
Photo: JEANNE HYDE PHOTO J58 reveals shes a female while frolicking with her mother near San Juan Island on March 6.

Three new orca calves born over the past six months  and five since 2019  provide a glimmer of hope for the future of southern resident killer whales.

And when one revealed itself as a female this week, it inspired even more optimism for the fledgling pods, say researchers.

Every female is a future matriarch, a mother of potentially five, six or seven babies over their lifetime, said Kelley Balcomb-Bartok of the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbour, Washington, which tracks the endangered resident orcas.

Males are, of course, welcome and valued, too, but every girl born is precious to [the southern residents] existence. Even after their reproductive days are over, they play major roles.

On Sunday  on the eve of International Womens Day  researchers confirmed that J58, born last September, was indeed a female, to the delight of the whale-watching community.

Photographer Jeanne Hyde had captured the baby whale on the west side of San Juan Island on Saturday playing with her mother, J58, as she was rolling and showing her underside.

J58 hasnt been nicknamed as yet. She was born Sept. 24  the second calf welcomed to J Pod after J57 was born Sept. 4 and later confirmed as a male. He was the first calf born to the pod in more than two years.

Now everybody is awaiting the gender reveal on the latest birth.

Last month, the Center for Whale Research confirmed that a new calf has been born into L-Pod  the first for the pod since 2019.

L125 was spotted during a rare convergence of J, K, and L pods in Haro Strait.

Researcher Dave Ellifrit captured images showing L125s fetal folds, indicating a relatively recent birth. It is nicely filled out and appears to be a perfectly normal little calf, he said.

Researchers said L125s size and shape were typical of a calf in good physical condition. The calf is a fourth offspring for L86, who has given birth to two other calves now deceased, including L112, who was killed by blunt force trauma during military exercises in 2012.

The birth of the latest orca brings the southern resident population to 75, said Balcomb-Bartock.

He said legions of orca-teers who watch for and photograph the resident pods are likely to have a gender photo soon on the latest calf.

Gavin Hanke, curator for vertebrate zoology at the Royal British Columbia Museum, said females are critical to orca pods beyond the obvious reproductive potential.

Females are the leaders, matriarchs  they teach the pods dialect and essentially are the knowledge keepers, said Hanke.

Researchers says female orcas generally live longer, ranging from 40 to 80 years, and can have several calves over their breeding life, up to age 60.

Even beyond those breeding years, female orcas serve a valuable role in their family pods, said Balcomb-Bartock. In their post-productive roles, they become grandmothers very similar to humans, in that they participate in the raising of the young, help to find food and provide general knowledge.

The oldest resident orca on record was J2, who was estimated to be well over 100 when she died in 2016, according to the Center for Whale Research.

Her son J1 was considered the longest-living resident male. He died in 2010 at an estimated age of 60.

Each of the three pods of southern resident killer whales is led by older females, according to data from the Orca Network.

L-Pod, the largest group with 34, is led by L22, born in 1971, and L-25, born in 1928. J-Pod, with 24 members, is led by J16, born in 1972. K-Pod has 17 members and is led by K12, also born in 1972.

Two resident killer whales remain in captivity.

Corky, a northern resident male orca captured in 1969, is 56 and in SeaWorld San Diego.

Tokitae, also known as Lolita, is the only southern resident killer whale left in captivity. Shes 57 and at Miami Seaquarium.

Tokitae was part of a mass roundup of orcas on Aug. 8, 1970, when about 100 orcas were herded into Penn Cove off Whidbey Island, Washington, 50 kilometres southeast of Victoria. Seven were captured in nets and taken to marine parks around the world. All were dead by 1987, except for Tokitae, who is still performing shows.

Legal efforts to bring Tokitae home to the Salish Sea continue.
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CAIRO (Reuters) - Turkey's actions must show alignment with Egypt's principles and goals for relations between the two countries to return to normal, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Sunday.

Shoukry confirmed contacts between Cairo and Ankara after years of tensions but indicated that dialogue was limited.

Relations have been frosty since Egypt's army ousted Mohammed Mursi, who was the country's first democratically elected president and an ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, following protests in 2013.

"(There is) no communication outside the normal diplomatic framework. If real actions from Turkey show alignment with Egyptian principles and goals then the groundwork will be laid for relations to return to normal," Shoukry said.

Top Turkish officials said last week that diplomatic contacts had resumed and that Ankara was seeking further cooperation. Erdogan said contacts were "not at the highest level, but right below the highest level".

Egyptian intelligence sources said Turkey had proposed a meeting to discuss cooperation.

Any thaw in ties between the two regional powerhouses could have repercussions around the Middle East, where Cairo and Ankara have sought to influence events in various hotspots and stand on opposing sides in a Mediterranean maritime dispute.

Shoukry also told lawmakers there were positive messages from Qatar indicating a desire to further repair relations following a summit in Saudia Arabia's al-Ula in January.

Egypt and its Gulf allies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed at the summit to restore diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Doha, which had been severed in 2017 over allegations Qatar supported terrorism, a charge it denies.

(Reporting by Nashaat Hamdy; Writing by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Aidan Lewis and David Clarke)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 20:42:04|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- What started as a hobby is now a source of income for Emmanuel Miti, a Zambian youth specializing in visual arts, based in the capital, Lusaka.

Miti, who today earns much of his income from his creative works is currently one of the most sought-after visual arts artists in Lusaka.

He attributes his success to years of investing in art studies at a renowned college in Lusaka and has made it a point to encourage other young people to take an interest in art.

According to him, art is key to unlocking young people's potential as it helps stimulate creativity and innovation, which in turn helps to curtail unemployment and deviant behavior.

"Art not only creates employment but also prevents social ills such as crime and drug abuse among young as if keeps them preoccupied with being creative," Miti asserted.

He further emphasized the need for more international art exhibitions and tours so as to expose Zambia's creative works to larger markets.

And young art enthusiast Julius Luhanga, 16 years old, said for him, art is a practical subject that has enabled to supplement his family's income.

Julius makes model houses from cardboard and other recyclable materials, which he sells at K60 per piece (about 2.5 U.S. dollars) to individuals interested in architectural designs.

His works have earned him the title of chief architect in Chongwe, Lusaka rural where he resides.

"People like the various house plans and designs that I come up with. I would not be surprised to see a real house just like one of the models I made," he said.

Julius explained that he learned to design and make model houses at school through art projects.

"My art teacher was very impressed with my work and encouraged me to apply myself more," he said.

He added that the models he makes are encouraging other youths to see art as a rewarding subject at school. Enditem
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy plans on introducing a resolution to remove Rep. Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee, according to a tweet he posted Friday night.

"Pelosi just reappointed Eric Swalwell to the Intelligence Committee. Based on the briefing she and I received together, Swalwell should not be on the panel in charge of guarding our nation's secrets," McCarthy said of his fellow Californian. "Next week, I will offer a resolution to remove him from the Intel Committee."

Swalwell has been a constant target of GOP lawmakers since a December 2020 Axios report said a suspected Chinese intelligence operative helped fundraise for the California Democrat during his 2014 reelection campaign. According to the report, Christine Fang, or Fang Fang, allegedly targeted politicians  primarily in California but also including two Midwestern mayors  before leaving the country in 2015, when she became the subject of a federal investigation.

In his tweet, McCarthy was referring to a classified briefing he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were reportedly given about Fang after the Axios report was published.

.

Swalwell first met Fang in 2012, when he served on the Dublin City Council, according to Politico.

However, U.S. officials found nothing illegal in Fang's fundraising for Swalwell and don't believe she received or passed on any classified information, according to the Axios report. And when federal investigators, alarmed by Fang's activities, debriefed Swalwell in 2015 on their concerns about her, Swalwell immediately cut all ties to her, the report said.

"Rep. Swalwell, long ago, provided information about this person  whom he met more than eight years ago, and whom he hasnt seen in nearly six years  to the FBI. To protect information that might be classified, he will not participate in your story," Swalwell's office told Axios in response to the report.

Story continues

McCarthy's call to remove Swalwell comes a month after he vowed to retaliate against Democrats when the House stripped freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from her committee assignments after old videos and posts emerged of her making racist comments and promoting conspiracy theories.

The GOP leader said Democrats would "regret" removing Greene and named several of his Democratic colleagues that Republicans would remove if they controlled the House, including Swalwell.

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In order to remove him, Republicans would need at least six Democrats to vote with them, which is very unlikely.

A senior Democratic aide told CBS News that McCarthy's resolution is a "waste of time" and would either be tabled or dismissed.

While Swalwell didn't reply directly to McCarthy about removing him from the committee, he hit back with a stinging reply to a tweet minority leader posted about President Joe Biden's COVID-19 relief package.

"Lets just say the quiet part out loud: there is no dumber man in America than this loser," Swalwell tweeted Friday.

COVID relief: How $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill aims to help Black and socially disadvantaged farmers

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McCarthy's push to remove Swalwell isnt the first-time members of the GOP have called for the Democrat to be removed from the Intelligence Committee. After the Axios report published in December, members of the GOP immediately called for Swalwell to be removed from the House Intelligence Committee.

Several House Republicans went as far as sending House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter asking her to remove Swalwell from the committee, stating that his relationship with Fang, although unintentional, had created "an unacceptable national security risk."

Pelosi refused to remove Swalwell, later adding that she didnt have any concerns about him.

I dont have any concerns about Mr. Swalwell," Pelosi said during her weeklynews conference. "In terms of Mr. Swalwell, in the spring of 2015, the leadership of the House and the committee were informed that overtures from a Chinese person were being made to members of Congress. When that was made known to the members of Congress it was over.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin McCarthy to call for Eric Swalwell's removal from top committee
Press Release

March 14, 2021 De Lima lauds 'Mang Anton' for selfless love for stray dogs, calls him unsung hero Senator Leila M. de Lima has commended Anton Velasco for selflessly taking care of and unfailingly showing his concern for stray dogs despite his poor living conditions. De Lima, an animal lover who has a soft spot for dogs and cats, said she is relieved to know that Velasco, referred by many as "Mang Anton", has been found by an online pet store after he was reported to be missing last March 5. "Mang Anton is one of the unsung heroes of this pandemic. Ngayong panahon ng pandemya, sa kabila ng mas mabigat na pasanin at hirap ng buhay, doble kayod siya sa pag-aaruga sa kanyang mga anak, at pagmamalasakit at pagkupkop sa mga alaga niyang aso," she said. "With a new home and a new job, better days await him, his family, and their furry companions," she added. Velasco, who has been living with his two kids and several dogs in a pedal-operated tricycle for roughly five years now, has been located by online pet store Petster.PH recently. In a Facebook post, Petster.PH announced that they gave Velasco, his kids and 10 dogs a home, and already offered him a job at the Petster shelter. Prior to this, it was reported that Velasco would regularly push their makeshift home barefoot on the streets of Manila to collect discarded items and sold these items to ensure that he and his family will have something to eat. De Lima, who owns dogs of different breeds and has stray cats inside her detention quarters in Camp Crame, stressed the importance of paying attention to the well-being of animals. "Like humans, animals - especially dogs who are sweet and loyal in nature - need love and affection from us. Their needs should never be overlooked," she said. "I personally miss my dogs given that I cannot be with them right now considering my current situation, but I am at ease knowing that they are being taken care of by the people I trust," she added. In an online survey conducted by researchers in Spain, Israel, and the United Kingdom of pet owners in their countries, it was found that pandemic restrictions are making pet owners concerned for their pets' well-being as some pets are exhibiting signs of stress, such as increased barking, fear of loud or sudden noises, and anxiety when at home alone. "This study just reminds us that our pets need our love, concern and affection," De Lima reiterated. Meanwhile, De Lima lauded Petster.PH for showing concern for Velasco and his dogs, saying, "May God continue to bless them. May you continue to inspire others, especially those with enough resources, to do such good deed." In 2019, it may be recalled that lady Senator from Bicol also lauded a security guard for rescuing a stray cat, named Van, after the feline was tied to and dragged by a truck at Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. The unnamed security guard reportedly cut the rope and freed the cat who was then already limping and in pain.
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Armie Hammer's ex Paige Lorenze stepped out for lunch on Saturday in Beverly Hills looking effortlessly cool in a trucker hat and crop top.

The 23-year-old model seemed to be at ease as she chatted with a pal while sipping a coffee, despite sharing more details of her 'very dark' relationship with the now disgraced actor in conversation with Vanity Fair this week.

Just one of many women who endured a reportedly 'scary' BDSM style relationship with the actor, things got so dark, she claims he told her he wanted to 'eat her ribs,' and even carved an 'A' into her private parts.

Speaking out: Paige Lorenze, 23, steps out for lunch in LA with a friend after giving more details of her 'very dark' BDSM style relationship with Armie Hammer, the actor carving his initial into her private parts

The blonde haired beauty tucked her tresses underneath a blue trucker hat as she dined at trendy hotspot Croft Alley.

She kept her outfit a tad sporty, rocking a tiny black crop top and vintage blue joggers with a pair of high-top Converse, securing her face mask as she walked.

Though she had moved back to NYC a few months ago, she has been in LA for work obligations and a bit of pleasure.

Paige began dating Armie in September 2020, just months after his longtime wife Elizabeth Chambers filed for divorce in July. Things began to move quickly, him even flying her out to Texas to meet his mother Dru.

LA lady: She kept her outfit a tad sporty, rocking a tiny black drop top and vintage blue joggers with a pair of high-top Converse, securing her face mask as she walked

Throughout the course of their relationship Lorenze told Vanity Fair that he revealed 'dark' family secrets, even sharing with her that his grandfather had 'crazy sex parties where there would be guns' present.

She also shared that at the time he had no money and she had to pay for 'everything,' despite him being a Hollywood actor from an incredibly prominent family  his great-grandfather Armand Hammer, an oil tycoon.

Paige said she broke things off with Armie 'via text' after four months, when he became increasingly controlling.

'He told me that I couldn't have anyone else in my bed. And then I just started to feel really unsafe and really sick to my stomach about things,' she shared.

Paige added that she felt more comfortable not ending it in person due to his unpredictable nature. 'You never know what you're going to get with himhe's kind of a scary person.'

Family approval: After they began dating in September he had flown her out to Texas to meet his mother and began divulging dark family secrets which caught her off guard

BDSM fetish: She told DailyMail.com in January: 'He wanted to find a doctor in LA, so that he could remove one of my ribs,' telling her she 'didn't need it,' also adding he wanted to 'barbecue it and it eat,' while she watched; pictured March 14

She did however say that he had a 'hold over [her],' causing her to be easily swayed into doing just about 'anything' he asked, also sharing that they frequently engaged in knife play at his request.

The Connecticut native first spoke out about her relationship with the Call Me By Your Name actor in January, after Instagram account @houseofeffie began sharing messages between Armie and various women, dating back to 2016.

Many of the exchanges mimicking her own experience with the Social Network star, she claims he had told her, 'I want to eat your ribs.'

She told DailyMail.com in January: 'He wanted to find a doctor in LA, so that he could remove one of my ribs,' telling her she 'didn't need it,' also adding he wanted to 'barbecue it and it eat,' while she watched.

In an exchange with one woman he referred to himself as '100% a cannibal,' also telling another he wanted to 'cut off one of [her] toes.'

Controlling: In her bombshell interview with Vanity Fair, Lorenze claims that she had to pay for 'everything' as he had no money, and also became incredibly controlling with the relationship; pictured November 2020

Shocking messages: The Instagram account @houseofeffie began publishing exchanges between Armie and various women he had begun BDSM style relationships with various women between 2016 and 2020

'Cannibal': He reportedly confessed to one woman via DM that he was '100% a cannibal'

Knife play: He had expressed a predilection for knife play in his varying relationships with women, even posting an array knives on his public Instagram which seemed to be purely for cooking

He would frequently post graphic photos of meat  including a full pig face  to his private and public instagram accounts, also boasting about his array of knives.

Paige continued to reveal details of their physical relationship and his 'love' of knife play in the bedroom to DailyMail.com, revealing he would also cut off her underwear and bras.

'He would love to do knife play, where he would wave the blade above me or glide it across my skin. He was obsessed with it and usually he did not cut me,' she shared, before speaking of the night he decided to brand her with an 'A' above her vagina.

'He decided he wanted to brand me as his property and carve his name on my body. He tried to rationalize it as his gesture of his commitment to us being together for the long term.'

Paige added that she didn't think he was serious, but before she could 'process it,' he 'plunged the tip of the knife into [her] flesh just above [her] vagina,' calling the pain 'excruciating,' but trying to 'blank it out.'

Property: 'He decided he wanted to brand me as his property and carve his name on my body. He tried to rationalize it as his gesture of his commitment to us being together for the long term' she told DailyMail.com

Family life: Chambers filed for divorce in July and the pair share two kids, only breaking her silence on the allegations in January as she said 'I didn't realize how much I didn't know'

His lawyer Andrew Brettler issued a statement about the allegations, saying that all sexual experiences were 'consensual.'

'All interactions between Mr. Hammer and his former partners were consensual. They were fully discussed, agreed upon in advance with his partners, and mutually participatory. The stories perpetuated on social media were designed to be salacious in an effort to harm Mr. Hammer, but that does not make them true.'

Despite his camp trying to quiet what they dubbed as chatter, he was dropped by his talent agency WME and his personal publicist, and was also fired from two high profile films - Shotgun Wedding and The Offer.

His estranged wife Chambers broke her silence in late January writing: 'I am shocked, heartbroken, and devastated,' also offering her support to any victims of 'assault or abuse', adding 'I didn't realize how much I didn't know.'The pair share two kids - daughter Harper, six, and Ford, four.

Hammer previously spoke about his sex life as a married man to Playboy. 'I used to like to be a dominant lover....Then you get married and your sexual appetites change....You can't really pull your wife's hair. It gets to a point where you say, 'I respect you too much to do these things that I want to do.''
-Satire-

*China announces all foreigners entering the country will now be subject to a mandatory naked anal probe, body cavity search, and possible live organ harvestAugust 2021

*Nancy Pelosi announces she is tragically out of both caramel cone and dulce de leche flavored Haagen-Dazs ice creamsSeptember 2021

*NBA announces that the Star-Spangled Banner will no longer be played before league games, will be replaced by the Chinese National Anthem, March of the VolunteersOctober 2021

*Sidney Powell swears Kraken will really, truly be released soonNovember 2021

*California Gov. Gavin Newsome announces plan to build state-long border wall to keep Republicans outDecember 2021

*Fox/Food Channel announce collaborative new show-- The Masked, Dancing, Singing, Mystery ChefJanuary 2022

*Tom Brady announces new 20-year contract extension that will keep him in Tampa until he retires at the age of 64February 2022 (hours after winning his 8th Super Bowl)

*Pelosi says House to impeach former President Trump a third timeMarch 2022

*Harris sworn in as president after Biden forgets to wear pants to briefingApril 2022

*Obama announces release of new memoirMay 2022

*Record number of people shot in Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles. Mayors of Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles blame white privilege, racism, policeJune 2022

*CBS announces fall debut of CSI: Decorah, IowaJuly 2022

*Google announces it is moving to TexasAugust 2022

*Hillary Clinton releases new memoir, I Should Still Be PresidentSeptember 2022

*Obama announces release of new memoirMay 2023

*President Harris says Americans should celebrate Independence Day with a global perspective while honoring our interconnectedness and reliance upon one another and especially government.July 2023

*House Democrats propose bill that would criminalize the term American as exclusionary, hate speechSeptember 2023

*Elon Musk announces plan to send rocket to Uranus by 2035October 2023

*President Harris announces she has signed Executive Order mandating that every individuals sexual orientation, gender, racial, ethnic, political identity, and personal pronoun preference must be clearly visible on their person at all timesNovember 2023

*Survey finds that 71% of Americans immediately complied with President Harris recent Executive Order mandating that their personal identities, orientations and preferences be publicly displayedDecember 2023

*President Harris decrees that Memorial Day will henceforth be observed solely to honor peoples of color, LGBTQ communityJanuary 2024

*Dr. Fauci says now would not be a good time to ease up on our mask mandates and lockdowns April 2025

Graphic credit: Newseum CC BY 2.0 license
SAN DIEGO  Everybody loves a mystery. But we like them solved, too, and so far an answer has been elusive for the Big Border Boom.

It rattled windows and shook doors across a large swath of San Diego and Tijuana late Wednesday afternoon, jangling the nerves of residents whod experienced a similar noisemaker last month, and one a year earlier.

What was that?

The region joined a list of communities from coast-to-coast that are defined in part by unexplained goings-on. Mysterious Shaking Rattles San Diego County AGAIN, the website Strange Sounds trumpeted in a headline this week.

It isnt always aural. Thirty years ago, thousands of San Diegans were drawn to what some believed was the apparition of a slain girl on a blank billboard in Chula Vista. But unexplained loud, shaking noises are the most common, sometimes falling under the general term skyquakes.

On the East Coast, enigmatic booms are known as Seneca Guns, the name drawn from a lake in upstate New York, the setting for a short story, Lake Guns, written in 1850 by James Fenimore Cooper.

It is a sound resembling the explosion of a heavy piece of artillery that can be accounted for by none of the known laws of nature, he wrote. The report is deep, hollow, distant and imposing. The lake seems to be speaking to the surrounding hills, which send back the echoes of its voice in accurate reply. No satisfactory theory has ever been broached to explain these noises.

After Wednesdays boom here, the first thought of many people  this being California  was earthquake. But the United States Geological Survey said no. Their seismic-activity sensors recorded nothing.

This being San Diego, longtime home to military jets, a lot of folks thought sonic boom, too. That wasnt one of ours, said Cmdr. Zachary Harrell, a Navy spokesman, who noted that planes breaking the sound barrier are required to do it far off the coast.

The Marines? They didnt respond to a request for comment. Local defense contractors testing some kind of newfangled weapon? Mum was the word there, too, as it usually is with classified military projects.

In 2012, when a similar boom rattled windows and doors along the local coastline, initial not us denials from the military gave way to an admission: The pilots in two Navy F/A-18 aircraft had been showing off for guests aboard the carrier Carl Vinson during a family cruise.

Those two aircraft went supersonic about 35 miles from the coast, a Navy spokesman said at the time. Usually you dont hear the side booms travel that far. It was kind of surprising to us.

This time around, Humberto Mendoza Garcilazo, a researcher at the Center of Scientific Research and Higher Education in Ensenada, said supersonic airplanes may have been responsible for the rumble. But he also suggested it could have come from the days stormy weather and drastic changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure.

Brandt Maxwell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, was skeptical about ties to the weather. He said there werent thunderstorms in the area at the time of the boom, which was about 5 p.m., and even with a strong cold front, you wont get that kind of rumbling.

So, for now, a mystery.

Skyquakes

Explosive booms with no definitive origin have been reported all over the world.

India calls them Barisal Guns; Japan, Uminari. Belgians may have the most fun talking about the phenomenon  mistpoeffers  although Filipinos come close: retumbos.

The noises have been attributed to various things, from the familiar (earthquakes, sonic booms) to the out-of-this-world. Some scientists have pointed to bolides, large meteors traveling so fast they explode when they hit the Earths atmosphere. Others suggest certain atmospheric conditions amplify the sounds of large ocean waves crashing far offshore.

Last year, seismologists at the University of North Carolina published results of a study of the East Coast skyquakes.

They gathered newspaper reports and other accounts of booms between 2013 and 2015 in North Carolina and compared them to data collected by a network of seismographs and atmospheric sensors that were in the area then.

The results ruled out earthquakes. There was no sign of ground-shaking. So the researchers believe Seneca Guns are an atmospheric phenomenon.

The network of sensors picked up unusual signals varying in length from 1 second to 10 seconds that corresponded with the newspaper accounts of mysterious booms. But the researchers didnt have enough information to pinpoint their precise location or cause.

They said they hope to do more studies in coming years and finally solve that particular mystery. And sometimes even the most durable ones do get solved.

New Yorkers were baffled for several years in the mid-2000s about sweet-smelling air that would occasionally waft over Manhattan. The city created a special team to track what became known as maple syrup events, deploying them with special cannisters to capture the aromatic evidence.

In 2009, they traced the smell to a factory across the Hudson River in North Bergen, N.J. The culprit: seeds from fenugreek, used to make fragrances.

To the factorys immediate neighbors, this was no mystery. They were familiar with the smell, and its effects. Ooh, it makes you hungry, one resident told the New York Times.

Sights, not sounds

Thirty years ago, local residents were drawn by the thousands to a different kind of phenomenon, one for the eyes, not the ears.

In June 1991, Laura Arroyo, a 9-year-old San Ysidro girl, was abducted from her doorstep and murdered. A month later, people started gathering beneath a billboard on Broadway in Chula Vista, gazing up to see a murky image of the slain child that emerged as the sun set.

Not everyone saw the apparition. Some who did attributed it to the play of light and shadow across the white canvas, not to inexplicable forces. Others dismissed the whole thing as nonsense, a hoax.

But upward of 30,000 people arrived every night for a brief period to look at what believers called The Miracle on Broadway. Some said they even saw a second figure, which they thought might be Lauras killer, peering over her shoulder.

The human eye has an amazing ability to organize vague images into familiar patterns, a psychologist told the Union-Tribune at the time.

Overwhelmed neighbors living near the billboard asked its owner to turn off the lights illuminating the canvas so the crowds would go away. The crowds came anyway. Eventually a color photo of Laura went up on the billboard, along with a phone number for a hotline to report any tips about the killing, which was solved a couple of years later with the arrest and conviction of a man who lived near the Arroyo family.

The nightly pilgrimage dwindled, leaving some to wonder in the same way others are wondering now about rattling windows and shaking doors.

What was that?


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PM hosts intl development partners on sidelines of Mekong Delta conference

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for international development partners, organisations and sponsors in Can Tho city on March 13 on the sidelines of the third Conference on Climate Resilient and Sustainable Development of Mekong River Delta of Vietnam.









Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosts a reception for international development partners, organisations and sponsors in Can Tho city on March 13 on the sidelines of the third Conference on Climate Resilient and Sustainable Development of Mekong River Delta of Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

Thanking them for participating in the event, the PM emphasised that their cooperation remains extremely important to Vietnam. Vietnam has studied cases of several deltas in Europe and other parts of the world and looked into models, practices and lessons learned from many countries, he said, it is important to not only boost economic cooperation but also foster experience sharing in climate change response in deltas.



He underscored the significance of resources to the development of the Mekong Delta in the face of severe natural disasters, saying he hopes foreign partner countries and international organisations will work alongside Vietnam to create new resources.



The PM also urged for further expanding partnership in human resources training, foreign direct investment and protection of rivers, particularly downstream areas in Vietnam and regional countries which are vulnerable to actions in upstream areas.



He emphasised the importance of international cooperation in protecting cross-border rivers, saying that he wants to receive opinions and learn from experience of other countries.



Representatives of development partners and organisations, meanwhile, highly appreciated Vietnams efforts to promoting sustainable and climate-resilient development of the Mekong Delta through the issuance of the Government's Resolution 120/NQ-CP in 2017 and its hosting of the conference.



They also demonstrated a strong commitment to cooperating with and supporting Vietnam in this area.
Those eagerly awaited stimulus payments and vaccinations should be accelerating this week as the U.S. hopes to gain ground on the relentless pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that federal restrictions "will be much more liberal" and the U.S. could see a "considerable degree of normality" by the Fourth of July if U.S. cases drop as more Americans are vaccinated. But he also warned, on "Fox News Sunday," that the U.S. must gradually lift restrictions or risk a wide-ranging lockdown to halt another surge.

Now the nation just needs former President Donald Trump to help out, Fauci says.

A recent new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll found 41% of Republicans saying they would not get one of the three federally approved coronavirus vaccines, compared with less than 15% of Democrats. Fauci appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," where host Chuck Todd suggested President Joe Biden should persuade Trump to encourage doubters to get vaccinated.

"I hope he does because the numbers that you gave are so disturbing," Fauci said. "It makes absolutely no sense. And I've been saying that for so long. We've got to dissociate political persuasion from what's common sense, no-brainer public health things."

More than 25% of Chileans have received at least one vaccine shot, making the nation of 19 million the Latin America leader. Globally, only Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom have reached a higher percentage of their populations.

After being canceled last year by the coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA men's basketball tournament is back in 2021. It starts with Selection Sunday, when the field of 68 teams will be announced.

Residents in more than a dozen California counties woke up Sunday morning to eased business restrictions. State officials loosened the requirements necessary to move out of the most restrictive tiers in California's reopening system because of increased vaccinations in hard-hit communities up and down the state.

Story continues

 Today's numbers: The U.S. has over 29.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 534,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: Almost 120 million cases and 2.6 million deaths. More than 135 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 106 million have been administered, according to the CDC.

 What we're reading: Spring and summer weather will provide opportunities for people  vaccinated or not  to enjoy low-risk, outdoor activities to better their physical and mental health, experts say.

USA TODAY is tracking COVID-19 news. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates. Want more? Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox and join our Facebook group.

Duke University locks down students; fate of semester 'hangs in the balance'

Duke undergraduate students have been ordered to stay-in-place until 9 a.m. next Sunday as the school struggles to contain a virus outbreak "principally driven by students attending recruitment parties for selective living groups," the school said in a letter to students. More than 180 students have been placed in isolation after testing positive in the last week; an additional 200 students are being quarantined as a result of contact tracing.

Students living in Duke-provided housing must remain in their residence hall room or apartment "at all times except for essential activities related to food, health or safety," the letter said. Students living off campus are not permitted on campus.

"If this feels serious, its because it is," the letter said. "Our ability to complete the semester, commencement for our seniors, and the health and safety of our community, including your fellow undergraduate students, is hanging in the balance."

Some stimulus stimulus stimulus checks sent to wrong bank accounts

Some Americans say their stimulus checks are being deposited in the wrong bank accounts, forcing many of them to wait longer for the badly needed aid after struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those taxpayers were surprised to see that the last four digits of their bank account numbers were incorrect when they checked their payment status on the IRS website, an issue that happened during the first two rounds of direct payments when technical glitches from third-party tax preparers caused delays for many filers.

Im very frustrated. I have so many bills to pay, said Lori Young, 52, in Camden, South Carolina. "I have a steady income with my Social Security, but I have a lot of medical issues. I was relying on these stimulus checks to help me pay off my bills."

 Jessica Menton

Here's how to find out when your stimulus payment will come

You can now find out when your next stimulus payment is expected to hit your bank account or get mailed. The IRS updated the "Get My Payment" tool on its website with information on the third round of stimulus checks Saturday, agency spokesperson Karen Connelly confirmed to USA TODAY. Check for your status here. The third round of Economic Impact Payments will be based on a taxpayers latest processed tax return from either 2020 or 2019. That includes anyone who used the IRS non-filers tool last year, or submitted a special simplified tax return.

 Kelly Tyko

A year later, docs treating COVID-19 'still flying blind'

Treatment for the sickest patients has improved since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic a year ago, but about 20% of patients sick enough to be hospitalized still end up in intensive care. That figure that hasn't changed in the last year, said Dr. Kevin Tracey, a neurosurgeon and president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Doctors on the front lines say the care they're giving is clearly better than it was a year ago, if only because the disease is better understood and hospitals aren't overflowing with desperately sick patients. But death rates remain concerningly high in ICUs, Tracey said.

"A year later we are still flying blind," Tracey said. Read more here.

 Karen Weintraub

London police tactics at vigil for slain woman draw scrutiny

An official vigil for a London woman whose killing has a police officer facing murder charges and is spurring a national conversation about violence against women in the U.K. ended Saturday night with the city's police department under scrutiny for the way officers handled some participants at the event held in defiance of coronavirus restrictions. Hundreds of people disregarded a judge's ruling and police requests by gathering at Clapham Common in honor of Sarah Everard, 33, who was last seen alive near the south London park on March 3. Demonstrators said they wanted to draw attention to the fear and danger many women see as a daily part of British life; police said the size of the crowd created COVID-19 concerns.

Video of Saturday's informal vigil turned rally showed officers from the same police force tussling with participants as they pushed their way through the crowd. London Mayor Sadiq Khan called police behavior "unacceptable" and said he had reached out to police for an explanation.

Contributing: Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press; The Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID updates: Stimulus checks due soon; Fauci; Duke lockdown
The National Investigative Agency (NIA) on late Saturday night arrested encounter specialist Sachin Vaze after interrogating him for about 12 hours in the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case.

He'll be presented before a court in connection with an explosive (gelatin sticks)-laden SUV, which was found near Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani's house on February 25. The police also found a letter in the SUV, warning the Ambanis that "it's a trailer and the big picture is yet to come".

Assistant Police Inspector Vaze was also the first investigating officer in the Ambani bomb scare case but was removed as the probe in the case was later taken over by the NIA.

The NIA spokesperson said Vaze has been held for this "role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Carmichael Road on February 25".

He has been arrested under Sections 286 (Negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 465 (Punishment for forgery), 473 (Making or possessing counterfeit seal), 506(2) (criminal intimidation), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code and 4(a)(b)(I)(attempt to cause an explosion) of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.

Also read: 'Time to say goodbye': Sachin Vaze shares cryptic message; files anticipatory bail plea in Hiren murder case

Vaze is also being probed for his alleged role in the death of Mansukh Hiran, the SUV owner, who was found dead in a creek in the Thane district on March 5.

The ATS team investigating the death of Manuskh Hiren had registered an FIR against Vaze following a complaint made by Hiren's wife Vimla. The sessions court is expected to conduct the hearing for the anticipatory bail application on March 19.

The Maharashtra ATS on Friday had recorded statements of Mansukh Hiren's brother Vinod and son Meet. Manuskh Hiren's death is still clouded in mystery. Hiren was an auto-parts dealer whose dead body was discovered in a Thane creek on March 5.

ATS had called Meet and Hiren's wife Vimla for questioning on Wednesday. In her statement, Vimla told the officers that the then investigating officer in the case, Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, was involved in Hiren's murder. Vaze was transferred from the Mumbai Crime Branch to the Special Branch on March 12.

Vimla further revealed that the SUV in question had been used by Vaze between November 2020 and February 5, 2021. Vaze had denied the claims made by Hiren's wife.

On Saturday morning, Vaze put up a cryptic WhatsApp status saying that "I think the time to say goodbye to the world is coming closer". In the status, Vaze alleged that his fellow officers are trying to falsely implicate him in the case and that this has happened to him before in 2004.

Also read: Ambani bomb scare: 'Police officer Sachin Vaze killed my husband,' says wife of Mansukh Hiren

Also read: Mukesh Ambani bomb threat: CCTV footage captures man in PPE kit parking SUV with explosives

Also read: Mukesh Ambani bomb scare: Man linked to SUV alleged 'harassment' in letter
A Raleigh officer responded to a call about an injured bald eagle near the off-ramp at Interstate 540 and Aviation Parkway.

Video Transcript

-- And this eagle right here you see, is safe all thank to Raleigh police. Yesterday Officer Costka responding to a call about an injured bald eagle off ramp of I-540 at Aviation Parkway, the person who called it in stayed by the eagle's side until Officer Coska got there. The officer was able to rescue the eagle and take it to a veterinary facility.

Now, we're told, the bird is off to a rehab program.
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Hyderabad: Covid-19 cases have more than doubled in the past week in Telangana indicating that the disease that crippled the state and the country over the past year, could well be on a path of resurgence in Telangana.

The week between March 7 and March 13 also saw 12 Covid-19 patients dying from the disease in the state. As on March 13, Telanganas total Covid-19 cases stood at 3,01,161, and deaths from Covid-19 at 1,653, according to the state health department.

In what is fast becoming a matter of concern in the state with a large section of the population throwing all Covid-19 cautions to the winds, the daily cases that stood at 111 on March 7, more than doubled to 228 on March 13. The daily cases in Hyderabad city and the rest of the GHMC limits on March 7 which were 27, rose to 46 on March 13.

A similar rise in Covid-19 cases have been reported over the week from Ranga Reddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts that envelop Hyderabad district. In Ranga Reddy against 10 cases on March 7, the number stood at 17 on March 13, while in Medchal-Malkajgiri, the numbers stood at 9 and 15, respectively.

As many as 28 of the 33 districts in Telangana reported more cases on March 13 than they did on March 7, according to the data in the Covid-19 bulletins issued every day by the health department.

With the rising cases, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Telangana too is on the increase. While a week ago, the active cases were 1,807, on Saturday, the health department said that this number rose to 1,993. Also rising, though by small numbers, were the number of patients occupying beds in intensive care units of both government and private hospitals in Telangana. Similar small increase in patients on oxygen beds has been reported by the health department.

According to the Covid-19 bulletins over the past week, on March 7, 110 ICU beds in government, and 242 ICU beds in private hospitals were occupied, which increased to 112 and 255 on March 13. For the same dates, 172 oxygen beds in government hospitals, and 359 in the private sector were occupied by patients, which rose to 190 and 400 on March 13.
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By Ricardo Hausmann and Jose Ramon Morales-Arilla





CAMBRIDGE  Imagine you are driving down a road and arrive at a junction. You are not sure where to go, so you turn right. After some time, the road becomes unpaved, bumpy, and steep. The first thought that comes to mind is that you should have gone left. But, truth be told, you do not know if that would have led to a dead-end street. This is how many within and outside Venezuela feel about the country today.







After all, former U.S. President Donald Trump's strategy of maximum pressure on the dictatorship, reflected in myriad sanctions imposed on the country, neither restored democracy nor addressed the country's catastrophic economic and humanitarian crisis. According to the International Monetary Fund, Venezuela's GDP in 2020 was over 75 percent below its 2013 level  a globally unprecedented peacetime collapse (and worse than the impact of most wars). Small wonder that over five million people, some 15 percent of the population, have left the country since 2015.







With Trump out, President Joe Biden's administration has announced a foreign policy centered around the defense of democracy. How should it deal with Venezuela, given that previous efforts to restore democracy and prosperity have not delivered either?







Venezuela's regime turned away from electoral democracy when it lost the capacity to win elections. In 2010, the opposition won control of local governments in the country's major cities and states, only to see their power and budgets hollowed out, as parallel structures, controlled by the regime's founder, President Hugo Chavez, were created in their stead.







Following Chavez's death in 2013, his successor, Nicolas Maduro, went further. In 2015, after the opposition won a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, the outgoing assembly used its lame-duck session to pack the Supreme Court, which then stripped the incoming assembly of its powers. In 2016, the court also took away the constitutional right to a recall referendum, and in 2017 it upheld the creation of a parallel assembly.







With the electoral route closed, Venezuelans took to the streets, leading to a violent crackdown (which, according to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and the International Criminal Court, included crimes against humanity). Although this pressure forced the government to accept negotiations on three occasions  led by the Vatican in 2017, the Dominican Republic in 2018, and Norway in 2019  none brought a return to democracy any closer. Instead, some negotiators were exiled; one, Fernando Alban, died in police custody in October 2018.







Moreover, having lost so badly at the ballot box, the regime decided that it would never again permit competitive elections. The May 2018 presidential election and the December 2020 parliamentary election were so outrageously unfair that the opposition boycotted them, and most world leaders refused to recognize the results.







When Maduro's term expired, some 60 countries decided to recognize Juan Guaido, the President of the National Assembly elected in 2015, as interim president. Now that the term of that National Assembly has also expired and the new one is not recognized, a legitimacy problem has weakened international support for Guaido, especially in Europe.







In this context, a chorus of analysts has been arguing that the catastrophic performance of the Venezuelan economy is due to international sanctions (we disagree): instead of pressure, they argue, what the country needs is negotiations.







This naive view gets the issues wrong. The fundamental problem in Venezuela is that the ruling clique has little to gain from a negotiation: their "best alternative to a negotiated agreement" (BATNA) is better than what they would get from allowing free and fair elections. Promises of future benefits, such as power-sharing rules, never seem as attractive as a bird in the hand.







Experience from previous negotiations shows that international non-recognition (which prevents Maduro from controlling Venezuela's assets abroad) and sanctions are the only sources of leverage on the government. So, the only road to a negotiation is to make the status quo so unpleasant for the ruling clique that its unity crumbles.







Only worsening their BATNA will give them a reason to negotiate. That is exactly the strategy followed by the international community that led to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the end of South African apartheid.







Non-recognition and sanctions are fundamental elements of a strategy to reestablish democracy in Venezuela. The sanctions need to be strengthened by making them more multilateral and more burdensome for the elite, and by ensuring that they spare ordinary Venezuelans, some of whom have been hurt.







This can be fixed. But two facts are important to remember: first, the largest-ever collapse in imports of food and medicine happened in 2016, before the Trump administration's sanctions. Second, the sanctions forced the regime to abandon its efforts to monopolize international trade. The subsequent liberalization of foreign exchange and prices increased the availability of imported food and medicines.







To strengthen society, the international community should help Guaido's government transfer aid, as they did to frontline health-care workers in September 2020, circumventing Maduro's blockade. The technology also exists for Guaido's government to provide electronic identity documents to citizens, denying the regime a mechanism for stripping people of their rights.







Finally, these technologies could also help address the legitimacy problem. In December 2020, the outgoing National Assembly organized cyber-elections, where citizens could vote with a smartphone. This same technology could be used to elect the person or body that would be Venezuela's internationally recognized interim president, serving until negotiations to reestablish democracy can succeed.







Biden told the G7 recently that: "Democracy doesn't happen by accident. We have to defend it, fight for it, strengthen it, renew it." In the case of Venezuela, this requires a clear-eyed strategy to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. The road may be bumpy and steep, but, unlike the alternative route  negotiations without sanctions  it at least leads somewhere.









Ricardo Hausmann, a former minister of planning of Venezuela and former chief economist at the Inter-American Development Bank, is a professor at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and director of the Harvard Growth Lab. Jose Ramon Morales-Arilla is a Ph.D. candidate in public policy at Harvard University. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (




Dame Jenni Murray has called for Britain to confront its colonial history in the same way Germany has done with the Nazis.

The former BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour presenter added that Brits have 'a lot to learn from the Germans'.

Mrs Murray said that Brits have been taught to have pride in the achievements of the British Empire without understanding the negative connotations.

'The debate around [British] colonialism must be had in full  the good and the bad,' she wrote in her weekly column in Saga Magazine.

The former BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour presenter added that Brits have 'a lot to learn from the Germans'

'We sang ''Rule, Britannia'' with gusto and never thought to question how some of the revered local heroes whose statues stood in our towns and cities had made their money.'

Mrs Murray suggested that Britain adopt a similar approach to Germany which has been proactive in teaching its citizens about the Nazis in World War II.

The country has addressed Nazism and the holocaust in a variety of ways including art and theatre.

Mrs Murray added: 'Nazi monuments have been put in context, and commemorative 'stumbling stones'  small brass plates inscribed with the names of victims of the regime have been installed in pavements 1,200 locations. Police cadets are taught the history of Nazi policing and are made to visit a concentration camp.

'It's time now for us to dampen down the nostalgia and look to our future as a multicultural society with shame understood and acknowledged by everyone, never to be repeated.'

However, historian Dr Zareer Masani has blasted her comparison of the British Empire with Nazism as 'completely historically illiterate'.

Mrs Murray, who in 2011 questioned her acceptance of her damehood due to its links with Britain's colonial past, went on to question the activists who toppled the statue of salve trader Edward Colston in Bristol last summer

He told the Sunday Telegraph: 'It is an outrageous comparison... It is a fashion in some parts of the liberal left to equate the two things as part of a post-colonial guilt syndrome that they suffer from.

'But I think it is quite insulting to people like me who grew up under the Empire and have a very positive experience of it.'

Mrs Murray, who in 2011 questioned her acceptance of her damehood due to its links with Britain's colonial past, went on to question the activists who toppled the statue of salve trader Edward Colston in Bristol last summer.

She concluded that a better approach may be to put offending statues or 'symbols of the darker side of colonialism' into context rather than tearing them down.
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Rasha Atamny, deputy chief of mission at the Israeli Embassy in Korea, casts a ballot in early voting to elect members of the 24th Knesset, or the Israeli parliament, at the embassy, March 11. The election will be held in Israel on March 23. Courtesy of Embassy of Israel in Korea
Lome, Togo (PANA)  The World bank (WB) has approved funds totlling US$ 70 million to help Togo deal with its universal health cover in order to guarantee the access of populations to quality health services, a communique issued by the Bretton Woods institution, sent to PANA in Lome, said
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 34 Colleges In Arkansas for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 66 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 66 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 34 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-arkansas/

2021 Colleges In Arkansas featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Arkansas Baptist College

Arkansas Northeastern College

Arkansas State University

Arkansas State University, Beebe

Arkansas State University, Mountain Home

Arkansas State University-Newport

Arkansas Tech University

Bryan University

Central Baptist College

Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas

Crowley's Ridge College

Ecclesia College

Harding University

Henderson State University

Hendrix College

John Brown University

Lyon College

North Arkansas College

Ouachita Baptist University

Philander Smith College

Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas

Southern Arkansas University Tech

Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia

University of Arkansas Community College Batesville

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

University of Arkansas

University of Arkansas, Fort Smith

University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana

University of Arkansas, Little Rock

University Of Arkansas, Monticello

University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff

University of Central Arkansas

University of the Ozarks

Williams Baptist University

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.

Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 50 Colleges In Missouri for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 156 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 156 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 50 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-missouri/

2021 Colleges In Missouri featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

American Trade School

Avila University

Calvary University

Central Christian College of the Bible

Central Methodist University

College of the Ozarks

Conception Seminary College

Cottey College

Cox College

Culver-Stockton College

Drury University

Evangel University

Fontbonne University

Goldfarb School of Nursing, Barnes-Jewish College

Hannibal-Lagrange University

Harris-Stowe State University

Kansas City Art Institute

Kenrick Glennon Seminary

Lincoln University

Lindenwood University

Maryville University

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Missouri Baptist University

Missouri Southern State University

Missouri State University

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri Valley College

Missouri Western State University

Northwest Missouri State University

Ozark Christian College

Park University

Ranken Technical College

Rockhurst University

Saint Louis Christian College

Saint Louis University

Southeast Missouri State University

Southwest Baptist University

St. Louis College of Pharmacy

St. Luke's College of Health Sciences

Stephens College

Truman State University

University of Central Missouri

University of Missouri Saint Louis

University of Missouri

University of Missouri, Kansas City

Washington University, St. Louis

Webster University

Westminster College

William Jewell College

William Woods University

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Five European Union (EU) countries have called for talks as soon as possible between EU heads of state and government on the disparities in the distribution of vaccines within the 27-member community, The Brussels Times reported.

Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Slovenia made the call in a letter published on Saturday.

On Friday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz accused some EU countries of secretly negotiating contracts with laboratories and denounced an unequal distribution of vaccines against the novel Coronavirus among European countries.

A senior EU official confirmed that the letter from the five had been received and recalled that coordinating the fight against the pandemic was the first item on the agenda of a summit of the 27 EU head to be held on March 25-26.

Chancellor Kurz and his four counterparts sent the letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the Council (which represents the 27 member States), Charles Michel.

In it, they said, deliveries of vaccine doses by pharma companies to individual EU member states are not being implemented on an equal basis.

If this system were to carry on, it would continue creating and exacerbating huge disparities among member states by this summer, whereby some would be able to reach herd immunity in a few weeks while others would lag far behind, the five leaders said.

We, therefore, call on you to hold a discussion on this important matter among leaders as soon as possible, they urged.

On Friday, Kurz said there were indications that there was a bazaar where some member states made additional agreements with pharmaceutical companies.

However, an EU spokesman explained that it was up to member States to request more or less of a given vaccine.

The Austrian Health Ministry also rejected the claims by Kurz and reiterated a statement in which the EU explained that each country was authorized to say how many doses of the different vaccines it wished to obtain.

The Secretary-General of the Austrian Health Ministry, Ines Stilling, said negotiations on vaccine supplies took place in a transparent and balanced manner.

The EU has blamed the delays in vaccination within its territory on supply and delivery problems. The 27 lag behind the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom in terms of the percentage of the population that has already received at least one dose of a vaccine.




British-Iranian woman back in court after 5 years in prison View Photo

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A trial to present new charges against a British-Iranian woman detained for five years in Iran convened Sunday, her supporters said, casting uncertainty over her future following her release from prison.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared in court to face charges of spreading propaganda against the regime, said Richard Ratcliffe, who has outspokenly campaigned for his wifes release.

Iranian authorities had introduced the new indictment months ago, but adjourned the trial until Zaghari-Ratcliffe completed her 5-year sentence on widely refuted spying charges last week. A verdict was expected within several days, he added.

The charges are not particularly relevant since the point of reviving this case again last week was simply to hold Nazanin for leverage as negotiations with the UK have intensified, said Ratcliffe.

The latest twist in Zaghari-Ratcliffes case comes as Britain and Iran negotiate a long-running dispute over a debt of some 400 million pounds ($530 million) owed to Tehran by London. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the late Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi paid the sum for Chieftain tanks that were never delivered.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 42, was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of plotting the overthrow of Irans government, a charge that she, her supporters and rights groups deny. While employed at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the news agency, she was taken into custody at the Tehran airport in April 2016 as she was returning home to Britain after visiting family.

Throughout the years, Zaghari-Ratcliffes detention has sparked international outrage over Irans human rights record and strained ties between Britain and Iran. Now, a week after she was allowed to remove her ankle monitor and leave house arrest, she remains stuck, unable to fly home to her family in London. Authorities had released Zaghari-Ratcliffe from prison on furlough last March because of the surging coronavirus pandemic, and she had been detained in her parents Tehran home since.

Sunday mornings hearing was brief, Ratcliffe said, noting that his wife appeared before a branch of the countrys Revolutionary Court in Tehran, where she was first sentenced to prison on murky espionage charges in 2017. Judge Abolghassem Salavati, who is known for his tough sentences and has heard other politically charged cases, was calm and polite, he said.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab denounced the new case against Zaghari-Ratcliffe as wholly arbitrary, adding that she must be allowed to return to her family in the UK without delay.

Iranian state-run media did not immediately report the trial. But the countrys pro-reform Shargh daily said on its Telegram news channel that the final trial on propaganda charges had been held in complete peace in Tehran.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was permitted to make a personal statement in which she denied the charges of spreading propaganda and requested a fair trial, Ratcliffe added.

Rights groups accuse Iran of holding dual-nationals as bargaining chips for money or influence in negotiations with the West, something Tehran denies. Iran does not recognize dual nationalities, so detainees like Zaghari-Ratcliffe cannot receive consular assistance. A U.N. panel has criticized what it describes as an emerging pattern involving the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of dual nationals in Iran.

Authorities in London and Tehran deny that Zaghari-Ratcliffes case is linked to the repayment deal for the non-delivery of tanks. But a prisoner exchange that freed four American citizens in 2016 saw the U.S. pay a similar sum to Iran the same day of their release.

In a call last week with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he stressed that Zaghari-Ratcliffes continued confinement remains completely unacceptable. Irans readout of the same telephone call made no mention of Zaghari-Ratcliffes case, instead claiming that Johnson had emphasized to Rouhani the need to repay the countrys debts to Iran.

Zaghari-Ratcliffes case has also highlighted the dangers faced by detainees in Irans crowded prisons. The United Nations has reported that Zaghari-Ratcliffes treatment, including a denial of medical care, could amount to torture. Lumps in her breasts, as well as a painful neurological condition, have gone untreated.

REDRESS, a London-based human rights organization that helped campaign for Zaghari-Ratcliffes release, announced last week that it had commissioned an independent evaluation of her physical and psychological condition and found evidence of torture and mistreatment, the effects of which continue to plague her, it said.

Although Sundays hearing promised to be the last, the length of Zaghari-Ratcliffes detention remains unclear.

I hope it is all done. I hope Im not going to see them all again, and that this is the end, Zaghari-Ratcliffe said in a statement after the hearing. All we can do is wait.

___

Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran contributed to this report.

By ISABEL DEBRE

Associated Press
Police have closed off a pathway in a Kent town as part of their investigation into the murder of Sarah Everard.

Met detectives have cordoned off a large area in Sandwich, 30 miles from the woodland where the body of the missing 33-year-old was discovered.

Officers have been seen combing along the pathway next to a stream, and have set up a base in the town centre.

The path, called Rope Walk, goes through a wooded area that backs on houses on one side.

Scotland Yard would not comment on the new area of investigation, but the local council confirmed that the pathway had been taped off.

Police have closed off a pathway in the Kent town of Sandwich as part of their investigation into the murder of Sarah Everard

Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, disappeared while walking home from a friend's house in Clapham Common on March 3

The council told Kent Online: 'Sandwich Town Council is in contact with Kent Police on behalf of the Metropolitan Police in relation to ongoing investigations associated to the murder of Sarah Everard.

'Police have requested that residents do not gather trying to ascertain information or details.

'The police have cordoned off the Rope Walk between Malcolm Waites Garage/Cow Leas Meadow all the way through the town.'

The public has been advised to stay away from the area in order to follow lockdown restrictions.

A spokesperson for Met Police said: 'Police have been searching areas in London and Kent as part of the investigation. We are not giving a running commentary.'

The path, called Rope Walk, goes through a wooded area that backs on houses on one side and has a stream running past on the other side

Sandwich Town Council said: 'The police have cordoned off the Rope Walk between Malcolm Waites Garage/Cow Leas Meadow all the way through the town.'

Wayne Couzens, a serving Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with Ms Everard's murder and kidnap after disappeared as she walked home to Brixton from a friend's house in Clapham, south London, on March 3.

The 48-year-old, from Deal, appeared in court to confirm his name and address during a short hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

The court heard Miss Everard's body was found inside a builder's bag in Kent and identified through the use of dental records.

Appearing in court wearing a grey tracksuit and bearing a red mark on his head, Couzens stood as the charges were put to him before being remanded in custody before his case is sent to the Old Bailey on March 16.

The Met Police revealed that Couzens joined the force two years ago in September 2018 when he worked for a response team covering the Bromley area.

He then moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in February last year.
The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package expands valuable tax credits for parents. It also has a provision that will allow you to save more in dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA).

These accounts allow employees to save money, before taxes, to use to pay for child care expenses for children under age 13 or costs for qualifying dependent adults who share the household. Saving the funds pre-tax can lower a familys overall taxable income.

Parents can usually save $5,000 in an FSA, but the latest stimulus bill more than doubles that amount to $10,500. The change is for 2021 only.

The funds can be used for day care, summer camp and pre-school tuition. They can also be used to pay for adult day care costs.

If your marginal tax rate is more than 15%, participating in the dependent care FSA is more advantageous than taking the dependent care credit on your tax return, said Gail Rosen, a Martinsville-based certified public accountant.

Dependent care FSA accounts are set up to either use it or lose it with small grace periods and/or carry forwards to another year, she said.

And because so many people have been out of work or are working from home since the start of the pandemic, many parents oversaved in their FSA accounts and risked losing substantial sums of money. So the IRS permitted employers to allow their employees to carry over unused funds from 2020 contributions to 2021, and 2021 contributions to be carried over to 2022.

But this wont be available to everyone, Rosen said.

Not every employer is offering this grace period because its optional, she said. Plan changes mean extra administrative costs to businesses and may inadvertently conflict with other tax-advantaged employee benefits.

You should speak to your human resources department about your companys plan.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.


Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully

Armenia health minister: Improper storage of fallen soldiers bodies, remains was my omission

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia President to children: I believe that you will make our country much better

Armenia CEC publicizes complete lists of political forces registered to run in snap parliamentary elections

World oil prices going up
 Flash

Najat Rochdi, UN special coordinator for Lebanon, urged on Saturday for an investigation into the Beirut port's blasts which killed over 200 people.

"A swift, credible and transparent investigation that ensures full accountability is the only way for those affected by this tragedy, and for Lebanon, to start to heal," Rochdi tweeted after her meeting with families of the firefighters who were killed in the blasts.

Beirut's port was rocked on Aug. 4, 2020 with two blasts which killed at least 200 and wounded over 6,000 others.

The Lebanese, especially families of the victims, are still waiting for justice now, and continue to call for accountability as no one has been sentenced yet in connection to the explosions.
Mar. 14Officials from the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce have been planning a celebration for the chamber's 100th anniversary for nearly two years.

Now, the chamber's executive vice president Michelle Mikitish said she is excited the celebration finally will happen.

The Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a roaring 20's-themed event April 17 in an airplane hangar at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.

The celebration was delayed from its original date of June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and those who attend the newly planned event will be asked to follow some safety guidelines, Mikitish said.

Attendees will be asked to sign a waiver and wear masks. Their temperatures will be checked at the door and data will be collected for contact tracing.

The hangar will include reserved seating but it could accommodate additional people outside depending on what restrictions could be in place in April on indoor guests, she said.

Although planning safe events with guides about masking, social distancing and seating guidelines is more complicated, Mikitish said, "We're excited that the chamber is starting to host events again."

MCR Design Group in Forty Fort, led by owner John Phillips, will transform the airplane hangar into a 1920s nightclub.

Phillips said there will be a "romantic feel" to the design and he will use mainstay colors like black, white, gold and red. He is glad there are now looser restrictions that allow more people to gather at events.

"This is a time for a rebirth, especially for events," Phillips said. "I'm grateful for more business and I'm grateful that community members will be out with each other again. There was that certain sense of connection that was lacking. Zoom calls will only cut it so far."

Discover NEPA is sponsoring the anniversary celebration, which will highlight not only the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce's history but also that of businesses, volunteers and organizations that supported the chamber throughout the last 100 years.

Story continues

The event will feature foods prepared by Jim Guasto of Guasto Catering and Party Planning and beer from Susquehanna Brewing Co.in Jenkins Twp. Sweet Pepper and the Long Hots, a local 8-piece horn band featuring Greater Pittston area musicians with a big band sound, will provide the entertainment.

Mikitish and Brandi Bartush, administrator and events coordinator for the Greater Pittston Chamber, are getting 1920s flapper dresses and headbands ready for the celebration and they are encouraging others to dress like the roaring 1920s.

As part of the upcoming celebration, chamber officials are crafting a 100th anniversary publication that will include not only their story but members' stories as well. Each guest can take home a copy of the souvenir book that illustrates the history of the Great Pittston business community.

Since 1920, the Greater Pittston Chamber has been a driving force behind economic development.

It has more than 400 members who benefit from its commitment to support small local businesses, recruit new companies to the area, develop a top-notch workforce and advocate for support through legislative and educational forums.

Over the last 100 years, the scope of the chamber's activities has grown, Mikitish said.

"The Pittston Chamber has been involved in almost every significant economic, industrial, infrastructure and community development project that has impacted the Greater Pittston area," she said.

From the very beginning, she said chamber leaders understood how important it was to cultivate a business-friendly environment within the local communities so the Greater Pittston area could keep and grow local businesses and attract new businesses and industries.

Mikitish said a simple fundraising campaign in the late 1940s to build a single shell building on a lease purchase agreement grew over the years into the development of several industrial and business parks, an international airport and several highway and roadway improvements in the area

"Thousands of well-paying, family-sustaining jobs have been created as a result of our chamber's leadership," she said. "At Greater Pittston Chamber, we put people to work."

Thanks to the foresight and dedication of the chamber's leaders and their commitment to infrastructure development, Mikitish said many of the area's largest employers have located in the Greater Pittston area. They include Pride Mobility Products, Schott North America, Keystone Automotive, T.J. Maxx and the Home Depot. Today, there are more than 200 businesses in industrial parks in the Greater Pittston area that employ nearly 10,000 people.

Over the last decade, Mikitish said chambers in general have faced the challenge of finding ways to stay relevant to the business company as much of the responsibility for commercial building and industrial land development has transitioned into the private sector.

"This new challenge presents many exciting opportunities for new programs that focus on things like small business growth, workforce development and member relations," she said. "We look forward to working with our members to cultivate programming to not only meet their needs but the needs of everyone in our unique business community."

The biggest project Greater Pittston Chamber officials are working on now is the Innovations in Management Group Sponsored Registered Apprenticeship which helps employers advance employees into supervisor roles. Pittston is the first chamber in Northeast Pennsylvania to develop this type of program, which combines on-the-job learning with classroom training and helps employees develop the skills they need to be successful, Mikitish said.

As the next century of service approaches, she said the chamber will focus on member services, small businesses, workforce development and its Women's Network.

"We will continue to encourage dialog between employers and the workforce, supporting educational programming and developing training programs for both our current and future employees," she said.

Sponsorship and ticket information for the Greater Pittston Chamber's 100th anniversary celebration and more information about the chamber can be found at www.pittstonchamber.org.

Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115, @CVAllabaugh
Millie Bobby Brown has promised to fight 'stigmas and stereotypes' after a successful night at the Kids' Choice Awards on Saturday.

The 17-year-old actress - who plays Eleven in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things - made a powerful speech during the Nickelodeon awards ceremony, when she won the Favourite Female TV Star and Favourite Movie Actress gongs.

She promised to be the voice of millions of children who haven't been heard while reflecting on her own challenges and victories.

'I will speak out for children whose voices have been silenced': Millie Bobby Brown has promised to fight 'stigmas and stereotypes' after a successful night at the Kids' Choice Awards

Millie said: 'I've been in this industry where I've had my triumphs, my struggles, and I'm incredibly grateful for all the women over the world that continue to redefine and shape women in TV and movies.

'I have great inspiration, so that is why I'm accepting these rewards. We will continue to fight against stigmas and stereotypes and I am incredibly grateful to be part of that movement.'

The actress was previously made UNICEF's youngest-ever Goodwill Ambassador and she insisted she's determined to 'shine a light' on issues that she considers to be important.

The teenage star explained: 'I will speak out for the millions of children whose voices have been silenced for far too long.

Winning streak: The actress, 17, made a powerful speech during the awards ceremony on Saturday, when she won the Favourite Female TV Star and Favourite Movie Actress gongs

'I will shine a light on the issues that vulnerable children have suffered around the world. Including representing them at places they havent yet had a seat at the table.'

Millie was thrilled when UNICEF asked her to become one of their Ambassadors.

She said: 'UNICEF is the biggest and best childrens organisation in the world. I have always been so blown away by what they do for childrens rights.

'I am very passionate about children getting the education they need, providing vaccines for them, protecting children against violence and ensuring they know what their rights are.

Empowered: In her acceptance speech, she promised to be the voice of millions of children who haven't been heard while reflecting on her own challenges and victories

'Being named an ambassador - honestly it was one of the craziest situations. I cant even put into words how I felt, but it was just so exciting.'

Millie starred as famous detective Sherlock's younger sister in the mystery film Enola Holmes last year.

And on Thursday, she gave fans a glimpse of her training for the fight scenes in a throwback video from the movie.

The actress appeared to be a natural at the coordinated scene as she shared the clip with her 43.5million Instagram followers.

Thoughtful: Millie said: ''I will shine a light on the issues that vulnerable children have suffered around the world. Including representing them at places they havent yet had a seat at the table'

Millie was seen throwing a series of punches and kicks at her enemy as the pair rehearsed the scene.

She wore a light top and leggings as she went barefoot on the mat.

The Stranger Things star battled her foe with various props including sticks and even threw a series of objects at him in one shot.

Millie is thrown against a crash mat on several occasions as she tries to fight off her opponent.

It appears the star has met her match in the clip, as the man she's fighting blocks her attacks and manages to land a few hits of his own.

During the very physical training, she also manages to pin the stunt man down, despite him being twice her size.

She climbs on his back during the scene and is thrown against a wall before it stops short of her being flipped over.

The duo appear to be in great spirits once the fight was complete and gave each other a high five to celebrate.

Action packed: The actress starred as famous detective Sherlock 's younger sister in the mystery film Enola Holmes last year and on Thursday, she gave fans a glimpse of her fight training in a throwback clip

She captioned the clip: 'This video is nearly 2 years old !! training for my girl, enola' (sic).

Millie revealed that she 'found it really challenging being British' in the role after five years in the American Netflix series Stranger Things.

The star, who grew up in Dorset, England, and settled in Florida with her family to pursue her acting career aged eight, said she 'had to learn how to speak again'.

Speaking to Radio Times, she said: 'For the last five years Ive been playing an American character in Stranger Things and I found it really challenging being British in this, even though I am a Brit.

'I had to learn how to speak again because Im so used to speaking in an American accent.'

Millie, who produced and starred as the title character, plays the sister of Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft Holmes (Sam Claflin).

In the movie, the youngest member of the Holmes family goes off in search of her missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter), even as her more famous brothers try to thwart her investigation.

The film was originally planned for a theatrical release by Warner Bros., but it was picked up by Netflix in April amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
AstraZeneca defended its vaccine on Sunday, saying that the company is continually monitoring its safety.

Around 17 million people in the E.U. and U.K. have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population, Ann Taylor, the companys chief medical officer, said in a statement.

Prof. Karina Butler, the chairwoman of Irelands immunization advisory committee, said the panels recommendation was made while agencies were investigating. We will continue to monitor the situation, and if we can be satisfied that these events are coincidental and not caused by this vaccine, we will reassess the situation.

No such cases have been reported to Irelands medicine regulators, with over 117,000 doses of the vaccine administered in the country. Of the newest reports in Norway, one patient died from an unexpected brain hemorrhage, and the three others with severe cases of blood clots or brain hemorrhages were being treated in a hospital, according to the Norwegian Medicines Agency.
The Byron Bay property market has recently become a hot spot for deep-pocketed investors hoping to buy up a slice of coastal paradise.

But it seems neither hotelier Stu Laundy nor Justin Hemmes could bid a high enough price when it came to scooping up the region's historic Bangalow Hotel last week.

The rival pub barons were reportedly locked in a bidding war for the 60-year-old pub, which is currently owned by NRL star Tom Mooney and wife Cathryn, with bids reportedly reaching up to $50 million.

Some things money can't buy!: Pub baron rivals Stu Laundy (left) and Justin Hemmes (right) were both reportedly unsuccessful in their attempts to purchase the Bangalow Hotel, in the Byron Bay hinterland, after its owners decided they didn't want to part with the historic pub

However, The Sunday Telegraph has claimed both parties were ultimately unsuccessful.

'Despite the dizzying dollars on the table, its understood negotiations went cold when the Mooneys made it clear by Thursday that  despite some too-ing and fro-ing  it was decided the pub would remain in the family for the foreseeable future,' the publication reported.

The Mooney family boast an impressive property portfolio, which includes The Rails Hotel in Byron Bay and The Pacific Hotel in Yamba.

At war: The rival pub barons were reportedly locked in a bidding war for the 60-year-old pub (pictured) which is currently owned by NRL star Tom Mooney and wife Cathryn, with bids reaching up to $50 million

Local watering hole: The Bangalow Hotel (pictured) is located in the picturesque town of Bangalow, in the hinterlands of Byron Bay

No dice: 'Despite the dizzying dollars on the table, its understood negotiations went cold when the Mooneys made it clear by Thursday that  despite some too-ing and fro-ing  it was decided the pub would remain in the family for the foreseeable future,' the publication reported. Pictured: The Bangalow Hotel

Laundy and Hemmes were also reportedly also eyeing off The Pacific Hotel last week, according to The Herald Sun last month.

However, it's unclear whether that property was part of the Bangalow Hotel negotiations or whether the Pacific Hotel is still on the table.

It's not the first time Laundy and Hemmes have been locked in a bidding war, as it's understood the pair recently battled over Chris Hemsworth's local watering hole The Lennox Hotel in nearby Lennox Head.

Still up for grabs? Laundy and Hemmes were also reportedly also eyeing off The Pacific Hotel last week, according to The Herald Sun last month

Bachelorette star Laundy, in partnership with hotelier Fraser Short, purchased The Lennox Hotel with an offer of close to $40million.

In August last year, Laundy and Fraser confirmed they had also bought Byron Bay's trendy venue The Farm for $16 million.

Laundy, who appeared on Channel 10's The Bachelorette in 2017, has a share of his family's $500 million fortune.

Cha-ching! Laundy, who appeared on Channel 10's The Bachelorette in 2017, has a share of his family's $500 million fortune

Fortune: Meanwhile, Hemmes and his family's empire is believed to be worth around $1.06 billion

Meanwhile, Hemmes and his family's empire is believed to be worth around $1.06 billion.

His property portfolio includes the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills which he bought in 2010, the Queen Victoria Hotel in Enmore in 2015 and Bondi's Royal Hotel in 2017.

It was also recently revealed that he bought his ex Kate Fowler a $7.5 million mansion in one of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs.


HID Algorithms Software Lead Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Hardware Summary

Posted: Mar 10, 2021 Role Number: 200230142 Apple's Human Interface Devices (HID) group is responsible for developing innovative ways to interact with Apple products. We work across product lines, delivering technologies like Multitouch, ApplePencil, AppleWatch Digital Crown, Appletv remote, and other future Apple input technologies. The HID Algorithms team is looking for a senior software engineer to help build the next generation of input algorithms, software architecture, and infrastructure. We are an eclectic group with backgrounds in computer science, controls, human factors, signal processing, and more. We're looking for an engineer with excellent software skills to design and build scalable, high-quality code architectures for the future of Apple's human interface devices! Key Qualifications 5+ years of SW development experience (with 1+ year as a technical lead)

2+ years of experience in SW architecture design (architecture, design patterns, reliability and scaling)

Proficiency in C++ and Python. Objective-C and/or Swift are a plus

Exposure to algorithms, AI/ML, or data science projects including evaluating algorithms on datasets

Familiarity with continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipelines (e.g. Jenkins)

Solid algorithm or math fundamentals. You will be comfortable working with (and learning as necessary) topics like linear algebra, statistics, signal processing, machine learning, etc.

Understands and advocates principles of good software design

Able to communicate clearly and collaborate with cross-functional teams

Excellent problem solving and root cause analysis skills Description We're looking for engineering lead with expertise in building software for algorithm development and an eye for user experience. You will build infrastructure to run algorithm pipelines on data at scale. You will leverage quantitative analyses and hands-on experience with prototypes to holistically understand performance. Leveraging your excellent communication skills, you will translate insights into influence over feature definition, algorithm development priorities, and more. The ideal engineer is comfortable working in a dynamic and creative team charged with crafting the way we will interact with next-generation Apple products. You are a self-motivated, excellent problem solver, and a fast learner. You are quick to forge relationships and comfortable with change and ambiguity. You have strong technical leadership skills and enjoy collaborating with others toward the creation of commercial grade software. You will bring software expertise to a highly interdisciplinary team, working with engineers of many talents to tackle challenging problems. Education & Experience MS in CS/CE/EECS/Math Apple's most important resource, our soul, is our people. Apple benefits help further the well-being of our employees and their families in meaningful ways. No matter where you work at Apple, you can take advantage of our health and wellness resources and time-away programmes. We're proud to provide stock grants to employees at all levels of the company, and we also give employees the option to buy Apple stock at a discount - both offer everyone at Apple the chance to share in the company's success. You'll discover many more benefits of working at Apple, such as programmes that match your charitable contributions, reimburse you for continuing your education and give you special employee pricing on Apple products. Apple benefits programmes vary by country and are subject to eligibility requirements. Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Apple is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Apple is a drug-free workplace


K'taka sex scandal: Woman seeks protection, cops book unknown people for extortion on Jarkiholis complaint

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Mar 14: A woman, who is said to have featured in a video purportedly showing her in a compromising position with BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, on Saturday sought protection from the State government.

"I don't have protection. All that I ask you all is 'give me protection'," she said in a video message addressed to Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai. She stressed that she was not aware how the video was made.

"My dignity is lost after the video became public. People are coming to our house enquiring about me. My parents tried to commit suicide twice and I too attempted suicide at least three to four times," she said in the video message which has gone viral on the social media.

Stating that she did not have political backing, she claimed "Ramesh Jarkiholi had offered her a job and now released her video. I don't know how it has happened."

The video message came on a day police registered a case of extortion and conspiracy against unknown people following a complaint lodged by Jarkiholi. Jarkiholi alleged a "conspiracy" to finish him off politically.

Karnataka 'sex' tape case: Ramesh Jarkiholi says it was conspiracy, knew about CD 4 months ago

According to sources, the Special Investigation Team formed by the government to probe the conspiracy behind the scandal have detained at least six people.

Ahead of the assembly session early this month, a social activist had lodged a complaint with police accusing Jarkiholi of exploiting a woman.

Dubbing it as 'sex for job' scandal, video clips purportedly showing Ramesh Jarkiholi in a compromising position with an unidentified woman was widely aired by Kannada news channels. Jarkiholi rubbished them as fake and said there was a "deep conspiracy".

However, he stepped down as Water Resources Minister on moral grounds. The activist later withdrew his complaint.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 11:41 [IST]
The European Union has been declared an LGBTIQ freedom zone in a powerful response to Poland and Hungarys growing discriminatory policies against people from the queer community.

The members of the European parliament (EP) voted in majority to adopt the symbolic resolution by 492 votes in favour, 141 against it and 46 abstentions in rebuttal to Poland where local authorities declared itself an LGBTIQ-free zone two years ago.

Shortly before the parliament was set to declare its resolution to support rights of LGBTIQ people, the Polish government announced that it was planning to bar those living in same-sex relationships from adopting children even as single parents.

Same-sex relationships are illegal in Poland and the ruling government already bans same-sex couples from adopting children together.

The government is now planning to propose a law that will allow extensive background checks on single people seeking to adopt to check whether the person is living in a homosexual relationship.

If passed, the law will shut the last loophole that allows same-sex couples to adopt babies as single parents.

We are preparing a change where ... people living in cohabitation with a person of the same sex cannot adopt a child, so a homosexual couple will not be able to adopt a child, said deputy justice minister Michal Wojcik.

The EU resolution declared that members of the LGBT+ community in the EU should enjoy the freedom to live and publicly show their sexual orientation and gender identity without fear of intolerance, discrimination or persecution.

Authorities at all levels of governance across the EU should protect and promote equality and the fundamental rights of all, including LGBTIQ persons, it added.

Terry Reintke, a German MEP in the Greens group who also put forward the resolution, hailed it as a first step.

You scapegoat our communities when all we ask for is safety. You attack our families. You tell people we are a threat. You deny us the right to be who we want to be when all we ask is freedom. But we will not give up just because you keep attacking us, she said ahead of the voting.

In the past two years, over 100 Polish towns and cities have declared resolutions to free themselves of LGBTIQ ideas. The European Commission has threatened to pull funding for these places.

Hungary has been mirroring these policies with its towns banning the dissemination and promotion of LGBTIQ propaganda. This has put both Hungary and Poland in the EUs crosshairs.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-13 23:51:20|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on July 16, 2020 shows the Wan Chai area of south China's Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

More and more people are of the view that implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," seizing the opportunity of the 14th Five-Year Plan and integrating into the overall development of the country will bring about tremendous development opportunities for Hong Kong.



HONG KONG, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and implementing the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle will help address Hong Kong's deep-seated economic and livelihood issues and bring about long-term prosperity and stability, people from Hong Kong's political and business sectors have said.

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Thursday adopted a decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR. The decision was passed by an overwhelming majority vote at the fourth session of the 13th NPC.

Tu Haiming, chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Thinktank, said that the decision will help address the major social problems in Hong Kong, and facilitate Hong Kong's integration into the overall development of the country, especially the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Wang Chunxin, an honorary fellow from the Faculty of Business Administration in The Chinese University of Hong Kong, said that improving the electoral system will restore investors' confidence in Hong Kong and enable the Hong Kong community to put an end to its political wrangling and focus on developing the economy and improving people's livelihood.

Ma Fung-kwok, a member of the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR, said that improving the electoral system can help the LegCo avoid being stormed and paralyzed so that it can concentrate on working for the well-being of the people.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong community can work together to resolve internal problems, bringing long-term prosperity and stability to Hong Kong, Ma said.

People sign their names during a campaign in support of the decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the National People's Congress (NPC) in Hong Kong, south China, March 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

Pauline Ngan Po-ling, a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC, said that the decision reflects the determination of the central authorities to maintain Hong Kong's stability and prosperity in a rule-of-law and responsible manner, which will become a major turning point for Hong Kong to return to stability and prosperity.

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Small and Medium Business said that the decision will solve the political disputes that have plagued Hong Kong for a long time, and will allow the society to refocus on livelihood issues. It believed that small and medium enterprises can make greater contribution to economic development in a more stable environment.

More and more people are of the view that implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," seizing the opportunity of the 14th Five-Year Plan and integrating into the overall development of the country will bring about tremendous development opportunities for Hong Kong.

Henry Tan, chairman of the Textile Council of Hong Kong, said that the long-term positive trend of China's economy will not change. With the country's support, Hong Kong can seize the opportunities to elevate its status as an international financial, shipping and trade center and an international aviation hub, as well as an international innovation and technology center.

Many people in the education and youth sectors pointed out that improving the electoral system and implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" will help strengthen the national identity of young people in Hong Kong, and help them fully integrate into the overall development of the country, so as to have more opportunities for upward mobility. 
Who says things are all bad here View(s):

Social media is to blame. It is they who fire all the verbal cannon balls at the government, we are told. It targets the uniformed kind who has replaced the suit and tie wearing gentlemen that sat behind those plush desks and wrote learned missives that many of the political bigwigs did not understand.

No wonder the country is heading down a slippery slope, the technically and professionally equipped critics of those who run the country say to discredit the so-called new development wallahs, todays plotters and planners.

Now that is truly unfair. To read some  thankfully not all one must say  of the social media one would think that nothing happens in this Resplendent Isle except for the bad. It is surprising that the UNs Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet, currently under fire herself from this side of the battlements, had not returned fire at the Rajapaksa government for depriving its people of essential culinary sustenance like turmeric and tamarind that makes their curries now as dull as their politicians.

Government defenders say this shows that social media and other civil society organisations that feed lop- sided UN agencies are to blame for providing ballast to these neo-imperialist pro-western capitalist entities to condemn economically-deprived developing countries as not only discouraging but of stealing their own assets.

Falling back on ideological phraseology that went into disuse with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991, some of our more recent additions to the political poison are reviving archaic political phrases to show their even more ill-read opponents that they know a thing or two about international affairs by pulling the last phrase or two out of Old Mother Hubbards almost depleted cupboard.

One vicious pandemic is bad enough for Sri Lanka to battle through. Imagine being fathered with another Donald Trump who has followers in government circles.

So imagine my shock one morning when turning over the pages of a Sri Lankan newspaper. If I was Japanese I would call it shokku. It may not mean the same thing I felt but seemed the closest to shock.

But there it was on the front page glaring at the reader out of the headlines. Electricity for all, it read, as though it was to be liberally dished and given free. Shocked by what appeared to be unprecedented generosity I read on to see who the benefactor was for this largesse is to be. The rest of the headline read: Rambukwella urges officials, politicians not to slap roadblocks.

Minister Rambukwella as Media Minister must have got the information before others and announced it at a meeting of the Tumpane Pradeshiya Sabha in Galagedara. Mr Rambukwella, as an old Thomian would surely keep his promise if the Rajapaksa government would back the electricity providers who are not in the best of shape these days, if you get what I mean.

The minister apparently promised every Sri Lankan household will have electricity come next Sinhala and Tamil New Year, meaning one supposes 2022. The government hoped that the relevant public sector officials would do their best to supply power connections to every house in the Galagedara Pradeshiya Sabha Division without any delay, the Minister said.

It was not reported whether the gathered residents of Galagedara applauded until their palms hurt. They are hardly likely to have carried Minister Rambukwella shoulder high and into a palanquin, given the health restrictions imposed for the pandemic.

But the ever tolerant citizens of Sri Lanka will have to wait more than another year until the light shines in their houses and the promise of Minister Rambukwella turns into reality.

Much sooner than all that Minister Nivard Cabraal expects the first quarter growth in 2021 to be 3.5% and that does not come from social media but government statistics if state figures are to be accepted and as reliable as ex-President Trumps tax returns.

If one might adapt slightly the words of Willie Shakespeare there are more things in heaven and earth Horatio than is dreamt of in your philosophy. If the good citizens of Sri Lanka benefit from the political promises that are made all well and good and may Sri Lanka prosper as it should.

But there is much more that society expects from their governments not just cutting forests and draining wetlands, stealing timber and clearing state lands to construct roads to their private lands.

In recent times much public attention has been focused on law and order, in fact the whole gamut of the rule of law, the judiciary, the updating of the law and the conduct of the police.

People detained by the police sometimes end up dying in police cells. People are being assaulted in police stations. Just the other day a young law student was allegedly assaulted when he went to meet a detainee at the Peliyagoda Police Station and suffered injuries.

Now a police chief inspector and four police officers have been suspended and an inquiry instituted on the orders of Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera.

All that is very good and the minister must be thanked for it. But the question is whether it would have happened if the victim had not been the son of a former Provincial Governor and a prominent person Maithri Gunaratne, a writer.

Had there not been a public outcry and widespread media coverage would authorities have acted as expeditiously  well okay  as they did? But that is not what should be expected from the authorities in charge of and dispensing law and order.

Every citizen should be entitled to the rights they have a right to under the constitution not beg for them. Some time back, we heard of the person being kicked to death once again in a police station.

About two weeks ago, we read an article by Dr Nihal Jayawickrama, an internationally-known jurist, legal academic and the Coordinator of the UN Sponsored Judicial Integrity Group who initially drafted the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Integrity on judicial conduct.

This was a much needed international effort to codify the conduct of judges and judicial officials because of the need to clean up corruption in the Judiciaries in many parts of the world. Sri Lanka is not free of judicial corruption as a book published by the prestigious Marga Institute established after surveys, discussions and research.

What comes as a stunning surprise is that the Sri Lanka Judiciary does not have a code of conduct for judges. Whereas most other professional bodies such as those of doctors, lawyers, engineers and journalists have a professional code of conduct to govern their ethical behavior the judiciary is without one. Why?

Does it seem fair and just that those who belong to a body that dispenses justice and orders others to follow the law should not have a set of rules to direct its own conduct? Could that be justified when the UN in passing a resolution endorsing the Bangalore Principles also urged Member States to urge their own judiciaries to incorporate those principles into their own codes of conduct ?

That is not all. For some years now, legal and other bodies concerned with codifying a law of contempt has been trying to push through a draft law. Some drafts have been done but because of lack of space it must await another time to discuss.

(Neville de Silva is a veteran Sri Lankan journalist who was Assistant Editor, Diplomatic Editor and Political Columnist of the Hong Kong Standard before moving to London where he worked for Gemini News Service. Later he was Deputy Chief-of-Mission in Bangkok and Deputy High Commissioner in London.)
People sit as they wait for their turn at the vaccination centre in Schwaz, Austria, on March 11, 2021. AFP-Yonhap



The European Commission on Saturday defended its policy of distributing COVID-19 vaccines evenly in the bloc after Austria and five other member states complained that doses were not allocated equally.



In a joint letter to the Commission and the European Council, leaders of six European countries, including Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Latvia, and later Croatia, called for discussions on vaccine distribution.



The Commission responded that doses have been distributed in proportion with the population of each country and taking into account epidemiological data, adding that was up to member state governments to decide how to share them.



A flexible policy agreed by EU governments meant countries facing a more acute phase of the epidemic could access more doses, if some governments opted for not taking up their pro rata allocation, the EU executive said in a statement.



"It would be up to the Member States to find an agreement if they wished to return to the pro rata basis," it said, adding it backed an allocation method based exclusively on a pro rata of population of each EU nation.



The Commission has been criticized for the bloc's slow vaccine roll-out, although EU governments play the main role in buying vaccines and in vaccination plans.



On Friday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that vaccine doses were not being spread evenly among member states despite an agreement within the bloc to do so according to population. He blamed, without offering evidence, separate deals struck between the EU's vaccination steering board and drug companies.





Lala Staribratova, 95, a World War II veteran receives a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the Military Medical Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria, February 23, 2021. REUTERS-Yonhap

Be a superhero: Millions of investors have rights over the companies in which they hold shares

What if I told you that you had the power to change companies for the better  while still making a profit?

Or that you could challenge a chief executive on their company's environmental policies or help rein in excessive pay or even boot out an underperforming fund manager?

Well the chances are that you already have this power  you're just not using it.

Millions of investors have rights over the companies in which they hold shares.

And yet just a handful use them  often because they don't even know it's possible or as a result of it being made difficult for them.

It may have been investors in Gamestop who hit the headlines earlier this year when they used their power to humble some mighty hedge funds.

But if they choose to use it, millions of ordinary investors have more far-reaching powers than this.

What powers do shareholders have?

The beauty of investing in companies is that one share equals one vote. That means an individual who owns a few shares in a company has the same rights as a fund manager or a pension fund that holds a much larger stake.

You are just as entitled to vote for or against the strategy of that company as anyone else. You also have the same right to get involved and ask difficult questions of the company's leadership team and board.

The annual general meeting is ideal for this, says Jeremy Fawcett, founder of consultancy Platforum.

He says: 'Companies put out plenty of glossy information for shareholders about their finances and strategies. But sometimes you want to see the whites of the eyes of the people you're investing in. Investors have that opportunity every year. The AGM is an unsanitised, unscripted environment.'

Why didn't I already know about this?

Probably because your investment platform is failing to tell you.

All investment platforms have mechanisms to allow customers to engage with the companies in which they hold shares. But the systems are often clunky, poorly publicised and rarely used.

For example, in theory it is possible for Hargreaves Lansdown customers to attend company annual general meetings and vote.

But the FTSE100 listed company admits that in reality less than one per cent of eligible customers vote  and it has seen no improvement for years.

But perhaps that's not surprising. Hargreaves Lansdown customers are rarely told when an AGM is due. If they want to vote, they have to get in touch in advance and Hargreaves will pass on their wishes.

Rival investment platform AJ Bell says it doesn't have data on how many customers vote or attend AGMs, other than to say that it is 'a very small percentage'.

It adds that it is exploring whether it can automatically alert customers to all AGM votes. Customers who wish to vote have to contact AJ Bell by secure message or phone at least five days in advance with their request.

The exception  as with Hargreaves Lansdown also  is for AGM resolutions that are likely to have a material effect on customers' shareholdings. In these cases all affected customers are notified.

Power: It is possible for customers to attend company annual general meetings and vote

Fidelity says customers can vote, receive notifications and attend meetings through its third-party provider Broadridge. Customers need to sign up to the service located in the 'preferences' section of their secure account.

Cliff Weight, director of investor campaign group ShareSoc, says wealth platforms make it so difficult for customers to engage that they are 'disenfranchising individual shareholders'.

He says: 'Most platforms don't even pass on information and if you want to vote the method offered is practically prehistoric. As a result they're throwing away millions of shareholder votes.'

Weight believes platform Interactive Investor is better than most. Eight per cent of its eligible customers voted last year at annual general meetings  a low turnout, but likely to be several times higher than most of its rivals.

It alerts customers who opt in for notifications of forthcoming annual general meetings when there is a vote and they can click through from the platform to exercise their right.

But chief executive Richard Wilson admits there is still more to do.

He says: 'ShareSoc kindly thinks we're the best of the bunch at encouraging voting, but that doesn't mean to say our process is perfect.'

He admits that even he doesn't vote all the time as it's easy for it to become another thing to add to the to-do list.

He adds: 'In today's age of consumerism, if it's not slick and pain free, it's not happening. The user experience has got to be easy.'

Interactive Investor is working to improve its processes and last month wrote to customers urging them to use their votes.

Why can't firms contact shareholders directly?

Most people own their shares through an investment platform. In general, this makes life easier; you can see all of your holdings in one place, it's straightforward to buy and sell  and you can hold shares inside tax-free wrappers such as Isas and Sipps.

But there is a huge downside: technically you don't actually own the shares you hold. Instead, you have what is called a 'beneficial interest' in them.

So you have rights over the shares, but it is not your name on the share certificate, but rather that of the investment platform.

Simon Crinage, head of investment trusts at asset manager JPMorgan, warns that this means shareholders often get left out.

He says: 'Many investment trusts put a lot of time and effort into producing communications and quality documents for their shareholders.

'But they are obliged to send them to the registered shareholder  which is the platform, not the ultimate shareholder. It is then up to the platform to pass them on and to notify shareholders when it is time to take action and vote. But in reality, many don't.'

Encouragement: Investors are being urged to take part in the votes so they can enact change

What is the fallout of investors not voting?

JPMorgan's Crinage warns that when voter turnout is low, the votes of those who do turn up have a stronger sway. As larger investors are more likely to vote, they will end up having a greater influence and the interests of smaller investors may be overlooked.

Annabel Brodie-Smith is communications director at the Association of Investment Companies. She agrees that platforms must do more.

She says: 'Most platforms allow investment company shareholders to exercise their rights, but it isn't always obvious how to do it, and it can be more difficult and fiddly than it should be.'

She adds: 'If shareholders in investment companies are engaged, then the trusts can respond better to their needs.

'With so many shareholders now holding their shares through platforms, it's vitally important they play a part in shaping the strategy and direction of the companies they are invested in. These decisions should not just be left to large investors.'

The association has recently launched its 'shareholder engagement award' to recognise investment platforms that are doing a good job of helping shareholders have their say.

Small shareholders can be sidelined

Small investors are sometimes treated like second class shareholders. For example, when a company issues new shares, existing shareholders should have the right to buy them before others get a look in. This is known as pre-emption rights.

But increasingly, companies ask shareholders to vote to waive their pre-emption rights, so they lose this ability.

When shareholders fail to turn up and vote against this motion, it gets carried and they lose their rights.

Wilson explains: 'You have this crazy set-up where, because people don't vote, the board sanctions a resolution that allows small shareholders to switch off their pre-emption rights so they don't need to be asked if there's a share raise.

'It's a systematic undermining of shareholders' rights, delivered through a voting system which everyone knows no one uses. It's a fundamental wrong.

'For me this whole system is perpetuating a disenfranchisement or an isolation of retail investors. Institutional investors get all the fat and the retail shareholders pick up the gristle.'

Is anything in the system improving?

Alex Denny is head of investment trusts at Fidelity. He believes that the changes companies have had to make during Covid may have long-term benefits.

He says: 'Investment trusts have had to move their AGMs online over the past year. As a result, attendance has improved because investors no longer have to travel to attend.

'Hopefully, investors will be able to attend in person again, but ideally we will keep a hybrid model where people can attend online or in person.'

Also, bosses of the three biggest investment platforms are calling for ordinary shareholders to be given a look in when companies list for the first time on the London Stock Exchange.

Andy Bell of AJ Bell, Chris Hill of Hargreaves Lansdown and Richard Wilson of Interactive Investor wrote an open letter last month demanding a consultation on whether companies coming to market should be obliged to include ordinary investors.

They claim that ordinary investors are excluded from around 93 per cent of all share launches, citing the Hut Group, Dr Martens and Moonpig as recent high-profile examples.

They believe that involving ordinary investors in new listings will help improve shareholder engagement.

So, finally, how can I exercise my rights?

Sign up for alerts on upcoming votes and AGMs. Your platform should enable this. If it doesn't  or if it makes it difficult  ask it to improve.

As Fawcett explains: 'Platforms claim there is no appetite for shareholder information, but while their offerings are poor there will be no appetite. It's chicken and egg.'

You have shareholder rights over any companies or investment trusts in which you hold shares. So the message is: USE THEM.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

AlMabarrah AlKhalifia Foundation (MKF) has announced the renewal of its scholarship agreement with the University of Bahrain (UOB) which includes providing Bachelor degree scholarships.

The Rayaat scholarship program covers students tuition fees, provides them with the chance to participate in workshops and development courses and offers training opportunities in both the public and private sectors.

Besides, the students will receive financial incentives, a chance to serve their communities, and volunteer and participate in monthly educational and recreational meetings.

Students will be issued a Rayaat card that will provide them with a wide range of benefits.

AlMabarrah AlKhalifia Foundation aims to focus primarily on supporting their students and encouraging them to benefit from a wide array of activities and initiatives.

These initiatives aim to refine their personalities on all levels, which will in turn help in their effective contribution towards the revitalization of the Kingdom.

The Foundation has provided 302 scholarships, 225 of which were to the University of Bahrain, which has supported the Foundations initiatives since its inception.

I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to the University of Bahrain for their incredible work and cooperation," Her Highness Shaikha Zain bint Khalid Al Khalifa, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of AlMabarrah AlKhalifia Foundation, said.

"The university shares our efforts in empowering Bahraini youth and developing their educational and practical skills across various fields. The Rayaat program aligns with the Foundations aim in supporting young Bahrainis to achieve their dreams and ambitions with distinction. We provide them with the opportunity to pursue a university education to create an educated, and knowledgeable generation that is capable of tackling any challenges they may face, henceforth, enabling them to contribute to society and push it towards a future full of development and prosperity."

The Rayaat Scholarship program was launched in 2011 as a comprehensive approach to promote educational achievement and personal development. The program provides scholarships for students to join an accredited university in Bahrain.

It also offers numerous benefits that include financial incentives, workshops and opportunities, while promoting a culture of community responsibility by instilling volunteerism and community service within a supportive environment.

MKF is a non-profit foundation registered and licensed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development. Established in 2011 in Bahrain, it aims to make a social impact in the education field and to empower Bahraini youth to reach their optimum potential.

By providing Bahraini youth with knowledge, skills and character, it is hoped that they will be able to develop themselves and their Kingdom further.
About two months before he was to leave office, in 2019, as vice-chancellor of Kwara State University, Abdulrasheed NaAllah wrote to then Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, asking for a N74 million official vehicle; a vehicle he would go away with after he left office. This was despite the institution borrowing almost N400 million monthly to pay salaries, according to a panel that later probed the decision.

The N74 million vehicle was part of the N100 million severance package that the panel indicted the vice-chancellor of going away with under controversial circumstances. The professor was given a chance to defend himself before the panel. He did not.

Mr NaAllah, a professor of Comparative Literature, who relocated to Nigeria from Western Illinois University in the U.S. to take the job, served two terms between 2009 and 2019 as the vice-chancellor of the state-owned institution.

He was later appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) in 2019, the office he currently holds.

Meanwhile, findings of the panel set up by the Kwara State Government to probe the sales of the governments assets indicted Mr NaAllah.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had in August 2020 inaugurated the panel to investigate the sales, disposal or unlawful acquisition of government properties from May 29, 1999, to May 29, 2019.

The chairman of the commission, retired Justice Olabanji Orilonishe, presented its findings in a three-volume report to the governor in December.

The report, which was exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, stated that Mr NaAllah violated the schools policy and procedures to achieve his aim.

The report also showed that the former governor of the state, Abdulfatah Ahmed, approved the packages for Mr NaAllah despite his government owing tertiary institution workers seven months salary arrears.

The approval was also at a time the management of KWASU was taking a monthly loan of N400 million from Fidelity Bank to pay staff salaries, the panel found.

N74m SUV

According to the report, Mr NaAllah left the school with a N74 million SUV, contravening due processes and the financial management policy of the institution.

The financial management policy and structure of the school stipulates that the retirement benefits of the vice-chancellor include 100 per cent of his annual consolidated salary and an official vehicle.

However, the panel found that two months before the expiration of his tenure, the Mr NaAllah-led management bought a Toyota Land Cruiser V8 bulletproof SUV without informing the schools Governing Council and the State Ministry of Tertiary Education.

The report states: The Chairman of the Governing Council of Kwara State University (KWASU) Malete, Prof Saka Nuru, two other members of the Council, Alhaji Kolawole Akanbi Yusuf and Dr (Mrs) Ike Orunmuyi, the Acting Registrar and the Bursar of the institution appeared before the Commission to testify concerning the controversial Toyota Land Cruiser V8 bulletproof SUV purchased by the institution two months before the expiration of the tenure of office of the former Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Prof. Abdulrasheed NaAllah.

The panel established that two months before the expiration of his second term, Mr NaAllah wrote directly to Governor Ahmed and obtained provisional approval for the purchase of the vehicle amongst other items.

The panel said Mr NaAllah did this without the due process of consulting and obtaining an approval from the governing council of the institution and without going through the Kwara State Ministry of Tertiary Education, the supervising ministry.

However, the approval of the governor, which was conveyed directly to the vice-chancellor, stated that it was subject to the availability of funds, the panel added.

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In fact, when they got to know of the transactions, the schools bursar, registrar and members of the governing council raised serious objections at a meeting of the governing council, unknown to them that the vehicle had already been delivered to the institution.

The panel further said that the transaction was done at a time the institution was taking a monthly loan of N400 million from Fidelity Bank to pay staff salaries, indicating the financial implications of such purchase on the schools account.

Severance allowance

Asides the controversial vehicle, the school officials testified that at the end of each of his two five-year tenures, Mr NaAllah collected a severance allowance of N18 million, totalling N36 million for the two terms.

Severance allowance is the compensation or benefits an employer provides to an employee who is laid off or retired.

But there is no requirement in the Nigerian Labour Act for severance allowance as it is a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee.

According to Kingsley Ndimele, an economist, the allowance is given to bridge the gap between when the affected employer leaves the job and the time he finds a new one.

He, however, stated that it is a one-time compensation and based on a contractual agreement.

It is usually a one-time compensation. You dont pay a severance allowance twice. Also, we must also know that it is not a bonus. There must be an agreement before one can be entitled to a severance allowance.

It is paid following what is in the contract between the employee and the employer. The man in question was employed by the state government and given a severance allowance of N18 million. He was reappointed and given another N18 million. That means there is a big issue, he said.

It should be noted that Mr NaAllah was reappointed for the second time a month before his first tenure elapsed, hence, there was no break.

Meanwhile, a top official at the state Ministry of Education who refused to be named because he was not authorised to grant press interviews, said Mr NaAllah got those benefits as a political appointee and not a civil servant.

He was treated like a commissioner and any other political appointees because he is not entitled to any pension. The governor then was also aware of it. In fact, they couldnt have paid it without his approval. You know how these people (politicians) spend money.

NAllah shuns panel

For fair hearing, the commission said it summoned Mr NaAllah to appear before it on November 19, 2020 but he refused to appear.

According to the report, Mr Na Allah had written to suggest November 30, which date the commission said was acceptable and conveyed to him.

Yet, on the agreed date, he failed to appear on the excuse that he would be attending a meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President to resolve the lingering ASUU strike.

In its recommendation, the panel concluded that Mr NaAllahs action was a case of abuse of office that should not be condoned.

The panel said he should be compelled to return the vehicle to the institution immediately while a new vehicle with a net value of between N20 million and N30 million should be presented to him instead.

In the event that Prof. Abdulrasheed NaAllah opts to retain the Toyota Land Cruiser V8 SUV which he took away, he should be made to refund the excess of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira), the panel stated.

It also advised that henceforth, official vehicles for the use of any vice chancellor or principal officer of the university should be purchased at the beginning of a tenure and that severance allowance should be payable once in the lifetime of any retiring officer.

Our reporter contacted Mr NaAllah for his comments but he directed PREMIUM TIMES to the school authorities.

Speak to the Registrar, ask to see the laws, speak to the Bursar, ask for Director Works and those who purchased the vehicle. Look at how long the process took, who did what and determine through your investigations what laws were broken, he said in response to enquiries sent.

Meanwhile, he kept mum when this paper informed him that testimonies from the officials indicted him.

He also failed to respond to enquiries about the severance allowance and state of the N74m vehicle or where it is currently.

Ex-governor speaks, school mum

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Ahmeds spokesperson, Femi Akorede, he said the approval of the vehicle was based on information available to the former governor at that time.

He also referred our reporter to the school authorities for further enquiries.

Have you checked the universitys provisions for severance or spoken to the universitys council which ran the institution? Mr Akorede queried.

The institutions Director of University Relations, Abdulrazaq Sanni, however, refused to comment on the matter.

Rather, he directed our reporter to the registrar of the school, Mohammed Shuaib, who did not respond to multiple telephone calls and enquiries sent via text.

Also, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, Yakubu Aliagan, declined comments.

Activist seeks implementation of panels report

The coordinator of Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Hassan Taiwo, condemned Mr NaAllahs actions, which he tagged a criminal heist.

This is not the first time. We have had similar situations of criminal heists in many universities. There is a celebrated case of UNIBEN for instance when more than a decade ago, a very corrupt VC whose name I cannot immediately recall allegedly spent over N60 million to organise a convocation.

N60 million at that time would be worth over $20 million today and this in a university lacking good hostels and decent water supply.

He said Nigerian universities have been turned into a cesspit of corruption with such huge and controversial spendings.

So, for us in the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), the development in KWASU is a wakeup call as it shows the depth of the rot and corruption in Nigerias education system and why there is urgent need for the placement of all public educational establishments, be they universities, polytechnics, monotechnics or colleges of education, under the democratic control and management of elected representatives of staff and students. Only this democratic measure can ensure that certified rogues like NaAllah do not have the opportunity of pilfering university funds without consequence.

Mr Taiwo also called on the Kwara State Government to implement the panels report which, amongst other things, recommended that Mr NaAllah returns the vehicle.

But even this will not be enough. This is why at the same time, I call for his immediate prosecution in order to set an example for others like him, the activist said.
France: A threatening radio amateur has equipment seized by ANFR France's National Frequency Agency has taken action against a radio amateur who allegedly used threatening language on the air. ANFR used an EMF regulation as the justification for seizing the equipment



A translation of the ANFR post reads:



At the end of 2020, the ANFR joined forces with the gendarmerie to stop an amateur radio operator who was uttering insults and threats on the airwaves.



It all started with a mobilization of the amateur radio community to denounce to the ANFR inappropriate behavior on the airwaves, punctuated by offensive remarks and death threats. Numerous letters and e-mails were sent to the ANFR to complain about the particularly inappropriate remarks of an individual, while the web was also panicking, via Twitter and forums. The objective was therefore clear: it was necessary to put an end to the actions of the one who will henceforth be called Monsieur X.



The first urgency was to proceed to opposable statements of these excessive and insulting remarks. It is thanks to fixed means specific to the monitoring of the use of HF frequencies, in particular to the antenna field installed on about thirty hectares at the International Control Center (CCI) of the ANFR near Rambouillet, that our agents sworn in were able to establish these findings.



By deepening the investigation, the ANFR agents discovered that Mr. X had failed to declare his radio installation to the ANFR: this lack of declaration constitutes an infringement of the electronic postal and communication code (CPCE) which may be punished by six months' imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 euros. This surprising oversight immediately provided a legal basis which made it possible to seize Mr. X's radio equipment without further delay .



Its address was quickly found thanks to the database of amateur radio callsigns maintained by the ANFR and a neighborhood examination confirmed the existence of an amateur service installation, with photos of the external antennas in support. The ANFR then requested the support of the gendarmerie brigade in the area where Mr. X resided. An on-site operation was decided. At the request of the gendarmerie, the ANFR took part in the operation in order to identify the incriminated equipment.



One day in December, in the early morning, briefing: the agents of the CCI and the regional service of Villejuif are present. At 6 a.m., the search was launched: the premises were soon secured. ANFR experts enter the scene to examine the radio equipment and carry out some measurements and checks. The implicated material is quickly identified and immediately placed under seal. The custody of Mr. X can begin ...



The next morning, he is presented before the Public Prosecutor who will notify him of his upcoming summons before the Criminal Court. In the meantime, he has been placed under judicial supervision.



The cooperation between the ANFR and the gendarmerie has shown its effectiveness in putting an end to these violations of the regulations applicable to radio frequencies. This collaboration made it possible to combine expertise and investigative powers for the benefit of the protection of the radiofrequency spectrum, with the help of the entire community of radio amateurs!



Amateur radio activity makes it possible to experiment and communicate by radio by making multiple contacts on the frequency bands , either reserved for this purpose, or shared with other users of the radioelectric spectrum. To exercise this activity, the radio amateur must in particular obtain an operator's certificate which recognizes his competence and a call sign which identifies him as an authorized user of frequencies. The use of radio installations by the amateur radio service must comply with the regulatory conditions indicated in the CPCE and recalled in the decisions of ARCEP, under penalty of a criminal sanction of up to 6 months in prison and 30,000 euros. fine (article L.39.1 of the CPCE). Violations of the regulations relating to the amateur service can also result in administrative sanctions: withdrawal or suspension of the amateur radio call sign.



And, of course, compliance with these administrative rules does not exempt the radio amateur from respecting human rights, starting with those of other radio amateurs.



The article in English is at

https://tinyurl.com/ANFR-Act-Against-Amateur



In French

https://www.anfr.fr/controle-des-frequences/brouillages/les-enquetes-de-lanfr/actualite/actualites/les-enquetes-de-lanfr-fin-de-partie-un-radioamateur-menacant-stoppe-net-par-la-saisie-de-son-materiel-demission/



Note: In this case it appears ANFR seized the equipment not for what was said over the air but for a technicality involving EMF compliance. The French license requires amateurs to register with ANFR if they have a station that is capable of running more than 5 watts ERP. The regulations state:



"Any station with an effective radiated power (ERP) greater than 5 W must be declared to the ANFR."



It appears to be a trivial task to declare it, just logon to the ANFR site and register your station as being capable of running more than 5 watts ERP. That's all there is to it, no further details required.



In this case the amateur has neglected to carry out this simple task and it for that the ANFR seized the equipment not for his alleged actions on the air.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah



will launch the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Sido-Kanhu Samman Yatra on Monday from Jhargram in honour of their contributions in the fight against British colonial rule, a party leader said.

The objective of the yatra is to celebrate the contributions of these great freedom fighters and to take their message to the people of Bengal, the spokesperson said.

"This yatra will be launched by in a massive public meeting in Jhargram," 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.)
WESTPORT  First Selectman Jim Marpe still remembers standing on the steps outside of town hall a year ago  maskless and surrounded by other officials  announcing schools and various aspects of town government would have to close.

COVID-19 had come to Westport.

This was going to be the ultimate test, Marpe said.

Days later, the town would be thrust into the national spotlight as news spread that someone from South Africa attended a party in Westport while contagious. He tested positive when he returned home, a result others at the party would soon have as well. Contact tracing became a complicated and daunting task since partygoers had since scattered to their homes.

The numbers quickly climbed, and by March 16, 2020, Westports 20 cases would account for nearly half of the states total.

But as the national story looked at people partying in Westport, Marpe said a different story of compassion and creativity was emerging among residents to minimize COVIDs spread.

When Westport realized it was as vulnerable as anywhere else, they acted smartly and compassionately to come together to fight this, Marpe said.

He said most realized this wasnt of anyones making, and no one understood how it was transmitted then.

The cases werent just appearing in Westport. Gov. Ned Lamont closed schools and other places that could contribute to the spread of COVID, rolling out the first of many restrictions.

Now, a year later, more than 526,000 people have died in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Connecticut reports more than 7,750 deaths due to COVID, with 29 of them in Westport.

Green Farms Church will hold a special ceremony on Saturday at Veterans Green to honor those who died.

Westports first death came on April 2.

Thats when it hit in a different way, Marpe said, adding he knew it would eventually happen in Westport but he couldnt help wondering if there was something he could have done to prevent it. I remember that as being a very sobering moment.

He said, as public officials, everything they do has to be geared towards protecting life and making peoples lives better.

Im fortunate to have a staff that has that frame of mindset, he said.

Preparing for it

Town officials had been preparing for the coronavirus for months before it actually appeared in Westport. The emergency management team began meeting regularly in January to plan for what would happen, protocols for first responders and what would trigger the different mitigations.

Both the human services and health directors played vital roles in that, Marpe said.

They even held a COVID seminar on March 8, which about 200 people attended and more watched remotely.

Masks were still not required, and officials believed distance played a role in the spread, Marpe said.

I think back to that time and go Wow, what were they thinking? he said of the CDCs guidance. It seems so obvious now.

Westport officials already had some experience with a pandemic. A resident had possibly been exposed to Ebola while on a trip to Africa a few years ago. Nothing had come of it, but it gave him and his staff some practice. Even with that, COVID raised a lot of questions.

What do we do now and how can we make sure the functions of government continue  can we continue? Marpe said.

The emergency team usually meets to handle winter or tropical storms; the storm comes and then they coordinate the effort to dig out, a process that is over in a matter of days.

This one is with us every day, and the rules change every day, he said.

The team still meets though its now weekly instead of daily.

Adapting

Marpe said their planning and the technology investments allowed employees to work from home as they switched to a cohort model and restricted the public town hall. They figured out how to hold town meetings remotely and still get public comment. By early April, even all 36 members of the Representative Town Meeting were able to meet online.

I look back and that was an activity that gave me real optimism, Marpe said.

They also set up a tent outside so the town clerk could continue meeting with residents.

Marpe said one of the scariest days came the weekend of March 14 when crowds packed Compo Beach, prompting him to close the beach parking lots and playgrounds.

We were just looking at each other saying, How can we control this? he said.

Sara Harris, Westports operations director, said its hard to say what they would do differently because the decisions made then were based on the available guidance.

We all did our best with the information we had at the time, she said.

Businesses, restaurants, organizations and residents got creative and adapted too.

Places of worship went online or outside. Restaurants adapted to carry-out and then outdoor dining. Other businesses changed their offerings to meet a need.

Remarkable Theater started a drive-in movie in a parking lot and began partnering with other nonprofits to help those in need.

Residents and businesses rallied around each other helping those infected with COVID or struggling in other ways.

A lot of generosity was displayed, Marpe said.

One thing that has helped the economy is that many Westport residents have managerial roles or jobs in finance and other professions that allowed them to work from home, he said

People were still employed, Marpe said. They just werent getting on the train every morning.

Looking forward

While much is still unknown  like if there will be a Memorial Day parade or Fourth of July fireworks  things are already starting to look brighter.

The schools have held two vaccination clinics for educators in Westport, Weston and Easton. As of Monday, the state reported about half of people age 55 and older had received vaccines. Some of the towns spring and summer recreation events will be offered again after being put on hold last year. Marpe has also seen an uptick and traffic.

Something is coming back, he said. ... I dont know if there will be normal. I think normal will look different.

He suspects more people will take advantage of working from home and maybe only go in a couple of times a week instead of five.

Marpe has seen more families out going for walks or jogs together during the pandemic, something he hopes continues.

And as the state reopens, Marpe is looking to the next task.

The next challenge is how do we get back into public meeting mode? he said.

kkoerting@newstimes.com
NEW DELHI : Several central trade unions will support the two-day strike called by bank employees unions beginning Monday, and the one called by employees of life insurance companies on Wednesday.

With trade unions joining the protests, normal life across India is expected to be hit, more so in industrial belts. The trade unions have also decided to campaign against the policies of assaults on workers and farmers rights" by the government on 24-26 March .

The joint platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and Samyakta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have come out in support of the strike in the finance sector in banks on 15-16 March and in general insurance companies on 17 March and in life insurance companies on 18 March," the group representing 10 central trade unions said.

Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said 15 March is being marked as anti-privatization day, anti-corporatization day" by bank workers and trade unions.

AITUC said in a statement that the three farm acts, the four labour codes, and the move to privatize banks favour monopoly" by corporates and privatization of national assets. The workers and farmers united struggles will develop in the future. The codification of labour laws is to attack the working class and its unions, to weaken and tame them. The reduction in taxation of corporates and increase in indirect taxes on the common man is the policy," the union added.

Banking services will be impacted on Monday and Tuesday with nine unions declaring a two-day strike under the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU).

Several state-run banks, such as State Bank of India and IDBI have informed the stock exchanges. It is advised that UFBU has given two-day nationwide strike call on 15 and 16 March 2021 in support of their demands. You are requested to kindly take the above intimation on record in terms of the provisions of Regulation 30 of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015," an IDBI filing on the BSE shows.

While the bank has made all arrangements to ensure normal functioning in its branches and offices, it is likely that work in our bank may be impacted by the strike," SBI told the exchanges.

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University teams up with major music festival to help showcase Welsh talent to the world

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Mar 14th, 2021

Wrexham Glyndwr University has teamed up with a major music festival to help showcase Welsh talent to the world.

The universitys Plas Coch campus welcomed acts to film performances for FOCUS Wales as part of the BBC coverage of the pan-Wales multi-platform Gwyl 2021 virtual event.

Steff Owens, Programme Leader  Sound Technology, recorded performances at the universitys TV studios, with everyone observing COVID 19 procedures.

Hip hop artist Dani Rain, also the drummer with North Wales pop punk outfit Neck Deep, and Cardiff-born grime MC Benji Wild performed at PGWs TV studio in the Centre for the Creative Industries.





Steff said: I think this was ideal because its obviously something that as a university that we could offer and it was a really worthwhile project, especially given that we have been in lockdown for a year and the live events industry has been so heavily affected.

When the global pandemic made it impossible to hold their events over the last year, FOCUS Wales, Festival of Voice (WMC, Other Voices Cardigan) Theatr Mwldan) and Aberystwyth Comedy Festival (Little Wander) teamed up with BBC Cymru Wales, S4C, and AM, to create a digital event for Wales.

The festival unites audiences, artists and industry across Wales to celebrate creativity and share ideas during the most uncertain time in living memory.

Session and interviews were first broadcast as part of the BBCs Culture in Quarantine initiative across the weekend of 6-7 March 2021, with more exclusive content going out across S4C YouTube, and the AM app over the coming weeks, as part of Gwyl 2021.

Steff also helped with the recording process for FOCUS Wales presence at the world-renowned South by South West Festival in the US.

The event, which was filmed at Theatr Clwyd in Mold, was organised as a platform for acts who would have performed at FOCUS Wales showcase at SXSW in Texas this year, but for the COVID 19 pandemic. Acts on the bill included the likes of Adwaith, Afro Cluster, and Buzzard, Buzzard, Buzzard.

Andy Jones, co-founder music booker of Focus Wales, who graduated from Glyndwr in 2011 with a BSC in Sound and Studio Technology, said that close to 1,000 students had been involved with the festival over the past 10 years.

He said: Its important to us to offer the opportunity to students to develop their ideas with FOCUS Wales, and work across our conference and festival, and other year round projects. Gwyl 2021 featured a host of acts performing at venues across Wales, including William Aston Hall (located at the Plas Coch campus), Ty Pawb, and the Llangollen Town Hall.

Andy added: Its really shown off our partnership, and the facilities we have, including the university, to a global audience.

All the Gwyl 2021 performances broadcast so far can be viewed again online at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/emb5q9/performances#sxnqwh

To learn more about the courses available at Wrexham Glyndwr University, visit: https://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/en/A-Z/

Pictured: Benji Wild, one of the performers.
Turn in any direction, the First Republic was better than the Second, which was better than the Third, which in turn was better than the Fourth. Bye-bye selflessness. Goodnight altruism. The new vogue: To thy tents, O Israel! The consolation is that the leaders of yore had something positive by which we remember them They dont make them like that anymore!

He who thinks he is leading and has no one following him is only taking a walk, say the elders. That is because he who walks alone is both in front and behind. In Nigeria, we used to have leaders worthy of the name, not because they were perfect beings but because their strengths outshone their weaknesses. Great leaders have some things in common: Vision, strength of character, honesty, humility, personal pride and passion for the common good.

There is a valid reason why Nigerians still look back with nostalgia at the imperfect place we were coming from in the First Republic. Things were not perfect, but we did have leaders. And so much progress was made with the comparatively paltry funds available, notwithstanding the few cases of graft. The direction of our collective morality has gone so far south that what was considered as corruption in 1960 is treated as great personal sacrifice today.

The names of Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Michael Okpara continue to resonate even with the millennial generation because those leaders confronted the major challenges of their time and uplifted their people. Selflessness had meaning in their time. Nepotism was yet to cut its milk teeth.

When Awolowo decided to establish the University of Ife, he did not site it in Ikenne, his birthplace. Who could have challenge him if he did? He went into Yoruba history and folklore and decided that the fitting host was Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba race (the institution was posthumously named after him).

His government embarked on the establishment of massive farm settlements all over the Western Region, many of them tied to cottage industries. He built the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, rivalling the U.K.s Wembley. His government honoured the labour of cocoa farmers by naming the first skyscraper in the region Cocoa House. He established the Western Nigerian Television Service, first in Africa. Industrial estates were built in Isolo, Ilupeju, Ikeja and many other parts of the West. None of these were sited in Ikenne.

Nnamdi Azikiwe had conceived the idea of the University of Nigeria in 1955. The university was formally opened in 1960; location: Nsukka, not Onitsha, Ziks birthplace. Major government establishments were concentrated in Enugu, the regional capital, while Onitsha remained what it had always been  a commercial hub.

Azikiwe had earned his epaulets as a nationalist of no mean repute. In 1936, he was charged with sedition for his article published in the African Morning Post, in which he said, inter alia: Personally, I believe the European has a god in whom he believes and whom he is representing in his churches all over Africa. He believes in the god whose name is spelt Deceit. He believes in the god whose law is Ye strong, you must weaken the weak. Ye civilised Europeans, you must civilise the barbarous Africans with machine guns Today, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport bears his name; so do many institutions and city highways. He didnt have to resort to self-immortalisation.

Standards have fallen! A man who would not qualify to dust the sandals of a local councillor in the First Republic now holds court as a State governor, complete with outlandish unauditable security votes and immunity from prosecution while in office. The leftover chaff of yesteryear has become, not just the main dish, but a delicacy in this era of retrogression.

Michael Okpara who succeeded Zik believed that Nigerias salvation depended on a revolution in agriculture. He encouraged the establishment of farm settlements all over the Eastern Region. He also championed the educational and infrastructural development of the area. In all these years he did not have a house of his own until after the civil war, when his close associates built him a house in his village, Umuegwu. The Michael Okpara Way in Abuja is named after him, as is the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike; and Okpara Square in Enugu. There are two statues of him in Enugu and Umuahia.

If Ahmadu Ibrahim Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria, was like todays political leaders, the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, would have been sited in Rabah, his birthplace. He dominated his environment. He could have gotten away with siting most major government establishments in the Sokoto area, but he did not. He knew that History had the most enduring garlands.

Various institutions created under Bello included the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation (NNDC), Bank of the North and Northern Nigeria Investments Ltd (NNIL). NNDC was a holding company with capital sourced from the regions marketing board, while NNIL was a partnership between the Commonwealth Development Corporation and NNDC.

He was not nepotistic on the regional level. Thus, a Sunday Awoniyi from Mopa had a chance to shine like other lieutenants from the far North. Although he had his problems with indigenous peoples in Hausaland and the Middle Belt, Bello spread development to all parts of the North, telling his people to be bold and strong in facing challenges: We are not facing any living enemies, who wish to harm us or who wish to weaken us, he declared, The only possible enemies to the people of the Northern Region are two: Ignorance and fear. Ignorance produces fear. Therefore if we kill Ignorance, we kill fear.

How many Nigerian politicians have such inspiring exhortation for their people today?

Standards have fallen! A man who would not qualify to dust the sandals of a local councillor in the First Republic now holds court as a State governor, complete with outlandish unauditable security votes and immunity from prosecution while in office. The leftover chaff of yesteryear has become, not just the main dish, but a delicacy in this era of retrogression. It used to be said that a bird that flies off the earth and lands on an anthill is still on the ground. Now we are told that the anthill is the destination and that the sky is for the gods and those who can bribe their way to reach them.

Now, from top to bottom, power is about unbridled nepotism and self-immortalisation. From the president to the local government councillor, its all about self. The First Republic style of dispassionate decisions, taken in the larger interest of the greater majority, is now old school. Thus, a railway line is being extended from Daura in Katsina State to Maradi in Niger Republic. We are naked here, but we are clothing our neighbour.

State governors are in the same game of nepotism. So are local government chairmen and heads of parastatals. No one sees anything wrong in a state governor naming a road built with public funds after his miserable self. We are in an era of anything goes.

Meanwhile, the busiest international highway between Nigeria and Benin Republic is a yawning death-trap and the Lagos State government has been engaged in a long struggle to build a railway along that axis for many years. Because of our retrogression, a query of the railway line from Daura, President Buharis hometown, to a foreign country, is readily answered with another one  Where were you when a federal university was donated to President Jonathans village, Otuoke? If Jonathan could do it, why not Buhari?

The same stock response serves when you wonder why a university of transportation is being established in the presidents hometown. All these things are being funded with foreign loans from China, whose details did not go through the scrutiny of the National Assembly. Opacity is the middle name of the deal.

In the same nepotistic spirit, the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai, and the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, located the Nigerian Army University and Nigerian Air Force University in their respective hometowns of Biu, Borno State, where Buratai hails from, and Bauchi from where Abubakar hails. Buratai also commissioned an Institute of War and Peace, NOT in Abagana, Umuahia, Uli or any of the theatres of the Nigerian civil war, but in his native Buratai town. The institute, which is an off-campus section of the Nigerian Army University, is named after him. Self immortalisation has no better definition.

Anyone with half a brain can wonder: Which is more urgent  deploying resources to acquiring armaments and training the troops in existing facilities, or establishing new military universities? Standards have fallen! We now have soldiers in politics and politicians in uniform.

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State governors are in the same game of nepotism. So are local government chairmen and heads of parastatals. No one sees anything wrong in a state governor naming a road built with public funds after his miserable self. We are in an era of anything goes leaders.

Turn in any direction, the First Republic was better than the Second, which was better than the Third, which in turn was better than the Fourth. Bye-bye selflessness. Goodnight altruism. The new vogue: To thy tents, O Israel! The consolation is that the leaders of yore had something positive by which we remember them.

They dont make them like that anymore!

Wole Olaoye can be reached through wole.olaoye@gmail.com.
Japan Airlines has concluded a partnership agreement with a university in Russia's Far East in a bid to promote academic and cultural exchanges between the countries.

JAL and Far Eastern Federal University signed an Industry-Academia Collaboration agreement on Friday. The university in Vladivostok is known for its oriental studies.

It's the first time the airline has partnered with a Russian school. Under the agreement, JAL will offer courses about the airline industry and customer service for the students. It will also provide internship programs at its office in Vladivostok.

In February last year, JAL launched direct flights from Narita Airport to the Russian city, which has become known as "the closest point in Europe from Japan." It was forced to suspend the flights a short time later due to the coronavirus pandemic, and as yet there is still no prospect of resuming them.

The branch manager of the JAL Vladivostok office, Takeyama Yuji, said he believes closer ties will help increase travel between the countries.

The Vice-President for International Affairs at the university, Victoria Panova, said students will be able to learn skills and acquire experiences that they can apply in the future. She said she expects to see positive effects even from such small efforts.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 03:29:08|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- All the flights from Iraq to Iran were suspended for one week as of Sunday, the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization announced in a statement.

This decision was made as a preemptive measure to protect the health of the Iranian citizens amidst the spread of a mutated type of COVID-19, said the statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

All the airlines are required to inform their passengers about the new measure in a timely manner, it added.

Iran on Sunday warned of the resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic during the upcoming Iranian new year Nowruz starting on March 20.

The observance of health protocols in Iran has reached its lowest level in the past four months, said Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

Iran reported 7,593 COVID-19 cases and 88 new deaths on Sunday, raising the total nationwide infections to 1,746,953 and the death toll to 61,230, said Lari.

A total of 1,492,488 people have recovered from the disease in Iran, while 3,831 others remained in intensive care units, she added. Enditem
New Delhi, March 14 : The BJP on Sunday released a list of 17 candidates for the April 6 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, including names of actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar from Thousand Lights and its state unit chief L. Murugan from Dharampur (SC) seats.

BJP General Secretary Arun Singh said: "The Central Election Committee of the BJP met under the chairmanship of party chief J.P. Nadda, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and other members present, and decided 17 names for the ensuing Tamil Nadu Assembly elections." Union Minister for State for Home and poll in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Kishan Reddy said that as per the alliance agreement, the AIADMK is contesting 178 of the state's 234 seats, the PMK is contesting 23 and the BJP is contesting 20.

"G.K. Vasan's Tamil Maanila Congress will be contesting on six seats and other smaller parties are contesting on remaining seven seats," he said.

Among other members, BJP Mahila Morcha President Vanathi Srinivasan has been fielded from Coimbatore South, former IPS officer K. Annamalai from Aravakurichi and former MLA and party national Secretary H. Raja from Karaikudi.

Apart from Sundar, and Srinivasan, the BJP list comprises one more woman - Dr. C.K. Saraswathi from Modakkurichi.

Other candidates are Vinoj P. Selvam (Harbour), S. Thanigaivel (Tiruvannamalai), Kalivarathan (Tirukkoyilur), D. Periyasamy (Tittakudi (SC)), Poondi S. Venkatesan (Thiruvaiyaru), Dr. P. Saravanan (Madurai North), G. Pandurangan (Virudhunagar), D. Kuppuram (Ramanathapuram), Nainar Nagendran (Tirunelveli), M.R. Gandhi (Nagercoil), and P. Ramesh (Colachel).

A senior party leader said that candidates for remaining three seats will be announced soon.

Reddy also said that in two years since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the political situation has completely changed in the state.

"There is wave in favour of the NDA under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. DMK is symbol of corruption, rowdiness and dynasty politics and with this election the third general is their family making debut in electoral politics," he said.
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) has extended its contract with Tristar Groups joint venture in Saudi Arabia, United Stars, for an additional period of two years. Tristars mandate will be to continue to transport liquid industrial gases to Sabics diverse portfolio of clients across the GCC.

Tristar, a global integrated energy logistics company, has a long-standing relationship with Sabic. In December 2017, United Stars Country Manager Aous Ali signed a three-year contract to transport liquid gases from Sabics plants in Jubail in the Eastern Province and Yanbu in the Western Province to Sabic affiliates inside the Kingdom, Gulf Cooperating Council (GCC) and Jordan.

Under the initial contract, Tristar had invested in 30 gas-carrying road tankers and Cryogenic ISO tankers to meet Sabics requirements, however, with the extension, an additional 11 tankers will be deployed this month. Furthermore, in the second phase of the contract, the company will provide around 20 tankers for an additional 28,000 MT requirement, which will be deployed in the second quarter.

Eugene Mayne, Group CEO of Tristar said: We pride ourselves on our long-standing relationships and repeat business with our blue-chip clients globally, which have enabled our business to grow steadily, leading to a strong track record of growth with a consistent EBITDA margin between 20.1% to 22.8% in the years 2018 to 2020.

The extension of our contract with Sabic, a leading player in the Middle East, is testament to our expertise in energy logistics, and plays a key role as we continue to grow our business in Saudi Arabia. We look forward to continuing to demonstrate best practice in safety that ensures a consistent level of safe and high quality service to Sabic and all our customers, and I look forward to reporting on further business developments in due course.

United Stars operates a yard at the Dammam Modon Second Industrial Area, with an area of 40,000 sq m and a 10,000 sq m warehouse for both Dangerous Goods and Non-Dangerous Goods. Tristar also operates two additional yards in Jubail with an area of 10,000 sq m, and Riyadh with an area of 10,000 sq m.

In 2020, Tristar established its Cryogenic Gas Transport division in the Kingdom, which offers the leasing of cryogenic ISO tanks and road tankers, in addition to consultation, engineering and intermodal transport services for cryogenic gas. It will open a specialised maintenance and repair centre for cryogenic assets at the Dammam yard later this year.-TradeArabia News Service
Sri Lankas first ever end-to-end fully- integrated online supermarket launched View(s):

SUPERBOX, Sri Lankas first ever end-to-end fully-integrated online supermarket specialising in grocery has been launched to cater to households all over Sri Lanka.

The service intends to deliver groceries and other items swiftly, conveniently and safely to the doorstep. SUPERBOX is geared to offer a wide range of products to customers across categories of fresh, chilled, frozen and dry.

Spearheaded by Sidath Kodikara  former CEO of Cargills, and Dulith Herath  Founder of Kapruka.com, SUPERBOX will provide a wide-range of items from fresh, chilled, frozen and dry categories, the company said in a media release.

Strengthened by a tier-1 warehouse management system, world class ERP solutions, a top tier e-commerce platform and unparalleled last mile delivery by industry expert professional organisations, SUPERBOX plans to reach out to customers across the island. All purchases from SUPERBOX will be hygienically packed with strict guidelines to ensure safety and delivered in sealed boxes, it said.

In addition to serving customers living in Sri Lanka, SUPERBOX will offer a convenient service to Sri Lankan expatriates living around the world to send essentials, groceries and gifts to their friends and families at home.

The two founders of SUPERBOX count over 20 years of experience in their respective industries (retail and e-commerce); a fact that cemented the successful and steadfast nature of their new venture.

We worked on the idea of creating the ideal solution to offer convenience, speed and safety to customers. SUPERBOX is the product of our carefully mapped, well-researched and resourced work to create an online supermarket that will cater to the needs of Sri Lankans across the nation. While the pandemic triggered the change in consumer behaviour and increased reliance on e-commerce, we believe that this trend will continue beyond this period, said Mr. Herath.

SUPERBOX will provide customers an exceptionally wide range of products on a platform that is easy to navigate. In addition to other products available at supermarkets, SUPERBOX will provide a limited range of gourmet products and ensure the freshness of fruits and vegetables on offer.

In forming SUPERBOX, we are committed to venture out to eco-friendly approaches. As such, packaging options with biodegradable material including banana stem fiber packaging. Moreover, we wish to help local industries during these challenging times, noted Mr. Kodikara.
FILE PHOTO: A sign of China's e-commerce company JD.com is seen at its shop at a mall in Shanghai

(This March 12 story corrects paragraph four to say JD.com is China's biggest e-commerce company by revenue, not 2nd-biggest)

By Julie Zhu

HONG KONG (Reuters) - JD.com Inc is in talks to buy part or all of a stake in brokerage Sinolink Securities worth at least $1.5 billion, three people said, as the e-commerce major aims to bolster its financial services operations.

A deal to buy the stake from Sinolink's largest shareholder, Yongjin Group, would be the biggest bet in acquisition value terms by Beijing-based JD.com in China's $45 trillion financial market.

"The valuable brokerage licence is key for tech giants to monetise their huge online traffic and grow into bigger firms, as otherwise they have to direct such traffic to other financial institutions," one of the sources said.

China's biggest e-commerce company by revenue started discussions with Yongjin late last year, seeking to buy part or all of its 27% stake, said two of the people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Based on Sinolink's market value of 39 billion yuan ($6 billion) on Thursday, a 27% stake would be worth about 10 billion yuan, Reuters calculations show.

After Reuters reported the discussions, Sinolink shares jumped by their maximum 10% daily limit on Friday, reversing earlier losses.

The potential deal comes as Chinese tech majors look to expand into financial services despite a regulatory crackdown on some parts of the sector, sources said.

JD.com draws the bulk of its revenue from its core e-commerce business and owns only a few small financial licences, mainly offering online services including consumer credit and wealth management products.

It has long eyed a foray into the fast-growing brokerage industry, which was worth $1.4 trillion by the end of 2020, the same two people said.

Chengdu-based Sinolink was just outside the top 20 biggest brokerages in China by operating revenue in 2019, official data showed. Its business includes stock broking, sponsoring and underwriting equity and debt deals, financial advisory and wealth management.

Story continues

China's top two tech giants, Alibaba Group and Tencent, hold stakes in leading investment bank China International Capital Corp. Alibaba has also invested in large broker Huatai Securities, while Tencent has backed Hong Kong-based online brokerage Futu Holdings.

Refinitiv shows, JD.com has only made two deals in the financial sector: its investment in online platform for automotive financing Yixin Capital's $550 million fundraising in 2016, and another worth an undisclosed amount in China Taiping Insurance Holdings' financial services unit in 2018.

The JD.com-Yongjin talks were at an early stage and subject to change, cautioned the sources, who declined to be identified because of confidentiality constraints.

Sinolink said its controlling shareholder had not discussed with JD.com the sale of part or all of its stakes, and the firm did not have information to disclose.

JD.com and Yongjin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

TIGHTER REGULATION

For privately run Yongjin, the potential deal would satisfy its plan to divest its financial services business to bypass new regulations on financial holdings firms, said the third person.

The new rules require a capital threshold for companies that operate more than two types of financial businesses. Should a company fail to meet the requirement after a one-year grace period, Beijing can force a share sale.

In September, Guolian Securities said it would acquire Sinolink through a share swap and stake purchase from Yongjin, exchange filings showed. The tie-up was later scrapped amid questions over potential insider trading activities.

Founded in 1995 by late entrepreneur Wei Dong and now run by his wife, Chen Jinxia, Yongjin manages more than 400 billion yuan of assets, with 30 billion yuan self-owned, according to its website.

(Reporting by Julie Zhu in Hong Kong and Cheng Leng in Beijing; Editing by Stephen Coates)


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All candidates must follow safety instructions, EC after Nandigram incident

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 14: All candidates including star campaigners must follow safety instructions during the use of any vehicle, announced the Election Commission of India on Sunday, following Nandigram incident.

"All candidates including star campaigners must follow safety instructions during the use of any vehicle including helicopter as prescribed under relevant laws to avoid any mishap or accident, which may endanger the life and property of individual(s) and/or public at large," it said.

Election Commission, time and again, emphasised on safety and security of all candidates during the campaign. Attention is drawn to the Commission's letter which specifies the use of bulletproof car by the persons provided with Z+ security cover as prescribed by Central Government.

Star campaigners, who have been provided with security cover by the security agencies, must adhere to the security protocols laid down to avoid any security breach which may expose them to risk.

Voting for five assembly elections to these four states and one Union Territory will be held between 27 March and 29 April.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 19:51 [IST]
Sydney, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2021 ) :Voters in Australia's westernmost state have returned their centre-left government to power in an "unparallelled" landslide, demonstrating popular support for the Labor party's handling of Covid-19.

In Western Australia, a hub for the country's lucrative resources sector, a strict pandemic border closure shut out other Australians for much of the past year.

The incumbent Labor government is projected to win 53 of the state's 59 parliamentary seats, while the opposition conservative Liberal Party was all but wiped out -- reduced to just two seats after Saturday's election.

Public broadcaster ABC called it a "historic" and "unparallelled" win, in a sprawling state that often casts itself as distinct from the more populated eastern coast.

The crushing victory was led by state Premier Mark McGowan, who championed the prolonged border closures despite legal challenges and criticism from Australia's ruling conservative government.

"The magnitude of what has happened today is not lost on me. But with it comes great responsibility," McGowan said.

Most Australian leaders have enjoyed spikes in their popularity during the pandemic, as the country has been relatively successful at containing Covid-19.

But McGowan has been elevated to rockstar-like status in Western Australia, which has recorded fewer than 1,000 virus cases.

One fan even got a tattoo of McGowan's likeness, and others have made viral TikTok videos in his honour.
Hyderabad: The counting of votes for the Andhra Pradesh municipal elections, which includes 12 municipal corporations and 70 municipalities/nagar panchayats in the state started on Sunday.

The state municipal elections is witnessing a triangular fight between the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In the elections, YSRCP is in a secure place as it is contesting the municipal polls on the back of its victory in the recent panchayat elections, in which the party bagged a majority of seats. Following the YSRCP victory, TDP stood at a distant second position.

The Jaganmohan Reddys party on March 5 secured its place in the civic polls by grabbing 578 wards in the state.

Earlier, both the opposition parties, TDP and BJP, accused Reddy of instigating political violence in the state elections and filed the complaint with the election commission.

The notable development of the recent election is that BJP had been establishing itself as the main alternative to Jagans YSRCP. They have joined hands with Pawan Kalyans Jana Sena party, fielding candidates in 63 wards, with BJP receiving 22 and JSP getting 41.

Asaduddin Owaisis All India Majilis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) has made a wild card entry in the state political arena and is testing its electoral fortune in Andhra Pradesh. The party has decided to field candidates in 47 wards.

Meanwhile, The counting of votes started at 8 am and the first result is likely to be out by 10 am. The State Election Commission revealed that as many as 2,204 counting tables have been set up for 12 municipal corporations, while 2,376 counting supervisors and 7,412 counting personnel are deployed to count the votes.

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Wanted a quiet word with you, Mamata in letter to PM while refusing to release chief secretary

Mamata Banerjee slams Centre, says vaccinating all citizens before December 2021 is just a hoax

Chose to fight anti-Bengal forces in Nandigram as mark of respect to martyrs: Mamata Banerjee

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Kolkata, Mar 14: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday paid tributes to the agitators who were killed in police firing in Nandigram in 2007 and said she has chosen to fight "anti-Bengal forces" in the constituency as a mark of respect to the martyrs.

Banerjee, who is pitted against former lieutenant and BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram seat, said that farmers are the pride of West Bengal and the state government is working tirelessly for their development.

"On this day, in 2007, innocent villagers were killed in firing at #Nandigram. Many bodies could not be found. It was a dark chapter in the history of the state. Heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives," Banerjee tweeted.

The TMC observes March 14 as ''Nandigram Divas'' to pay respect to the 14 people who were killed in police firing on this day during an anti-land acquisition stir in 2007. The incident had sparked a national outrage and the Calcutta High Court had suo motu ordered a CBI probe.

"In memory of those who lost their lives in #Nandigram, we observe March 14 as #KrishakDibas every year and give away the #KrishakRatna awards. Farmers are our pride and our government is working for their all-round development," she said in another Twitter post.

It was an accident: Poll observers on injury to Mamata Banerjee

Banerjee said it is an honour for her to work along with the martyrs'' families in Nandigram.

"As a mark of respect and encouraged by my brothers and sisters of Nandigram, I am contesting #BengalElections2021 as @AITCofficial candidate from this historic place. It is my great honour to be here and work along with members of Shaheed families against anti-Bengal forces," she said.

Banerjee, then the opposition TMC leader, had spearheaded a movement against the Left Front government''s acquisition of arable land in Nandigram and Singur for industrialisation.

Her party reaped rich dividends from the agitations, winning 50 per cent of the panchayat seats in 2008, bagging 19 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 and ending the 34-year-long Left Front rule in the state in 2011.

Elections to the 294-member assembly will be held in eight phases from March 27 to April 29. Results will be announced on May 2.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 13:10 [IST]
Over 39,000 beneficiaries, including 20,275 senior citizens, received COVID-19 vaccine shots in the national capital on Saturday, according to official data.

In the age bracket, 45-59 years, 3,685 beneficiaries received the jabs, a senior official said.

On Wednesday 30,940 people had received shots. The number had fallen to 29,441 on Thursday. On Friday, the count rose again to 30,575, as per the official data shared by the health department.

On Saturday, 39,853 beneficiaries were given shots, officials said.

One case of minor AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) were recorded, officials said.

Under the nationwide mega vaccination drive launched mid-January, a total of 4,319 (53 per cent) health workers, against a target of 8,117, were administered the shots at 81 centres across the city on day one.

In the first phase, starting January 16, over 3.6 lakh beneficiaries comprising healthcare workers and frontline workers, have been vaccinated in Delhi.

Over 5,100 senior citizens in Delhi had received their first shots of the vaccine on March 1 when the second phase of the vaccination drive began in the national capital.

According to official estimates, there are around 43 lakh people in the specified priority category of 60 years or above and those within 45-59 years with comorbidities in Delhi.

People within the age group of 45-59 years with comorbidities are required to produce a comorbidity certificate signed by a registered medical practitioner. A total of 20 comorbidities have been specified for the vaccination, the officials said.

People eligible for vaccination also have to carry their photo identity cards, including Aadhaar card, PAN card or voter card.

On Saturday, second doses were given to 10,470 people, officials said, adding, 3,117 frontline workers and 2,306 healthcare workers got their first shots.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Provinces continued to expand their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts on Sunday, amid what Canada's chief public health officer described as a recent increase in the number of new cases across the country.

People are shown arriving at a COVID-19 vaccination site in Montreal, Sunday, March 14, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Provinces continued to expand their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts on Sunday, amid what Canada's chief public health officer described as a recent increase in the number of new cases across the country.

Dr. Theresa Tam said health officials are observing a rise in new infections after several weeks of levelling off. The country reported a seven-day average of 3,052 new cases daily between March 5 and March 11.

In a statement, Tam expressed concern over an increase in cases linked to more contagious virus variants, as well as a higher infection rate in Canadians aged 20 to 39.

"Circulation of COVID-19 in younger, more mobile and socially connected adults can increase the risk of spread into high-risk populations and settings," she wrote.

Despite the rise in cases, Tam said severe outcomes such as hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline.

Her statement adds urgency to the vaccine effort, which is ramping up in several provinces as more doses arrive.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the province's COVID-19 vaccine booking system is ready to start taking appointments for those 80 and older as of Monday morning, following recent pilot projects allowing some pharmacies and family doctors to deliver the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines to people ages 60 to 64.

Saskatchewan also expanded its rollout, announcing that anyone who is 70 or older can book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday.In Saskatchewan's Northern Administrative District, the cutoff age is 50 and over.

Quebec, which is already vaccinating people ages 70 and up across the province or 65 and up in Montreal, will expand its booking system as of Monday to add some 350 pharmacies to the list of places where people can get shots.

Health Minister Christian Dube noted that the province administered more than 30,000 doses on Saturday, and said Quebec would continue to increase the pace of vaccines.

Unlike many other provinces, Quebec has authorized using the AstraZeneca vaccine for people over 65, despite the national immunization committee warning of a lack of data on efficacy in that age group.

Dube took to his Twitter account to reassure the population that the vaccine is safe, after several European countries temporarily suspended use of AstraZeneca over concerns surrounding blood clots.

"Vaccination is the solution, regardless of which one," Dube said.

Both the World Health Organization and Health Canada's chief medical adviser have said there is no scientific explanation to suggest a link between the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots.

AstraZeneca said a review of 17 million patients who received the shot in Europe and the U.K. shows no elevated risk of blood clotting.

Alberta, meanwhile, has been running out of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which it has been offering to younger people.

Albertans who were born between 1957 and 1961, and First Nations, Metis and Inuit people born between 1972 and 1976, are eligible for the AstraZeneca shots.

That province also recorded its first two cases of a fast-spreading COVID-19 variant first detected in Brazil.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw said both cases are travel-related and in the Calgary zone.

While Tam warned that the average number of new COVID-19 cases was rebounding slightly across the country, that wasn't the case across the board.

There was good news in Atlantic Canada, where Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases of COVID-19, while New Brunswick added five cases to its tally and Nova Scotia reported just one.

Manitoba reported 44 new cases and one death, while Saskatchewan reported 98 new cases and two lost lives.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2021
Kev Choice said he wondered where all of the Black and brown people were.

Choice, a hip-hop artist, activist and music teacher at the Oakland School for the Arts, was referring to the Schools Not Screens rally held near Lake Merritt on Feb. 28. The grassroots group OUSD Parents for Safe Reopening organized the event to urge the Oakland Unified School District to quickly reopen schools for in-class instruction. Even Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf attended, and she told the crowd of about 200 that it was time we get our kids back to school  or, as we say in Oakland, hella time.

Choice hadnt heard about the rally until he stumbled across it near the lake. The same goes for hip-hop journalist and radio personality Davey D. Both Black Oaklanders posted photos and videos online calling attention to the lack of Black and brown faces in the crowd.

If were having conversations and making decisions and moving policies forward without consideration of those most impacted, to me thats a false narrative of equity and equality, Choice told me a few days after the rally.

That message was met with days of contentious debate on Facebook. But making sure families of color have as much access to influential politicians as white families shouldnt be controversial. The fact that it is makes the path to reopening schools harder than it needs to be.

And were leaving out critical voices in the process.

A recent survey conducted by the Oakland Unified School District shows a majority of elementary school families want to return to in-person learning. But, according to the East Bay Times, the report also showed that while 76% of white families wanted in-person learning, only 52% of Black families, 48% of Latino families and 44% of Asian families felt the same.

Surveys have shown that Black and brown families are hesitant about returning to school because of high rates of COVID-19 infections in marginalized communities.

Yet when we talk about reopening schools and how to do so, whose voices are we most often hearing? And whose voices are being left out?

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2020

Lakisha Young says there are systemic reasons that parents of color feel at arms length from the public school system, including racial inequity in achievement and graduation rates.

Weve been in an education crisis since before we were in a health crisis, said Young, co-founder of Oakland Reach, a Black parent-run organization that has helped underserved students navigate distance learning, including providing many with laptops, since the start of the pandemic. We know what the problems are and what the solutions need to be.

Black parents such as Young, who has three children, including a daughter who is a senior in the Oakland Unified School District, also know their voices get ignored in conversations about education. So they band together. This is how Oakland Reach recently secured a $900,000 grant from the Center on Reinventing Public Education and TNTP, formerly The New Teacher Project, to expand its learning hub model.

Theres too much talking, too many voices, Young told me. People are trying to simplify a situation that for Black and brown families isnt simple.

Of the nearly 60,000 students enrolled in the San Francisco Unified School District, only 14% are white. A little more than 50,000 students are in the Oakland Unified School District, and white students account for only 10% of the student population. Yet there are Black, Asian and Latino parents, whose children account for the majority of each districts students, who feel as though theyre being sidelined.

That isnt how you build a consensus or return kids safely to school.

This problem isnt isolated to San Francisco and Oakland. EdSource recently published an article that mentioned a parent survey conducted by the West Contra Costa Unified School District. It was about returning students to in-person learning. According to the article, Latino and Black families were underrepresented in the survey compared with district enrollment demographics. White parents were overrepresented.

Oakland Unified recently unveiled a plan to get all pre-K through fifth grades back in school this month. San Francisco public schools are slated to begin in-person learning for certain groups starting April 12. The schools will open with limited in-person learning hours. There are parents in both districts still calling for a full reopening.

Its worth remembering that, in California, families and teachers of all backgrounds share the same goal. No ones arguing that education isnt important or that Zoom is the preferred delivery method. All parents want their children to return to a school where theyre safe, cared for and educated.

But Black and brown teachers, parents and students are often shouted down when they try to participate in these conversations. Thats infuriating. Its also counterproductive.

If our politicians, school board members and district officials are seeking out only the loudest, whitest voices at the rallies, the Bay Area will botch its chance to make an unprecedented school reopening process fair and equitable to everyone.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Justin Phillips appears Sundays. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
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1. Roads. The citys roads are a mess. Significant resources are needed to fix them.

2. Public safety. The crime rate is too high. Police pay and resources come first.

3. More city programs. The city must invest more in city programs and services.

4. Comprehensive plan. The city needs to focus on rebuilding and rebranding.

5. Cut city spending. City officials must get serious about trimming the budget.

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The U.S. is playing a "whole new ballgame" in terms of controlling the coronavirus now that variants are spreading across the country, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told CBS News on Friday.

Why it matters: Osterholm said the U.S. could face another surge from the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom and has since been detected throughout the U.S. Multiple studies have suggested that it likely spreads more easily than the original strain of the virus.

What they're saying: "We are, I think for the moment, in the eye of a hurricane with regard to the good news, the vaccine's coming, but the big challenge [is] with this new variant that has arrived here from Europe," Osterholm told CBS News.

"But beyond that, it's all going to be about the variants and the vaccine, and that will determine where we're going to be next year, the year after, and the year after that."

Osterholm predicted that between now and the time the U.S. can vaccinate more of its population "we're going to see this B.1.1.7 surge occur."

The big picture: His warning comes as multiple states across the country relax or roll back their coronavirus restrictions.

Around the world, some countries are again going back into lockdown as cases continue to rise.

Go deeper: Europe's new coronavirus spike is a warning to the U.S.
Allison Transmission, the largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, has announced that over 1,000 of Hyundai Mighty trucks equipped with the Allison 1000 xFE fully automatic transmission, have been sold since its launch in June 2020.

Hyundai Mighty are 2.5- and 3.5-tonne light-duty trucks being manufactured by Hyundai Motor Company that have an unrivaled market share in South Korea.

Hyundai Mighty trucks with Allison fully automatic transmissions provide better driving convenience, fuel economy, reliability and productivity than the manual transmission equipped Mighty trucks.

To celebrate the successful launch, Allison Transmission held an event with Gyung-Jae Joo, the owner of the 1,000th Hyundai Mighty equipped with the 1000 xFE fully automatic transmission.

Joo, who lives in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was the 1000th customer to purchase a Hyundai Might with an Allison fully automatic transmission. He received the truck in December last year from Gold Van, a company specializing in shipping fresh food and food materials to Seoul and Gyeonggi Province..

"Ive recently changed my job to a pick-up and delivery business. A friend of mine in the distribution industry recommended Allison Transmission, so I chose a Mighty truck equipped with the fully automatic transmission," said Joo.

"I usually drive for more than 12 hours a day from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and I am very satisfied with Allison Automatics because I do not need to manually shift the gears. Also, I believe that it provides excellent safety because I only have to pay attention to the traffic flow ahead," he noted.

"I didnt feel much pressure by the price of the fully automatic transmission options in Mighty because they were around KRW 3 million. I'm very satisfied with the fuel efficiency and the low cost of maintenance of this vehicle as only Allison approved fluid needs to be replaced periodically," he added.

Kyoungmee Lee, Regional Director of Allison Transmission Korea, said: "Hyundai Mighty trucks equipped with Allison fully automatic transmissions have been on a steep sales growth since its mass production in June 2020."

"This is the result of a fully automatic transmission entering the light-duty truck segment and thereby satisfying the needs of customers who wanted an automatic light duty truck," he noted.

"Hyundai Mighty trucks have always enjoyed a high level of customer trust. Together with Allison Automatics, Hyundai brings to the South Korean market trucks that are backed by more than 100 year old company steeped in reliability and durability," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty

Deodorant might be the most forgettable grooming necessity. No one ever gets excited about it. Which one do you use? Probably whatever your parents did. When does it expire? Not until it dries out and hardens into a congealed brick that doubles as a blunt force weapon. What should it smell like? Nothing too floral or girly.

But like everything in our comfort-obsessed culture, deodorant can be a form of self-care and preservation. Take it from Jada Pinkett Smith, the newest armpit mogul. She just debuted Hey Humans, a line of personal care products which includes a natural deodorant.

According to People, the deodorant is Pinkett Smiths favorite of her products. It comes in six scents, with names that could double as flavors of tea: Banana Aloe, Rosewater Ginger, Coconut Mint, Cedarwood Sage, Apple Matcha, and Lavender Vanilla.

Rihannas Skincare Line Has One Controversial Ingredient

I had such a hard time finding natural deodorant, Pinkett Smith said. My kids were like, Use lemon under your arm, Im like, Thats not enough odor protection. So that is one of my favorite products with Hey Humans, I just love the deodorant so much. Im like, Finally.

Pinkett Smith does have competition. This week, a brand called Bella Skin Beauty will launch a $12 Probiotic Underarm Toner. Since no one owns printers anymore, most people who use skincare understand that toners are a type of wash that clear pores and hydrate skin. But the product is most often used on faces.

Diana Schneider, who co-founded Bella Skin Beauty with her daughter Alexandra, told The Daily Beast that the idea for an underarm toner was born during COVID. Alexandra, who is 22, had a cyst under her arm for a couple of years. Every time we would go to the gynecologist, she would say, Its fine, just take care of your armpits, Schneider recalled. That was it. There was no additional information.

Stuck at home in lockdown, Schneider began learning and experimenting with different toner formulations. She ended up creating what is now the underarm toner that will soon be for sale. A year later, after exfoliating her armpits every shower and using the toner, Alexandras cyst is 90 percent gone, according to her mother.

Story continues

Dr. Michael Gold, a board-certified dermatologist who runs Gold Skin Care Center in Nashville, Tennessee, said that its best to find products with as little scent as possible. But to him, the idea of an armpit toner actually makes sense.

I like the concept of an armpit toner if its used in the same way we use toners on the face and neckto get rid of excess debris and make sure theres no bacteria living there, Dr. Gold said. The biggest issue I would have is with somebody overdoing it. If you keep in mind that youre supposed to use just a little bit of toner on a cotton ball, then I think its a great idea.

Last year, Kelly Ripa told New York magazine that she couldnt live without a $15 aluminum-free deodorant from Each & Every. This comes in nine scents, including Cannabis & Green Tea. A representative for the brand told The Daily Beast that the brand sold a tube of its deodorant every 45 seconds in 2020. (Ripas influence!)

Gigi Hadid, who gave birth to her daughter Khai in September, wrote on Instagram that she uses the Hug Me deodorant from Blume these days. When got pregnant I decided to find a good natural deodorant... @blume makes one that actually works, she wrote. Its peach-topped container also conveniently matches her marble countertop.

Gigi Hadid on Instagram

If youre fine with the status quo and what youre getting from your moms products, then by all means you do you, said Lauren Lovelady, the CEO and co-founder of Each & Every. But we believe that there can be a more elevated experience for deodorant. It can be a moment of indulgence at the beginning of the day, instead of just swiping it on and forgetting it.

But Dr. Tatyana Nektalova, a board certified dermatologist and clinical instructor in the Department of Dermatologist at Mount Sinai, told The Daily Beast that shes not a fan of natural deodorants and armpit treatments.

What I find is that a lot of my patients avoid certain antiperspirants and deodorants to go the all natural route, Dr. Nektalova said That gets them into trouble. I see them come in for rashes in the underarm area, which develop secondary to these new products.

Dr. Nektalova warned of the branding and marketing of self-described organic products. Since there are no legal regulations on words like natural, nontoxic, or plant-based, customers do not always know what to expect.

What I find is that these clean products contain botanical ingredients like lavender or jasmine essential oils, Dr. Nektalova said. With repetitive exposure to those products, people can develop a rash or contact dermatitis, because your body recognizes that fragrance as foreign.

Each & Every deodorants are made with essential oils like lavender, peppermint, and bergamot. Lovelady said the brand is super conscious that peoples bodies respond differently to different ingredients across the board.

Were very cautious to only include [essential oils] at levels where we can minimize the impact, Lovelady said. Anything in too high of a level can be harmful, and we are very conscious to validate the safety testing. We dont want to perpetuate [bad] reactions for large groups of people, but everybody responds differently. Its not 100 percent fail-safe, but we do what we can.

According to Dr. Nektalova: Its best to stick to something unscented, that doesnt have any botanical extract or essential oils. She recommends an aluminum-free formula from Vanicreamthough its clinical-looking, blue-and-white bottle might not be as sexy as a designer deodorant.

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It may be that older Americans, many of whom have already owned a home, realize that ownership is not so important. (The age-based difference on homeownership is not reflected in other things, such as a desire for a good family life.)

There are some racial and ethnic differences when it comes to valuing homeownership, too. Some 53% of Black respondents, for instance, say that owning a home is essential, compared with 42% of whites and 46% of Latinos. But variance by income and party identification is minimal, although people with less education are more likely than those with college degrees to say that it is essential to own ones home.

Women are more likely to say homeownership is essential compared with men (48% to 41%), which supports an increasingly clear trend of single women buying their homes and focusing more on wealth accumulation at higher rates than men.

Despite some demographic differences in attitudes toward ownership, the reality is that for many people, success is not centered on owning a home, material gain, being in a better financial position than their parents or professional achievement for their own sake. Social factors related to the family and lifestyles are more dominant in their views of attaining the American dream.
Boris Johnson will today put the great British spirit that delivered the Covid-19 vaccine rollout at the centre of his bid to save the Union.

The Prime Minister will answer calls for Scottish independence by invoking the successful UK-wide vaccination drive.

In a speech to the Scottish Tory virtual conference by video link, he will condemn the SNP for seeking to split the UK and turn families against each other, just as everything is beginning to re-open again.

Mr Johnson has already made clear that he will not grant a second independence referendum even if the SNP triumphs in May's Scottish Parliament elections

He will also try to put new confidence in Scottish Tories that the SNP are not as invincible as the pundits believe.

His words come amid signs the feud between Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and her predecessor Alex Salmond is damaging the partys push for a second independence poll.

Mr Johnson has already made clear that he will not grant a second independence referendum even if the SNP triumphs in May's Scottish Parliament elections.

Now he will cite the success of the vaccination rollout as proof we are better off together, saying: It shows that the great British spirit that saw us through so much adversity in the past lives on in us today.

The SNP has been rocked by the feud over the Sturgeon-led SNP governments handling of sexual assault charges against Mr Salmond, which were all dismissed by a court last year

He will contrast that with the SNP obsession for another referendum seven years after Scots voted to reject independence.

The SNP has been rocked by the feud over the Sturgeon-led SNP governments handling of sexual assault charges against Mr Salmond, which were all dismissed by a court last year.

In the Commons this week, MPs will have their first opportunity to use parliamentary privilege to discuss the row. Former Brexit Secretary David Davis is expected to say the Holyrood parliament lacked the powers to get to the truth of the affair  and call for it to be given Westminster-style powers.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2021) Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has asked the French health authorities to greenlight the procurement of the Russian-developed Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for the metropolitan area.

"I am able to quickly provide [the Nice region] with tens of thousands of doses of #SputnikV, the Russian vaccine used in more than 48 countries around the world. I ask the health authorities to give me permission! #FranceBleuAzur," Estrosi said on air the France Bleu Azur radio station on Friday, an excerpt of which was posted on Twitter.

When asked how he was going to carry on with his plan, the mayor stressed that Nice was an international hub with many connections, which was able to independently provide its residents with masks last spring, just when the pandemic was gaining its momentum all over the world.

"That is why I want more decentralization to give us powers that will allow us to be more efficient," Estrosi added.

On March 4, the European Medicines Agency started a rolling review to test the Russian vaccine for compliance with EU standards for effectiveness, safety and quality.

According to an analysis of the vaccine's phase 3 clinical trials, published in The Lancet medical journal, Sputnik V shows a 91.6 percent efficacy rate against symptomatic COVID-19.

A senior female Liberal MP says NSW Parliament needs a conduct officer to deal with bad behaviour as the states two female political leaders skip the historic Women March 4 Justice rally in Sydney.

The organisers of the nationwide marches say the decision of Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay to snub the march at Town Hall on Monday is absolutely devastating.

Women March 4 Justice organiser Janine Hendry says it is absolutely devastating that Gladys Berejiklian and Jodi McKay will not be at the Sydney rally. Credit:Simon Schluter

The states Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor will not attend the Sydney march. A march is also taking place at Parliament House in Canberra.

The marches are being held in the wake of former Liberal adviser Brittany Higgins alleging she was raped while working for Defence Minister Linda Reynolds and a historical rape accusation levelled at Attorney-General Christian Porter which he has vehemently denied.
DURHAM : Duke University issued a quarantine order for all of its undergraduates effective Saturday night due to a coronavirus outbreak caused by students who attended recruitment parties, the school said.

The university said in a statement that all undergraduate students will be forced to stay-in-place until at least March 21. Suspension or dismissal from the school are potential punishments for flagrant or repeat violators."

Over the past week, the school has reported more than 180 positive coronavirus cases among students. There are an additional 200 students who may have been exposed and have been ordered to quarantine.

The school said in the statement that the outbreak was principally driven by students attending recruitment parties for selective living groups."

Duke said it would provide a policy update on Thursday.

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There is a great need to generate various types of cells for use in new therapies to replace tissues that are lost due to disease or injuries, or for studies outside the human body to improve our understanding of how organs and tissues function in health and disease. Many of these efforts start with human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that, in theory, have the capacity to differentiate into virtually any cell type in the right culture conditions.

The 2012 Nobel Prize awarded to Shinya Yamanaka recognized his discovery of a strategy that can reprogram adult cells to become iPSCs by providing them with a defined set of gene-regulatory transcription factors (TFs). However, progressing from there to efficiently generating a wide range of cell types with tissue-specific differentiated functions for biomedical applications has remained a challenge.

While the expression of cell type-specific TFs in iPSCs is the most often used cellular conversion technology, the efficiencies of guiding iPSC through different "lineage stages" to the fully functional differentiated state of, for example, a specific heart, brain, or immune cell currently are low, mainly because the most effective TF combinations cannot be easily pinpointed. TFs that instruct cells to pass through a specific cell differentiation process bind to regulatory regions of genes to control their expression in the genome. However, multiple TFs must function in the context of larger gene regulatory networks (GRNs) to drive the progression of cells through their lineages until the final differentiated state is reached.

Now, a collaborative effort led by George Church, Ph.D. at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Harvard Medical School (HMS), and Antonio del Sol, Ph.D., who leads Computational Biology groups at CIC bioGUNE, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance, in Spain, and at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB, University of Luxembourg), has developed a computer-guided design tool called IRENE, which significantly helps increase the efficiency of cell conversions by predicting highly effective combinations of cell type-specific TFs.

By combining IRENE with a genomic integration system that allows robust expression of selected TFs in iPSCs, the team demonstrated their approach to generate higher numbers of natural killer cells used in immune therapies, and melanocytes used in skin grafts, than other methods. In a scientific first, generated breast mammary epithelial cells, whose availability would be highly desirable for the repopulation of surgically removed mammary tissue. The study is published in Nature Communications.

In our group, the study naturally built on the 'TFome' project, which assembled a comprehensive library containing 1,564 human TFs as a powerful resource for the identification of TF combinations with enhanced abilities to reprogram human iPSCs to different target cell types. The efficacy of this computational algorithm will boost a number of our tissue engineering efforts at the Wyss Institute and HMS, and as an open resource can do the same for many researchers in this burgeoning field." George Church, Wyss Core Faculty Member

Church is the lead of the Wyss Institutes Synthetic Biology platform, and Professor of Genetics at HMS and of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT.

Tooling up

Several computational tools have been developed to predict combinations of TFs for specific cell conversions, but almost exclusively these are based on the analysis of gene expression patterns in many cell types. Missing in these approaches was a view of the epigenetic landscape, the organization of the genome itself around genes and on the scale of entire chromosome sections which goes far beyond the sequence of the naked genomic DNA.

"The changing epigenetic landscape in differentiating cells predicts areas in the genome undergoing physical changes that are critical for key TFs to gain access to their target genes. Analyzing these changes can inform more accurately about GRNs and their participating TFs that drive specific cell conversions," said co-first author Evan Appleton, Ph.D. Appleton is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Church's group who joined forces with Sascha Jung, Ph.D., from del Sol's group in the new study. "Our collaborators in Spain had developed a computational approach that integrated those epigenetic changes with changes in gene expression to produce critical TF combinations as an output, which we were in an ideal position to test."

The team used their computational "Integrative gene Regulatory Network model" (IRENE) approach to reconstruct the GRN controlling iPSCs, and then focused on three target cell types with clinical relevance to experimentally validate TF combinations prioritized by IRENE. To deliver TF combinations into iPSCs, they deployed a transposon-based genomic integration system that can integrate multiple copies of a gene encoding a TF into the genome, which allows all factors of a combination to be stably expressed. Transposons are DNA elements that can jump from one position of the genome to another, or in this case from an exogenously provided piece of DNA into the genome.

"Our research team composed of scientists from the LCSB and CIC bioGUNE has a long-standing expertise in developing computational methods to facilitate cell conversion. IRENE is an additional resource in our toolbox and one for which experimental validation has demonstrated it substantially increased efficiency in most tested cases," corresponding author Del Sol, who is Professor at LCSB and CIC bioGUNE. "Our fundamental research should ultimately benefit patients, and we are thrilled that IRENE could enhance the production of cell sources readily usable in therapeutic applications, such as cell transplantation and gene therapies."

Validating the computer-guided design tool in cells

The researchers chose human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) as a first cell type. Thus far HMECs are obtained from one tissue environment, dissociated, and transplanted to one where breast tissue has been resected. HMECs generated from patients' cells, via an intermediate iPSC stage, could provide a means for less invasive and more effective breast tissue regeneration. One of the combinations that was generated by IRENE enabled the team to convert 14% of iPSCs into differentiated HMECs in iPSC-specific culture media, showing that the provided TFs were sufficient to drive the conversion without help from additional factors.

The team then turned their attention to melanocytes, which can provide a source of cells in cellular grafts to replace damaged skin. This time they performed the cell conversion in melanocyte destination medium to show that the selected TFs work under culture conditions optimized for the desired cell type. Two out of four combinations were able to increase the efficiency of melanocyte conversion by 900% compared to iPSCs grown in destination medium without the TFs. Finally, the researchers compared combinations of TFs prioritized by IRENE to generate natural killer (NK) cells with a state-of-the-art differentiation method based on cell culture conditions alone. Immune NK cells have been found to improve the treatment of leukemia. The researchers' approach outperformed the standard with five out of eight combinations increasing the differentiation of NK cells with critical markers by up to 250%.

"This novel computational approach could greatly facilitate a range of cell and tissue engineering efforts at the Wyss Institute and many other sites around the world. This advance should greatly expand our toolbox as we strive to develop new approaches in regenerative medicine to improve patients' lives," said Wyss Founding Director Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., who is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at HMS and Boston Children's Hospital, and Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
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Protesters marched in cities across the country on Saturday to demand justice on the one year anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor as her family honored her legacy in Louisville, Kentucky.

Demonstrators demanded justice and police reforms as they protested in New York City, Atlanta, Louisville and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, died on March 13, 2020 when she was mistakenly shot and killed by officers during a botched raid of her apartment.

The deaths of Taylor and George Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of a policeman in Minneapolis, became a focus of a wave of protests last year against police abuses and racism in the United States.

Scroll down for video

Carolyn J. Ruff chants during a protest in Louisville Saturday on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

Breonna Taylor, an EMT, was killed in her home during a botched drug raid last March 13. Pictured right: Breonna Taylor poses during a graduation ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky

Demonstrators pose for a picture in front of the Georgia Capitol building in Atlanta while marching through downtown in honor of Breonna Taylor on Saturday

People attend a rally to mark one year since police officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor when they entered her home, in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Women carry roses while wearing face masks during a vigil and a march to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's killing, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on Saturday

Tamika Palmer, Taylor's mother, is pictured wiping away tears on the one-year anniversary of her daughter's death

Tamika Palmer is pictured wearing a mask as people gathered to mourn the death of her daughter and call for justice on the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death on Saturday

Benjamin Crump, left, and Kenneth Walker speak at the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death at Injustice Square Park City in Louisville on Saturday

On Saturday, Taylor's mother Tamika Palmer led hundreds marching behind a large purple banner with an illustration of Taylor's face, chanting 'No justice, no peace.'

'Eyes are on Louisville, Kentucky, today so let's show America what community looks like,' said Taylors aunt, Bianca Austin, who wore her nieces emergency medical technician jacket.

Austin spoke from a stage set up in Jefferson Square Park, which became an impromptu hub for protesters during months of demonstrations last summer.

An outdoor memorial was pictured on Saturday with a mural, posters, artwork and other mementos honoring Taylor's life. Some organizers gave away food during the speeches.

Flanked by two hand-painted murals of Taylor, activists repeated calls to charge the police officers who killed the black woman during a raid at her apartment.

'We got two different Americas. We got one for black Americans and one for white Americans,' Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing Taylor's family, told the crowd of hundreds in Louisville, Kentucky.

'We got to get justice for all our people in America.'

Tributes fill the center court in Justice Square Park during a protest in downtown Louisville on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

Marchers hold a large banner during a protest in downtown Louisville on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

Camille Bascus, a 50-year-old black woman, traveled more than 400 miles from Atlanta to Louisville 'to represent the people without voices, because they no longer have a heartbeat. We have a voice and our lives matter.'

'It's been a year and justice has not been served,' she told AFP with tears in her eyes.

A grand jury in September recommended no homicide charges against the three white officers in the case.

Twelve months after the killing - in which police shot Taylor while looking for an ex-boyfriend of hers - only one of three police officers has been charged. Brett Hankison, was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into a neighbors apartment.

Danah Montgomery raises her fist and chants in support with family members and other supporters during a march honoring Breonna Taylor on the one year anniversary of her death on Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Trevin Givson, Vice President of the group Family Over Everything hands flowers to Tawanna Gordon, a cousin of Breonna Taylor, during a march in Grand Rapids, Michigan, honoring her death on Saturday

A woman wearing a Green New Deal mask holds a sign during a protest march on the one year anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor in Atlanta

Demonstrators march through downtown Atlanta in honor of Breonna Taylor on Saturday while holding a 'Justice for Breonna Taylor' sign

People participate in a protest to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death on Saturday in New York City

Over a dozen cars filled with demonstrators drive along East Main Street in Lexington, Kentucky during a protest to remember the life of Breonna Taylor on Saturday

A juror said later those charges were the only ones brought to the grand jury by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

The failure to press homicide charges - a decision denounced as 'outrageous' by Taylor's family - sparked sporadic violence in Louisville last September.

President Joe Biden on Saturday declared his support for reforms.

'Breonna Taylor's death was a tragedy, a blow to her family, her community, and America,' he tweeted.

'As we continue to mourn her, we must press ahead to pass meaningful police reform in Congress. I remain committed to signing a landmark reform bill into law.'

Taylor's family and friends are now looking to the results of a federal probe, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation saying on Saturday its work was moving forward.

'Even though the COVID pandemic presented several unexpected obstacles, FBI Louisville has made significant progress in the investigation,' the field office in that city said in a statement.

Redd Bracey, family friend of Breonna Taylor, wears a mask with a photo of Breonna Taylor on it during the one year anniversary of her death in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday

A woman wears a black leather jacket with 'Breonna Taylor 4 Ever #SayHerName' written in gold on Saturday in New York City

Michael Pyles has a 'B' shaved into his hair during a protest in Louisville on Saturday on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death

The bureau remained 'steadfast in its commitment to bringing this investigation to its appropriate conclusion,' the statement said.

The Louisville rally came a day after Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department, alleging his constitutional rights were violated during last year's botched raid.

Walker last year filed an ongoing state lawsuit against the city and police, saying he was the victim of assault, battery, false arrest and malicious prosecution. He also spoke briefly to the crowd on Saturday.

'They dropped the charges against me, but that is not where we finish,' he said, referring to charges that were filed and later dismissed against him for shooting at the police officers during the incident.

'We got to keep going. Keep going.'

Taylors front door was breached by Louisville officers who obtained a controversial no-knock warrant as part of a drug raid. She was asleep with Walker in her apartment around midnight when they heard noise at the door.

Protesters carry Black Lives Matter flags as they march for Breonna Taylor on Jefferson Street in Louisville on Saturday

Tamika Mallory and other members of Until Freedom look out toward a crowd of protesters during a Breonna Taylor memorial protest in Jefferson Square Park on Saturday

Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor, and others lead a memorial march for Breonna Taylor near Jefferson Square Park on Saturday

Ysrael Binns, 7, right, holds her fist up with fellow marchers during a protest in downtown Louisville on Saturday

Protesters gathered at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville on Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of the killing of Breonna Taylor

A truck has a portrait of Breonna Taylor displayed with messaging during a protest in Louisville on Saturday

Walker, believing it was a break-in, fired his gun. One officer was struck, and he and two other officers fired 32 shots into the apartment, striking Taylor five times.

A Kentucky judge last week signed an order permanently closing a criminal case against Walker for firing at the officer.

While Walker said police battered down the door unannounced, the officers insisted they had identified themselves, a claim some witnesses have disputed.

No drugs were found in Taylors apartment and two of the officers involved were fired in December.

Linda Sarsour, co-founder of the Until Freedom social justice organization, said the officers need to be held accountable.

'Right now, the only thing that has happened is that the police officers have been fired from the police department, that is a human resources issue. We need justice,' she said.

Taylor's death at first escaped widespread attention, but it suddenly became a focus for Black Lives Matter protesters following Floyd's death on on May 25.

Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her apartment by police looking for a former friend of hers. Pictured: a man holds a portrait of Breonna Taylor during a march honoring the one year anniversary of her death on Saturday

Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, co-founders of Until Freedom, address demonstrators during a rally in Louisville on Saturday

Ysrael Binns, 7, carries a 'Breewayy' sign on her hover board during a protest in Louisville on Saturday on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

A makeshift memorial at the Louisville demonstration marking the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's shooting death by police

A sign stands in the middle surrounded by other signs and tributes during a protest in downtown Louisville on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

A cross is carried during a protest in downtown Louisville on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

Family members and supporters march in the street during a rally hosted by Family Over Everything honoring Breonna Taylor in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday

To settle a civil suit, Louisville authorities agreed to pay the Taylor family $12 million and initiate police reforms.

For Bascus, that is not enough. It 'doesn't bring Breonna Taylor back.'

Demonstrator Olivia Alexander said the anniversary of Taylor's death reminded her to continue to work for racial justice, despite some setbacks in the past year.

'As we've seen, theres not been any justice for Breonna Taylor, and a lot of the other brutal killings of Black Americans, so holding onto hope has been the most important thing,' Alexander said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, tweeted a statement in support of Taylor's family, including her mother, Tamika Palmer.

'Today we remember Breonna Taylor, her tragic and unnecessary loss and the immense work we have ahead of us,' he said.

'I will never understand the unimaginable grief of Tamika Palmer and other family and loved ones, but I am committed to listening and working with others to be build a more suitable and fair commonwealth for every Kentuckian.'

A woman speaks into a megaphone as people gather for a vigil and a march to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's killing, in the Brooklyn borough of New York

Eeshyia King attaches 'Black Women Matter' and 'Justice for Breonna Taylor' pins to dozens of red roses left at the entrance to the Flint Police Department by 50 demonstrators marching to honor Breonna Taylor in downtown Flint, Michigan on Saturday

Rashard Wagner, 36 of Flint, holds a single rose before laying it down at the Flint Police Department after nearly 50 demonstrators marched to honor Breonna Taylor on the one-year anniversary of her death on Saturday

People march on the West Side Highway in Manhattan on Saturday in a protest to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death

Hundreds of BLM protesters gathered at the Times Square and marched on streets for Breonna Taylor in New York City, United States on Saturday

Protesters in Times Square wear masks and hold signs for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor on Saturday during a protest

Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered at Times Square to lie on the ground in a protest for justice regarding the death of Breonna Taylor on Saturday

People participate in a die-in during a New York City protest to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death on Saturday

Hundreds of BLM protesters gathered at the Times Square and marched on streets for Breonna Taylor in New York City on Saturday

Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher said his city has made significant reforms in policies and priorities, but that there was still 'a good deal of work ahead.'

Taylor's 'death resonates still in our city and around the world, underscoring the need to reform systems and act more urgently to advance racial justice and equity,' he said on Twitter.

Tawanna Gordon, a cousin of Breonna Taylor, was pictured receiving flowers during a march in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday. She told WOOD-TV that organizers worked to make sure the march was peaceful.

'There are people that still care,' Gordon said. 'People who do not identify human race as ethnicity or particular color. That's inspiring.'

She added: 'We wanted to acknowledge her legacy and not be in confusion.'

'We don't hate police. We know they're needed,' Gordon said.

'(We) just want (to know) officers they're hiring are there to serve the community, not for self-serving purposes.'

Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered at the Times Square and marched on streets in Brooklyn and Manhattan for Breonna Taylor in New York City on Saturday.

Protesters were also pictured holding roses at demonstrations in Flint, Michigan, while a car rally traveled down Main Street in Lexington, Kentucky.
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If only I lived in Texas, I could go anywhere to shop or dine and not have to wear a mask.

If only I lived in Florida, I could go to the beach with a few hundred of my closest friends and not have to social distance nor wear a mask.

Ah, but what would the risks be?

These are risks Im not willing to take because my life and many other peoples lives depend on it.

I get it. Its been a year since the coronavirus pandemic changed all of our lives in all too many ways. There are days now when my emotions are worn down to the point I feel like a wrung-out, old dishrag.

Still, patience for at least a little longer is what we need most.

I want to hold my not-yet-1-year-old grandniece for as long as shell put up with me. I want to hug my friends and kiss my loved ones. I want to travel. I want to be unafraid of getting on an airplane. I want most of all to stay alive and not fall prey to COVID-19.

For as much forward progress as we are making in defeating it, dont forget that people are still getting the virus, and people are still dying because of it.

At the start of this new year, I was counseling older-than-me friends to be patient as they charted their course through the maze of finding and scheduling appointments to get COVID-19 vaccinations. Some spent hours on their computers, frustrated by the challenges posed by Massachusetts initial rollout of vaccination programs.

Some friends handled making appointments for their elderly parents and in-laws, only to then to endure waiting with them in the freezing cold outside the Eastfield Mall for hours.

For some, there was celebration when they scored appointments and found out they could get the vaccine, too, if they accompanied their parents.

All the while since January, Ive been counting the weeks, the days and, finally, the hours until I turned 65 and would move onto the eligibility list to receive the vaccine. As I waited, I thought surely all the hiccups in the process to get an appointment would have been worked out.

That was not to be. Everyones experience varies. It took me some 10 days of persistent online searching until, by pure luck, making a final try Wednesday night before going to bed, I landed an appointment for the next morning. There was no rhyme nor reason to why or how it happened. None.

I received my first dose of vaccine right before members of our editorial board met with Drs. Mark A. Keroack and Andrew W. Artenstein, of Baystate Health, to talk about this weekends ignoble anniversary. It was on March 13, 2020, (as Keroack referenced it, the mother of all Fridays the 13th) that we met in person for a hastily-arranged session during which they shared how COVID-19 was among us in Western Massachusetts.

Back then, Baystate had its first confirmed case of the coronavirus in a 9-year-old boy and was treating about two dozen other patients suspected of having it. The health system went from one to 180 cases inside of a month in what the doctors acknowledge was a pretty scary time.

When we met again in August, Keroack cautioned we were facing a perilous new phase of the virus, still stubborn in its wrath of destruction of human life. The state imposed tighter restrictions on gatherings to help stave off a major resurgence.

By the end of October when the Baystate health experts talked with us again, caution came about the winter holidays and the potential for family gatherings to lead to a surge in cases if we let our collective guard down. That surge truly came with a vengeance unlike what Western Massachusetts and Baystate, in particular, had first encountered with the virus last April.

This weeks meeting may have been virtual, but nonetheless impactful as we reflected on all that had occurred, the challenges, the successes, the lessons learned, the trauma (especially for Baystates own workforce) and where we are headed.

I emerged confident there is indeed light at the end of this tunnel of sadness and discontent. It will take engagement by all of us, though, even those folks on the beaches in Florida and those in Texas who think life is already normal again.

Whats most important is getting shots in the arms of every willing person and maintaining the velocity of vaccinations. We can only hope the Baker administrations debut Friday of a new appointment platform makes it easier to schedule vaccinations.

Keroack is optimistic if the state of Massachusetts maintains a pace of administering as many as 40,000 shots a day, we could as early as June have a largely immune population among the roughly 4 million adults over the age of 18. I place a lot of trust in what Keroack says. At each step along the way over the past year, he, like that far more famous Dr. Anthony Fauci, who so many Americans admire, has been correct in his observations.

As Ive written here multiple times over the past 12 months, well get through this. Together.

Until then, as the good doctors advised a year ago and again this week, wash your hands, keep your distance and wear a mask. For all of us.

Cynthia G. Simison is executive editor of The Republican. She may be reached by email to csimison@repub.com.

2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 16:40:15|Editor: huaxia

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Citizens display China's national flag in support of implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" at Tamar Park in Hong Kong, south China, March 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

The G7 should stop playing politics, and give up the delusion that they are able to hold back the reform of Hong Kong's electoral system. Their futile meddling is doomed to fail, and if continued, they will have to pay a price.

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven's (G7) statement on China's decision to improve Hong Kong's electoral system goes against facts and exposes the group's hypocritical nature.

To close the loopholes in Hong Kong's electoral system and prevent anti-China disruptors from endangering Hong Kong's stability and security, the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, on Thursday adopted a decision that was passed by an overwhelming majority vote.

In their statement, foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the high representative of the European Union, expressed "concerns" over that decision.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997, how to design and improve the electoral system in Hong Kong has been China's internal affair, in which foreign countries have no right to interfere.

Citizens sign their names during a campaign in support of the decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the National People's Congress (NPC) in Hong Kong, south China, March 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

China has been committed to implementing the principles of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong," and a high degree of autonomy, which has ensured that Hong Kong compatriots enjoy rights and freedoms that were impossible under British colonial rule.

It is widely recognized by the world community that a country should be governed by patriots, a principle that all countries, including the G7 members, followed when designing their political systems.

With China's move to improve Hong Kong's electoral system, those who are unpatriotic and do not love the city will find it a pipe dream for them to enter Hong Kong's bodies of power and other parts of the administrative structure.

However, it does not mean that Hong Kong's political life will not tolerate different views and voices.

Patriots in the opposition camp can still stand for election and be elected in accordance with the law. Hong Kong's Legislative Council will be more broadly representative, and different voices, including criticism of the government, will be heard in the council.

As is known, some G7 countries have played a disgraceful role in Hong Kong for a long period in an attempt to disrupt and contain China's development.

They never stop fanning the flames, meddling in politics, or even gloating over rioters' violence seen in Hong Kong over recent years.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a virtual meeting of the leaders of the Group of Seven at Downing Street in London, Britain, on Feb. 19, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

With external forces indulging anti-China disruptors in the name of "freedom" and "democracy," Hong Kong can barely maintain normal order, not to mention long-term prosperity and stability.

Brimming with absurd rhetoric that is purely imaginary and fabricated to confuse the international community, the G7 once again disregarded China's claim of its stance, and seriously violated the United Nations (UN) Charter and the basic norms of international relations. The announcement seems to serve to pump up their agents in Hong Kong.

Nevertheless, the G7's hypocritical statement cannot change the mainstream consensus of the international community to support the Chinese government in taking effective measures to safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.

During the ongoing 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, a Belarusian representative delivered a joint speech on behalf of 70 countries, emphasizing that Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs and should not be interfered in by external forces. More than 20 countries made respective remarks in support of China's position and measures on Hong Kong-related issues.

Aerial photo taken on July 16, 2020 shows the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

Foreign interference will never sway China's resolution to implement "one country, two systems" and safeguard Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. It is the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, who really care about Hong Kong's destiny and have a say in its development.

The G7 should stop playing politics, and give up the delusion that they are able to hold back the reform of Hong Kong's electoral system. Their futile meddling is doomed to fail, and if continued, they will have to pay a price. 
By Padraic Halpin

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland became the latest country to stop using AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, temporarily suspending the shot "out of an abundance of caution" after reports from Norway of serious blood clotting in some recipients there.

Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, its health authorities said on Saturday.

Ireland's National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) recommended the temporary deferral pending the receipt of more information from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the coming days.

AstraZeneca on Sunday said it had conducted a review covering more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and the UK which had shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

Denmark, Norway and Iceland have suspended the use of the vaccine over clotting issues, while Thailand became the first country outside of Europe to do so on Friday, delaying its AstraZeneca rollout over the safety concerns in Europe.

Italy's northern region of Piedmont on Sunday said it would stop using a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a teacher died following his vaccination on Saturday. Austria also stopped using a particular batch last week.

The EMA said on Friday that there is no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view that was echoed by the World Health Organisation.

'WE MAY BE OVERREACTING'

Irish authorities received some reports of clotting similar to those seen in Europe last week but nothing as serious as the cases in Norway, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn said.

Glynn said the fact that the Norwegian cases related to a cluster of four unusual clotting events involving the brain in 30 to 40 year-olds raised the higher level of concern.

He said that one of the reasons Ireland acted now was that it was due to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to people of a similar age with serious underlying conditions next week.

Story continues

"It may be nothing, we may be overreacting and I sincerely hope that in a week's time that we will have been accused of being overly-cautious," Glynn told national broadcaster RTE.

"Hopefully we will have data to reassure us in a few short days and we will be back up and running with this."

AstraZeneca vaccinations make up 20% of the 590,000 shots administered among Ireland's 4.9 million population, mainly to healthcare workers after its use was not initially recommended for those over 70 and the company supplied far fewer vaccines to the EU than agreed.

There have been 4,534 COVID-19-related deaths in Ireland. The number of cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days fell to 151 from a high of over 1,500 in January, although officials are concerned over a slight rise in new cases in recent days.

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill also raised concerns over the suspension of AstraZeneca elsewhere. In response to Ireland's decision, the UK's medicine regulator said that while it was closely reviewing the reports, the available evidence does not suggest the vaccine is the cause of the clots.

Like the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland is much further ahead in its programme and has inoculated more than 40% of the adult population, relying heavily on AstraZeneca's vaccine.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin, editing by Bernadette Baum, Louise Heavens and Jane Merriman)

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the newest national airline of the UAE, has announced the launch of its latest routes from Abu Dhabi to Almaty and Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan, starting in the middle of May 2021.



With this, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi adds a further two routes to the already on sale thirteen routes.



The flight to Almaty will be operated two times per week on Mondays and Fridays, while Nur Sultan will be operated on Thursdays and Sundays, also two times per week.



The new routes present an affordable opportunity for travellers to explore exciting destinations, empowering visitors to immerse themselves in the culture of the gorgeous city of Almaty and discover the worlds youngest capital, Nur Sultan. Tickets are already on sale on wizzair.com and the airlines mobile app, also available in Arabic, with fares starting at AED159 ($43.2).



Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi said: The new routes from Abu Dhabi to Almaty and Nur Sultan will encourage increased travel between the UAE and Kazakhstan through ultra-low-fare travel options. We are confident that the new routes will inspire desire to travel and open the doors to new cultural experiences.



Kazakhstans futuristic mega-cities, the capital city of Nur Sultan, and the countrys largest metropolis, Almaty have a lot to offer visitors, including green valleys and mountains of Tian Shan and the rolling steppes featuring azure blue lakes, as well as remarkable skyline and impressive architectural masterpieces.



Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has the youngest fleet composed of four brand new state-of-the-art Airbus A321neo aircraft, offering the lowest fuel burn, emissions and noise footprint.



The airline has also introduced a new era of sanitized travel across its network, with enhanced hygiene measures to ensure the health and safety of passengers and crew.  TradeArabia News Service
Years ago state monuments or street names werent that controversial. They were set and mostly forgotten. That has changed, however, mostly because of justifiable pushback against statues or places named after Confederate veterans.

A bill filed by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would create a framework for removing, relocating or altering state monuments, and its worth a discussion in the Legislature. This isnt the top issue facing the House or Senate, but its probably going to be something that recurs often. It could be helpful for state officials to have a thoughtful process that would help them navigate thornier disputes.

Most of the criticism in Texas in recent years has been connected to the Confederacy, but other states have seen reactions against historical figures like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Ulysses S. Grant. They had been previously regarded as national icons, though many people from the 18th or 19th centuries had views on race or gender that are outdated today. Legislation like this could protect these kinds of statues or street names from rash moves that most Texans would object to.

Even with a framework for changes, cities or colleges shouldnt be restricted from removing Confederate images if thats what they truly want to do. The concept of local control in Texas usually applies to public school districts, but it shouldnt be limited to that realm. In recent years some state lawmakers have limited the ability of Texas cities to raise taxes, something that should be a local decision, especially if the state isnt going to limit the unfunded mandates passed down to cities and counties. The state government itself has also removed some Confederate images from Austin, and those decisions were completely valid.

Some of these actions are not controversial either. The Port Arthur ISD, a district with many African-American residents, changed the name of a school named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. That was entirely appropriate  and overdue. Last year the Beaumont City Council also voted to remove the statue of a Confederate soldier from Wiess Park. Only one council member dissented, and virtually no one else in the city seemed to care or object. Actions like these should not be hampered by any state law, even if public boards are required to follow certain procedures before doing so.

Deciding who should be honored with a public naming  or reversing an earlier decision  can be tricky. Almost no historical figure has an unblemished record, and someone who may seem appropriate for one era can seem like a bad fit for another.

But this is one of the reasons we elect city council members, school board trustees and state legislators. They can study an issue like this in greater depth than the average person, and come up with the decision that is best for all interests. Creightons bill could assist that process, and it should be considered by every member of the House and Senate.
Kolkata: "An injured tiger is far more dangerous," said Mamata Banerjee as she resumed her election campaign in Kolkata days after sustaining a bone injury in Nandigram.

The West Bengal Chief Minister was confined to a wheelchair as she held a roadshow in the state capital on Sunday (March 14).

Banerjee was accompanied by senior TMC leaders and security personnel pushing her wheelchair.

Banerjee joined the five km roadshow from Mayo Road to Hazra More as part of the observation of Nandigram Diwas to commemorate the killing of 14 villagers in police firing during the anti-land acquisition protest in 2007.

Addressing the gathering after the hour-long march, Banerjee said she will canvass for TMC candidates across the state in a wheelchair.

"I have faced a lot of attacks in my life but I have never surrendered before anyone. I will never bow my head. An injured tiger gets more dangerous," Banerjee was quoted as saying by PTI.

"Doctors advised me against going out for campaign today. But I felt that I should participate in today's rally as we have already lost a few days due to my injury," she said.

"My pain is not greater than the suffering of people as democracy is being trampled through dictatorship. If I sit at home for such a long time that will serve the agenda of the conspirators. They will be successful," she added.

The TMC activists also chanted the slogan "Bhanga Paye Khela Hobe!" (Will play with broken leg), a reference to Banerjee's leg injury.

Banerjee had alleged that the "attack" on her was a conspiracy of the BJP.

The Election Commission, however, ruled out any deliberate attack on the CM. It, however, admitted to security lapse and ordered that Director (Security) Vivek Sahay, an IPS officer, be removed from his post and placed under suspension immediately.

Banerjee is contesting the polls from the Nandigram seat for the first time against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari.

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The Lehigh Valley could see wind gusts of up to 40 mph this afternoon and weather conditions that put the region at risk for the rapid spread of wildfires.

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly has issued a red flag warning thats in effect from 8 a.m. Sunday until 5 p.m. Monday for the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and southeastern Pennsylvania. It extends into much of New Jersey, all of Delaware and parts of eastern Maryland.

Gusty winds paired with very dry air and drying fuels create the ideal conditions for a fire to start and rapidly spread, according to the warning.

Outdoor burning should be avoided as any fires that develop may quickly get out of control and become difficult to contain, according to the weather services. And dont toss cigarettes on the ground or out your car window.

 A Red Flag Warning has been issued for most of our area. Very dry and windy conditions are expected today into Monday. Conditions will be favorable for the rapid spread of any wildfires, so use caution with any potential fire ignition sources! #PAwx #NJwx #DEwx #MDwx pic.twitter.com/5esTaRSOcP  NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) March 14, 2021

Winds out of the northwest are expected to increase to 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 35 to 40 mph into Sunday afternoon and evening. Late Sunday into Monday, expects winds of 10 to 15 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph.

A wind advisory is in effect for portions of New Jersey and the southern Poconos, where tree damage and power outages are possible.

Relative humidity will drop to about 20% this afternoon, recovering to only 35% to 40% tonight and drop again Monday.

Temperatures are expected to be in the 50s during the day Sunday and in the mid to upper 40s on Monday. Overnight lows will be in the 20s.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com.
Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Showers this morning becoming a steady light rain during the afternoon hours. High around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Roy Greenslade is no James Bond, but he sure seems to want us to think he is.

The former Fleet Street editor turned ex-Guardian blogger had an eclectic circle of friends and is on record talking about his "fantastic sympathies with the Irish republican movement". He is now a member of Sinn Fein.

Last week, he denied ever passing information to the IRA - but a recording has now emerged proving he planted information on at least one occasion, from a republican contact to his newspaper on the Gibraltar killings, when he was then news editor of the Sunday Times.

Speaking to Louise Brody in 2007, in material subsequently uploaded to The British Library Online, he chuckles as he recalls: "My pro-Irish republican views led me to believe that perhaps the British government had misbehaved. I put another reporter on to the story to re-evaluate it all, an investigative journalist called Peter Hunan.

"And Peter investigated, and when I felt the investigation wasn't going as I wanted it to, I even made a fake phone call in an Irish accent to give him a bit of evidence to push him to investigate further nothing really came of it, to be absolutely honest"

It is an explosive admission in a revelatory interview with interesting nuggets of information such as this: "With the advent of a Labour government in '97 I found myself in a strange position and that is that the prime minister's right-hand man was a close personal friend, Alastair Campbell, who had been political editor under me at the Mirror and a close friend of my wife's, so I suddenly found myself very close to 10 Downing Street.

"This was advantageous, because I could get inside information in my area, and it was advantageous because whenever stories broke about the media and its relationship with the prime minister, I could have the inside track."

Campbell for his part, speaking on The Pat Kenny Show earlier this month, said he always knew Greenslade was a supporter of a united Ireland but didn't know of his support for terrorism.

Still, it raises concerns around Greenslade's access to senior echelons of the British government, given he was at the same time an "intellectual supporter" (whatever that is) of the IRA.

DUP politician Gregory Campbell has written to the British Home Secretary to ask for an investigation into the activities of Greenslade.

Expand Close Journalist and commentator Roy Greenslade / Facebook

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Last Tuesday, after I called for a review of Greenslade's former editor Alan Rusbridger's position on the Future of Media Commission, the Taoiseach and Media Minister Catherine Martin agreed "on balance" Rusbridger should remain. This decision was communicated to me by email three hours after the Commission "unanimously supported" his position, presumably after accepting his explanation he knew nothing about the blog post Greenslade penned about me.

That they choose to believe him is a matter for them.

Numerous journalists had heard allegations for decades about Roy Greenslade's support for Irish republicanism - though Rusbridger states he hadn't a clue about Greenslade's support for the IRA. He didn't need to. What he should have done, given allegations made in the public domain about Greenslade's support for Sinn Fein, was appraise himself of the issue, and ensure there would be no conflict of interest in whatever Greenslade was writing on kindred matters.

There is enough evidence in the public domain to raise serious questions around lack of editorial oversight regarding Greenslade's Sinn Fein-related columns, particularly when he was using his position to malign people.

Greenslade's lack of disclosure on his column about me, as The Guardian has since stated, "was especially unfair to a vulnerable individual".

Rusbridger as editor (even if he didn't see it) was ultimately responsible for it appearing on The Guardian platform.

The Spectator's current associate editor, Douglas Murray, writing about allegations it carried in the year 2000 regarding Greenslade and others at The Guardian, stated that "Rusbridger reacted angrily to this, denouncing the piece, to the magazine's then editor Boris Johnson, and demanding an apology".

He also alleged that Rusbridger in 2000, "ran a newspaper editorial saying the accusations were 'half-baked gossip'".

In 2008, journalist Nick Davies revealed that Greenslade had written for An Phoblacht in the 1980s under a pseudonym, George King. Was Rusbridger aware, like everyone else, that An Phoblacht was not a boy-scouts pamphlet but an IRA-supporting paper.

Indeed, Greenslade was still writing the odd column for An Phoblacht - under his own name this time - while also writing at The Guardian under Rusbridger.

In 2013 Greenslade wrote about a republican parade in Castlederg, and the media's coverage of the event.

In the column, he refers to "IRA volunteers" and later in the same piece writes the parade in Castlederg was to "commemorate the deaths of volunteers who were killed 40 years ago on active service".

Was anyone at The Guardian aware of this?

Private Eye has since the 1990s referred to Greenslade as 'Roy of the Provos'.

The satirical magazine, which most in the media in Britain read, ran the following in November 2014: "Last month, BBC Northern Ireland ran an hour-long documentary on allegations by Mairia Cahill that a senior IRA man had abused and raped her in 1997 when she was 16 years old."

The column, which described Greenslade as a "devoted Sinn Fein fanboy", also, crucially, printed lines from The Guardian's code of conduct which stated: "It is always necessary to declare an interest when the journalist is writing about something with which he or she has a significant connection."

It pointed out Greenslade's significant connections to Sinn Fein, namely he had previously written for the "Provisional IRA's propaganda sheet" An Phoblacht, spoke at the Sinn Fein 2011 conference and stood surety for John Downey, who was at that stage accused of carrying out the Hyde Park bombing.

Surely this didn't escape The Guardian editor's notice?

We have yet to hear if Rusbridger was aware of the allegations about Greenslade in the public domain before 2014, and what he did about it, if so. If he didn't see the blog about me, who did?

Did The Guardian have editorial conferences? When an article such as this had created public controversy - resulting in angry newspaper and magazine columns and widespread social media activity, how come it didn't reach the editor's attention?

This is not how newspapers work - and Rusbridger knows this. At the first hint of disquiet about a piece associated with a publication, an editor is normally appraised. It is up to Rusbridger to explain why he was not, and why the checks and balances process usually in place for scenarios such as this broke down.

And, if it failed in this case, causing huge controversy six years later - how does the Commission, the Minister and the Taoiseach retain full confidence in the editor who was in charge at the time, even if he is now apologetic? Did Commission members examine these issues before issuing a statement of unanimous support? If not, why not?

The nature of journalism is the story; all hacks read what the opposition is writing about them, not just for vanity but because they don't want to leave themselves vulnerable to attack.

Most editors make it their business to read everything in connection with their publication. It is simply astonishing that the man whose paper based its reputation on investigative journalism, such as Wikileaks and Snowden, failed to spot what was being written about one of his journalists under his own nose.

Rusbridger has since said if he'd known then what he knows now, he would never have run the piece Greenslade wrote on me. The Guardian has since apologised - but crucially it is still in the process of concluding its response to my complaint. The saga has a way to run yet - the issue was raised in the Seanad last week and the Oireachtas media committee will write to Rusbridger.

I would imagine the Future of Media Commission's unanimous support will come back to haunt it.

Meanwhile, I am picking up the pieces of a traumatic week, as Greenslade's actions resulted in me answering deeply personal questions on the airwaves again - while he and Rusbridger declined all on-air interviews. It is a strange approach, given their previous publication lectured others on media transparency.

James Bond? More like a pair of pussies galore.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 12:42:25|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on March 6, 2021 shows citizens displaying China's national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in support of implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" at Tamar Park in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

"The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of 'supervision' over Hong Kong after the handover, and it has no so-called 'obligations' to Hong Kong citizens. No foreign country or organisation has the right to take the Joint Declaration as an excuse to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs," the spokesperson said.

LONDON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese side expresses its strong condemnation of and firm opposition to "groundless slanders at China" and blatant interference in China's internal affairs by some politicians, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Britain said Saturday.

Responding to a statement by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and another joint statement by the Group of Seven foreign ministers and the High Representative of the European Union, both on issues related to Hong Kong, the spokesperson said that the authority of China's National People's Congress's decision to improve the electoral system of Hong Kong "brooks no challenge."

"This decision was made by China's highest organ of state power," said the spokesperson, adding that it is in line with the provisions of the Constitution of China and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, conforms to universal practice, and constitutes a necessary step to uphold and improve the mechanisms of "one country, two systems."

Improving the electoral system in Hong Kong and implementing the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" will promote the sound development of the democratic system in Hong Kong, better safeguard the rights, interests and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens, and ensure the steady and sustained practice of "one country, two systems," said the spokesperson.

Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong, July 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

Moreover, the so-called "China breaches the Sino-British Joint Declaration" is a non issue, the spokesperson said, adding that the core content of the Joint Declaration is to ensure China resumes exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and its historical mission was completed at the handover.

"The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of 'supervision' over Hong Kong after the handover, and it has no so-called 'obligations' to Hong Kong citizens. No foreign country or organisation has the right to take the Joint Declaration as an excuse to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs," the spokesperson said.

China strongly opposes any external interference, said the spokesperson, adding that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China.

"How to design and improve its electoral system is purely China's internal affair and brooks no external interference," the spokesperson said.

The attempts of politicians from the relevant countries and groups, including Britain, to distort facts and impose unwarranted accusations on China will in no way change the judgement of the just force in the international community, said the spokesperson.

"China has the will, determination and capability to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests. We urge the relevant countries and groups, including the UK, to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs," said the spokesperson. 
Waterstones chief executive James Daunt said big retailers are 'acting in their own self-interest' by opposing an online tax  warning it is the last chance to save high streets.

In an impassioned plea for radical change, Daunt said an online sale tax would hit the likes of Amazon  but also cost his own company where online sales are rapidly growing.

He said shifting the tax burden away from shops would be for the 'greater good of society' and boost communities. But an online levy was also vital to help Chancellor Rishi Sunak pay off national debts, he added.

Big high street chains are lobbying against it through the British Retail Consortium.

'Self-interest': James Daunt believes shifting the tax burden away from shops would be for the 'greater good of society' and boost communities

Daunt said: 'An online sales tax would save tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of jobs.

'This just seems such a straightforward and immediately executable tax and I just don't understand why they don't just do it.

'The people who would gain are obviously physical retailers, but that is where the jobs are  really good jobs  flexible employment for the 16-year-old taking their first job, the part-time mum and the retired person keeping their hand in and doing four hours in the morning.

'It's a real mix and I can tell you that's not what you generally find in warehouses like ours, where the age range is much narrower, 21 to 35.'

Daunt dismissed suggestions that online prices would rise, saying internet retailing is highly competitive and prices easy to compare.

But he said, if that argument was true, then it would also mean prices in shops would fall, which would more likely benefit poorer shoppers who used local stores more than online stores.

Daunt added: 'I understand why my peers are against an online tax. It's pretty irritating to have built up an online operation, which is going so well, and then find it gets taxed. Particularly if you are closing shops and ever more concentrating on your online operation.

'Waterstones has invested a lot in online and it is going fantastically. If I argue from the narrow interests of Waterstones and its value as a business, I do not want an online sales tax.

'But, for goodness sake, we've already lost BHS and Debenhams and when you lose your Frasers or your M&S from places like Darlington or Altrincham, it leaves big physical holes in these places.

Waterstones has been making many sales online and the boss is against a new online sales tax

'In so many of the high streets where Waterstones operates we're sitting there with empty shops on the left and the right, often in quite prosperous places.

'But if you encourage businesses like Waterstones and M&S to keep their shops open, that would help the shops around them to keep going because of the footfall we help drive.

'The majority of the winners would be small independent retailers around them and opening up the high street again would encourage entrepreneurs.'

Daunt, who runs more than 280 shops, is negotiating with landlords in an effort keep a number of unprofitable stores open.

Few retailers have backed an online tax, but Daunt singled out Tesco as being 'on the side of the angels on this one' through its support.

'I think when Mr Sunak is contemplating all his new MPs across the Midlands, the North East and North West, I think he may actually tell Amazon and Waterstones: "Suck it up guys, we're making these changes, keep employing people in these communities."

'An online tax seems like a small price to pay for the greater good.'
Prince Harry arranged for flowers to be placed on Princess Diana's grave as a poignant tribute on Mother's Day.

Earlier today Prince William and Kate Middleton shared home-made cards from Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, addressed to their 'Granny Diana'.

A week after Harry joined wife Meghan Markle in a bombshell inteview with Oprah Winfrey, it was revealed he had arranged his own tribute to his mother, who died in 1997.

Princess Diana was buried on a private island within the grounds of her family's home in Althorp Park.

Flowers were laid at the site on behalf of Prince Harry, who now lives in the US and was just 12 when his mother died.

Prince Harry has arranged for flowers to be left at the grave of his mother, Princess Diana, while Prince William's children have written special cards for 'Granny Diana' on Mother's Day. The Princess of Wales is pictured with her two sons in 1995, two years before her death

Diana's brother, Lord Spencer, decided she should be buried on an island within the grounds of the stately home, stating it would: 'Act as a buffer against the interventions of the insane and ghoulish, the thick mud presenting a further line of defence.

'We all agreed that, with its beauty and tranquility, this was the place for Diana to be.'

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared their own tribute on Mother's Day, sharing cards on the Kensington Palace official Instagram account, with a sweet message encouraging those struggling with bereavement.

Noting this Mother's Day was 'different,' the Palace revealed Prince William, 38, and Kate Middleton's children write letters to their paternal grandmother each year on Mother's Day.

Harry's poignant Mother's Day tribute comes a week after he and Meghan Markle appeared on a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey

Princess Diana was buried on a private island within the grounds of her family's home in Althorp Park. Her brother, Lord Spencer said: 'We all agreed that, with its beauty and tranquility, this was the place for Diana to be'

The cards made by the Cambridge children were adorned with flowers, hearts and rabbits - with Princess Charlotte writing: 'Papa is missing you.'

Prince George, seven, and Princess Charlotte, five, wrote the letter themselves, while Prince Louis, who turns three in April, signed his name.

In a second post, the Duke of Cambridge shared a photograph of a very colourful cake made by his children for their mother, Kate Middleton, and a snap of Carole Middleton holding a young Kate's hand.

The caption read: 'Celebrating two other special mothers today. Made by George, Charlotte and Louis.'

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis made home-made cards addressed to their 'Granny Diana' to mark Mother's Day. Pictured, Princess Charlotte's card

Prince George, seven, and Princess Charlotte, five, wrote letter themselves, while Prince Louis, who turns three in April, signed his name

The cards were shared by the Kensington Palace official Instagram account (pictured, George's card)

Prince William with Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Harry on the day he joined Eton in September 1995

The Duke and Duchess with their three children Prince George (left), Princess Charlotte (right) and Prince Louis at Anmer Hall in Norfolk

The posts come just a week after Prince Harry discussed Megxit and claimed his biggest fear was that 'history would repeat itself,' and told Oprah Winfrey: 'For me, Im just really relieved and happy to be sitting here talking to you with my wife by my side because I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for her going through this process by herself all those years ago.

'It has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we have each other.'

When asked what his mother would think of Megxit, Prince Harry added: 'I think she would feel very angry with how this has panned out, and very sad. But, ultimately, she'd - all she'd ever want is for us to be happy.'

He continued: 'I think she saw it coming. And I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process.

'And, you know, for me, I'm just really relieved and happy to be sitting here talking to you with my wife by my side,' he added.

'Because I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for her going through this process by herself all those years ago, because it's been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we had each other.'

During the broadcast, Meghan Markle also accused Kate Middleton of making her cry in the bombshell tell-all Oprah Winfrey chat.

The cards made by the Cambridge children were adorned with flowers, hearts and rabbits. Pictured, card by Prince Louis

The drawings were shared alongside a sweet message encouraging those struggling with bereavement (pictured)

In a second post, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posted a photograph of a very colourful cake made by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis (pictured)

The Kensington Palace Instagram account also shared an adorable throwback snap of Carole Middleton with a young Kate Middleton (pictured)

The caption read: 'Celebrating two other special mothers today' (pictured)

Previously, it was believed it was Meghan who had made Kate cry during a row over bridesmaids' dresses.

In the touching post from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today, the eldest children, George and Charlotte, wrote letters saying how much they loved their grandmother, who died in 1997.

'Dear Granny Diana, Happy, happy mother's day. I love you very much and think of you always, sending lots of love from George,' one read.

In her own letter, made with pink paper and a rainbow heart, Princess Charlotte wrote: 'Dear Granny Diana, I am thinking of you on mother's day. I love you very much. Papa is missing you Lots of love, Charlotte.'

Another card in green was adorned with a colourful heart and signed 'Louis' in capital letters.

A post accompanying the cards read: 'This year Mothers Day will be different once again.

'Many of us will be apart from our loved ones, but looking forward to a time in the not too distant future when we can give our mother a hug again.

'But for those experiencing bereavement, today may be particularly challenging.

'Each year on Mothers Day, George, Charlotte and Louis make cards remembering their Granny, Diana, for William.

'Whatever your circumstances, we are thinking of you this Mothers Day,' it concluded.

New mum Princess Eugenie shared an adorable snap of her and husband Jack Brooksbank's son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank lying among a field of brightly coloured daffodils (pictured)

A second photograph showed Sarah Ferguson holding a young Princess Eugenie (pictured)

A caption alongside the photographs read: 'I'm so excited to be August's mum and as you can see I'm enjoying my first Mothers Day. I'm also celebrating my beautiful Mumma with this picture of us from March 1990. Youve taught me so much.  Happy Mothers Day to all'

The Royal Family has shared a touching photograph of a young Queen, then princess Elizabeth, smiling with her mother at Royal Lodge in Windsor during WWII to mark Mother's Day (pictured)

Alongside the sweet image, the caption read: 'To all Mums everywhere, we wish you a very special Mothers Day' (pictured)

Royal fans were quick to take to the comments section, with many saying it was a sweet way to honour the memory of Prince William and Prince Harry's mother.

'This is a beautiful way to honour Diana,' wrote one, while a second penned: 'This actually brought tears to my eyes....absolutely beautiful.'

A third added: 'Such a very sweeeett cards from The Cambs kiddos.'

Elsewhere, new mum Princess Eugenie took to Instagram and shared an adorable snap of her and husband Jack Brooksbank's son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank lying among a field of brightly coloured daffodils.

A second photograph taken in 1990 showed Sarah Ferguson holding a young Princess Eugenie, alongside a caption which read: 'I'm so excited to be August's mum and as you can see I'm enjoying my first Mothers Day.

'I'm also celebrating my beautiful Mumma with this picture of us from March 1990. Youve taught me so much.  Happy Mothers Day to all.'

The daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, 30, welcomed her first child, who is 11th in line to the throne, with Jack on February 9 at London's Portland Hospital.

Meanwhile, Sarah Ferguson shared a collage of several photographs of her mother Susan Barrantes, who died in 1998 - and also gave a subtle nod to her grandson, August.

She wrote: 'To my Mum, you are with me everyday and you would be so proud of your Great Grandson August. Thank you for all you taught me and the joy you showed me.'

The Prince of Waled shared a joyous picture of him and the Queen laughing at the Braemar Highland Games in Scotland in 2010 (pictured)

The Duchess of Cornwall honoured her late mother, Rosalind Shand, with a photograph which was taken of them both together in the 1990s

The official Clarence House Instagram account shared two images alongside a caption which wished everyone a Happy Mother's Day

Elsewhere, the Royal Family shared a touching photograph of a young Queen, then princess Elizabeth, smiling with her mother at Royal Lodge in Windsor during WWII.

Taking to Instagram, the official Royal Family account led tributes with the sweet snap which was taken a day before Her Majesty's fourteenth birthday, alongside a caption which read: 'To all Mums everywhere, we wish you a very special Mothers Day.'

The Prince of Wales, 72, also took to Clarence House's social media page and posted a photograph of him and his mother, Her Majesty, giggling together as they exchanged a joke during the Braemar Highland Games in Scotland in 2010.

Royal fans were quick to send their well-wishes to the Queen and her children on Mother's Day.

The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, 61, honoured the memory of her late mother Susan Barrantes, who died in 1998 - and also added a nod to her own daughter's son, August

Sarah, known as Fergie, celebrated her mother and told her she would be proud of her 'great-grandson August'

During the bombshell interview, Harry accused an unnamed member of his family of racism and said the lack of support he and his wife received from the other royals was behind their decision to quit the UK

Bombshells from the Oprah interview - Meghan's mental health The Duchess of Sussex revealed she had suicidal thoughts and said: 'I just didn't want to be alive any more.' She said she begged for help, and asked to go somewhere to get help, and approached one of the most senior people in the institution, but was told it would not look good. The duchess said: 'I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said that I've never felt this way before and I need to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution.' - Baby Sussex is a girl Harry and Meghan revealed they are expecting a baby girl. The duke joined his wife in the second half of the interview, and told the chat show host: 'It's a girl.' He said his first thought was 'amazing' when he discovered they were having a girl, adding: 'Just grateful. To have any child, any one or any two, would have been amazing. 'But to have a boy and then a girl, I mean what more can you ask for? Now we've got our family, we got the four of us and our two dogs.' Asked if they were 'done' with two children, Harry said 'done' and Meghan said: 'Two is it.' She also confirmed the baby is due in the 'summertime'. - Royal family accused of racism Meghan said, when she was pregnant with Archie, an unnamed member of the royal family raised 'concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born'. Asked whether there were concerns that her child would be 'too brown' and that would be a problem, Meghan said: 'If that is the assumption you are making, that is a pretty safe one.' Pushed by Winfrey on who had those conversations, Meghan refused to say, adding: 'I think that would be very damaging to them.' She added: 'That was relayed to me from Harry, those were conversations the family had with him, and I think it was really hard to be able to see those as compartmentalised conversations.' - Archie's title Meghan suggested she and Harry wanted Archie to be a prince so he would have security and be protected. The duchess expressed her shock at 'the idea of our son not being safe', and the idea of the first member of colour in this family, not being titled in the same way as other grandchildren. Archie, who is seventh in line to the throne, is not entitled to be an HRH or a prince due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by King George V. He will be entitled to be an HRH or a prince when the Prince of Wales accedes to the throne. As the first born son of a duke, Archie could have become Earl of Dumbarton - one of Harry's subsidiary titles - or have been Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, instead at the time of his birth, a royal source said Harry and Meghan had decided he should a regular Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. - The Prince of Wales The Duke of Sussex said his father the Prince of Wales stopped taking his calls while Harry and Meghan were in Canada 'because I took matters into my own hands. I needed to do this for my family'. He said Charles wanted him to put his plans in writing. - The Queen Harry denied that he had 'blindsided' his grandmother Queen with the bombshell statement about stepping down as senior royal. The duke said he believed the report probably could have come from 'within the institution'. - The Duchess of Cambridge Meghan said Kate made her cry ahead of her wedding. Reports circulated ahead of the Sussexes' nuptials that Meghan left Kate in tears at Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress fitting. But Meghan told Winfrey the 'reverse happened'. Meghan said she was not sharing the information to be 'disparaging', but added it was 'really important for people to understand the truth'. 'She's a good person,' the duchess added. Advertisement

'What a beautiful Photo. Happy Mother's Day,' wrote one, while a second penned: 'Two Elizabeths, two Queens.'

A third added: 'How adorable! Childhood memories.'

The Duchess of Cornwall, 73, also honoured the memory of her mother, the late Rosalind Shand, with a touching photograph which dates back to the 1990s.

It comes after a tumultuous week for the Royal Family following the bombshell interview of Prince Harry, 36 and Meghan Markle, 39, with US broadcaster Oprah Winfrey.

The Duke of Cambridge was the first royal to personally respond to the allegation during his first royal engagement since the Oprah interview on Thursday, as he also revealed that he has not spoken to his brother since it came out, but added that he 'will do'.

It was also the first engagement for Kate since she was accused by Meghan of making her cry in the bombshell tell-all chat.

Meghan said: 'She (Kate) was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised. And she brought me flowers'.

During the Oprah interview, Meghan also revealed details about their strained relationship, saying of pictures of them laughing at Wimbledon, 'Nothing is what it looks like.'

She added that Kate being called 'waity Katie' in the press couldn't compare to the alleged racism she faced.

Meghan also made allegations that she felt suicidal and turned to the palace for help.

The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah she 'couldn't be left alone' and told her husband she 'didn't want to be alive anymore' before claiming the Buckingham Palace HR department ignored her plea for help because she wasn't a 'paid employee'.

Describing how she considered ending her life believing it 'was better for everyone', Meghan said:

'I knew that if I didn't say it, that I would do it. I just didn't want to be alive anymore.

'And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. I remember how he just cradled me. I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help.

'I said that 'I've never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere'. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution'.

She said that after confiding in her husband, she was forced to go to the Royal Albert Hall for a charity event in January 2019, claiming photos from that night 'haunt me'.

She told Oprah she later reached out to one of the best friends of Diana, Princess of Wales, because she felt unsupported by the palace.

She said: 'When I joined that family, that was the last time I saw my passport, my driving licence, my keys - all of that gets turned over'.

Meghan said Harry had 'saved my life' by agreeing to move to Los Angeles.

During the broadcast, Prince Harry hinted at the extent of the alleged rift between the two brothers, claiming that their relationship was now space, but added he hoped time would be a healer.

He went on to claim he was 'on different paths' to William and spoke about his brother was 'trapped' in the Royal Family.

Harry also said he felt 'very let down' by his father Prince Charles, accusing him of refusing to take his calls and and then 'cut him off' financially when they emigrated.

He said: 'My father and brother. They're both trapped' and added that his mother Diana would be 'angry and sad' that he felt he had to leave the royal family, but 'she saw it coming'.

Harry said: 'All she'd ever want for us is to be happy', adding that his wife had 'saved me', declaring:

'I myself was trapped, as well. I didn't see a way out'.

The Queen broke her silence on the interview on Tuesday, voicing her 'concern' over the issues raised, 'particularly that of race', although the statement added that 'some recollections may vary'.

There has been much speculation about which member of the royal family they were accusing of racism.

But during the interview the couple would not be drawn on who had deeply offended them.

Harry said: That conversation, I am never going to share. At the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked.
Every year, Pi Day () is observed on March 14 across the world to recognise the mathematical constant. Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 based on its approximate value - 3.14, which is written in the format of month/day (3/14). Pi Day is celebrated with various mathematic quizzes and competition which help students to stand out in the exams. Let's explore Pi Day history, Pi Day facts and why is Pi Day celebrated.

Also Read: 20 Interesting and Amazing Facts About Maths
In his humane and cultured new book, Value(s), Mark Carney recounts an incident on his arrival at the Bank of England as governor, about bank notes.

Winston Churchill had just been chosen to replace Elizabeth Fry, the prison reformer, on the fiver. This meant there would be no women honoured on our currency, with the exception of the Queen.

After representations from the campaigner Caroline Criado Perez, Carney had assembled a team of Bank experts to select a suitable woman to replace Charles Darwin on the 10 note. He assumed this would be straightforward, so what happened next took him aback.

Out of touch?: Regulators need to behave like watchdogs, not ostriches

'I was told triumphantly that the Bank couldn't be legally found to have discriminated because the characters on the notes were chosen from the deceased and 'you cannot discriminate against dead people'.

'Leaving aside the dubious legal merits of this interpretation of the European Human Rights Act,' he added drily, 'many of my colleagues and I felt this rather missed the point.' Quite. The experts were not concerned that our currency should reflect the diversity of the British people and honour outstanding women as well as men. Their preoccupation was to deflect any possible blame from the Old Lady.

Fortunately, in this case, Carney and other wise heads prevailed, and Jane Austen duly appeared on the 10 note.

In the context of the recent crises and scandals, some will find this a trivial episode. But it struck me forcibly because I have frequently encountered a similar attitude from City institutions and regulators. All too often the most appalling failures are met with a 'can't-do' mentality. Investigations are bogged down in legalities and procedures.

Instead of straining to protect the public, the regulators appear more concerned with protecting themselves. The irony is their narrow mindset makes it certain they will be criticised. Rightly so, because their priorities are upside down.

We are seeing this yet again in the case of Greensill Capital. That company avoided almost all oversight despite dealing in billions of pounds worth of supplier finance, despite multiple warning signs, and despite the fact its fate is inextricably bound up with one of the UK's biggest steel producers with 5,000 UK jobs at risk.

The Financial Conduct Authority was not responsible for Greensill because lending to businesses is not regulated. Part of its activities were overseen by a US firm called ACA Mirabella under a system where regulation is outsourced to an 'appointed representative'. This is absurd. The FCA should have been alive to the dangers presented by Greensill and found a way to do something about it. The same applies to the bond scandal at London Capital & Finance.

Mark Carney's anecdote about women on bank notes is the perfect distillation of the defensive culture the Bank and the regulators need to leave behind. There are signs it is improving, thanks in no small part to Carney himself who worked hard, among other things, to broaden the purview of financial stability to include climate change.

At the FCA, however, evolution is not happening fast enough. Financial innovation is racing ahead at an explosive rate as are fraudsters and charlatans.

It is not good enough for regulators to take a jobsworth line on scandal and injustice with arguments that they can't possibly breach their own arbitrary perimeter walls. They need to behave like watchdogs, not ostriches.
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Crime drama Bloodlands is to return for a second series after a record-breaking drama launch for the BBC in Northern Ireland, it was revealed tonight.

HTM Televisions ratings-hit, starring James Nesbitt, launched with an average of 8.2 million viewers last month, making it the biggest new BBC drama launch since last June.

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And in Northern Ireland, where the series is set and filmed, the premiere episode had a 52% consolidated audience share (live and time-shifted viewing), setting it apart as the highest BBC drama to launch locally on record.

Following this success, a second series has been commissioned from writer Chris Brandon, who made his drama debut with Bloodlands.

Tonights announcement comes immediately after the BBC1 Irish-noir drama, concluded. Series one kept viewers hooked for the past four weeks and shocked audiences with revelations about the complex character of DCI Tom Brannick and what his future might entail.

The cat-and-mouse thriller is rooted in Northern Ireland and filming will take place once again in Belfast and the surrounding areas, including Strangford Lough. This is the latest commission to be announced as part of the BBC and Northern Ireland Screen Partnership Agreement. The successful partnership, which is soon to be renewed for its third term, continues to support the screen industry in Northern Ireland and help ensure that content filmed and set in Northern Ireland is brought to audiences across the UK and internationally.

Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, said the critically acclaimed series had proved to be a huge hit with Northern Irish viewers and audiences throughout the UK.

Weve been overwhelmed by the audience response to Bloodlands and are thrilled to announce that the series is returning, he said.

Chris scripts shine a light on to tensions in Northern Ireland, both historic and present day, and its a testament to his skills as a dramatist, to a virtuoso performance from Jimmy Nesbitt and the care taken by all at HTM Television, that the series has been so beloved by audiences in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK.

The drama also had the golden touch of Line of Dutys creator Jed Mercurio, executive producer of HTM Television.

He said: Everyone at HTM Television is thrilled our debut production has been recommissioned. Its a tribute to the quality of Chris Brandons writing, the hard work of our crew and the brilliant performance of our cast led by James Nesbitt.

Were grateful for the outstanding support weve received from the BBC and Northern Ireland Screen and cant wait to reward Bloodlands fans with another twisty case for Brannick and co.

Nesbitt, whose lead performance was praised by viewers and television critics, added: Im thrilled that viewers responded to Bloodlands so positively and that we will be returning for a second series. Im always happy to be back in Northern Ireland and to reveal even more about Tom Brannick.

Writer, Chris Brandon, said he was delighted that Brannicks story would continue with a new series of Bloodlands.

It has been phenomenal to get such a positive response to James Nesbitts astounding performance, and the excellent work of his fellow cast and crew, he said.

What a privilege to begin another adventure with HTM Television and the BBC, in Northern Ireland - I cant wait.

Richard Williams, chief executive, Northern Ireland Screen, said it was a source of pride for the industry here, that millions of viewers across the UK had tuned into the locally made drama.
She knows how to have a good time.

And Farrah Abraham made the best of the sunny weather as she soaked up the sun in a barely-there bikini while combing the beach in Miami on Saturday afternoon.

The former Teen Mom star looked completely at ease as she played in the waves while enjoying a day to herself after attending an event at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

Soaking up the sun! Farrah Abraham was spotted stepping into the waves at a Miami beach on Saturday afternoon after attending a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago the day before

Abraham showed off her incredible figure in a unique ruffled bikini top which criss-crossed across the top.

The 29-year-old paired her triangle top with matching bottoms that emphasized her curvy hips and toned legs.

She kept her lengthy dyed blonde hair in natural waves which cascaded down her back as she played in the water.

Abraham kept her accessories simple and opted for a single bracelet cuffed around her right arm.

Showing it off: The reality television personality showed off her beach body in a revealing gray-green bikini while enjoying the coastal weather

Letting it flow: The former Teen Mom cast member's dyed blonde hair was on full view as she played in the cool ocean water

The former MTV star's beach trip occurred a day after she attended a fundraising event at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort that featured little to no social distancing from its attendees.

The reality television star posted a video to her Instagram account on Sunday morning to share her memories from Friday's fundraiser; she also took her daughter Sophia, aged 12, along with her to the event.

Abraham was first seen walking into the resort with her daughter and one of their dogs, and she remarked that they were 'excited' for the fundraiser to begin.

She was then seen in the middle of a large crowd that had gathered to take a video of the former president, who notably wore a hat bearing the Make America Great Again slogan.

During the event, the businessman notably hinted that his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, would soon run for political office.

Not taking precautions: On Friday, Abraham attended a fundraiser at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort; none of the attendees were seen following social distancing protocols during the event

Although many of the guests were seen wearing facial coverings, social distancing protocols were not being followed.

The television personality was then escorted to her table, where she caught a quick video of her pooch eating off her plate.

Abraham also wrote a long message in the post's caption to express her views about the event.

She began her message by thanking 'the leaders, talents, military, security, sponsors & more who truly showed care for many eye opening sectors that are breaking cycles of systemic injustices and saving lives.'

Getting a flick: The reality television personality took a video where she caught a glimpse of the former president, who hinted that his daughter-in-law Lara would be running for political office in the near future

The former Ex On The Beach cast member noted that the event, which took place just after International Women's Day, was an inspiration to her child.

'Showing this to my daughter meant the world; Woman remember men who lift them up, treat them equal, inspire their day, show support, and impact other men to treat women with equality,' she said.

Abraham then wrote that she was 'very proud of #donaldtrump president, author,global business man, granddad, and every other title he holds.'

The television personality concluded her message by writing that the fundraiser had 'brightened our year as we all get back to enhancing our lives and others moving past Covid restrictions.'

Happy mom: In her post's caption, the musician wrote that taking her daughter Sophia to the event, which took place just after International Women's Day, 'meant the world' to her
Press Release

March 14, 2021 De Lima hits Duterte government's ineptitude amid continued rise of COVID-19 infections Nearly a year since President Rodrigo Duterte declared the first pandemic lockdown in the Philippines, Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has expressed alarm over the continued rise of COVID-19 infections in the country brought about by the detection of more infectious variants of the virus, such as the South Africa (B1351) and United Kingdom (B117) variants. De Lima, a staunch social justice and human rights champion, lamented how it appears that the Duterte administration has no concrete plans yet beyond reopening the economy amid the alarming situation. "As number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise each day and the capacity of hospitals reach seriously critical levels again roughly one year since the Duterte administration imposed the world's longest lockdown, Duterte admitted that he is still in a 'quandary' on what to do about the current situation," she said. "This pandemic has adversely affected our countrymen, but what has worsened the situation is Duterte's ineptitude and failure of leadership. We have been seeking solutions and plans but all we've got so far are excuses, attacks on critics and politicking," she added. Reportedly, the Philippines now has 616,611 COVID-19 cases after the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 5,000 new infections as of March 13. The total number of active cases now reaches 56, 679. It may be recalled that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a COVID-19 pandemic last March 11, 2020 and it would have been a year since Duterte declared the first pandemic lockdown in the country on March 15. Despite the rise of infections, Duterte, in his speech last March 11, said that he "has to reopen the economy in a timetable of just weeks" because they cannot "forever be in the strict protocols." "Kung makita ko na umabot na ng milyon ang vaccinated, probably, especially around towns and big cities, okay na. But hanggang ngayon I am in a quandary of what to do," Duterte was quoted to have said. "I have nothing against saving our economy, but it is important to strike a balance between protecting the economy and protecting people's health. You cannot value one and ignore the other. It's non-negotiable," she said. "Ang malala: ang lakas pa ng loob ng Malacanang na sabihing mahusay ang naging pagtugon nila sa pandemya at nakontrol na raw nila ang pagkalat ng sakit. Mapapailing ka na lang talaga sa tindi ng pagsisinungaling at panlilinlang ng gobyernong ito kahit halatang-halata ang kapalpakan nila," De Lima stressed. For now, De Lima said that the only thing clear is the fact that Duterte and his government have miserably failed to manage COVID-19, stressing that their lack of foresight and comprehensive plans ultimately exacerbated the crisis. "I feel that in order to divert people's attention from his ineptitude and misgovernance, Duterte is obsessing on his government's anti-insurgency campaign and its resultant bloodbath. Why can't he just focus on the pandemic and the economy? Wala ba siyang alam kundi maghasik ng kalituhan at karahasan?" De Lima said. As early as Jan. 31, 2020, the WHO already declared a global emergency after the virus spread to more than a dozen countries, including the Philippines. But instead of seriously taking early precautions and laying out clear plans to address the threat, Duterte downplayed the issue by saying "that everything is well in the country and that there's nothing really to be extra scared of the coronavirus thing."
The early Sunday morning announcement that the roll out of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 is being put on temporary hold here will cause concern.

However, it is important to point out that it is a precautionary move. Good vigilance means these tough decisions must be taken.

The worry surrounds the association of blood clots in a number of people who got the vaccine.

There is no evidence that the vaccine caused the blood clots and the cases are under investigation by the European Medicines Agency.

Around 117,000 doses of the vaccine were administered here so far.

Q: What has led to the decision to temporarily put the administration of the vaccine on hold?

A: It was recommended by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), who are the experts overseeing the vaccine roll out here. It followed information from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four reports of serious blood clotting events in adults after getting the vaccine.

The three health workers, all aged under 50, in Norway were treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and low count of blood platelets. Health experts said they had "unusual " symptoms They were quite sick. The health officials in Norway say they do not know if there is a link with the vaccine.

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Q: Is this the first time reports of blood clots in people who got the vaccine has happened?

A: No .The issue came to light last week the European Medicines Agency (EMA)met in emergency session.

The EMA said 30 cases of thromboembolic events or blood clots had been reported among 5 million people Denmark, Norway and Iceland temporarily suspended roll out of the vaccine last week. Austria was first to report a case involving a death from coagulation disorders and an illness from a blood clot.

Denmark suspended it for two weeks after a 60 year old woman was given a vaccine from the same batch used in Austria .She formed a blood clot and died.

Their response led to reports of possible serious side effects in other European countries.

Norway described it as a cautionary decision. Iceland is awaiting the results of a full investigation by the EMA. Italys health authority said it was banning the use of the suspect batch after being notified of some serious adverse effects, but stressed the move was precautionary and no link had been established with the vaccine.

Q: What have investigations found so far?

A: It seems that there is no evidence of a higher rate of blood clots in people who got the vaccine. They number reported so far do not exceed what would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population. More than 11m doses have been administered in the UK and it has not reported any higher than normal rate of blood clots.

Phil Bryan, head of the UK medicines regulatory agency MHRA, said reports of blood clots so far didnt exceed what would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population. Available evidence does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause, he said

Q: Have any cases been reported in Ireland?

A: Nearly 110,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered here up to the middle of last week. The Medicines watchdog , the Health Products Regulatory Authority, said it has received a small number of reports associated with blood clots following vaccination with AstraZeneca vaccine

However it said "the nature of the reports has not raised concern. These reports have been

sent to the EMA and will form part of the investigation. The HPRA said Ireland was among 17 countries which received the same batch which led to a suspension of the vaccine in Austria. It was administered to people here in the second half of February.

Q: Are the cases associated to a particular batch?

A: No. Last week it was thought a particular batch was involved but it has now widened to other batches.

Q When are we expected to get the results of the EMA investigation?

A: It should be completed at the end of the week.

Q: Will the roll out of the AstraZeneca vaccine be put on hold until then?

A: Yes. It was planned to vaccinate more healthcare workers and people at high risk of Covid-19 due to underlying illness with AstraZeneca vaccine this week.That will now be temporarily halted. The decision does not affect the roll out to the over 70s who receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Q: Who has received the vaccine so far?

A: It is mostly healthcare workers and the first number of people with underlying illness at high risk from Covid-19.

Q: What does this mean for people who have got their first dose and are awaiting their second?

A: If you have already received the first dose, as it stands there is no delay in getting the second. The first doses were administered in February. The NIAC last week endorsed a 12 week gap in doses for all age groups including the over 65s. It is found to be more effective with the longer gap.

Q: What are the symptoms of a blood clot?

A: The National Immunisation Advisory Committee said in the rare event that someone who has received the Covid-19 AstraZeneca feels increasingly unwell more than three days after vaccination, and/or who notices larger or smaller blue spots in the skin (purpuric, non-blanching rash, skin haemorrhages) they should consult their doctor or out-of-hours medical service.

General symptoms include a throbbing or cramping pain, swelling, redness and warmth in a leg or arm. Others include sudden breathlessness, sharp chest pain and a cough or coughing up blood. Blood clots can be life threatening if not treated quickly.

Q Is this an over-reaction?

A: No. It is good surveillance. The vaccines have only started to be administered in recent months so it is prudent to put a temporary pause if their are concerns. If the EMA investigation gives the all clear than gives confidence to people getting the vaccine. The risk of such a pause it that it can lead to uncertainty. But people should remember that Covid-19 is a killer disease .

Q: What has AstraZeneca said on the decision?

A: In a statement, an AstraZeneca spokesperson said: An analysis of our safety data that covers reported cases from more than 17 million doses of vaccine administered has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia with Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

"In fact, the reported numbers of these types of events for Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca are not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population.

In clinical trials, no trends or patterns were observed with regard to pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, or events possibly related to thrombocytopenia. A careful review of all available safety data including these events is ongoing and AstraZeneca is committed to sharing information without delay. We also note that the European Medicine Agency (EMA) has asked for an assessment of events related to thrombocytopenia from other Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers (per communication 11 March).

Q: What are the outcomes of vaccines so far?

A: They have proved very effective in reducing infection, illness and death from Covid-19.The biggest problem is supply and the fact we don't have enough to meet demand. A reduction in cases in the community combined with widespread vaccination is out way out of the draconian restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland

Q: Will the roll out of other vaccines continue?

A: Yes.The Pfizer vaccine, which is the most plentiful, along with Moderna will continue to be rolled out. The first batches of the recently approved Johnson and Johnson vaccine will arrive next month.
Marcus Cannon is heading back to Texas.

The Patriots traded the tackle to Houston on Sunday afternoon, according to the Boston Globes Jim McBride. The teams will swap picks in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds. Cannon grew up in Odessa and spent his college years at TCU.

Its impressive that the Patriots got a return for Cannon, as the highly-paid veteran was a likely salary cap casualty  especially with Trent Brown back in the fold.

By dealing Cannon, New England saves over $7 million in salary cap space. The soon-to-be 33-year-old opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, and rookies Michael Onwenu and Justin Herron played well in his absence.

With Cannon gone to Houston, heres what the offensive line could look like come Week 1:

LT: Isaiah Wynn

LG: Michael Onwenu

C: David Andrews*

RG: Shaq Mason

RT: Trent Brown

Swing T: Justin Herron

*Andrews is set to hit free agency next week, but itd be a wise move to keep the captain in the fold.

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Patriots re-sign Cam Newton: Doubling down on a failed experiment isnt the answer | Matt Vautour
Child killer Ian Huntley has received a Covid vaccination in prison ahead of millions of law-abiding people his age and older.

The 47-year-old, who killed ten-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire in 2002, had the first of his AstraZeneca vaccines at HMP Frankland, in County Durham, The Sun reports.

His vaccination comes as millions of others, including prison staff around him, wait to fit the criteria for the jab while priority is given to over-55s, healthcare workers and people at high risk from coronavirus.

Convicted murderer Ian Huntley, 47, (pictured in 2002) has received his first AstraZeneca Covid vaccination ahead of millions of people waiting to meet the criteria which currently gives priority to over-55s, healthcare workers and people at high risk from coronavirus

Holly Wells (left) and Jessica Chapman (right) went missing from a family barbecue in August 2002 and after an extensive search their bodies were discovered dumped in a ditch in Suffolk after Huntley lured the pair into his house and murdered them

A source said Huntley has an underlying condition that very few people are aware of.

They said: 'As seems to be the way in this country, we appear to be bending over backwards to ensure criminals are looked after.'

Expressing outrage at Huntley's vaccination, the Centre of Crime Prevention's David Spencer said: 'How can it possibly be right that a man convicted of two child murders is being prioritised ahead of older and vulnerable citizens?'

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed all prisoners are being given vaccines as per the government's priority group guidelines.

What were the Soham murders? In August 2002, two ten-year-old girls named Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were lured into the home of Ian Huntley in Soham, Cambs. While at a family barbecue, the girls left the house without letting anyone know and never returned. Huntley murdered the young girls before disposing of their bodies in a ditch close to RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk. Their bodies were found 13 days after they were reported missing. Huntley was convicted of the murder of both girl in December 2003 and sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment. His girlfriend Maxine Carr, who provided him with a false alibi, was also handed a three-and-a-half year sentence for perverting the court of justice. Advertisement

In a statement, shared on Sky News, the department said: 'Prisoners are being vaccinated in line with the priority groups set out by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) - no further, no faster than the general public.

Huntley's victims Holly and Jessica went missing from a family barbecue in the Cambridgeshire village of Soham on August 4, 2002.

He had lured the girls to his house and murdered them before dumping their bodies in a remote ditch.

He was a caretaker at the local Soham Village College, was arrested after the girls' bodies were discovered 13 days later.

The news of his vaccination comes as it was reported in January that Milly Dowler's killer Levi Bellfield had been offered the Covid jab at his high-security prison.

Bellfield, 52, was found guilty of the murder of 13-year-old Milly in 2011.

He was also convicted of the murders of French student Amelie Delagrange, 22, in 2004, and Marsha McDonnell, 19, in 2003.

Similarly, serial killer Rose West and paedophile pop star Gary Glitter are also believed to have received the Covid vaccine.

In November 2019, Huntley was placed in solitary confinement after he attacked a prison officer.

He swore at a prison officer and was hauled before staff for an adjudication hearing, which ended in Huntley kicking another guard and being put into solitary.

The killer has also lost his 20-a-week painting job, his favourite fish and chip dinners and the right to watch TV, sources told The Sun.
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
NEW YORK, March 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Psychic Reading Services by Renowned and Trustworthy Experts. Most Accurate Psychic Readings Online: 100% Free Readings from the Best Psychics, Counting Down the Best Online Psychic Reading Services Online By Psychic-Experts.Com

Psychics have been around since the dawn of ancient civilizations. However, since then the term and what it entails has seen development and alterations. The Egyptian and African communities were firm believers in the special members of the society that possessed psychic powers. In fact, historians believe that many of the tools used by modern-day psychics were also in common among early clairvoyants and the gifted members.



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The Best Psychic Reading Sites For Accurate Readings In 2021:

Kasamba  Best Love Psychics for advice on love & relationships (3 First Minutes Free + 70% off for first reading session)

Keen  Online Psychic Reading Services To Guide You Through Life's Important Questions. (SPECIAL OFFER: 10 MINUTES FOR $1.99)

Psychic Source  Accurate Readings To Answer Those Burning Questions Regarding Past, Present, And Future. (As low as $1.00 Per Minute + 3 First Minutes Free)

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Mediums: Psychics online are available on live chat, Email and Phone Famous Facilities: Kasamba provides readings using tools like Tarots online and astrology materials. In addition to this, readings regarding Career Path and Love life are also available.

Current Offer: First three minutes of a session is always free when one is searching for an advisor. One will also receive 70% off on the first reading that they receive.

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Kasamba has provided nearly three million readings to date, with more than 20 years of involvement in the psychic reading background. Kasamba has an application where people can get answers to their questions from psychics whom they wish to choose.

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Being an exceptional company, it houses different types of psychics that specialize in different fields. The website offers readings or predictions about several aspects of a customer's life. The interface of the online platform of this company is directed towards creating a seamless user experience. An individual can look up details regarding each advisor conveniently present on the labels displayed on the website. Each advisor label contains the name, image, price and methods that are used by the advisor on the platform.

The platform also has the unique feature of sending email reminders to a client about their sessions. One will also be able to receive readings through an email. As mentioned, the advisor labels on the platform also contain the years for which they have been working as well as the number of reviews or stars that other users have given to them.

The platform houses fortune tellers, astrologers, live psychics, love psychics and chat psychics. They even offer readings that will provide insight into one's dreams. The advisors on the platform can also provide insight into one's future to help them find the right career. In addition to this, one will also be able to find out their horoscopes daily through the Horoscope corner present on the homepage of the website.

The psychics on here can also take up appointments. Therefore, one can receive an online reading at their own convenience and according to their schedule. One can attain the guidance they require through phone calls, video calls and other mediums here as well.

It that a client will always find a suitable psychic through their filter system. This filter asks a client to set the preferred price limit, type of advisor, type of reading and more. Thus, one will be able to easily find the advisor that they wish to find on Kasamba. The psychics also use several tools like tarot cards, tea leaves and others to provide a seeker with the right answers.

Kasamba possesses fortune tellers, astrologers, live psychics, love psychics and chat psychics. They even offer readings that will provide insight into one's dreams. The advisors can also provide insight into one's future to help them find the right career.

The psychics on Kasamba can also take up appointments. Therefore, one can receive an online reading at their own convenience and according to their schedule. Scheduling of appointments takes place on the website itself. one can directly reach out to an advisor. The site also offers the option of remaining anonymous to protect oneself from fraud.

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Keen Psychic - Best for Love Readings

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Methods of communication: Psychic reading on phone or chat.

Resources: Keen offers love Tarot Readings, Pet psychics, as well as provide guidance on certain life questions.

Offers available: One will be able to book a reading for 10 minutes for just under $2.

Keen psychic has been around for about twenty years and prides themselves on providing authentic readings. Keen Psychic is known for its varied services. For example, the website houses love psychics who conduct sessions using tarot cards. One will receive advice on their relationships through these cards. Keen Psychic also offers its services to carry out aura readings, numerology readings and house call psychics, chat psychics as well.

The ability of a client to find an advisor online is extremely convenient. Instead of searching "Psychic Near Me" they can just find the Keen Psychic website. In addition to this, the website possesses a very short sign-in process after which one will be able to instantly find the psychic they desire. Therefore, one need not travel for a long time or change their usual routine just to make it to appointments.

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The sign-in process requires one to disclose certain personal information. But the website promises that this is safe due to the privacy policy that is put in place. Keen Psychic asks clients to make their payments through keen dollars. These dollars act like store credit. That is, after making an account they will have to deposit a base amount of money into their Keen accounts. This money will then be converted into keen dollars. After doing so, one can directly like this account to their profiles. Therefore, the account automatically releases money to an advisor after conducting a session.

Pet psychics help the people who have lost a pet and are looking to make a connection with them in the afterlife. These kinds of psychics specialise in creating a safe environment for the pet to be able to communicate with their owners.

In case a client is unhappy with the services they received they can also cancel the payment that went to the advisor. However, this process has to be set in motion within 72 hours of the payment so that Keen Psychic can refund the client.

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Type of readings: Phone psychics, chat psychics as well as video call.

Specialties: Readings pertaining to one's love life, career advice and energy healing. Readings are done through tools like Tarot cards. Assistance is given to the individuals going through loss and are grieving.

Special Offer: The first three minutes of the first session with a new psychic is free. One will also receive 75% off.

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The psychic source is known for the several discounts that they offer on their website. The most recent discount is the 75% off on the first session. This discount was brought into effect in order to encourage new individuals to use their services.

Psychic Source can offer readings to help a person through some trying or indecisive times. The special characteristic of this website is the Energy Healing program that they offer. The energy experts who are available on the site firmly believe that the type of energy a person possesses determines the mood of a person currently. Therefore, in order to; live a happy life, one must align their energies. The alignment usually occurs with their surroundings or the universe.

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The psychic source contains an intensive process to help its users find a psychic. The process begins through the Find My Psychic tool. This tool is an interactive poll. A user will have to answer three to four questions after which they will receive a list of psychics from which they can choose. The questions pertain to the type of reading they want. The options to this question involve choosing from a range of advisors. This range extends from mainstream psychics to specialist clairvoyants and tarot psychics and more. Even clairaudients are available on the website. There are Empaths present on the platform as well. They help a person make peace with certain emotions. The next question asks about the type of answer a client requires. That is if it is about a relationship, people who have passed on or just a general reading.

This platform is great as it easily tackles the problems of bots or malware through a verification process. This process requires its users to verify their identity by clicking on a link that comes in a mail from the website. After doing so, the user will be redirected to the website and can finally begin their sessions. These sessions will involve psychic reading by phone or chat.

Almost all the users enjoy this platform as it easily helps them to navigate through the various web pages and doesn't confuse them with various other things that are not required. Since the interface is easy to comprehend, the people do not have any difficulty in tackling any issues on the website. Therefore, it is something that almost all users enjoy to surf.

The app interface is intuitive and extremely easy to navigate. This is a good feature for the lesser tech-savvy individuals looking to avail the benefits of this platform. The measures that Psychic source takes to provide security to its customers. The first measure is the verification process that is carried out to sign in to the website or to make an account. After doing so, the strict privacy policy protects the client's bank details. Therefore, there is no chance of an unwanted third party receiving one's credit card details and so on. In addition to this, all pages containing sensitive information are protected by a heavily encrypted software.

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Participating in psychic readings online can be potentially dangerous if one does not take the correct precautionary measures. A person should do extensive research regarding the website as well as advisors that they talk to. This is because a psychic will require one to disclose personal information that may be sensitive. Therefore, a client should be confident in the advisor.

One should ensure that no advisor gets their bank details, budget details and more. In fact, any questions from the advisor regarding irrelevant information should be reported to the website. The website will then handle it accordingly. In addition to this, one should make sure that every advisor is cordial and helpful. They should look to provide as much advice as they can in the stipulated time. In case, they intentionally drag on for too long and refrain from giving actual advice, then it is advisable to stop the sessions with this advisor.

Once a client does report an advisor to the forum present on the website, they will be able to avail the benefits of a cashback policy.

About Psychic-Experts.com

As mentioned before, finding a genuine psychic online is hard to do. Therefore, the Psychic Experts website does it free of cost. The reviews presented by the website are insightful and will help an individual find the answers they require through genuine psychics. Psychic Experts look to find psychic websites that do not fleece their audience but rather provide 100% customer satisfaction. They also look to find websites that are safe and secure. Therefore, Psychic Experts.com leaves no stone unturned when it comes to finding authentic psychic services.

SOURCE Psychic Experts

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday updated its guidance for childcare programs during the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of mask-wearing for everyone 2 years of age and older, as well as air ventilation and other strategies.

"Early last year, CDC released initial guidance for childcare programs during Covid-19. As we learn more about the virus, CDC experts updated that guidance several times throughout 2020," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing on Friday.

"Today, CDC is again releasing updated guidance based on the most recent science," Walensky said. "That science includes additional evidence showing that, when used consistently and correctly, prevention strategies such as mask-wearing, staying home when sick, and good hand hygiene can allow childcare programs to operate safely and reduce the spread of Covid-19."

The guidance also calls vaccines "an important tool" to help stop the pandemic.

"I also want to stress that our childcare guidance emphasizes the importance of Covid-19 vaccination as an additional layer of prevention for childcare workers," Walensky said. "I strongly encourage America's childcare workers to get vaccinated."

Last week, the US Department of Health and Human Services directed Covid-19 vaccine providers to make vaccine doses available to education and childcare workers.

The childcare guidance, updated on the CDC's website on Friday, notes that "even after childcare providers and staff are vaccinated, there will be a need to continue prevention measures for the foreseeable future, including wearing masks, physical distancing and other important prevention strategies outlined in this guidance document."

The guidance recommends that everyone in a childcare setting 2 years of age and older should wear a mask, except when eating or sleeping. Masks should not be a substitute for physical distancing, and CDC does not recommend face shields or goggles as a substitute for masks.

The guidance "also highlights strategies such as cohorting, where groups of children are kept together with the same peers and staff to reduce the risk of spread throughout the program," Walensky said.

The guidance also recommends increasing air ventilation by opening doors and windows when safe to do so, and it provides recommendations on how to adapt settings for children with disabilities and special needs, as well as ways to make communal spaces, eating areas and play areas safer during the pandemic.

The $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill that President Joe Biden signed into law on Thursday includes funding for childcare programs, which can applied to implementing the recommended Covid-19 safety measures, Walensky said during Friday's briefing.

"The American Rescue Plan, signed by the President yesterday, includes $24 billion in emergency funding to help support childcare providers," she said. "This funding can be used to pay for rent, utilities and staff, but also to help childcare providers implement Covid-19 prevention strategies."

The updated guidance for childcare programs comes about a month after the CDC previously released guidelines for reopening schools, focusing on five key Covid-19 mitigation strategies: the universal and correct wearing of masks; physical distancing; washing hands; cleaning facilities and improving ventilation; and contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.

Vaccines and testing were not among the "key" strategies the agency laid out. The guidance instead called them "additional layers" of Covid-19 prevention.

When it comes to childcare programs, the CDC's newly updated guidance "includes strategies that childcare programs can use to maintain healthy environments and operations, to lower the risk of Covid-19 clusters in their programs, to prepare for when someone is sick with Covid-19, and to support coping and resilience for their staff and children and parents they serve," Walensky said.

"This updated guidance is intended for all types of childcare providers including childcare centers, family childcare homes, Head Start programs and pre-kindergarten programs -- and is meant to supplement, not to replace, other laws, rules or regulations that childcare programs must follow," Walensky said. "Recognizing that guidance can sometimes be complex. We are also releasing a suite of complimentary resources, infographics and toolkits to help programs with implementation."
A male was shot multiple times and killed Saturday afternoon in the Gert Town area, New Orleans police said.

Police reported the shooting at about 1:25 p.m. in the 4600 block of Washington Avenue, between Clio Street and near South Norman C. Francis Parkway. The victim was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Police Department did not immediately release other details.
Greenwich and Stamford have been shamed in legislative public hearings in recent weeks by state Rep. Harry Arora and state Rep. Kim Fiorello.

Each took steps to drive down public participation, sidestep the rules and delay the proceedings. Aroras conduct was so bad that a broad coalition of groups representing people of color condemned his actions on the Labor and Public Employee Committee and demanded an apology. Both representatives lost sight that the point of a public hearing is for the public to present their views and for legislators to learn from them and make informed decisions. Arora missed the opportunity to be educated on issues that were not his lived experience and he acted to silence contrary views. Fiorellos actions granted an outside party priority over others in the queue by ceding her time, and then orchestrating her partys control over the narrative by having the individual testify for more than an hour, while other witnesses were limited to three minutes.

Rep. Arora

Prior to the Feb. 9 Labor and Public Employees hearing, Rep. Arora invited his followers on Facebook to attend, stating that Its going to be a long day. Ill make it fun. True to his word, he attempted to dominate the entire public hearing, crowding out the public voices, repeatedly overriding and ignoring leadership requests to stay on topic and respect the time of the scores of speakers who signed up to speak. Arora greatly extended the hearing length to nearly 12 hours by repeatedly taking, more than 10 minutes at a time to ask unrelated, badgering questions, and disagreeing with experts and correcting people with personal experience with the issues being discussed.

State Rep. Robyn Porter, the co-chair of the committee, shared her own thoughts: Disgraceful, disrespectful; he hijacked the meeting; he denied people the right to testify; he bullied them. This public hearing was supposed to be a safe and liberating space for the public, Porter said. From the leader of one group calling out Rep. Arora at the news conference: On Tuesday, Rep. Harry Arora of Greenwich was determined to disrupt the public comments for the Labor and Public Employees Committee Public Hearing on Feb. 9.

One leader of a group calling for further action against Rep. Arora had this to say: This act of blatant disrespect is completely intolerable in CTs lawmakers! We will be joined by the Black and Brown community around the state in support of Rep. Porter and demanding Rep. Arora be made accountable. (Rhonda Caldwell, Hamden Action Now).

Rep. Fiorello

At the public hearing to consider ballot resolutions to amend the CT Constitution to allow for early and no-excuse absentee voting, Rep. Fiorello used her legislative prerogative to testify ahead of the public to manipulate the process and ensure their star witness would be heard from first. In express defiance of an earlier conversation with the committee co-chair, she nonetheless ceded her time to allow the oppositions star witness (chair of an advocacy group that traffics in baseless claims about voter fraud in Connecticut) to be heard from first, before the rest of the general public. The effect of her act was exactly that of Rep. Arora  to delay the hearing by a large magnitude and make it harder for others who signed up to participate. Once the witness spoke (and he spoke for longer than the permitted three minutes), Rep. Fiorellos Republican colleagues spent more than an hour with him providing their own remarks to set the narrative for the rest of the hearing in opposing these two resolutions.

This behavior by Republican state legislatures is happening in many of the public hearings taking place in Hartford. It is disheartening to see Republicans engaged in an anti-democratic, concerted effort to use the public hearing forum to snuff citizen speech in an effort to suppress the message of our citizenry. It is disgraceful that our own elected representatives are participating in this behavior and stand in the way of having as many members of the public testify as possible on these important bills. It curtails free speech.

Rep. Arora and Rep. Fiorello are representing all of us in Hartford, and when their behavior directly undermines the purpose of public hearings. Greenwich and Stamford must speak out and denounce this unacceptable behavior.

Nerlyn Pierson is co-founder of Indivisible Greenwich and Lawrence Edwards is a member of Indivisible Stamford.
The founder of Confused.com, Sara Murray, has hired former KPMG UK chairman Simon Collins

The founder of Confused.com has hired a City heavyweight to chair her tracking business as it considers a 500million London float.

Buddi, the brainchild of the price comparison site's founder, Sara Murray, has hired former KPMG UK chairman Simon Collins.

Murray said Collins, who is also a non-executive director of the Royal Air Force, was 'measured, thoughtful and bright', adding: 'His appointment is a building block to being a bigger company.'

Murray will soon host a beauty parade of bankers, though it is understood a final decision on whether to float has not been made.

She founded Buddi 16 years ago as a tracking device for lost children but branched into work for police and healthcare services, such as alerting carers when vulnerable people have had a fall.

Murray said she was in discussions with 'several' countries over quarantine contracts. The device would be worn at home by people asked to quarantine.

Murray, who flies helicopters in her spare time, said: 'The concern has been that people can still visit them. But we've developed a device which can detect whether someone visits your home.'
Hundreds of people gathered at a vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common on Saturday. (Getty Images)

Labour has criticised the governments strategies for tackling violence against women as the fallout following Sarah Everards death continues.

Shadow domestic violence minister Jess Phillips told Sky News on Sunday that the government needs to turn its rhetoric into action.

Everard's death prompted widespread outrage and debate about the harassment and violence women face in the UK.

Police have been criticised after officers scuffled with members of the crowd who were paying tribute to the 33-year-old on Clapham Common in south London on Saturday evening.

Read: Hundreds gather in south London to pay tribute to Sarah Everard despite vigil being cancelled

Home secretary Priti Patel has called on the Met Police for a "full report" into its officers' actions.

She also revealed that almost 20,000 people had responded in 24 hours to a consultation on how the government could tackle the problems.

But Phillips said the survey is absolutely not enough.

Labour's Jess Phillips has criticised the governments strategies for tackling violence against women. (Sky News)

She said: The issue of street harassment, the issue of sexual violence, the issue of domestic violence and all violence against women and girls, we know what the problems are. The home secretary has known for many years, the minister has known for many years."

We dont need a survey. We can take action," she added.

Addressing the government's proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, Phillips said Labour would again ask ministers on Monday to consider treating misogyny as a hate crime, criminalising street harassment and increasing rape tariffs.

She said: "I'm afraid to say the bill that is before us on Monday, in the explanatory notes which I read on Monday, there is more mention of statues than there is of women. Ten years for doing something to a statue, but what about women?"

Watch: Met Police chief urged to resign after 'disgraceful' vigil clash

She said: We need to come together to take action. We dont just need to be angry. We need action and the minister should be able to layout to us what theyre going to do.

Story continues

Phillips also criticised the governments lack of strategy for dealing with perpetrators, saying: The reality is the government doesnt currently have a strategy for perpetrators for domestic abuse, which weve asked for repeatedly. Lets hope this case has changed their minds.

The Labour MP was also hesitant to call this moment a "turning point" like the government has, saying that Downing Street has taken little action on the matter since the start of the 'Me Too' movement in late 2017.

Crowds gathered for Saturday's vigil for Sarah Everard at Clapham Common in south London. (Getty Images)

She said that since 'Me Too' began, every recommendation on legislation has been rejected by the government.

"When the minister says this is a turning point, when Priti Patel says this is a turning point, when Boris Johnson says this is a turning point  they have an enormous majority in the House of Commons  they can turn their rhetoric into action," Phillips said.

"I dont want platitudes, I dont want nice words, I dont want clapping. I want action to change this."

It comes as Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick faced calls to resign after the scenes on Clapham Common.

Scuffles broke out at the front of a crowd of hundreds as police surrounded a bandstand covered in floral tributes to Everard.

Read more:

We are tired: MP makes powerful speech about the toll of male violence on women

Police confirm body found in Kent woodland is Sarah Everard

At one stage, male officers could be seen taking hold of several women before leading them away in handcuffs, to shouts and screams from onlookers.

In response, the crowd chanted shame on you, while during another confrontation a woman could be heard telling officers youre supposed to protect us.

Everard vanished while walking from a friends house in Clapham to her home in Brixton on 3 March.

Just over a week later, police confirmed Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with her kidnap and murder, after her remains were found in woodland in Kent.

Watch: Sarah Everard's body found in large bag, court hears
A Brisbane COVID-19 quarantine hotel has been placed into lockdown as a precaution after a doctor confirmed to be infected with the virus treated a person who had been staying there.

Health Minister Yvette DAth said on Sunday morning the Hotel Grand Chancellor will be locked down, with no new hotel quarantine guests to be allowed in, as health authorities investigate potential transmission within the hotel.

Health authorities are investigating a possible link between the patient who stayed at the hotel and another hotel guest housed on the same floor who is also infected.

Ms DAth said the first case was the person brought into the hospital on March 9; case two was the doctor who was infected by that person; and case three was the person in hotel quarantine on the same floor.
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 45 Colleges In Arizona for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 157 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 157 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 45 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-arizona/

2021 Colleges In Arizona featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Arizona Christian University

Arizona College

Arizona State University

Arizona State University, Lake Havasu City

Arizona State University, Polytechnic

Arizona Western College

Brookline College

Bryan University

Central Arizona College

Chamberlain University

Chandler-Gilbert Community College

Cochise College

Coconino Community College

College America

DeVry University

Dine College

Eastern Arizona College

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Embry-riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott

Estrella Mountain Community College

Finlandia University

Fortis College

GateWay Community College

Glendale Community College

Grand Canyon University

International Baptist College & Seminary

Mesa Community College

Mohave Community College

National Paralegal College

Northcentral University

Northern Arizona University

Northland Pioneer College

Ottawa University

Paradise Valley Community College

Phoenix College

Pima Community College

Prescott College

Rio Salado College

SAGU American Indian College

South Mountain Community College

Southwest University of Visual Arts

University of Advancing Technology

University of Arizona

University of Phoenix

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
Sunday, March 14, 2021

There's been no shortage of people coming forward who claim to have inside information about the assassination of JFK. Two of these people contacted the Garrison investigation in 1967 - Richard Case Nagell and David Kroman. Nagell would go on and become a staple of conspiracy theorists while Kroman has been largely forgotten. But their stories intertwine, at least at the beginning.

Garrison's office received an intriguing letter in March of 1967:

You can see Garrison's notation on the left regarding Long Beach: "1. To which Harry Olsen moved 2. which Darryl Garner recently visited 3. where reporter friend of Ruby was killed. (Question: What is significance of Long Beach?"

On the bottom Garrison wrote: "Question: Considering that Olsen + the reporter + Garner all were friends of Ruby's - review Ruby L/D calls to see who he knew in Long Beach. "

The office attempted to put an ad in the Berkeley Barb, but they even had a problem with that. William Martin was an Assistant District Attorney and he would ultimately become the initial contact with Richard Case Nagell.

Eventually, the ad was placed.

Ad from the September 22-28, 1967 issue of the Berkeley Barb. The same ad ran a week later as well.

So, who was Don Morgan? Gary Schoener, a JFK researcher, who at the time was a medical student in Minneapolis, believes that he was David Kroman. I spoke to Schoener and he was pretty certain. Kroman was committed to the Springfield Medical facility at the end of March 1967, and Richard Case Nagell was there as well.

Here is an article from the New York Times about Kroman. The Don Morgan letter is dated March 27, 1967 - the same date Kroman was committed. However, we don't know when the letter was actually sent. So, it is quite possible Kroman met Nagell on arrival and then wrote Garrison.

Here is the FBI report from the local Minnesota office which has a lot of details about Kroman:

Another FBI report took exception to Kroman's story of being assaulted:

Dick Russell, author of the book The Man Who Knew Too Much, believes that Don Morgan was actually Vaughn Marlowe, the owner of a left-wing bookstore in Venice, California.

Vaughn Marlowe posted a few messages on the Education Forum including this one :

I find it strange to want to sign a letter Gordon, but you end up typing and signing it as Morgan.

It's interesting to note that after the ad was placed in the Berkeley Barb, the Garrison office then made contact with Kroman. They were already speaking to Nagell in April.

Here is the first Garrison memo, written by Steve Jaffe, about a meeting with David Kroman's lawyer. This has to rank as one of the silliest Garrison memos out there.

Oh my god, the Federal Reserve stabilized the currency after the assassination! What a horrible thing to do.

Steve Jaffe then went and talked to David Kroman's brother:

Now, this memo states that Kroman was first brought to Jaffe's attention via a telephone call during a Mort Sahl radio show. That could be true - there were several people interested in Kroman.

I asked Gary Schoener what happened in the Garrison office after the ad in the Berkeley Barb appeared. He didn't know the answer.

Steve Burton, a volunteer who helped Jim Garrison and was head of the Citizen's Committee of Inquiry in Los Angeles, ran into David Kroman in December 1967 and here is his memo:

Stephen Jaffe then flew out to Minneapolis to meet David Kroman. Here is his memo:

You can always count of Stephen Jaffe to believe almost anything. In this case, he finds Kroman to be "sane and reasonable." In a document from 1969 about a meeting between Stephen Jaffe and Fred Newcomb, there was this paragraph:

Gary Schoener spent a lot of time working on David Kroman and found out lots of interesting details. Here is a letter he wrote to Paul Rothermel (head of security for H. L. Hunt) in 1969:

Here is Rothermel's reply:

Rothermel took an interest in Kroman because he accused H. L. Hunt of being involved in the assassination.

David Kroman was never brought to New Orleans. I asked Gary Schoener about that and he replied, "Garrison was fixed on his belief about the assassin team (I think it was Alpha 66 or some derivative of that group) and I was unable to engage him in discussion of what I had brought down in terms of knowledge, questions, or the materials I brought."

However, Richard Case Nagell is another story. Ultimately, Garrison would go to New York City and talk to Nagell for three hours in Central Park. He then spent six hours with Nagell at his hotel the next day.

David Kroman and Richard Case Nagell were never considered viable witnesses for the Clay Shaw trial.

Stay tuned, there will be future posts on Nagell coming up.
Three cannons discovered during routine dredging of the Savannah River are believed to be from a British warship that was intentionally scuttled during the Revolutionary War.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revealed the discovery in photos published this week, after recovering the pre-Civil War artillery pieces while clearing the river of obstructions.

Tentative research suggests the cannons may be linked to the HMS Rose, the British naval terror that was scuttled in the river to block French forces from rendering aid to the Americans during the Revolutionary War.

'This was an exciting find while we were doing regular maintenance dredging to ensure the Savannah River stays navigable for some of the large ships coming in,' U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Archaeologist Andrea Farmer told WRDW-TV.

Three cannons discovered during routine dredging of the Savannah River are believed to be from a British warship, the HMS Rose, that was scuttled during the Revolutionary War.

Tentative research suggests the cannons may be linked to the HMS Rose, the British naval terror that was scuttled in the river to block French forces from aiding the Americans

The British warships Rose and Phoenix are seen in an engraving during an American assault on the ships in the Hudson River prior to the Battle of Brooklyn

The cannons were recovered along with an anchor and timber from a ship near the area where the wreck of the ironclad Confederate warship CSS Georgia was salvaged, but experts believe that they pre-date the Civil War.

During the Revolutionary War, the HMS Rose rained fury up and down the Atlantic Coast, leading to the creation of the U.S. Navy in response.

The British warship played a major role in the invasion of New York, helping to drive George Washington from his rebel base in the city and ranging up and down the Hudson River.

In 1779, the Rose was defending the loyalist stronghold of Savannah, after King George III's forces shifted their focus to the Southern theater of the war following bitter disappointments in the north.

The British ship was sacrificed to created a blockade in a narrow part of the river channel, preventing the French fleet from rendering assistance to the American assault on Savannah.

The strategy succeeded, and Savannah remained in British hands until the war's end.

A plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, longitudinal half breadth for building a 28-gun, Sixth Rate, Frigate such as the HMS Rose

Following the discovery of the cannons, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notified the British government to share their findings

The wreckage of the Rose was removed after the war to clear the channel, but experts believe that the recovered artifacts were left behind at the bottom of the river.

Following the discovery of the cannons, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notified the British government to share their findings, and the UK embassy responded with enthusiasm at the discovery.

'It is exciting when artefacts from naval history are found. The discovery of an anchor, cannons, and ship timbers gives us a great opportunity to work with our US colleagues and allies to help identify them,' Commander Jim Morley, the UK's assistant naval attache in Washington DC, told WRDW.

'The possibility that they may, in fact, be from HMS ROSE, a Royal Navy vessel that was part of our fleet operations during the American Revolutionary war is fascinating,' Morley added.

Teams continue to search the area in hopes of recovering more artifacts that could positively identify the wreck

Jenny Wraight, an Admiralty Librarian with the Royal Navy Naval Historical Branch, said: 'The source of these artefacts has yet to be definitively identified, but it is likely to date back to the American War of Independence when the British occupied Savannah.

'In 1779, HMS ROSE, a 20-gun 6th rate of the Royal Navy's Seaford Class, was scuttled, with no loss of life, in the river to block the channel. After the war, the wreck had to be cleared to restore safe navigation,' Wraight said.

Meanwhile, teams continue to search the area in hopes of recovering more artifacts that could positively identify the wreck.

'We hope that we find something down there that has integrity that can tell more of the story or the history of the Savannah River,' said Farmer.

'Of course, the 1700s there was a lot going on in Savannah at that time. So, it may just be a new part of the story that we're able to uncover,' she added.
By Karu F. Daniels

The fourth season of the Netflixs hit drama The Crown took the show into yet another decade, but the creators dont expect the story to keep going until the Megxit of 2020.

Fans of Netflixs The Crown shouldnt expect to see any of the current-day drama regarding the British monarchy on the popular series.

Although the most recent season of the landmark historical drama is revisiting the Prince Charles and Princess Diana era, producers have no plans to feature any of the modern-day controversy surrounding Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Season six is set to be the final season of The Crown, ending somewhere in the early 2000s. The Crown creator Peter Morgan has specifically said that the young royals romance is simply too recent to reflect on with any clarity in the show, so if they were to be covered onscreen, they would have to wait for the show to be revived in another decade or so.

I just think you get so much more interesting (with time), he told The Hollywood Reporter. Meghan and Harry are in the middle of their journey, and I dont know what their journey is or how it will end. One wishes some happiness, but Im much more comfortable writing about things that happened at least 20 years ago.

More than 17 million people in America watched Oprah Winfreys exclusive sitdown with the couple formerly known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The controversial two-hour interviews bombshells, including Markles admission of suicidal thoughts and the revelation of racist acts inside and outside the palace, has rocked the royal dynasty. Seems like perfect fodder for a sudsy streaming series.

But according to Morgan, the timing to feature the embattled Duke and Duchess doesnt quite fit into the current scope of The Crown. He feels the same way about the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew and his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

That is enough time and enough distance to really understand something, to understand its role, to understand its position, to understand its relevance, the show-runner explained. Often things that appear absolutely wildly important today are instantly forgotten, and other things have a habit of sticking around and proving to be historically very relevant and long-lasting.

I dont know where in the scheme of things Prince Andrew or indeed Meghan Markle or Harry will ever appear, Morgan continued. We wont know, and you need time to stop something from being journalistic. And so I dont want to write about them because to write about them would instantly make it journalistic, and there are plenty of journalists already writing about them. In his head, he said he had a 20-year rule.

You need to also allow for the opportunity for metaphor, Morgan continued. Once something has a metaphorical possibility, it can then become interesting. Its quite possible, for example, to tell the story of Harry and Meghan through analogy and metaphor, if thats what you want to do. Because thereve been so many examples in the past, whether its Wallis Simpson or Edward VII, or whether its Diana and Prince Charles. There have been plenty of opportunities in the past where there have been marital complications. Thereve been wives that have been married into the Royal family that have felt unwelcome and that they dont fit in. So there are plenty of stories to tell without telling the story of Harry and Meghan. The final two seasons of The Crown are expected to cover the royals up to the early aughts. Season four started in 1979 and ended around 1990. There are two more seasons to go before the series concludes.

 Copyright dpa
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14) - Pope Francis on Sunday thanked the Filipino Catholics for bringing joy to the world as he led a mass to mark the 500 years of Christianity in the country.

Five hundred years have passed since the Christian message first arrived in the Philippines. You received the joy of the Gospel: the good news that God so loved us that he gave his Son for us. And this joy is evident in your people. We see it in your eyes, on your faces, in your songs and in your prayers, said the Pope during his homily at St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican City.

The Pope, who is sometimes referred as Lolo Kiko by Filipinos, shared that he often described Filipino women in Rome as smugglers of faith. He noted that they sow the faith wherever they go to work.

Keep bringing the faith, the good news you received five hundred years ago, to others. I want to thank you for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian communities, said the Pope.

Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan brought Christianity to the country in 1521, after he landed and planted a cross in Cebu. Government data showed that over 80 million Filipinos are Roman Catholics.

Also present in the mass is former Manila Archbishop and now Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

Tagle read a message to the Pope on behalf of the Filipino community.

We also recognize the great contribution of the Christian faith in shaping Filipino and the Filipino nation, he said.

The gift must continue being a gift. It must be shared. If it is kept for itself, it ceases to be a gift, added Tagle. By God's mysterious design, the gift of faith that we have received is now being shared by the millions of Christian Filipino migrants in different parts of the world.

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday (March 14) claimed that the injury caused to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram was not a result of an attack, as per the findings of state's Observers and Chief Secretary, news agency ANI reported.

Injuries sustained by TMC chief was caused due to a lapse on part of security personnel in charge of the CM, EC declared. The poll panel mentioned that more details will be available later.

"An attempt was made on the life of our chairperson Mamata Banerjee, on March 10 at Nandigram, though the perpetrators failed in their vicious attempt," the TMC said in the letter submitted to the EC.

The incident in Nandigram which caused injury to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was an accident and not a planned attack, according to the report of two poll observers submitted to the EC on Saturday. The report also said Banerjee was injured due to the suddenness of the incident.

According to the report of her initial medical examination, the TMC supremo sustained 'severe bony injuries' on her left foot and ankle as well as bruises and injuries on her shoulder, forearm and neck.

Earlier on Thursday, Mamata Banerjee issued a video statement from the hospital and urged everyone to be calm and exercise restraint.

The West Bengal CM also said that she will not be affecting her election work for the injury but will have to remain wheel-chair-bound for some time.

The polls to 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27. The final round of voting will take place on April 29, whereas, the counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Today there were more fracking tremors that Midwesterners will politely ignored. MEANWHILE, complaints from Sunflower State Democrats against their leader might resonate more deeply as voters are ALREADY gearing up for midterm elections . . . Check-it . . .



Fellow Democrat blasts Kelly for unemployment issues - The Sentinel Even members of Kansas Governor Laura Kelly's own party are starting to question her handling of the state's unemployment system. Tens of thousands of Kansans are still struggling to get the benefits to which they are entitled, even as Kansas ranks in the nation in fraudulent claims - thanks in part to an antiquated computer system Kelly isn't planning to let bids on until July.
Editors note: Ngo Tran Hai An, a travel blogger, exclusively sent Tuoi Tre Cuoi Tuan (Tuoi Tre Weekly) magazine a piece recounting his recent trip to the Tram Chim National Park, which spans several communes of Tam Nong District in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap. During his trip, An had a rare chance to witness the return of flocks of birds to the sanctuary, dubbed a bird paradise in the region.

Last weekend, when I heard that birds were flocking to Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap, I carried a 20-kilogram set of cameras and equipment there, a place that I can't remember how many times I have visited.

It was 4:00 am, the night still blanketed us, we were ready to begin our trip.

We started the engine of a small motorboat and rushed away on the river.

As the sun gradually began to rise, thousands of cajuput trees bodies reflected on the water surface, creating a shimmering scene like a magical world of three-dimensional space.

A common kingfisher is spotted at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

It took us about 40 minutes to arrive at the observatory located far in the A1 Section.

The sound of birds chirping resounded through a corner of the sky.

The observatory is quite small, so there is only enough room for one person and equipment.

At the top, wonderful scenery appeared before my eyes.

Tens of thousands of birds were either flying in the sky or gathering on the cajeput tops.

Never have I seen so many birds here.

A grey-headed swamp hen is spotted at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

Currently, in the park, there is a flock of tens of thousands of garganeys.

In addition, there are other species such as grey-headed lapwings migrating from Russia, black-capped kingfishers, Indian pheasants, cormorants, Oriental darters, Asian openbills, Chinese pond herons, crested serpent eagles, and grey-headed swamp hens.

By 7:30 am, most of the birds fly away for food. Their main feeding grounds are residential rice fields around the national park.

An Indian pheasant is pictured at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

This year, the natural environment is thriving here, providing a plentiful food source for birds to live.

The habitat at the Tram Chim National Park and the communes and towns in the adjacent areas is also getting better.

At present, peoples awareness of conservation is also increasing.

The number of people trapping birds is not as high as before.

People even report those who hunt birds.

An Oriental darter unfolds its wings at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Van Lam, director of the Tram Chim National Park, said that he is trying to implement multiple professional measures to create a favorable environment for the red-headed cranes, one of the bird species that are facing the danger of extinction, to return to the sanctuary for food.

How can these amazing scenes boost tourism?

Le Hoang Long, director of the Tram Chim National Parks Tourism and Environment Education Center, said that the center now offers many tourist packages, such as birding in flood seasons, seasonal flower viewing of golden bladderwort, purple bladderwort, and yellow-eyed grass, or experiencing a day as a farmer, accompanied by accommodation, canoe, and shuttle services.

A black-capped kingfishers stands on a branch at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

An Oriental darter is spotted at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

A Chinese pond heron stands on the water surface at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

An Oriental darter flies at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

This image shows a flock of storks at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

Garganeys fly in the sky at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An / Tuoi Tre

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Demonstrations to commemorate the first anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death have turned violent as protesters clashed with cops and members of the public at marches across the country.

Hundreds of activists took to the streets in Los Angeles for a march on Saturday night, where two demonstrators were seen smashing a squad car.

Video shared on social media shows the men beating the hood of the LAPD vehicle as it stopped on a road in Hollywood with its siren blaring.

The cop car then slowly started to move with the men still smashing the hood, before it abruptly accelerated throwing the men onto the road.

'LAPD just ran over two protesters at the Hollywood Breonna Taylor march,' one activist stated beneath a video of the incident.

Other footage shared to social media showed police clad in riot gear as they stood off against protesters. Several businesses in the Hollywood area were also reportedly vandalized.

Meanwhile, in Louisville, Kentucky - the city where Taylor was shot dead during a botched police raid on her home on March 13, 2020 - armed demonstrators blocked roads prompting police to declare an unlawful assembly.

'Arrests will be made to those that refuse to disperse,' the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department wrote on Twitter at 9.30pm local time.

It is currently unclear whether anyone has been taken into custody

Vision shared on social media shows the Breonna Taylor protesters beating the hood of the LAPD vehicle before it accelerated and threw them onto the road

Federal agents are investigating suspected arson at this Louisville church on Saturday night. The church had been vacant and it was unclear whether the blaze was connected with nearby protests

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

LAPD just ran over two protesters at the Hollywood Breonna Taylor march. pic.twitter.com/jthfty13oT  Vishal P Singh (@VPS_Reports) March 14, 2021

Several blocks away from where the protests were being held, firefighters responded to a blaze at a vacant church that is being investigated as a suspected case of arson.

Federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are assisting the investigation into the two-alarm fire at the church, which was most recently used by the Greater New Hope Community Church.

The large building at West Broadway and South 5th Street had been up for auction for the past month, and it was not immediately clear whether the fire was connected to the protests.

In Seattle, police were seen blocking roads as other cops on bikes were pictured pushing a crowd forward into the downtown area.

Meanwhile, in Portland, there was a heavy police presence as hundreds of demonstrators protested outside the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse.

The city has been on high alert following two nights of unrest earlier this week during unrelated protests purportedly held by Antifa.

During those rallies, far-left activists set fires, smashed windows of businesses and vandalized a federal courthouse.

Portland Police Department has yet to confirm whether there were any arrests in connection with the Breonna Taylor protesters there on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, in Louisville, Kentucky - the city where Taylor was shot dead during a botched police raid on her home on March 13, 2020 - armed demonstrators blocked roads

Breonna Taylor, an EMT, was killed in her home during a botched drug raid last March 13. Pictured right: Breonna Taylor poses during a graduation ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky

And while large-scale demonstrations were largely peaceful in New York City, one man was left injured after an activist smashed a plexiglass window at an outdoor dining set up in Manhattan.

According to an update from the NYPD, several demonstrators then 'dangerously prevented EMS from responding to this medical emergency'.

'There was nothing peaceful about the protest. It looked like Black Lives Matter,' one employee told The New York Post.

'I saw a man screaming and banging on the glass. It happened so fast.'

Seattle Police grab umbrellas as they push the crowd forward downtown tonight #Seattle #SeattleProtest #SeattlePolice pic.twitter.com/zZtyV9o2Yy  Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) March 14, 2021

In New York City, one man was left injured after an activist smashed a plexiglass window at an outdoor dining set up in Manhattan. According to an update from the NYPD, several demonstrators then 'dangerously prevented EMS from responding to this medical emergency'

Demonstrators pose for a picture in front of the Georgia Capitol building in Atlanta while marching through downtown in honor of Breonna Taylor on Saturday

People attend a rally to mark one year since police officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor when they entered her home, in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Women carry roses while wearing face masks during a vigil and a march to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's killing, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on Saturday

Tamika Palmer, Taylor's mother, is pictured wiping away tears on the one-year anniversary of her daughter's death

Tamika Palmer is pictured wearing a mask as people gathered to mourn the death of her daughter and call for justice on the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death on Saturday

Benjamin Crump, left, and Kenneth Walker speak at the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death at Injustice Square Park City in Louisville on Saturday

Earlier in the day, Breonna Taylor's mother Tamika Palmer led a peaceful protest in Louisville.

It consisted of hundreds marching behind a large purple banner with an illustration of Taylor's face, chanting 'No justice, no peace.'

'Eyes are on Louisville, Kentucky, today so let's show America what community looks like,' said Taylors aunt, Bianca Austin, who wore her nieces emergency medical technician jacket.

Austin spoke from a stage set up in Jefferson Square Park, which became an impromptu hub for protesters during months of demonstrations last summer.

An outdoor memorial was pictured on Saturday with a mural, posters, artwork and other mementos honoring Taylor's life. Some organizers gave away food during the speeches.

Flanked by two hand-painted murals of Taylor, activists repeated calls to charge the police officers who killed the black woman during a raid at her apartment.

'We got two different Americas. We got one for black Americans and one for white Americans,' Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing Taylor's family, told the crowd of hundreds in Louisville, Kentucky.

'We got to get justice for all our people in America.'

Tributes fill the center court in Justice Square Park during a protest in downtown Louisville on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

Marchers hold a large banner during a protest in downtown Louisville on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

Camille Bascus, a 50-year-old black woman, traveled more than 400 miles from Atlanta to Louisville 'to represent the people without voices, because they no longer have a heartbeat. We have a voice and our lives matter.'

'It's been a year and justice has not been served,' she told AFP with tears in her eyes.

A grand jury in September recommended no homicide charges against the three white officers in the case.

Twelve months after the killing - in which police shot Taylor while looking for a former friend of hers - only one of three police officers has been charged. Brett Hankison, was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into a neighbors apartment.

Danah Montgomery raises her fist and chants in support with family members and other supporters during a march honoring Breonna Taylor on the one year anniversary of her death on Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Trevin Givson, Vice President of the group Family Over Everything hands flowers to Tawanna Gordon, a cousin of Breonna Taylor, during a march in Grand Rapids, Michigan, honoring her death on Saturday

A woman wearing a Green New Deal mask holds a sign during a protest march on the one year anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor in Atlanta

Demonstrators march through downtown Atlanta in honor of Breonna Taylor on Saturday while holding a 'Justice for Breonna Taylor' sign

People participate in a protest to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death on Saturday in New York City

Over a dozen cars filled with demonstrators drive along East Main Street in Lexington, Kentucky during a protest to remember the life of Breonna Taylor on Saturday

A juror said later those charges were the only ones brought to the grand jury by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

The failure to press homicide charges - a decision denounced as 'outrageous' by Taylor's family - sparked sporadic violence in Louisville last September.

President Joe Biden on Saturday declared his support for reforms.

'Breonna Taylor's death was a tragedy, a blow to her family, her community, and America,' he tweeted.

'As we continue to mourn her, we must press ahead to pass meaningful police reform in Congress. I remain committed to signing a landmark reform bill into law.'

Taylor's family and friends are now looking to the results of a federal probe, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation saying on Saturday its work was moving forward.

'Even though the COVID pandemic presented several unexpected obstacles, FBI Louisville has made significant progress in the investigation,' the field office in that city said in a statement.

Redd Bracey, family friend of Breonna Taylor, wears a mask with a photo of Breonna Taylor on it during the one year anniversary of her death in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday

A woman wears a black leather jacket with 'Breonna Taylor 4 Ever #SayHerName' written in gold on Saturday in New York City

Michael Pyles has a 'B' shaved into his hair during a protest in Louisville on Saturday on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death

The bureau remained 'steadfast in its commitment to bringing this investigation to its appropriate conclusion,' the statement said.

The Louisville rally came a day after Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department, alleging his constitutional rights were violated during last year's botched raid.

Walker last year filed an ongoing state lawsuit against the city and police, saying he was the victim of assault, battery, false arrest and malicious prosecution. He also spoke briefly to the crowd on Saturday.

'They dropped the charges against me, but that is not where we finish,' he said, referring to charges that were filed and later dismissed against him for shooting at the police officers during the incident.

'We got to keep going. Keep going.'

Taylors front door was breached by Louisville officers who obtained a controversial no-knock warrant as part of a drug raid. She was asleep with Walker in her apartment around midnight when they heard noise at the door.

Protesters carry Black Lives Matter flags as they march for Breonna Taylor on Jefferson Street in Louisville on Saturday

Tamika Mallory and other members of Until Freedom look out toward a crowd of protesters during a Breonna Taylor memorial protest in Jefferson Square Park on Saturday

Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor, and others lead a memorial march for Breonna Taylor near Jefferson Square Park on Saturday

Ysrael Binns, 7, right, holds her fist up with fellow marchers during a protest in downtown Louisville on Saturday

Protesters gathered at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville on Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of the killing of Breonna Taylor

A truck has a portrait of Breonna Taylor displayed with messaging during a protest in Louisville on Saturday

Walker, believing it was a break-in, fired his gun. One officer was struck, and he and two other officers fired 32 shots into the apartment, striking Taylor five times.

A Kentucky judge last week signed an order permanently closing a criminal case against Walker for firing at the officer.

While Walker said police battered down the door unannounced, the officers insisted they had identified themselves, a claim some witnesses have disputed.

No drugs were found in Taylors apartment and two of the officers involved were fired in December.

Linda Sarsour, co-founder of the Until Freedom social justice organization, said the officers need to be held accountable.

'Right now, the only thing that has happened is that the police officers have been fired from the police department, that is a human resources issue. We need justice,' she said.

Taylor's death at first escaped widespread attention, but it suddenly became a focus for Black Lives Matter protesters following Floyd's death on on May 25.

Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her apartment by police looking for a former friend of hers. Pictured: a man holds a portrait of Breonna Taylor during a march honoring the one year anniversary of her death on Saturday

Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, co-founders of Until Freedom, address demonstrators during a rally in Louisville on Saturday

Ysrael Binns, 7, carries a 'Breewayy' sign on her hover board during a protest in Louisville on Saturday on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

A makeshift memorial at the Louisville demonstration marking the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's shooting death by police

A sign stands in the middle surrounded by other signs and tributes during a protest in downtown Louisville on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment

SIPA USA via PA Images A cross is carried during a protest in downtown Louisville on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor being killed in her apartment by LMPD officers. March 13, 2021 Breonna 0o7a2231 (Photo by Alton Strupp/Courier Journal/USA Today Network/Sipa USA)

Family members and supporters march in the street during a rally hosted by Family Over Everything honoring Breonna Taylor in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday

To settle a civil suit, Louisville authorities agreed to pay the Taylor family $12 million and initiate police reforms.

For Bascus, that is not enough. It 'doesn't bring Breonna Taylor back.'

Demonstrator Olivia Alexander said the anniversary of Taylor's death reminded her to continue to work for racial justice, despite some setbacks in the past year.

'As we've seen, theres not been any justice for Breonna Taylor, and a lot of the other brutal killings of Black Americans, so holding onto hope has been the most important thing,' Alexander said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, tweeted a statement in support of Taylor's family, including her mother, Tamika Palmer.

'Today we remember Breonna Taylor, her tragic and unnecessary loss and the immense work we have ahead of us,' he said.

'I will never understand the unimaginable grief of Tamika Palmer and other family and loved ones, but I am committed to listening and working with others to be build a more suitable and fair commonwealth for every Kentuckian.'

A woman speaks into a megaphone as people gather for a vigil and a march to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's killing, in the Brooklyn borough of New York

Eeshyia King attaches 'Black Women Matter' and 'Justice for Breonna Taylor' pins to dozens of red roses left at the entrance to the Flint Police Department by 50 demonstrators marching to honor Breonna Taylor in downtown Flint, Michigan on Saturday

Rashard Wagner, 36 of Flint, holds a single rose before laying it down at the Flint Police Department after nearly 50 demonstrators marched to honor Breonna Taylor on the one-year anniversary of her death on Saturday

People march on the West Side Highway in Manhattan on Saturday in a protest to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death

Hundreds of BLM protesters gathered at the Times Square and marched on streets for Breonna Taylor in New York City, United States on Saturday

Protesters in Times Square wear masks and hold signs for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor on Saturday during a protest

Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered at Times Square to lie on the ground in a protest for justice regarding the death of Breonna Taylor on Saturday

People participate in a die-in during a New York City protest to mark the one year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death on Saturday

Hundreds of BLM protesters gathered at the Times Square and marched on streets for Breonna Taylor in New York City on Saturday

Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher said his city has made significant reforms in policies and priorities, but that there was still 'a good deal of work ahead.'

Taylor's 'death resonates still in our city and around the world, underscoring the need to reform systems and act more urgently to advance racial justice and equity,' he said on Twitter.

Tawanna Gordon, a cousin of Breonna Taylor, was pictured receiving flowers during a march in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday. She told WOOD-TV that organizers worked to make sure the march was peaceful.

'There are people that still care,' Gordon said. 'People who do not identify human race as ethnicity or particular color. That's inspiring.'

She added: 'We wanted to acknowledge her legacy and not be in confusion.'

'We don't hate police. We know they're needed,' Gordon said.

'(We) just want (to know) officers they're hiring are there to serve the community, not for self-serving purposes.'

Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered at the Times Square and marched on streets in Brooklyn and Manhattan for Breonna Taylor in New York City on Saturday.

Protesters were also pictured holding roses at demonstrations in Flint, Michigan, while a car rally traveled down Main Street in Lexington, Kentucky.
Travis Barker and his daughter Alabama were spotted picking up breakfast from Erewhon Market in Calabasas on Saturday morning.

The Blink-182 drummer and his 15-year-old daughter were dressed in matching sweat pants as they made their low-key grocery run.

The 45-year-old musician's outing comes a day after he visited an art gallery with his new girlfriend, Kourtney Kardashian.

Dad time: Travis Barker was seen taking his daughter Alabama to pick up breakfast at the Erewhon Market in Calabasas on Saturday

Barker was dressed in a black graphic-printed hoodie from the brand Number Nine School of Visual Comedy.

He supplemented his top with a baggy pair of sweat pants, which also featured multiple graphic designs, and a set of black sneakers.

The drummer kept a pair of black sunglasses on for much of his outing.

His daughter wore a matching pair of sweat pants underneath a puffy black jacket and a t-shirt featuring a graphic print of multiple cars.

Dad knows best: The father-daughter duo wore matching pairs of sweat pants during their low-key grocery run

The father-daughter duo wore facial coverings to keep themselves protected from COVID-19 during their grocery run.

Alabama is Barker's second daughter with former wife Shanna Moakler, whom he was married to in 2004; the former couple also share son Landon Asher, aged 17.

Travis remains close to Shanna's daughter Atiana Cecilia, whom she shares with her former fiance, Oscar De La Hoya.

Although the two divorced in 2008, the parents were in an on-again-off-again relationship for many years before they split for good in 2014.

Before becoming involved with his second wife, the musician was briefly married to Melissa Kennedy from 2001 until 2002.

Big family: In addition to Alabama, Barker shares a son named Landon with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler, and remains close to her daughter Atiana; the drummer is seen with his family at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards

Former flames: The drummer and his former wife were married from 2004 until 2008, and were in an on-again-off-again relationship that finally ended in 2014; the two are pictured at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2007

Barker is currently in a relationship with his longtime friend Kourtney Kardashian.

Yesterday, the 41-year-old reality television personality posted a photo to her Instagram Story that showed a piece of art that she had been admiring; both her reflection as well as Barker's could be faintly seen in the work.

The drummer later posted a photo of the same piece to his own Story.

Barker and Kardashian initially kept their relationship under wraps until the social media powerhouse posted a photo to her Instagram account just after Valentine's Day.

Hanging out: On Friday, Kourtney Kardashian made a post to her Instagram Story showing her looking at a work of art; Barker later shared an image of the same piece to his own Story

The snap showed the two holding hands while relaxing in a car together.

A source recently revealed to People that the entrepreneur is 'at a place in her life now where she's ready for a relationship with a more mature guy.'

The insider went on to note that the drummer was 'not a player. He's really, really nice, chill and is an adult.'

As far his relationship with the other members of the Kardashian family was concerned, the source remarked that the mother of three's siblings 'love him.'
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The government of South Korea gave 10,000 masks to the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday for use at the states four veterans homes.

Consul General Young-jun Kim of the Republic of Korea presented the gift to ADVA Commissioner Kent Davis Friday in Montgomery. Kim delivered a letter from Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun thanking American Korean War veterans and the families of veterans who fought and lost their lives in the Korean War 70 years ago.

We are so grateful for this donation as the past year has been especially challenging with the COVID-19 pandemic, ADVA Commissioner Kent Davis said in a press release. We humbly accept this gift that will make a tremendous difference in the lives of our residents and staff at our state veterans homes by providing them with a high level of protection.

The masks are KF94 masks made in the Republic of Korea. The KF stands for Korean filter and the 94 indicates 94 percent filtering efficacy, the ADVA said.

The ADVA operates veterans homes in Alexander City, Bay Minette, Huntsville, and Pell City.

Related: COVID 1-year anniversary: Pandemic like a year without hugs

Veterans home director Hiliary Hardwick: Loss of socializing during COVID hurts most

Ranils Secretary files FR petition against COI on political victimisation View(s):

The then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes secretary Saman Ekanayake has filed a fundamental rights (FR) Petition in the Supreme Court challenging the decisions and recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into Political Victimisation and subsequent Cabinet decisions connected to it.

In his FR petition, Mr Ekanayake vehemently denies the allegations made by the CoI that he violated the Constitution with regard to his role in the Anti Corruption Committee (ACC) and Anti Corruption Committee Secretariat (ACCS) that functioned under the Yahapalana Government. On the contrary, Mr. Ekanayake claims that he has acted within the legally sanctioned framework and followed the established procedure.

He has also pointed out that both the ACC and the ACCS were created by way of Cabinet decisions and that as the Prime Ministers Secretary, he was duty bound to implement the decisions taken by the Cabinet.

Mr. Ekanayake says a particular Cabinet decisions legality can only be challenged at a judicial forum. To the best of his knowledge, no one has successfully challenged the legality of this Cabinet decision, he adds.

He cites 42 respondents. They include the three members of the CoI and its Secretary, the Cabinet of Ministers, members of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery

or Corruption and the Attorney General.

Mr Ekanayakes petition has strongly refuted the CoIs purported allegations that he had misused public property through the ACC and the ACCS.

He has also described as baseless the allegation levelled by the CoI that allowing the hosting of meetings of the ACC at Temple Trees had resulted in the misappropriation of Rs 33.7 million in public funds. He has also contested the CoIs characterisation of the ACC as a Non-Governmental Organisation.

The ACC is a unit duly established by the Cabinet and it adheres to financial regulations and the Establishment Code, he says.

Mr. Ekanayake says Temple Trees is the official residence of Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and therefore the Prime Minister is entitled to use it for his official and private purposes. He says all Prime Ministers have used and continue to use their private residences even for their political meetings.

The petitioner also states that he was not summoned as a witness or a respondent by the COI, either to record a statement or to give evidence and he was not given an opportunity to defend himself or present his version of the role he played in establishment and functioning of the ACCS.

He says that in view of what he sees as the grave violations his constitutional rights, he has appealed to the Supreme Court to grant leave to proceed with his petition.

He has also asked court to quash the findings and/or decisions and/or recommendations of the CoIs final report and the decisions taken by the Cabinet with regard to the said report so far as they relate to him.

He has also asked court to grant a stay order against the implementation of the recommendations of the CoIs final report and Cabinet decisions related to him until the conclusion of the case.
In this Wednesday, March 10, 2021 file photo, a health worker administers a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 to a patient inside the convention center known as "La Nuvola", The Cloud, in Rome. Irish health officials have recommended the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of serious blood clotting after inoculations in Norway. Dr. Ronan Glynn, Ireland's deputy chief medical officer, said Sunday, March 14 the recommendation was made after Norway's medicines agency reported four cases of blood clotting in adults after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, file)

Irish health officials on Sunday recommended the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of serious blood clotting after inoculations in Norway.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, Ireland's deputy chief medical officer, said the recommendation was made after Norway's medicines agency reported four cases of blood clotting in adults after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

He said that while there was no conclusive link between the vaccine and the cases, Irish health officials are recommending the suspension of the vaccine's rollout as a precaution. Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic authorities have taken similar precautionary steps.

The Netherlands followed suit late Sunday, suspending vaccinations with the AstraZeneca shot as a precaution for two weeks. The health ministry said the move followed six new reports in Denmark and Norway of blood clotting and lowered levels of blood platelets in people aged under 50.

The Dutch medicines authority also stressed that no link has been proven between the cases and the vaccine.

The health ministry said that no cases had been reported in the Netherlands.

AstraZeneca said in a statement Sunday that it "would like to offer its reassurance on the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine based on clear scientific evidence."

"The safety of the public will always come first," the British-Swedish biopharmaceutical company said, adding that it's "keeping this issue under close review but available evidence does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause."

The company said that a review of safety data of more than 17 million people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine in the European Union and the U.K. "has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country."

The World Health Organization and the European Union's medicines regulator have previously said that there was no link between the jab and an increased risk of developing a clot.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Blowing hot, blowing cold on Easter Sundays bomb report Cardinals prayer for mastermind to be revealed goes unanswered View(s): View(s):

The final report of the Presidential Commission on the Easter Sunday bombings may be another cross Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith will have to bear in his relentless quest to bring justice to his Catholic flock who suffered the brunt of Muslim extremist violence two years ago.

Even before the report was handed over to him, he could sniff the dead rat that lay concealed in between its pages: the bona fides of the states investigating agencies. After having followed the Commissions day to day proceedings closely, he had divined a certain apathy cloaking the CID investigation to finding the mastermind, the elusive curtained puppeteer pulling Zaharans strings.

He told a press briefing one month ago: I cannot be satisfied whether the CID has conducted a thorough investigation into the attack. Those investigations seemed as if they were carried out for the sake of investigating with no genuine interest. It is, perhaps, because I felt it was and is done in a lackadaisical manner, that I have now embarked on a legal course on one matter which I will reveal soon.

He also disclosed that he had made a personal appeal to the Commission to find not only those who failed to avert the attack but also the people who lay behind this attack. I await hoping that my plea will receive a favourable response, he told a news conference on 12 February.

He said: What our people want is an answer to their question why was this done to us and who did it? Theyre waiting with expectation to find answer. I saw that expectation in their eyes. Our people have come to the end of their tether. Their patience is running out. If we dont receive justice from the Government or the Commission, we will have to take other decisions as a people.

But, alas, after the Cardinal had perused the Commissions final report which was handed to him on March 1, he would have grieved, perhaps, to learn that his prayer to find the real perpetrators of this outrage revealed in the reports conclusions, had been denied answer.

True, the names of those who failed to take necessary measures to thwart the dastardly plot, stood starkly revealed, but wasnt that stale bread? The crucial revelation as to the sinister hand that had lurked in the wings off stage and choreographed every step of Zaharans and his fellow bombers gory orgy of death, remained unproclaimed, shrouded in ignorance.

A day after receiving the report, the Cardinal, whilst stating his Black Sunday protest was not against the Commissions report, conveyed his thanks to the commission members who investigated various aspects of these attacks over a one and a half year period.

On March 3, he expressed again his dissatisfaction over the marked lackadaisical attitude of the investigating agencies and reiterated his call to bring to justice the mastermind behind the church attacks. In a statement issued to the news media, he said: We are suspicious about the gravity of the investigations conducted by these law enforcement agencies. We also want to be clear that we do not see any explicit action being taken by these law enforcement institutions to arrest the masterminds behind the attacks.

The statement also underscored the Cardinals avowed resolve to pursue his mission to mete out heavenly justice to his earthly flock to the very end, even if it meant draping the church in mournful black to achieve the aim. It said, since there is no clear evidence on justice being meted out to the victims of the terror attacks, the churches in the Archdiocese of Colombo would be engaging in protests in the coming weeks, seeking true justice, beginning with Black Sunday.

At the Black Sunday protest outside Kochchikades St. Antonys Church last Sunday, the Cardinal proclaimed: Our effort is to establish who was actually behind the attacks. This is an issue not only for Catholics but all Sri Lankans who suffered due to the attacks.

On Monday, The Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka, of which, as Archbishop of Colombo, the Cardinal, is also a member, issued a joint statement signed unanimously. It welcomed the Commissions report and said, We urge the Government to take immediate action in the implementation of these recommendations and as a matter of priority with regard to those individuals against whom criminal charges have been levelled.

We, therefore, appeal that the Attorney General be given full power and the freedom to prosecute immediately the perpetrators, those who aided and abetted in this dastardly terrorist act and those who were found to be negligent in carrying out their duties. We urge that the judicial mechanism to do that be set in motion with immediate effect. We have been made to understand that 22 sensitive documents have been withheld from the Attorney General and we feel that these documents should be given to him as soon as possible.

The statement concluded by calling for action without delay. It said: We are all awaiting the immediate and transparent process of justice which is to be carried out with a sense of urgency. In the name of truth and justice and for the sake of peace and security of all people in our dear country, we urge all concerned to act without delay on this crucial matter. We wish to reiterate that justice delayed is justice denied.

The statement, however, makes no mention of the cardinal need, as clamoured for by Cardinal Ranjith these last four weeks, to discover the true identity of the evil spectre behind Zaharans dastardy; and thus provide answer to the question the Cardinal saw lit in his congregations eye, who did it? Nor does it highlight nor condemn the slipshod manner in which the investigations into the Easter blasts by the state agencies, as claimed by Cardinal Ranjith, are carried out.

Instead, the tenor of the joint statement seems to suggest this College of Lankas Bishops will hang their collective mitre on the altar of peace, at least for the present, if the Attorney Generals allowed free rein to immediately prosecute on a priority basis those named as the guilty men with criminal charges levelled for their failure to avert the Easter carnage, and the perpetrators and all those who aided and abetted in the attack.

But if a seeming calm had suddenly fallen in the wake of the reports release to the bishopric, lulling a less firebrand spirit to dip its quill in watered ink and compose the Bishops official response in pedestrian prose, what howling storms had blown the night before its advent.

Consider the February tempests. Leading the Catholic agitation was its indomitable Cardinal Ranjith  the only Lankan ecclesiastic to be in line to the Throne of St. Peter as, possibly  for who can say of the inscrutable ways of Providence  the next Pope in the Holy See. Peeved at being denied early access to the Easter bomb report, the Cardinal made it known in early February that he will boycott meetings with politicians till the Government hands him the report.

He was not alone in his protest. Joining him was the Lord Bishop Winston Fernando, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka. On February 23, he too expressed his indignation at the delay in the reports release to the Church.

He said: the Governments handling of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks is not acceptable to the Catholic Church, under any circumstances. We are quite worried and suspicious over the inordinate delay in the Government sharing the Commissions report with the Church. We never expected the Government to adopt delaying tactics having assured the people that all those responsible would be appropriately dealt with.

He further warned that the Church wouldnt give up its campaign to ensure justice. The community couldnt be deprived of justice for political reasons therefore those in power shouldnt expect the protests to cease. During this period, Cardinal Ranjith also threatened to go before the International Courts as he is not getting justice from the Sri Lankan government and declared March 7 as Black Sunday.

The mounting church ire, in so far as the delay was concerned, was only placated when the report was finally handed to the Cardinal on March 1. But the cardinal wrath over delay in meting out justice to the people still remained unappeased. The Cardinal vowed to continue his crusade for justice by launching a Black Flag protest if there were no transparent process to deliver true justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings by the second anniversary of the Easter Sunday terror attacks on 21 April.

Even the Attorney General who had received the report on February 25 had been cheesed off to discover that it was only a section of the complete report. The AGs Deportment had complained that the AG would not be able to proceed with legal action if he was not privy to the entire set containing the proceedings, materials and other documentary evidence. Out of 87 volumes, he had been given only 65 volumes.

Perhaps, it was as a result of the Bishops request in its statement that moved the Government to hand over the 22 volumes it had so far withheld on sensitive grounds to the Attorney General  traditionally the Governments lawyer  this Friday. Perhaps it was also the realisation of the truism that to ones lawyer in his chambers or to the priest in his confessional box at church the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Else, ones case will be half baked and ones sins only half purged.

The Presidential Commission on the Easter bombings which claimed 268 lives on April 21, 2021 was appointed by the then President Maithripala Sirisena on September 22, 2019 to investigate the series of bombings which rocked Lanka and shocked the world.

The commission has recommended criminal proceedings against former President Sirisena and others. No action has been recommended against former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, though the commission has faulted him for not raising the issue of not being invited to Security Council meetings in parliament or cabinet and also for an alleged lax approach to Islamic extremism. However, the commission has failed to unmask the mastermind behind the terror attacks.

While the Catholic Bishops welcomed the report in unison and called for its recommendations to be implemented immediately, the Deputy Secretary of the Asgiriya Chapter the powerful Siam Nikaya Ven. Narampanawe Ananda Thera expressed dismay after being aghast to discover the reports findings may tarnish the Sinhala Buddhist image in international eyes.

Fearing the Committees final report may backfire on the Sinhala Buddhist majority, the Ven. Narampanawe Ananda Thera said on Monday: Reading the Presidential Commission report into the Easter Sunday terror attacks, the international community may conclude that these attacks were carried out by Sinhala Buddhists.

The Thera also said that the Former President, former IGP, several police and Government officials, all of them Sinhala Buddhists and the Bodu Bala Sena had been identified by the report as those responsible for the attacks, giving the impression that these attacks were launched by the Sinhala Buddhist people.

On Wednesday the report entered the Parliamentary domain where it soon became politicised in debate. Under the cover of absolute privilege where slander is sport, members became one man commissions of their own, hurling aspersions and swapping calumnies while Sarath Fonseka stated the commission hadnt unveiled anything new. Rathane Thera used the occasion to call for Quasi Courts to be banned since it had prevented Sinhalese who had married Muslims to seek legal redress from normal courts.

But after the presidential commission report had voyaged the catholic sea, raised its head briefly in a Buddhist Chapter and done the Parliamentary round and come full circle, the question nailed on the catholic cross and found etched on the public lip still is: All that labour gone to produce such a voluminous report but where, in heavens name, is the fruit of the toil, the reward of the sweat?
Vijayawada: The ruling YSR Congress remarkable performance in the civic polls on Sunday is more significant than the party sweeping the 2019 Assembly elections with 151 seats.

If the 2019 victory was a mandate born out of expectations and an experiment by the electorate, Sundays vote is a loud and clear endorsement of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddys leadership and the major decisions he took in the last year-and-a-half including the decentralisation of governance by setting up three capitals.

The ruling party won the Vijayawada and Guntur corporations from where the CM wanted to shift the illusionary Amaravati capital of then Chief Minister N. Chandrabau Naidu to Visakhapatnam where, too, the YSRC invaded the otherwise strong fortress of the TD.

The outcome punctured Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidus challenge to the Chief Minister to dissolve the Assembly and seek a fresh mandate from the people before implementing the three-capital formula. There were no takers too for Naidus re-winded effort to demonise the CM with serious accusations of politics of vengeance, corruption and bloodshed.

Failing to learn lessons, the principal Opposition quickly attributed Jagan Mohan Reddys success to the use of force by his party and its leaders threat to stop freebies in the event of the partys loss. Ironically, the beneficiaries of the freebies are comparatively fewer in the urban areas that embraced the ruling party on Sunday.

The ground reality which the Opposition does not want to acknowledge is the pivotal role played by the volunteer system, the brainchild of the Chief Minister. The delivery mechanism of citizen services has become effective, unbiased and hassle-free. The volunteers along with health workers did a commendable job of Covid-19 relief operations and the revival of the Aarogyasri scheme earned Jagan Mohan Reddy an emotional follower base as was the case with his father and late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.

Enrolment in government schools increased this year, indicating parents confidence in the CMs dream of providing better and competitive education by making English medium compulsory and improving basic infrastructure through the Naadu-Nedu scheme. This, along with women-centric approach in designing and delivering schemes, helped the party.

People seem to have noticed and rewarded the YSRC supremos top priority to deliver what he promised in the 2019 manifesto, despite financial constraints and absence of tokenism in his words or deeds.

No doubt, the party has been cherishing the victory against several odds  severe financial constraints, Covid, a hostile judiciary and State Election Commission. But, it should not be taken for granted that people are happy despite the scarcity of sand, lopsided liquor policy of high prices for low quality and lesser-known products, worst condition of roads across the state, nil capital expenditure and stunted employment growth. As of now, they have just overlooked these problems.
Britains most senior naval officer last night complained that the British government had insulted him in a row over intelligence and security.

Admiral Lord West of Spithead, 72, a decorated Falklands veteran, former First Sea Lord and a Security Minister under Gordon Brown, was denounced on the record by the Foreign Office for engaging in disinformation and propaganda and for helping to distract attention from the war crimes of the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

Lord West believes there are serious doubts about an investigation into the use of poison gas by Syria in Douma in 2018, and that credible complaints of censorship, made by whistleblowers, have been wrongly ignored.

The unprecedented high-level slanging match is the latest and most explosive episode in this simmering scandal over poison gas and censored intelligence first exposed by the Mail on Sunday. The Admirals supposed misdeed was signing an international Statement of Concern,

https://couragefound.org/2021/03/statement-of-concern-the-opcw-investigation-of-alleged-chemical-weapons-use-in-douma-syria/

over an alleged distortion of intelligence by the UNs chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW.

Lord West, last to leave his ship after it was sunk by bombing in the Falklands, is still on the Navys Active List and maintains a close interest in intelligence and security matters. He hit back hard at the Foreign Office statement, saying It is an insult to accuse those who have concerns about the report as having a desire to whitewash the Assad regime.

He protested that he was most definitely not an apologist for the Damascus despot: I am on record on the floor of the House of Lords as having called Assad a loathsome man and clearly his regime has used chemical weapons at various times but that does not mean we should accept everything the OPCW says as true when there is reason for doubt.

The Admiral is one of a number of distinguished international figures demanding a proper inquiry into complaints by experienced OPCW inspectors that a report on an alleged gas attack in Syria in April 2018 was censored to give a false outcome.

The row is crucial and highly sensitive because Britain, France and the USA all bombed Syria after the attack, without waiting for impartial evidence or proof that Assad was to blame. They could face war crimes charges if the bombing turned out not to have been justified. It is deeply inconvenient for the government that a figure as senior and unimpeachable as Lord West should have broken ranks and questioned the official version.

But Lord West told The Mail on Sunday last night that he had spoken out because it was vital for national defence that intelligence was not tainted by political pressure.

It is crucially important that organisations like the OPCW are squeaky clean. Intelligence has to be pure. You should not try to warp the intelligence to suit you. That is very, very dangerous and wrong.

He fears that there may have been pressure on the OPCW to come up with a particular result. He explained Assad is horrible, but the people we are dealing with in Syria are horrible. What sort of regime will they create if we get regime change? There are no good guys in this at all.

He said he had met a brick wall when had had repeatedly complained about what seemed to be manipulation at some level.

And he added It does seem to me that there is enough evidence to show that the work the OPCW did on Douma was possibly flawed. The whistleblowers - a term I hate, but how else can they be described? - have been ignored. And he made it clear he was prepared to undergo bombardment in a good cause. I know I will get flak, but I have had flak before. Describing the Foreign Office denunciation as an outrageous allegation he insisted There are very reasonable concerns about what is going on.

The Statement of Concern signed by Lord West was issued in New York by the Courage Foundation, a body dedicated to supporting whistleblowers anxious to tell the truth against official pressure. It says OPCW management now stands accused of accepting unsubstantiated or possibly manipulated findings with the most serious geo-political and security implications. Calls by some members of the Executive Council of the OPCW to allow all inspectors to be heard were blocked.

It adds To date, unfortunately, the OPCW senior management has failed to adequately respond to the allegations against it and, despite making statements to the contrary, we understand has never properly allowed the views or concerns of the members of the investigation team to be heard, or even met with most of them. It has, instead, side-stepped the issue by launching an investigation into a leaked document related to the Douma case and by publicly condemning its most experienced inspectors for speaking out.

They call for a new and impartial inquiry into the dissenting inspectors allegations, urging the setting up of a transparent and neutral forum in which the concerns of all the investigators can be heard as well as ensuring that a fully objective and scientific investigation is completed.

Others signing the statement include Jose Bustani, a Brazilian diplomat who is himself a former chief of the OPCW, Katharine Gun, a vindicated Iraq War whistleblower whose story was told in the recent film Official Secrets, Hans von Sponeck, a former UN Assistant Secretary General, Alan Steadman, a Chemical Weapons Munitions Specialist, Former OPCW Inspection Team Leader and UNSCOM Inspector, and Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The Foreign Office statement in full read: An FCDO spokesperson said:

The OPCWs Fact-Finding Mission produced an extremely thorough and clearly evidenced report on the incident in Douma on 7 April 2018. We are confident in the reports conclusion that a toxic chemical, likely chlorine, was used as a weapon and we maintain full confidence in the OPCW.

Those who choose to attack the OPCW do so to draw attention from the Assad regimes repeated, and unrepentant use of chemical weapons; and to deflect questions on their own failures to abide by the Convention. It is disinformation and propaganda.

The Mail on Sunday alerted the Foreign Office to the fact that it was attacking a decorated distinguished officer, Privy Counsellor and former Minister, but it made no response. The OPCWs headquarters in The Hague did not respond to requests for comment.

The story so far:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7718627/Sexed-dossier-furore-alleged-poison-gas-attack-Assad.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-7742255/PETER-HITCHENS-secret-meeting-mole-heart-Great-Poison-Gas-Scandal.html

https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2020/02/a-and-b-respond-to-the-opcws-attacks-on-them-the-full-rebuttal.html
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a red flag warning across Southern New England and specifically for the Hartford, Tolland, and Windham counties in Connecticut.

The warning  in place until 5 p.m. Saturday  indicates critical fire weather conditions are expected with a forecast of strong winds and low humidity. The high-powered winds can dry surface fuels causing fires to spread quickly and be tough to put out, according to the NOAA.
Lucy Jewson MBE founded ethical organic childrens clothing and accessories company Frugi in 2004. She lives with her husband and co-founder Kurt, and sons, Tom, 17, and Sam, 14, in Cornwall.

Nappies changed our lives. Back in 2004, soon after our eldest son Tom was born, we discovered a problem  finding organic cotton clothes that would fit over his nappies.

I had studied marine biology at university, while my husband Kurt studied marine science, so we didnt like the idea of disposable nappies sitting in landfill or finding their way into the sea. But the cloth nappies we were using gave Tom a bulkier bottom.

Lucy Jewson MBE (pictured) from Cornwall, revealed the inspiration behind her ethical organic childrens clothing and accessories company Frugi

One night he burst all of the poppers on his babygrow and I said to Kurt: There must be someone making clothes to go over washable nappies.

But I couldnt find them anywhere. So we decided to launch our own collection of organic cotton clothing.

Back then, there were just ten manufacturers supplying organic cotton. During my maternity leave, I emailed all of them and eventually found one based in India, called Amit, who was prepared to help. We still work with him today.

We remortgaged the house, got together 30,000 and borrowed 30,000 from the bank. Then we took a big breath and gave up our jobs to start the business.

Kurt took the primary parent role, while I worked late. Initially, the firm was called Cut4Cloth, and offered babygrows and little trousers. The woman who had made my wedding dress helped me with the designs and I sent them to Amit.

Ethical: Skater dress, 30, and backpack, 15, welovefrugi.com

We had to rent a garage when 10,000 worth of clothing was delivered. We didnt know how many boxes that would look like. It was a lot! Word got around quickly on parenting sites as we were solving a real problem, and in 2008 we changed our name to Frugi  fruits of the earth in Latin.

On our tenth birthday, we received our first Queens Award for Enterprise and went to Buckingham Palace. Getting my MBE last year was a very proud moment.

As well as employing 100 staff in the UK, we have a team of five in India who work to ensure the highest standards. We now sell in 30 countries and have a 17 million turnover. We give one per cent of that to charity.

In our own small way, we have proved you can be successful and ethical at the same time.
Patrols were deployed in Paris on Saturday to break up crowds, reprimand mask-less shoppers and enforce both a ban on alcohol and the 6pm curfew. Police officers monitored the area outside the vast Les Halles shopping and leisure centre in the centre of the French capital, where locals queued en masse outside shops and fast food restaurants.

A group of Order of Malta volunteers tagged along, handing out leaflets and calling people's attention to the importance of social distancing and basic sanitary precautions.

Local authorities are desperate to slow the spread of the coronavirus and its variants in the Paris region where ICU occupancy rates are nearing the peak of last Autumn's second wave. Regional health authorities announced the delivery of a new batch of Pfizer vaccines over the weekend allowing for thousands more the get a jab.

Image: AP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)

A YOUNG man who was arrested for public order offences twice in the same day is to be "given a chance" a judge has said.

Craig O'Halloran, 23, of Oakfield Raheen was before Limerick District Court after he pleaded guilty to charges relating to separate incidents which occurred on November 21, last.

Sergeant Michelle Leahy said the first incident happened outside the Inver service station at Dublin Road, Limerick at around 1.30am.

She said gardai received reports of a man causing annoyance to customers and staff and that Mr O'Halloran was verbally abusive and aggressive towards gardai when they arrived.

The second incident happened at the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick a number of hours after he was released from garda custody.

Sgt Leahy told Judge Patricia Harney the defendant was removed by security and that he was "extraordinarily intoxicated and abusive" when gardai arrived.

Solicitor John Herbert accepted what happened was "not a good look" but he asked the court to note his client has no previous convictions. He also asked her to note he was under the influence of drink and drugs on the night,

Judge Harney said she regards the incident at UHL as very serious given that it occurred in the middle of a pandemic.

"To say I'm shocked and horrified is almost and understatement," she commented.

However, given the defendant's age and his previous good record she said she was willing to give him a chance.

She adjourned the matter to May to facilitate the preparation of a Probation Report.

"It's very much in his interests that he cooperate (with the Probation Service)," she told Mr Herbert.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/14/2021



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[ Spoilers Warning: This report contains spoilers revealing if Rebecca and Zied are still together or if the couple has split up.]

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

's eighth season has featured Rebecca Parrott refusing to marry Zied Hakimi before Ramadan and agreeing to live apart before the wedding, so what do spoilers reveal about how things worked out with the couple? Are Zied and Rebecca still together now?Rebecca was a 47-year-old private investigator when she fell hard and fast for Zied, a then-26 year old from Tunisia whom she had met online. The pair first starred on Season 3 of : Before the 90 Days.Rebecca said her first two marriages were with "average, run-of-the-mill American men" and her third marriage turned out to be a nightmare because the Moroccan man -- who moved to America to be with her on a spousal visa -- became overly jealous and controlling once he arrived in the U.S.Rebecca was sure, however, her relationship with Zied would be different and Zied is a better man with the right intentions.Rebecca therefore traveled over 15 hours to Tunisia with the goal of getting engaged to Zied, but her third divorce had yet to be finalized. (Rebecca hadn't filed the paperwork although both she and her ex signed the papers).Despite their differences and past mistakes, Rebecca and Zied determined that they wanted to be together forever -- and so Zied proposed marriage during a picnic in the Sahara Desert.Rebecca thought the marriage proposal was "perfect," and then she returned to America and filed for the K-1 visa.On the premiere of 's eighth season, Zied's K-1 visa was finally approved -- and Rebecca was absolutely ecstatic.Zied's parents hoped for a better life for Zied, but they were upset Rebecca is not Arabic and doesn't share their religious views. They were also extremely sad to say goodbye to Zied.When Zied finally arrived in America, he and Rebecca hugged tight because they had both been waiting for this for two years. Zied told Rebecca that he missed her so much and was so happy to be with her again."We've been through this before, where she's met foreign men who are half her age pretty much, and it just always goes bad," Rebecca's daughter Tiffany complained in a confessional."It's like she's a love-sick teenager. But we still don't know his intentions."Zied said he was looking forward to making his own money, but he couldn't work for six months. Rebecca said Zied is certified in plumbing repair but would be open to pretty much anything.Once Zied saw their new apartment, Rebecca noticed Zied didn't seem like himself.Zied insisted that he was just tired and needed to shower and get some rest. She could tell Zied was off and hoped he wasn't second-guessing his decision.Zied struggled to adjust to life in America given he felt so distant from his loved ones. He showered Rebecca, however, with love and affection. For example, he gave Rebecca a bracelet he had purchased for her in Tunisia."Zied is absolutely the most romantic, thoughtful and caring man I've ever been in a relationship with. He surprises me constantly!" Rebecca gushed."I want to feel like Zied is ready to be my husband and build a life here with me. As homesick as he is, if Zied isn't happy here, I don't know if this marriage will even happen," Rebecca shared.Rebecca's friend Melanie acknowledged there were similarities between Zied and Rebecca's Moroccan ex who had crushed her heart. Melanie also spilled the beans to Zied that Rebecca had previously lived in the same apartment complex with her third ex-husband."The same home. I hate this," Zied admitted. "She is my fiancee now. Of course that makes me jealous -- any man in the world [would be]. But I don't like to see Rebecca upset [and cry]."Zied therefore comforted Rebecca and said he was tired of people comparing him to Rebecca's ex.Rebecca said Melanie was borderline disrespectful to Zied but she was just thankful Zied had handled the situation so well.After a few days in America, Zied and Rebecca went out to dinner with Tiffany, Tiffany's friend Hannah, and Tiffany's fiance Micah, who still wasn't sure if Zied was "playing" them.Rebecca said she felt a bit uncomfortable Hannah, "a young and hot blonde" was at the dinner table and seemed so interested in Zied. Hannah even offered to help Zied move his things with her truck, which rubbed Rebecca the wrong way.Rebecca explained Zied's culture wouldn't allow a pretty, young single woman to be at his apartment, but Tiffany believed Hannah was just trying to be genuinely helpful and Rebecca was showing she was jealous and insecure.Rebecca warned Zied that women in America are not the same as the women in Tunisia and Hannah appeared to be flirting with him."If a woman in America offers to help you with anything, you say, 'No,'" Rebecca shared.Zied told the cameras that Hannah was cute but Rebecca was cuter and he loved her more than anything. Zied promised Rebecca that he was not looking for another woman and she needed to trust him.With that being said, Rebecca told Zied that she loved him and dropped the tension.Rebecca then brought Zied to meet her son Brandon, daughter-in-law Kristen and the couple's young kids.Rebecca has five grandchildren and Zied joked, "I am happy because I am a grandfather."Brandon said he appreciated Zied's big smile, handshake and hugs, and he added that Zied appeared to be a good guy with a good heart.Rebecca previously had a partial hysterectomy due to a tumor and so she can't have any more children, which was apparently "a sore subject" for her.Later on, Rebecca asked Zied if he was sure that he wouldn't want children of his own someday because she felt guilt about taking that possibility away from him.Zied said he was totally okay with not having children, but Rebecca worried Zied might change his mind in the future since he was only 27 years old.Rebecca told Zied that she wouldn't allow him to divorce her if he woke up one day and realized having a child was very important to him.Rebecca later took Zied to a venue where they could have their wedding. She surprised him with a horse-drawn carriage, and Rebecca said her goal was to make Zied excited about planning their wedding.Zied told Rebecca that while she wanted a big and beautiful wedding, coronavirus was spreading and he needed to get married quickly."I'm disappointed Zied is willing to settle so quickly on just having a regular courthouse wedding," Rebecca shared with the cameras."Despite the fact I've been married three times before, to be honest, this feels like the first time I'm getting married and this is going to be my last wedding. So I want it to be special!"Rebecca desired a "normal" wedding, but Zied told Rebecca that he wanted to marry her before Ramadan, which is the biggest holiday for people who practice Islam and started in a few weeks from that point.The holiday lasts about a month long, and Rebecca wondered why Zied hadn't brought this up earlier."So if I don't marry you quickly, you do home?" Rebecca asked."Yeah," Zied replied.Zied said his visa was going to expire one week after Ramadan and if Rebecca chose to wait until then, they'd have to live apart.With 67 days left to wed on Zied's K-1 visa, Rebecca admitted to Zied that she was really stressed out.Rebecca told Zied that she wasn't going to marry him before Ramadan, but Zied pushed, "I want this, Rebecca."Zied said a ceremony before Ramadan was very important to him, but Rebecca insisted she didn't want a courthouse wedding."I waited two years for you to get here, and then because I won't marry you in two weeks, you want to go stay somewhere else," Rebecca said with frustration."Yeah," Zied replied.Rebecca said it had been okay for the couple to stay in the same hotel room and sleep in the same apartment up to that point, and Rebecca was annoyed Zied seemed to be picking and choosing what's important to him in the Islamic faith."It's possible he could be playing me just like my ex from Morocco did," Rebecca admitted. "[This situation] makes me feel like telling him, 'Go live somewhere else.'"Rebecca accused Zied of springing this on her, and she wasn't happy since her work schedule was hectic and they were also in coronavirus times. Rebecca said she wasn't going to rush their marriage and didn't understand why Zied was acting this way.Rebecca decided, as a result, to just live apart from Zied until they could marry after Ramadan. Rebecca told Zied that he could stay with Tiffany or somewhere else and since they had already waited two years, they could wait another month."I am here for you Rebecca, I am not here for America," Zied insisted.Zied was frustrated Rebecca still questioned his intentions given he had given up his friends and family to move to America to be with her. Zied admitted he was not happy in the U.S. and didn't know what to do.Rebecca and her ex-husband from Morocco finalized their divorce on July 9, 2019, according to divorce documents obtained by In Touch Weekly.According to Rebecca, Zied's visa was approved less than four months after they applied for it, which was a short period of time considering they both anticipated it could take anywhere from six months to a year.Rebecca told Us Weekly in a late December 2020 interview the K-1 visa process "wasn't too bad" after all."We were very fortunate at that time... He got here and within two days, COVID hit and everything was locked down. So we just [got him to America] under the wire," Rebecca said.Rebecca and Zied reportedly obtained their marriage license on April 14, 2020.Rebecca and Zied exchanged vows and got married in Lumpkin County, GA, on April 19, 2020, according to a representative from the Probate Court in Cherokee County, In Touch reported.Zied is therefore now a married man seemingly living with Rebecca in Canton, GA.Although Zied wouldn't confirm whether he was in the United States this past summer, it was apparent he and Rebecca were still going strong in June.On June 10, Rebecca posted a photo of Zied on Instagram and added the following hashtags to her post: "sexy" and "mine."And on July 16, Rebecca shared a picture of Zied lying in bed on a pink pillow."#sexyaf #mine #rebeccaandzied #90dayfiance @tlc_90day_zied I love you more than all the sand in the Sahara," Rebecca wrote with many heart and kissing emojis.Rebecca later gushed about Zied in mid-August by posting a photo of the couple on Instagram with "I love you forever" written across the image."I love you so much @tlc_90day_zied. Thank you for making every day of my life since April 24, 2018, happy and so full of hope for the future," Rebecca captioned her post."I'm so thankful I found you. You are the extraordinary, crazy kind of love that only happens once in a lifetime. I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy. Wallah #90dayfiance #rebeccaandzied #mylove."Zied also spilled a spoiler on October 15 that he and Rebecca were still happy and in love.Zied posted a photo of Rebecca kissing him on the cheek when they were both wearing winter hats."I love you so much my love @tlc_90day_rebecca #tlc #90dayfiance #rebeccaandzied," he wrote alongside the picture with numerous heart-eyes emoticons.Rebecca then replied in the comments section, "Babyyy I love you more. Mahboulla bik habibii."Zied and Rebecca's main Instagram photos also feature one another.But Rebecca admitted Zied didn't adjust well to life in America at first."He's never been married before. He's never been in a long-term relationship before. He's never been to another country before... He basically said, 'This is not what I thought it was going to be,' and he was very unhappy," Rebecca shared with Us in her December interview."He missed his family and it was really hard. It was a struggle."Rebecca also said "a rather large argument" made matters worse when Zied and Rebecca were trying to adjust to life together in America shortly after Zied's arrival."I know if I were going to Tunisia and I was going to live there, I would have something in my head of what [to expect]," Rebecca said."I don't know what it would be, but I guarantee you sitting in quarantine wouldn't have crossed my mind. That's not something that's in your toolbox to consider."Rebecca noted Zied just sat around and couldn't drive or go anywhere, and she admitted life didn't get any easier in subsequent months after Zied's big move."If I were in any -- literally almost any -- other field of work, this would have been a blessing in disguise," Rebecca told Us, referencing how she manages a fast-food restaurant."Can you imagine [if] I would have gotten the stimulus checks and probably gotten unemployment to stay home? We would have thought it was written just for us. We would have gotten to stay together, like, 'This is amazing!' Or we would have killed each other, I don't know."Rebecca continued, "But you know, because of my job, it was just the worst possible scenario. So it wasn't the best... It was really bad."Rebecca had been hoping to travel with Zied -- including stops in Miami and New York -- before the coronavirus pandemic, and so she said life recently has been "a bit of a letdown."More recently, Zied dropped huge hints he is still living in the United States, presumably with Rebecca, in January 2021 Instagram posts.Zied posted a slideshow of images with his family at the airport in early January and captioned them, "I want to say to my mother, father, sister, family and friends @ssen10 @khalilaymen3 and the other goodbye. I promise to come back to see you soon .. I love you all very much .. #90dayfiance #rebeccaandzied #tlc."Saying he'll "come back" to see his family in Tunisia "soon" indicates he still resides in America.On January 13, 2021, Rebecca wished Zied a happy birthday on Instagram by posting a photo of the two of them."Happy Birthday @tlc_90day_zied I hope you have a wonderful day full of all the blessings you deserve," Rebecca wrote, along with a heart. "#rebeccaandzied #90dayfiance #happybirthday #tlc."On January 18, Rebecca posted an entire slideshow featuring sweet and affectionate photos of Zied and herself, with many of them apparently having been taken in the United States.Zied also took to Instagram in late January with a picture of Rebecca and himself wearing cowboy hats.And in February, Rebecca posted on Instagram suggesting she and Zied remain a team against haters and skeptics."I'm so fortunate that [Zied] has been so patient with all the comparisons to you-know-[who] from everyone around me. To everyone who has been telling me I should've stuck up for him, I actually did, it just wasn't shown," Rebecca captioned a video of her friend Melanie calling Rebecca out for having lived in the same apartment complex with her ex-husband."And that's okay. I appreciate the many messages I have received since last night. Also please remember I had a tough time meeting his friends and family as well. Everything will work itself out, one way or another.""Ultimately, we knew our relationship would face a lot of tests," she continued."It's how we handle these tests that will determine if we make it or not. But I really wish it were easier for Zied. No matter what, he does not deserve to be compared to anyone else. We really appreciate everyone's support. Thank you."In fact, Rebecca revealed on 90 Day Bares All she is no longer friends with Melanie and will never forgive her for telling Zied about the apartment building.In mid-February, Rebecca posted a photo of herself wearing an apron that reads, "I [love] you like Zied [love]s Rebecca.""Y'all when I saw this, I literally got tears in my eyes!! One of my wonderful followers on Facebook sent this to me. She had this made as a Valentine's Day gift," Rebecca gushed in the caption."Tame Nunes Tess, you made my day! I hope your hubby loves it! Happy Valentine's Day to you both #valentines #love #90dayfiance #rebeccaandzied #90dayfiancefansarethebest."Around that same time, Zied posted a video montage featuring Rebecca and himself for Rebecca's birthday. He wished Rebecca a "happy birthday" and clearly appears to still be smitten with her.And in March 2021, Zied posted pictures from a day at Six flags with three of his male friends, proving he is definitely still in the United States.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
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London, March 14 : Murray Walker, often called the "Voice of Formula 1" due to his long stint as commentator for the sport, passed away at the age of 97.

The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC), which owns and operates the Silverstone circuit, announced the news on Saturday. "It's with great sadness we share the news of the passing of BRDC Associate Member Murray Walker OBE. A friend, a true motorsport legend, the nations favourite commentator and a contagious smile," said the BRDC.

"We thank Murray for all he has done for our community. RIP our friend," it further said.

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton was among many who paid tribute to Walker.

"So sad to hear of Murray's passing. I remember growing up hearing your voice over the races. You made the sport so much more exciting and captivating. The iconic voice of our sport and a great man, thank you for all you did, you will never be forgotten. Rest in peace," Hamilton tweeted.

Walker commentated on a Grand Prix for the first time for the BBC in 1949. He has been on the mike for some of the most famous moments in Formula 1 including the famous rivalry between McLaren's Ayrton Senna and Allain Prost and the early stages of Michael Schumacher's dominance.

Walker partnered with former F1 world champion James Hunt until the latter's death in 1993 after wich he partnered with former driver Martin Brundle.

Since the pandemic hit, researchers have been uncovering ways COVID-19 impacts other parts of the body, besides the lungs.

Now, for the first time, a visual correlation has been found between the severity of the disease in the lungs using CT scans and the severity of effects on patient's brains, using MRI scans. This research is published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology. It will be presented at the 59th annual meeting of the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR) and has also been selected as a semifinalist for that organization's Cornelius Dyke Award.

The results show that by looking at lung CT scans of patients diagnosed with COVID-19, physicians may be able to predict just how badly they'll experience other neurological problems that could show up on brain MRIs, helping improve patient outcomes and identify symptoms for earlier treatment.

CT imaging can detect illness in the lungs better than an MRI, another medical imaging technique. However, MRI can detect many problems in the brain, particularly in COVID-19 patients, that cannot be detected on CT images.

The study was led by Achala Vagal, MD, professor in the department of radiology, and Abdelkader Mahammedi, MD, assistant professor of radiology. Both are UC Health radiologists and members of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute.

We've seen patients with COVID-19 experience stroke, brain bleeds and other disorders affecting the brain. So, we're finding, through patient experiences, that neurological symptoms are correlating to those with more severe respiratory disease; however, little information has been available on identifying potential associations between imaging abnormalities in the brain and lungs in COVID-19 patients. Imaging serves as proof for physicians, confirming how an illness is forming and with what severity and helps in making final decisions about a patient's care." Abdelkader Mahammedi, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiology

In this study, which was conducted not only at UC, but also at large institutions in Spain, Italy and Brazil, researchers reviewed electronic medical records and images of hospitalized COVID-19 patients from March 3 to June 25, 2020. Patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19, experienced neurological issues and who had both lung and brain images available were included.

Of 135 COVID-19 patients with abnormal CT lung scans and neurological symptoms, 49, or 36%, were also found to develop abnormal brain scans and were more likely to experience stroke symptoms.

Mahammedi says this study will help physicians classify patients, based on the severity of disease found on their CT scans, into groups more likely to develop brain imaging abnormalities. He adds that this correlation could be important for implementing therapies, particularly in stroke prevention, to improve outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

"These results are important because they further show that severe lung disease from COVID-19 could mean serious brain complications, and we have the imaging to help prove it," says Mahammedi, who is also a member of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute. "Future larger studies are needed to help us understand the tie better, but for now, we hope these results can be used to help predict care and ensure that patients have the best outcomes."
Mar. 14MACON  A convicted felon currently serving a federal prison sentence for crimes committed in Missouri has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in Georgia, Peter D. Leary, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, said in a news release.

Jalen Ortez Gude, 27, of Hillsboro, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Tilman "Tripp" Self. Gude faces a maximum 20 years in prison to be followed by a minimum of five years up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Gude will be sentenced at 10 a.m. on June 1. There is no parole in the federal system.

Gude was sentenced to serve 81 months in federal prison on Jan. 22, 2018, for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in the Western District of Missouri. During the course of the investigation into the crimes for which he is currently imprisoned, investigators executed a search warrant on March 17, 2015 at his Hillsboro residence, recovering an iPhone and a 64GB thumb drive. The drive contained 18 photos and three videos of child pornography, including images and video that involved a minor under the age of 12.

"Prosecuting crimes against children is a top priority in the Middle District of Georgia," Leary said. "This defendant will be held accountable with additional federal prison time, without parole. I want to thank the FBI for their pursuit of justice for our most vulnerable citizens  our children."

"Each time pornographic images of innocent children are created and shared, they are victimized again," Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta said. "Our message to child predators is that we are committed and working hard to bring them to justice by getting them the toughest penalties of the law."

The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Keyes is prosecuting the case for the government.
New Delhi:

K Chandrasekhar Rao has turned out to be godsend for the 11-month Sriman. Telangana Chief Minister has sanctioned Rs. 25 Lakhs for the liver transplant of the baby boy from Gajwel.The amount has been sanctioned from the CM's Relief Fund.

The boy's parents couldn't afford the expensive transplant and after hearing their plight, the CM issued orders to sanction the amount.

Devasani Sriman, the baby boy has been ailing since birth. The doctors who were attending him had said he could be treated only through a liver transplant.

The baby's parents were worried about the high cost of the transplant and how they could arrange it.

It is being reported that when K. Chandrasekhar came to know about the issue, he spoke to Siddipet collector Venkatram Reddy and directed him to take necessary steps for the child's treatment.

Reddy reported to the Chief Minister that the price for the liver transplant would be Rs. 25 Lakhs. On knowing this, Mr. Rao decided to sanction the said amount from the Chief Minister Relief Fund.

Sriram's parents were handed over the cheque at Global Hospitals, where the baby is undergoing the treatment. The collector personally asked the doctors to provide the child the best possible medical care.
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The women were shocked at the conditions of the villages they were to help. They werent just there to throw Christmas parties and help them replant crops, they had to rebuild entire villages. They aided in medical care (there was a female Smith alumnus doctor with them) and had to figure out how allocate the few supplies they had to do the most good.

The characters in Band of Sisters feel so real because Willig based them on real women  the writers of all the many letters she read, written by the actual alumni who went to France. These women rose to the occasion, and because the eyes of the world were upon them, failure would be a major setback for women just at the time that womens suffrage was taking hold in the United States.

Band of Sisters is one of the best historical novels I have read because it is based in reality. The writing pulls you in immediately, and you care about these young ladies who leave the safety of their comfortable homes to come to the aid of people they dont know. Lauren Willig drops you right into the middle of a warzone with these intrepid young women.

Kristin Hannahs newest novel, The Four Winds, takes the reader from the Texas panhandle in the 1920s to the agricultural fields of California in the 1930s during the Great Depression.
Peshawar: The Hindu community in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to pardon the mob that vandalised and burned down a century-old temple in the province.

The local clerics and members of the Hindu community held a meeting on Saturday to resolve the dispute.

As per the dialogue, informally called 'jigra', the accused have tendered an apology over the attack and a similar incident in 1997. The Muslim clerics have assured full protection to the Hindus and their rights as per the country's Constitution.

A reconciliation statement from the meeting would be presented to the Supreme Court, in a bid to secure the release of the accused from detention.

On December 30 last year, a mob led by some local clerics and members of radical Islamist party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam vandalised the temple and an adjoining 'samadhi' and set it on fire in Terri village of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak district.

Speaking to the media after the meeting with the local Ulema, Pakistan Hindu Council Chairman Ramesh Kumar said the incident had hurt the feelings of Hindus across the world. Kumar, who is also a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmaker, said KPK Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had chaired the 'jirga' proceedings and thanked him for settling the matter amicably.

Mahmood Khan, in his address to jirga members, had condemned the attack strongly, calling it an attempt to pollute the peaceful environment in the province. The attack on the temple had drawn strong condemnation from human rights activists and the minority Hindu community leaders, prompting the Supreme Court to order its reconstruction. Nearly 50 people have been arrested in the case.

Following the incident, India had lodged a strong protest with Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs had conveyed its serious concerns to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi over the repeated instances of similar incidents and atrocities against the members of the minority community.

India had also called out the Pakistan government at the United Nations, saying the country's enforcement agencies stood as "mute spectators" when a historic Hindu temple was attacked. The Samadhi of Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj is considered sacred by the Hindu community. It was built where he died in 1919 in Teri village of Karak.

The controversy over the samadhi erupted many decades ago. According to the details submitted to the Supreme Court in 2014, in a case about it, the Hindus had been visiting the shrine till 1997 when it was dismantled by the locals.

The apex court in 2014 ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to restore and reconstruct the Hindu shrine. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.

According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country. The majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by extremists.

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The NDP has vowed to delay legislation tabled by the Progressive Conservative government that it says will weaken the role of the Public Utilities Board and lead to higher bills for Manitobans.

The NDP has vowed to delay legislation tabled by the Progressive Conservative government that it says will weaken the role of the Public Utilities Board and lead to higher bills for Manitobans.

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew made the announcement at an outdoor rally in Winnipeg on Sunday  held downtown at the corner of Graham Avenue and Edmonton Street  with about 100 striking members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2034 in attendance.

"As the Official Opposition, we have the ability to hold five bills over from this spring to this fall," Kinew told the crowd, which included many people holding union flags or placards in support of the strike.

"Were here today to tell you the first bill we plan to hold over is Bill 35, because we want to stand up for Manitoba Hydro, we want to stand up for Manitoba Hydro workers, and we want to do the right thing for Manitobans."

The strike action began last week with some Manitoba Hydro workers walking off the job. IBEW Local 2034 represents roughly 2,300 workers. The strike comes after 28 months of negotiations in which the Crown corporation and the union failed to reach a deal.

Bill 35 is known as The Public Utilities Ratepayer Protection and Regulatory Reform Act. The NDP warns it would limit the Public Utilities Boards ability to independently set and regulate Manitoba Hydro rates.

Kinew also said that Bill 35 is part of a larger plan by Premier Brian Pallister and his cabinet ministers to partially privatize certain aspects of the Manitoba Hydro portfolio.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS NDP Leader Wab Kinew leads a press conference and rally with supporters and striking Manitoba Hydro workers outside the Manitoba Hydro headquarters in Winnipeg on Sunday.

"The only reason that Mr. Pallister is pursuing this agenda is for the reason he said this past March 11. He said hes going to implement the Wall Reports recommendations to break off so-called non-core functions of Manitoba Hydro and sell them off. Thats privatization," Kinew said.

A provincial spokesman responded on Sunday, calling the press conference "another shameless attempt by the NDP to scare Manitobans with false information."

"If the NDP wants to address political interference at Manitoba Hydro, they should look in the mirror Had they bothered to read the bill, the NDP would know that Bill 35 will in fact enhance the PUB and its oversight on behalf of Manitobans," the spokesman wrote.

"Our government is also looking to strengthen Bill 35 based on recommendations from the Wall Report so that Manitobans will never again have a multibillion-dollar project foisted on them without proper approval."

Mike Espenell, business manager for IBEW Local 2034, also spoke briefly at the rally, saying the unions bargaining committee reached out to Manitoba Hydro Saturday to ask for a final offer.

Once a final offer is received, Espenell said, the unions bargaining committee will make a recommendation to either accept it or reject it, before putting it before members for a vote.

"Were not interested in prolonging the strike activity and inconveniencing our customers, or inconveniencing our members, any longer than is absolutely necessary," Espenell said.

"To allow our members to be heard, loud and clear, we want to give them that opportunity by vote, so were going to give them that opportunity to vote and make their decision."

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe
Jessica Mauboy ended her relationship with her record label Sony and manager David Champion last year.

And the songstress, 31, broke her silence as she spoke of taking her power back at an International Womens Day event in Sydney last Monday with Marie Claire.

According to Emerald City with Lucy Manly this week, Jess candidly opened-up about the ground-breaking decision.

Reclaiming power: Jessica Mauboy, 31, broke her silence on her split from record label Sony and her manager last year as reported in Emerald City by Lucy Manly on the weekend

'Although [the music industry] looks very pretty, it can be a scary environment. I felt quite trapped,' she told the audience.

She went on to say she decided to take back her power and make changes.

'In 2020 I took that leap and took back my confidence and my power. I owe music so much,' she added.

Raw: 'In 2020 I took that leap and took back my confidence and my power. I owe music so much,' she added. 'It's given me the ability to know my power and know my strength'

'It's given me the ability to know my power and know my strength.'

Jess broke away from her relationship with Sony at the end of last year. The Young Divas star went on to sign with Warner.

Speaking with The Daily Telegraph in December, she said: 'I have had an incredible journey with Sony, for which I will forever be grateful.'

Moving on: Jessica (pictured) ended one of her longest relationships - with her record label, Sony, last year

'It is now time for the next chapter of my career and I'm very excited to be joining the team at Warner Music.

'I have been spending my time in studio lately and looking forward to releasing new music in the new year.'

Jessica has released four albums with Sony - Been Waiting in 2008, Get 'Em Girls in 2010, Beautiful in 2013 and most recently, Hilda in 2019.

The star said: 'I have had an incredible journey with Sony, for which I will forever be grateful. It is now time for the next chapter of my career and I'm very excited to be joining the team at Warner Music'

In February, she split from former manager David Champion, who signed her at 16. She said the pair now 'see things differently' when it comes to her career.

'I found a new way to be the boss lady in the room. I started to put my foot down, and people listened,' she previously told Private Sydney.

Jessica explained she and David separated because from a 'business and musical perspective, we see things differently' but said there were on 'good terms'.
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Not many people alive today can say they knew someone who survived slavery.

At 95 years old, Lucille Burden Osborne grew up in the same house as family members whod survived slavery, including her great-grandmother Rachel McGruder. Her great-grandfather, Charles McGruder, had also been enslaved.

Descendants of Charles McGruder are telling his story, and describing their quest to find each other, as part of an effort to continue to explore the impacts of slavery in the United State and Alabama.

I met freed slaves, in my own family! Osborne told ABC News. I think its marvelous. How many people can say, I met this person -- they once were a slave, and now theyre free.

Family members reunited and shared their story on a recent episode of Soul of a Nation, which airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Central on ABC. Episodes are available on Hulu the following Wednesday.

They told ABC News that their great-great-grandfather was basically rented out to go from plantation to plantation to breed with other African women, who themselves had no choice in family or marriage. Children became the property of the slave owner.

He was surviving himself, said Marie McGruder, a descendant who now runs the family farm.

Records confirm McGruder had at least 40 children; family guess it may have been up to 100. Of those, each went on to have their own -- sometimes as many as a dozen -- children.

That means there are many Black Alabamians with the last name McGruder who can trace their lineage back to one man. One of those descendants, as well as a descendant of the white man who owned Charles McGruder, is continuing to map out the family tree. They discovered that the white Magruders and Black McGruders are linked by blood; Charles McGruder was enslaved by his own grandfather.

Charles McGruder was emancipated after the Civil War and purchased land in 1877 near Sawyerville, in Hale County, which some of his family still owns.
A student reads at a library of Southwest University in Chongqing, Feb 1, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's Ministry of Education has issued a notice to improve second bachelor's degree programs in universities.

Universities should fully harness their educational resources to train interdisciplinary talents, thus providing support for stabilizing employment and enhancing students' employability, said the document.

It also made clear that universities are allowed to enroll students across schools for a second bachelor's degree education.

Also, the ministry will establish a national online platform for universities to release relevant enrollment information.

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ICE officers have set up a new outdoor processing center in Texas as they struggle to deal with the soaring number of migrants crossing the southern border.

Photographs of the giant open-air facility - located in the Rio Grande Valley Center of the state - were obtained by Fox News on Saturday.

The shocking snaps show hundreds of migrants sitting in a fenced-off area at the haphazard facility, set up under an overpass, after they arrived in the United States from Mexico.

The migrants are reportedly sorted into' family units', 'unaccompanied minors' and 'single adults' before being bused off to other facilities - which are reported to be dangerously overcrowded.

Last month, a staggering 100,000 migrants were caught trying to cross the southern border - up 30 percent from January.

And numbers are continuing to increase this month, with 125,000 migrants expected to arrive along the border in March, according to current data.

That is the highest number in years - and officials fear the figure will soar even further throughout the spring.

ICE officers have set up a new outdoor processing center in Texas as they struggle to deal with the soaring number of migrants crossing the southern border

The migrants are reportedly sorted into' family units', 'unaccompanied minors' and 'single adults' before they being bused off to other facilities - which are reported to be dangerously overcrowded

Officials in the Rio Grande Valley report that they are now apprehending more than 1,500 migrants in their small area each day

ICE officers have set up a new outdoor processing center in Texas as they struggle to deal with the soaring number of migrants crossing the southern border

Photographs of the giant open-air facility - located in the Rio Grande Valley Center of the state - were obtained by Fox News on Saturday

Officials do not have the infrastructure to cope with such soaring numbers, and one holding center for minors is now said to be at 729 percent of its legal capacity.

On Saturday night, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help with surge of unaccompanied migrant children arriving in the US.

Meanwhile, ICE has asked for volunteers to help at the border 'as soon as this weekend'.

Despite the humanitarian concerns, Joe Biden and members of his administration have refused to call the situation a 'crisis'.

However, they have admitted that their 'more humane' border policies may have sparked the surge of illegal immigrants flowing into the country.

Since taking office, Biden lifted the Trump policy that forced migrants to remain in Mexico while going through the legal process to enter the US, narrowed the ICE's criteria for arrests and deportations and stopped the building of Trump's border wall.

These moves have led thousands upon thousands of migrants pouring into America leaving the border's children's centers so full that kids are being forced to spend up to 10 days in cramped detention centers meant for adults and sparking a backlog and logistical nightmare in processing the new entrants.

Biden is coming under fire from both parties with Republicans planning to use what they have branded 'Biden's Border Crisis' as their ticket to taking back the House in 2022, while Democrats have hit out at the White House's lack of preparedness for the influx his changes were in no doubt of bringing.

On Saturday, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton tweeted: 'It's time for President Biden to call this what it isa national emergency on our southern border.

Despite the humanitarian concerns, Joe Biden and members of his administration have refused to call the situation a 'crisis'

On Saturday night, DHS security Alejandro Majorkas announced he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help with surge of unaccompanied migrant children arriving in the US

An aerial view of the Donna facility which is at 726 percent of its legal pandemic capacity

More than 3,500 unaccompanied teens and children have been held in Customs Border Patrol (CBP) detention centers designed for adults in recent days.

Children must legally be transferred from CBP detention centers to the HHS shelters within 72 hours of their arrival.

But this requirement has gone out of the window as the latest data from the Department of Homeland Security shows most children are spending on average 108 hours in the cramped CBP facilities.

More than 130 children have been held in the CBP facilities for 10 days.

Children at one facility in Donna, located in south Texas, are going hungry with many reporting they have only been able to shower once in seven days as the center is at 729 percent of its legal capacity, reported CBS.

Under pandemic safety rules to allow for social distancing, the CBP holding facility permitted to hold a maximum of 250 migrants.

On March 2, there were more than 1,800 people held in the facility, CBS reported.

The facility was initially erected as a temporary site in anticipation of a surge in migration while the permanent center in McAllen is renovated but is already busting at the seams.

Neha Desai, a lawyer representing migrant youth in government custody, told the outlet children are being forced to sleep on the floor due to a lack of beds while some are being held as long as seven days - more than double the legal 72-hour limit.

'Some of the boys said that conditions were so overcrowded that they had to take turns sleeping on the floor,' Desai said after interviewing almost a dozen unaccompanied migrant children at the center.

'They all said they wanted to shower more and were told they couldn't.'

Migrant families and children climb the banks of the Rio Grande River into the United States as smugglers on rafts prepare to return to Mexico

A migrant walks amid tents at an improvised camp outside El Chaparral crossing port as he and others wait for US authorities to allow them to start their migration process in Tijuana

Acting CBP commissioner Troy Miller said in a press call Wednesday the children are being well looked after with welfare checks, blankets, baby formula, hot meals and showers at least every 48 hours.

'Many of us, maybe most of us, are parents. I myself have a 6-year-old, and these Border Patrol agents go above and beyond every single day to take care of the children,' he said.

However he admitted the agency is 'struggling' with the surge of migrant families and children at the facilities since Biden eased immigration rules when he came into office.

Border Patrol agents found 96,974 migrants last month, up from 75,312 in January. Another 3,467 were taken into custody at ports of entry.

Almost half - 43 per cent - were from Mexico, with 20 per cent from Honduras, 19 per cent from Guatemala, 6 per cent from El Salvador, and 12 per cent from other countries.

Two thirds, 68,732, of those encountered were single adults - the most single adults for any month since October 2011, according to the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), which advocates for human rights and social justice along the border.

Migrants from Central America are pictured at the Paso del Norte International Bridge after being deported

Migrants entering the US at the Paso del Norte International Bridge in El Paso, Texas on March 1

Special Advisor to the president Roberta Jacobson admitted in a White House briefing on Wednesday that the timing of the surge in migrants was 'no coincidence' with the change in rules under Biden.

'We've seen surges before. Surges tend to respond to hope, and there was significant hope for a more humane policy after four years of pent-up demand,' she said.

'So I don't know if I would call that a coincidence.'

Jacoboen said that the 'more humane policy' now in place has likely given rise to rumors among people traffickers of leniency.

The 'coyotes', as the smugglers are known, have then encouraged more migrants to pay to make the journey, she said.

'The idea that a more humane policy would be in place may have driven people to make that decision, but perhaps, more importantly, it definitely drove smugglers to express disinformation, spread disinformation about what was now possible,' she said.

A new CNN poll shows immigration as the subject area where Biden is getting the lowest marks, with 49 per cent disapproving of the Democrat's handling, compared to 43 per cent who approve.

Honduran nationals are escorted out of the brush by a Texas State Trooper after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico on a raft

Border Patrol agents found 96,974 migrants last month, up from 75,312 in January. Another 3,467 were taken into custody at ports of entry
EUGENE, Ore -- The search for Bethels next superintendent has been narrowed down to three finalists.

After application screening and an initial round of interviews, the three finalists are:

 Bernadette Hall-Cuaron, Teacher Leader Facilitator, Van Buren Middle School, Albuquerque, New Mexico

 Dan Hedberg, Principal, Willamette High School

 Kraig Sproles, Assistant Superintendent, Salem-Keizer Public Schools

There were originally 21 applicants for the position.

According to the district, reference checks are being conducted and second round interviews will take place on March 18, followed by online community forums during the week of March 22.

The School Board expects to announce its final selection by mid-April, with the 8th superintendent in district history set to be on the job July 1.

Current Superintendent Chris Parra announced her retirement in November, effective at the end of the current school year, after 11 years with the district.
You could say it was the luck of the Irish coming a few days before St. Patrick's Day for many restaurant patio owners across the city.

You could say it was the luck of the Irish coming a few days before St. Patrick's Day for many restaurant patio owners across the city.

After pandemic restrictions in place since last October prevented Manitobans from going to a restaurant or licensed premise and sitting down with someone other than their family, Saturday was the first day people could sit with up to five friends from different households at a table on an outdoor patio.

And, coupled with Mother Nature bringing sunshine and a high of 9 C, Winnipeggers across the city filled the physically distanced tables and chairs on patios across the city while owners and staff quickly wiped down tables and took orders.

The patio at Bar Italia is full of people enjoying drinks and the company of others. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

"I'm here with my best friend who I haven't seen for a little while," said Rheann Brownstone shortly after quaffing the first draft beer she has had since last summer on the outdoor patio facing Corydon Avenue at Bar Italia.

"Actually, it has been a few months  I haven't seen her since December. Before this we would see each other a couple of times a week. It's a little normalcy in a crazy world."

Brownstone's first sit down restaurant meal in months? "A hamburger  you can't just make them good enough at home as they are fresh from the grill."

Over at Fionn's Winnipeg, in the Grant Park Shopping Centre parking lot, Shane Falk drove a few kilometres so he could have his first patio experience in months.

A sign on the patio at Saffrons on Corydon reminds customers to wear masks. Masks are still required at restaurants unless seated at a table. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

"I live in Morden and I drove in to see a couple of friends on the patio and enjoy the day," said Falk.

"It has been months since I've seen them and, before the pandemic, I would usually see them every week or couple of weeks  we've got a lot of catching up to do. And it kind of feels like the pandemic or COVID isn't around for a couple of hours."

Across at another table, Jasmine Arnold was with her husband, their dog Remington, and her husband's brother and his wife that they haven't seen across a table in weeks.

"It just felt normal," said Arnold. "It was like the good old times like last summer. Even our puppy loved it."

Jasmine Brown disinfects the table and chairs in preparation for seating guests on the patio at Fionns on Grant Avenue. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

Jay Kilgour, Fionn's general manager and franchisee, said he's especially happy the decision was made before St. Patrick's Day so people can come celebrate this Wednesday.

"For an Irish pub, we didn't get a St. Patrick's Day last year because we had to close because of the pandemic," said Kilgour. "We will have the Irish music going on Wednesday.

"We were able to have the patio open last weekend, but that was only for household members at each table  there wasn't as much excitement as this."

Kilgour said they went out and bought new heaters, filled the propane tanks and measured out safe distances so they are more than ready for this year's patio season.

Trevor Finch (left) had a drink with his neighbour Paul Thomas on the patio at Fionns on Grant Avenue. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

Across the parking lot, at the Pony Corral, manager Chantal Roncin said within a few minutes of opening three of the eight outdoor tables were already filled.

"People drive by the mall and they see the patio and they'll come in," she said. "It's nice out  I even saw someone wearing shorts outside."

Shaun Jeffrey, executive director of the Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservices Association, said it would have been nice for restaurant owners to have had more notice than Friday afternoon about the change for patios, but they are pleased the day had finally come.

"It's a small light on the end of a very long tunnel," said Jeffrey, adding the best thing was the collaboration the restaurant sector had with the government this time.

Carly Taggart (left) and friends spend time together on the patio at Fionns on Grant Avenue. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

"They are trying to do what they can to help, even if it's small wins."

The only downside to a glorious day? Not every patio in the city can open yet.

Over at the Langside Grocery, just north of Westminster Avenue, the patio heaters are outside and ready, but the patio isn't.

Langside manager Rae Vesa said they were thrilled to hear on Friday patios could open to people other than household members.

"I was so excited," said Vesa. "I contacted the owners and we shovelled off the patio, but then we checked our license and found we can't open the patio until April 1, and I got back to the owners and said 'never mind'."

Turns out, owners of permanent patios that connect to restaurants are covered by existing licenses, but temporary ones aren't allowed to open until April 1.

"It isn't an April Fool's Day joke, but on the other hand, this whole year has been an April Fool's Day joke," said Vesa.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
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An Garda Siochana have upgraded their initial inquiries into Tanaiste Leo Varadkars leaking of a confidential Irish government document to a friend into a full investigation.

It comes as the states political standards watchdog has separately said it is suspending its consideration of a complaint into the leak pending the outcome of the garda investigation.

Gardai are probing a complaint which centres on Mr Varadkars leaking of a confidential copy of the Irish governments proposed new GP contract with the Irish Medical Organisation to Maitiu O Tuathail, who was then the head of the rival National Association of General Practitioners, in April 2019.

Mr Varadkar has apologised over the affair and has said his legal advice is that he committed no offence. He has offered to meet gardai to provide a full statement.

Gardai have not yet spoken to Mr Varadkar. However, this is standard procedure as he is considered the main person of interest. He will be spoken to last so that all material gathered in the course of the investigation can be put to him.

The decision does not mean at this stage of the investigation that a charge is a foregone conclusion, but investigating gardai have now gathered sufficient material to justify further investigation, it is understood.

In response to queries, a Garda spokesperson said yesterday: I refer to your inquiry and am to advise An Garda Siochana does not comment on any ongoing investigations.

Meanwhile, the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) has told People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy that it is suspending consideration of a complaint he made last November about the leak.

Sipo contacted Mr Murphy last Wednesday.

An official in the complaint and investigations unit told him: The Commission notes that this matter is the subject of an investigation by An Garda Siochana, as reported in the media. Based on this information, the Commission has decided to suspend consideration of the complaint made by you until An Garda Siochana have concluded their investigation.

Mr Murphy asked Sipo to investigate if Mr Varadkar breached the Code of Conduct for Office Holders and the Code of Conduct for Members of Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann.

Sipo declined to comment when contacted. It is the practice of the Standards in Public Office Commission not to comment on individual compliance matters, a spokesperson said. A spokesman for Mr Varadkar said: The gardai have not been in contact with the Tanaiste about this matter.

Last month, on foot of media reports, his solicitors contacted the gardai to confirm his willingness to meet them and provide a statement. His legal advice is that he has committed no offence and looks forward to the matter being concluded.

When contacted Mr O Tuathail said: I havent been contacted by gardai but if and when I am I will obviously fully cooperate with them.

The Sunday Independent revealed last month that there had been discussions by senior officers about seizing phone records belonging to Mr Varadkar and Dr O Tuathail as well as Government officials involved in drafting the proposed GP contract.

Officers had been examining whether the complaint, made by a whistleblower at the Department of Health, could be investigated under a breach of the Official Secrets Act.

Assistant commissioner John ODriscoll, who oversees Special Crime Operations, had been conducting an extensive review of the complaint. The senior officer heads the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation

Former Minister for Health Simon Harris has already provided a written statement to gardai over the controversy. He is not suspected of any wrongdoing.

Mr Varadkar survived a Dail motion of no confidence tabled by Sinn Fein in November on foot of the controversy. Mr Varadkar acknowledged at that time that what he did was not best practice and an error of judgment. He told the Dail: There was nothing selfish, corrupt, dishonest or illegal in what I did.
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 48 Colleges In Virginia for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 189 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each institution is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 189 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 48 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-virginia/

2021 Top Colleges In Virginia featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Appalachian College Of Pharmacy

Appalachian School Of Law

Averett University

Bethel College

Bluefield College

Bon Secours Memorial College Of Nursing

Bridgewater College

Christopher Newport University

College of William and Mary

East Coast Polytechnic Institute University

Eastern Mennonite University

Eastern Virginia Medical School

Emory & Henry College

Ferrum College

George Mason University

Hampden-Sydney College

Hampton University

Hollins University

James Madison University

Liberty University

Longwood University

Lord Fairfax Community College

University of Lynchburg

Mary Baldwin University

Marymount University

Norfolk State University

Old Dominion University

Radford University

Randolph College

Randolph-Macon College

Regent University

Roanoke College

Sentara College of Health Sciences

Shenandoah University

Southern Virginia University

Sweet Briar College

University of Mary Washington

University of Richmond

University of Virginia

University of Virginias College, Wise

Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Military Institute

Virginia State University

Virginia Tech

Virginia Union University

Virginia Wesleyan University

Washington and Lee University

Wytheville Community College

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday announced the appointment of Upendra Kushwaha as chairman of the National Parliamentary Board of Janata Dal-United soon after the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) merged with the JDU.

Speaking at JD(U) Office, Kumar said, "Upendra Kushwaha has been appointed as chairman of the National Parliamentary Board of JD(U), with immediate effect."

The JD(U) leader further said, "We were in talks with RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha for quite some time. When I discussed it with my party members, they expressed their joy on his thought of merging the party with ours.

"Earlier in the day, Kushwaha said that the party has decided to merge with JD (U), stating that it is the demand of the current political situation.

"In the interest of the nation and state, like-minded people in Bihar should come together. It`s the demand of the current political situation. So, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party has decided to merge with JD(U), under Nitish Kumar`s leadership. We stand with them now," said Kushwaha.

Taking at the jibe the RLSP merging with JD (U), senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari said Kumar should handover the chief minister`s position to Kushwaha.

"The way BJP insulted Nitish Kumar in Bihar assembly elections using Chirag Paswan, it was obvious that it somewhere niggled Nitish Kumar as well as Upendra Khushwaha. However, it is time that "Luv" should handover the CM position to his brother Kush as `Luv-Kush` was the base of the JD(U)`s formation, said Tiwari.

Kushwaha was a JD(U) Rajya Sabha member till 2013, but he parted his ways in 2013 and floated his own outfit.

In the Bihar assembly election 2020, the RLSP stitched a coalition with Asaduddin Owaisi`s AIMIM and Mayawati`s Bahujan Samaj Party. However, the RLSP could not win even a single seat.
Google failed to kill a lawsuit alleging that it secretly scoops up troves of internet data even if users browse in Incognito mode to keep their search activity private.

The consumers who filed the case as a class action alleged that even when even they turn off data collection in Chrome, other Google tools used by websites end up amassing their personal information. A federal judge on Friday denied the Alphabet Inc. units initial request to throw out the case.

The court concludes that Google did not notify users that Google engages in the alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, wrote in her ruling.

The ruling comes as Google and Apple Inc. face intense scrutiny by lawmakers over their data gathering practices.

Three Google users filed a complaint in June claiming the company carries on a pervasive data tracking business. Google collects browsing history and other web activity data even after users employ safeguards to protect their data such as using Incognito private browsing mode, according to the complaint.

ALSO READ: Microsoft and Google openly feuding amid hacks, competition inquiries

Google knows who your friends are, what your hobbies are, what you like to eat, what movies you watch, where and when you like to shop, what your favorite vacation destinations are, what your favorite color is, and even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things you browse on the internet -- regardless of whether you follow Googles advice to keep your activities private, according to the complaint.

Google also makes clear that Incognito does not mean invisible, and that the users activity during that session may be visible to websites they visit, and any third-party analytics or ads services the visited websites use, Google said in a court filing.

Google had no immediate comment on the ruling.

The case is Brown v. Google LLC, 20-3664, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose).

By Malathi Nayak and Joel Rosenblatt
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
Chief executive Miguel Zaldivar of Hogan Lovells which has aleady announced its Duiblin expansion

Linklaters, a multinational law firm headquartered in London, is in negotiations to open an office in Dublin in a move which would make it the first of the so-called Magic Circle firms to have a physical presence here.

The Magic Circle is an informal term describing the five most prestigious London-headquartered multinational law firms.

Linklaters is understood to be in early-stage negotiations regarding the potential office set-up in Dublin.
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At its 2021 Annual Meeting this month, the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) will present the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) with the Harrison C. Spencer Award for Outstanding Community Service.

The prestigious award was created to honor Dr. Spencer, a pioneer in public health with a long-standing commitment to principles of social justice with a focus on community engagement to address the social determinants of health.

Community engagement is integral to CUNY SPH's vision of promoting health and social justice in New York City and across the globe through innovation and excellence in education, research, and service in public health. We embrace a multifaceted concept of "community" that includes half a million CUNY students at its center, exceeding a million when including the students families and close social circle.

The school is also engaged with its immediate neighborhood in Harlem, with its rich cultural heritage anchored in social justice an civil liberty, and with the broader New York City public health community of government agencies, health care institutions, community-based and private sector organizations, and academia whose mission is to improve population health.

CUNY SPH is being recognized for its recent work to promote population health, especially amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, including the CONVINCE USA Initiative, which seeks to promote vaccine literacy and confidence in Covid-19 vaccines in particular; the Healthy CUNY Initiative, which strives to promote the health of CUNY students in order to support their academic success; the Harlem Strong Program, a community-based mental health and economic empowerment initiative to support greater mental health awareness, community advocacy and collaboration through community networks; the Covid-19 Resource Navigator Program (RNAV), which has trained CUNY students and alumni and CBOs to assist nearly 7,000 individuals in obtaining the resources and services necessary to quarantine at home due to exposure to Covid-19; the CUNY SPH Covid-19 Tracking Survey, which documented the impact of the pandemic on New York City and State residents over several months; and the Harlem Health Initiative, which supports and strengthens local organizations in Harlem where the school is located.
Back in December, Motorola made a commitment to update quite a few of its devices to Android 11. Both the Moto G8 and the G8 Power were on said list. However, we still don't have a timeframe for any of the devices on there and it's good to see that Motorola has started covering some ground. Well, technically, the Moto G Pro already started the update cycle back in January, but not much else has happened since. There is an official Motorola update portal you can use to check on progress for other devices.



Motorola Moto G8 and G8 Power Android 11 OTA

Anyway, The Moto G8 and G8 Power are using the same software build, which is why they get the same update package, build number RPE31.Q4U-47-35. It is based on Android 11 and contains February 2021 security patches. It is a staged OTA rollout, currently live in Colombia after what was said to be a four-month-long beta soak test. You can expect to see the update in other markets shortly.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Via 1 | Via 2
Mandatory face masks are staying put in Austin for the time being.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler said the public health face mask order that requires all Travis County residents to wear them will remain in effect for the next two weeks. The order stays after a U.S. District Court judge refused to grant the State of Texas an emergency, a temporary injunction on Friday.

LOCAL REACTIONS: Hidalgo defends mask stance in Time op-ed

He said they learned Friday morning they could keep it until they return to court on March 26. Judge Lora Livingston said she wanted more time for each side to make their case, according to KXAN.com.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown for allowing a public health mandate that goes against Gov. Greg Abbott's new order, which doesn't force Texans to wear a face mask starting Wednesday.

This isn't the first time Paxton has taken the officials to court. Around New Year's, the attorney defeated the Austin leaders in court for restricting in-person dining at restaurants, according to the Texas Tribune.

However, the second threat isn't stopping the Austin officials. Adler said they will continue to support their health officials on the face mask matter.

"No matter what happens then, we will continue to be guided by doctors and data," the mayor tweeted Friday. "Masking works."

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre
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A mysterious boom was heard across San Diego at 4.52pm on Wednesday and residents reported feeling shaking for about three seconds, echoing similar incidents last month and last year.

People reported feeling the windows and doors of their homes rattle as the United States Geological Survey said it did not record even a slight earthquake, the San Diego Union Tribune reported.

However, one Twitter user noted that the Southern California Seismic Network, a co-operative project of Caltech and the USGS, recorded what appears to be the boom on a live feed on YouTube of its seismograph.

A mysterious boom was heard across San Diego at 4.52pm on Wednesday afternoon

Residents reported feeling windows and doors shake across the San Diego area on Wednesday

One Twitter user noted that the Southern California Seismic Network, a co-operative project of Caltech and the USGS, recorded what appears to be the boom on a seismograph

The thunderous noise caused other social media users to contemplate what may have caused the sound, with top theories being: fighter jets from the nearby Camp Pendleton military base and stormy weather.

However, the military theory may have been ruled out, the Union Tribune reported.

'That wasn't one of ours,' Cmdr. Zachary Harrell, a Navy spokesman, told the outlet.

Harrell noted that military jets are required to break the sound barrier far off the coast where they would not be heard.

One Twitter user speculated the sound came from artillery rounds at Camp Pendleton.

'Live in Valley Center, North County and assumed it was just a much louder round of artillery at Camp Pendleton. Website says they are doing Mortar Fire all day and I thought I heard some earlier and again this evening,' @scarrcats tweeted.

Officials with Camp Pendleton confirmed to KGTV that soldiers were conducting artillery training on Wednesday but could not confirm if that was responsible for the boom.

The Marines and local defense contractors that operate at Pendleton and other nearby bases did not respond to requests for comment from the outlet.

Some Twitter users speculated that the boom was caused by the nearby Camp Pendleton

One resident tweeted that she thought that the boom was a noisy neighbor moving furniture

Another Twitter user simply surmised 'aliens' after the boom was felt in San Diego on Wednesday

San Diego County Sheriff's Department received calls about the boom but KSWB-TV that they did not know what caused it.

A researcher at the Center of Scientific Research and Higher Education told the Union Tribune that supersonic airplanes could have caused the 'rumble.'

But Humberto Mendoza Garcilazo also suggested it could may have been caused by stormy weather and atmospheric pressure changes, the Union Tribune reported.

National Weather Service meteorologist Brandt Maxwell told the outlet he was skeptical that it was caused by weather.

There were no thunderstorms in the area at the time of the boom and 'even with a strong cold front, you won't get that kind of rumbling,' he told the outlet.

Another Twitter user simply explained: 'Aliens.'
Amaravati, March 14 : Andhra Pradesh's ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is heading for a clean sweep in urban local body election as counting of votes was underway on Sunday in 11 municipal corporations and 70 municipalities.

The YSCRCP was leading in most of the divisions in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) which went to polls on March 10.

In the 90-member Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, the biggest among the state corporations, YSRCP won 27 divisions out of 44 results declared till 2 p.m. The principal opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won 14 divisions while the Jana Sena Party (JSP) of actor-politician Pawan Kalyan was distant third with just one seat.

In the 64-member Vijayawada Corporation, the YSRCP was racing ahead by winning 18 divisions while the TDP bagged five divisions.

In 57-member Guntur Municipal Corporation, the ruling party swept the polls by winning 44 seats. The TDP managed to win nine divisions while the JSP bagged two.

All eyes are on Vijayawada and Guntur Corporations as the results would virtually be seen as a referendum on the contentious state capital issue.

The TDP sought the votes in these corporations to reject the YSRCP government's move to trifurcate the state capital Amaravati.

The YSRCP also swept the polls in Chittoor, Tirupati, Kadapa and Ongole Corporations and had a clear lead in Vizianagaram, Machilipatnam and Anantapur Corporations.

As the results and trends from across the state show a clear sweep by the the YRSCP, celebrations broke out at the party's office at Tadepalli in Amaravati. The party workers burst crackers, distributed sweets and danced to drum beats to celebrate the victory.

The poll officials would be counting a total of 27,29,071 votes in 533 divisions across 11 corporations. Similarly, 21,03,284 votes would be counted across 1,633 wards in 71 municipalities.

Counting was not taken up in Eluru in the west Godavari district on the orders of Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Chief Electoral Officer, Ramesh Kumar, has directed the poll officials to complete the counting process by 8 p.m. He asked the collectors to order re-counting in divisions where the margin of victory is in single digit.
Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

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Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Showers this morning becoming a steady light rain during the afternoon hours. High around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
kali9/iStockBy MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News



(LONDON) -- Video and images of police detaining women as they gathered in London Saturday to protest violence and harassment have sparked an outcry.



Hundreds gathered Saturday evening to honor the life of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman who was found dead days after she disappeared while walking home from a friend's apartment and whose murder has launched a national conversation on women's safety.



With Britain currently under lockdown due to the novel coronavirus, organizers ultimately canceled the vigil -- held at Clapham Common in south London, near where Everard was last seen -- hours before it was scheduled to start due to concerns on the legal risks of attending.



The Metropolitan Police, which serves the greater London area, had also urged people to find "other ways to mourn Sarah in a safe way."



Wayne Couzens, a serving Metropolitan Police officer, was charged with murder and kidnapping in connection with her death, police said.



As night fell on the peaceful protest, during which attendees laid flowers and held signs saying, "We will not be silenced," police could be seen in social media videos handcuffing several women and leading them away as onlookers screamed and booed. Photos also captured police detaining women.



The police response drew criticism from the mayor of London.



"The scenes from Clapham Common are unacceptable," Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted Saturday night. "The police have a responsibility to enforce Covid laws but from images I've seen it's clear the response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate. I'm [in] contact with the Commissioner & urgently seeking an explanation."



Home Secretary Priti Patel said she has asked the Metropolitan Police for a "full report on what happened" after seeing some of the "upsetting" footage online.



Reclaim These Streets, which had been planning the vigil before calling it off Saturday, said it was "deeply saddened and angered by the scenes of police officers physically manhandling women at a vigil against male violence."



"Now is the time for the police and the government to recognize that the criminal justice system is failing women," the group said in a statement late Saturday. "Tonight, it has failed women again, in the most destructive way."



Leading up to Saturday, organizers said police were trying to work with them on how to safely execute the event. Police ultimately declared it unlawful due to COVID-19.



Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball defended officers in a late-night statement, saying people at the vigil were "posing a very real risk of easily transmitting COVID-19," and that her officers "were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect peoples safety."



"We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items," she said.



Police arrested four people for public order offenses and for breaches of the Health Protection Regulations, Ball said.



"Let me end by saying that across the Met, we review every single event that we police to see if there are lessons that can be learnt," Ball added. "This one will be no different."



Police warned people to avoid the area as protesters gathered Saturday evening.



"The gathering at #ClaphamCommon is unsafe. Hundreds of people are tightly packed together in breach of the regulations and risking public health," Lambeth Police tweeted Saturday evening. "We are urging people to go home and we thank those who have been engaging with officers and who are leaving."



Earlier on Saturday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick released a video statement, asking people to heed COVID-19 mandates and find other ways to "express their sadness and their solidarity."



"We are still in a global pandemic, and such a gathering would be unlawful, and would be unsafe," she said.



Everard's disappearance and murder ignited a national discussion on women's safety in the days since she was reported missing.



Anna Birley, one of the organizers of Reclaim These Streets, had previously told ABC News that the group wanted to make it clear that women are not the problem.



"The solution is not to tell women to moderate or change their behavior. It isn't about what we wear. It isn't about what time we go out," Birley said. "Actually it's about the men who choose to attack or harass women."



Everard was last seen March 3 in the area of Clapham Common at around 9:30 p.m., according to police. The marketing executive had been at a friend's house and was walking back to her home in Brixton, a trip that should have taken about 50 minutes.



On Friday, Metropolitan Police said that a body found earlier in the week in a wooded area in Kent, about 55 miles southeast from where she was last seen, was that of Everard.



Couzens appeared in court earlier on Saturday and was remanded into custody.



A woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.



ABC News' Zoe Magee, Ella Torres, Matt Foster and Mike Trew contributed to this report.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
PJ Medias Megan Fox has a very disturbing six-part series on alleged judicial corruption in St. Louis, Missouri. The first five detail how family court guardians and psychologists are misusing their positions to siphon off money from parents in custody disputes while the St. Louis judges ignore the fraud and collude with them, by, for example, ordering children's visits with sexual molesters and/or otherwise abusive parents in order to compel the other parent to keep paying lawyers to appeal the decisions and change the arrangements. One might expect that bar examiners, judicial conduct boards, the state attorney general, the Department of Justice, the FBI, the IRS would register some interest in what appears to be appalling legal violations by officers of the court and the judges , but I dont see anything happening yet to check these outrages.

In many ways this alleged corruption is as bad if not worse than the case a few years ago of two Pennsylvania judges, Mark Ciavarella and Michael T. Conahan, who routinely sent poor kids who had committed minor offenses to private detention centers in return for kickbacks from the owners of those jails. They were finally sentenced for their kids for cash scheme.

Outright corruption of this magnitude seems rarer than the everyday kind, like the overuse of Soviet-style tactics against politically tainted subjects for fame and fortune. We saw that in the prosecution of Lewis Libby and we are seeing it today in the tactics used against anyone who was at the Capitol on January 6. Once again, the FBI is a willing partner in the outrages. The particular target seems to be members of Oath Keepers, a group the media uniformly describes as far right as opposed I guess to far left, a never used media description. Oath Keepers seem to be composed of present and former military and law enforcement types committed to enforcing the Constitution. Whichever description you choose, the actions against them seem over the top, and some judges on both ends of the spectrum are looking askance at the antics of law enforcement.

Gateway Pundit describes one such overkill by the FBI -- the arrest of Joshua James -- reminiscent of the arrest of Roger Stone -- a wounded Iraq war veteran :

The FBI lured him out of his home in Alabama by pretending to be a customer needing a pressure washing. Then an Army armored vehicle with a turret on top, 2 FBI vans, 6 FBI vehicles, 3 local police and sheriffs vehicles pulled up and ransacked their home.[snip] The FBI is holding him until trial because he was seen speaking with two other members of the Oath Keepers that day.

Although the probation office recommended bail, at the last minute the prosecution shifted stance and demanded he be jailed pending trial and then transferred him to D.C.

Arresting him with a tank-like vehicle was not the end of the FBIs overacting. They made his wife and young son wait outside the house for eight hours while they confiscated his Oath Keepers hats and shirts, ransacked the house, and then returned days later for a random cell phone.

Once arrested, the Oath Keepers are not uniformly receiving the kind of judicial mistreatment the FBI and DoJ might have hoped for, which suggests that even in Bidens post-legal, post-factual era, some judges still pay attention to civil rights.

Thus Thomas Caldwell, another veteran who had been charged in a wide-ranging conspiracy among eight Oath Keeper members, was ordered released by Judge Amit Mehta, an Obama appointee.

There is an absence of direct evidence of planning by Mr. Caldwell to enter the Capitol building," Mehta said. "There are no text messages, communications by him, that speak to entering a building or trying to enter the building. And ultimately, he did not enter the building."

An article in Saturdays Washington Post (hard copy edition) authored by Spencer S. Hsu indicated that the riot probe is among the largest ever. Of course, it must be: The new Attorney General Merrick Garland said it was his first priority, and he and Nancy Pelosi must be assuaged. More than 100 federal prosecutors are working full or part-time on cases -- including 30 detailed from U.S. attorney offices around the country -- with some prosecutors and judges handling seven cases or more apiece. What do you suppose is the career trajectory of a prosecutor who honestly says theres no evidence of conspiracy there or we lack sufficient evidence to charge this individual?

Defense counsel in some cases asked, as is their right, for speedy trials. The government seems to be over its skis now, having heralded its charges against over 300 people, people as to whom the evidence of wrongdoing seems disputable as the government seeks to portray a grand conspiracy when, at best, it has only random acts -- mostly misdemeanors by dozens of people. Claiming they need time to proceed because they are investigating some vast conspiracy seems a convenient prosecutorial trick to keep people jailed for a long time in order to compel plea agreements from people who are employed, have stable family and community relations, and no criminal history. At least one U.S. District Court judge, Trevor N. McFadden in New Mexico, pushed the government to move faster. According to the Washington Post he said, Im not going to be waiting indefinitely.... Its up to you, but youre not going to hold up the trial schedule in my cases, as he asked prosecutors to reveal their plans by April 7. That case involves a County Commissioner Couy Griffin. In yet another case involving a mayoral candidate, Jenny Louise Cudd, McFadden added, I cant imagine a reason why you couldnt extend a plea offer by [May 6] if you intend to. I suspect we may come to a point where the defendants desire and right to have a speedy trial may collide with the sprawling and outgoing nature of evidence collection and disclosure, but I don t think were there yet. I suspect in a month or so, he will see the collision.

Yet another man was arrested and brought to D.C. to await trial, the only evidence being that a day before he had as a security measure chauffeured Roger Stone in D.C.

James was arrested earlier this week and charged with entering a restricted building and obstructing congressional proceedings. He is one of approximately a dozen Oath Keepers charged in the Capitol insurrection, including some that are accused of planning the attack before traveling to Washington. His lawyers argued on Thursday that he is not guilty of these crimes. Stone has denied having advance knowledge of any planned violence or plans to breach the Capitol complex. He has previously said he accepted security from the Oath Keepers because of death threats.

Really, is the governments case that if you were seen with Roger Stone somewhere in the Capitol on January 5, you can be charged with a criminal offense?

It wouldnt be the first time splashy mass arrests for political outbreaks ended in zilch. In July 2018, the government also folded on charges aginst very violent inauguration rioters against President Trump:

More than 200 people were arrested after the protest, during which several store windows were broken and a parked limo set ablaze. Two group trials ended in defeats for the U.S. Attorney's Office, which was hindered by the fact that most protesters wore similar black clothing and covered their faces. The first trial ended with acquittals for all six defendants. After that defeat, the government dropped charges against 129 defendants, including Petrohilos, saying prosecutors would focus on the defendants against whom they had the strongest evidence. But a second trial for four people in May ended in acquittals on most charges and a hung jury on the rest. Activists credited a unified defense strategy with prevailing. This strategy included persuading defendants -- sometimes over the objections of their lawyers -- not to accept plea bargains.

"Solidarity was what won the case," said Sam Menefee-Libey, a member of the DC Legal Posse activist collective. "I hope that organizers and people on the left study it."

The anti-Trump rioters likely faced more sympathetic jurors in a venue which is at least 90% Democratic than the January 6 defendants. For the sake of justice, one can only hope there are more fair-minded judges willing to enforce the constitutional rights of the defendants and some jurors who care about fact and law.
Even if today we discuss the impressive life journeys and stories of different individuals, professionals and entrepreneurs of the world, and how they set out on their respective journeys to achieve their desired greatness and success in life, the young talents in ways more than one always amaze us with creating their own success story, so unique that it can totally influence other people's lives for the better. Nenad (Neno) Korof is a name that perhaps tops the list of such impressive and brilliant professionals and entrepreneurs. This guy, originally from Serbia, belonged to an immigrant family that shifted to Canada. He has created a luxurious lifestyle for himself in a short span, thanks to his brilliance in crypto trading and investing in varied businesses.

Things were not easy for Nenad Korof since the beginning, as he belonged to humble family background. Everything was not ready on the platter for him; he went out and earned every bit of the success he enjoys today as a well-known serial entrepreneur. His family did not believe in any new ways of making money and were quite traditional, but Nenad Korof believed he was different and felt was very futuristic as well. He saw the constant boom in the financial markets of the world and then and there decided to be a part of the same, going against his parents wish of creating a normal career with a 9-5 job structure.

Nenad Korof knew that a traditional job wouldn't help him fulfill his dreams. Hence, he decided to start working at the age of 18-19 years and entered the trading world. By the age of 23, he already made his 1st million and since then has only gone further in his quest to become the best in the business. He also had entered the network marketing industry and worked there for 7 years and in 2016 launched his network marketing firm, leading it to become the 3rd largest MLM forex company in North America. Apart from that, he even initiated his landscaping and shisha business a few years back.

In 2017, Nenad Korof decided to go big in crypto and now has made $12 million in trading; such has been his journey as a young crypto trader, investor and entrepreneur, where he has always pounced on opportunities and has tried to turn them in his favour, giving him the success he desires. Efficiently working from home and managing work through phone has made him a successful modern-day serial entrepreneur who currently operates from Dubai.

Nenad Korof today serves as the CEO of 'Advance Crypto Academy', assisting people in trading and providing them with the right education in investing. It has 16K students already, making it the #1 online crypto academy in the world. As an investor, he is a major shareholder of a champagne company called Ballers Champagne and has invested in many other companies as well.

Nenad Korof wants to keep working harder and educate more and more people through his academy in the financial world, create some crazy technologies and also become a billionaire soon in life. Find out more about this leading mentor, angel investor, trader and serial entrepreneur from Instagram @neno_nk.

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We must demand leadership

Peter Hartchers story (A rally too big for PM to ignore, The Saturday Age, 13/3) illustrates not only Scott Morrisons inability to comprehend the outcry and anger that is felt on issues concerning sexual abuse and harassment of women, not just in Parliament, but in many workplaces. He is dismissive of something he cannot grasp. The Liberal Womens network is a mockery and illustrates their incapacity to show any real empathy to women who are the victims of male predatory behaviour. It is as if they themselves are mere tokens within the Liberal Party, without a meaningful voice. The time for change has come. Not only is leadership imperative, we must demand it.

Judith Morrison, Mount Waverley Parliament girt by peace

Today will go down in Australias history as the day women of all ages, from diverse cultures and lived experience, will unite across our nation in peaceful protest. They will form a silent circle of truth around the home of our democracy that shouts and screams ENOUGH!

Marie Douglas, Camberwell Australias own #MeToo moment

My thanks to The Age, its correspondents and contributors for illuminating Australias own #MeToo moment. Australia was among the first nations to grant women the right to vote. Despite that, it has been and continues to be a mighty struggle for women to reach equality in a meaningful way, even over their own bodies. In the face of the obvious need for drastic change and immediate action, the Prime Minister continues to behave like John Cleeses Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail as he loses his limbs one by one: Its just flesh wound.

Michael Feeney, Malvern THE FORUM Grid block harsh

Blocking grid access to household solar (Solar owners face grid blocks, The Sunday Age, 14/3) immediately improves the economic payback for household batteries by allowing batteries to save the full import tariff rather than the difference between import and export tariff. This gift of an additional 30 per cent faster payback will tip more households towards self sufficiency.

If the distribution monopolies dont act to rectify this, the result will accelerate the disconnect rate, force grid prices up as the customer base declines and create a faster spiral to grid and generator collapse. Maybe the do nothing policy from the federal Coalition is not naive but politically ruthless: intentionally throwing the inevitable energy transition on the harsh mercies of market forces.

James Kershaw, Elwood Energy imbalance

We have previously heard that the reason we have been paying so much for electricity in Victoria is because the companies operating the system have gold-plated the distribution network. Now we read that the system cant take the amount of power that is being produced by the uptake of solar panels. How can this be? It sounds like we have been ripped off before and are being ripped off again. There needs to be an inquiry into how this can be. People are doing all they can to minimise their bills and generate clean power themselves and they are being denied these opportunities. It is scandalous and we deserve answers.

Douglas Potter, Surrey Hills Doing nothing much

The federal government has had more than enough time to plan the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. Our fortunate position can change from one moment to another, as can be seen in Queensland. As usual Mr Morrisons government specialises in doing nothing much whenever it can. Lets hope we dont all pay the price for their hubris and this lazy approach.

Ruja Varon, Malvern Cormanns past

The election of Australias former finance minister Mathias Cormann as secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD) is a strange outcome. Never mind his belated conversion to climate change, Cormann was along with Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey responsible for foisting upon the Australian public the great myth of the deficit and debt disaster that poisoned minds into thinking we really did have a huge and unsustainable budget imbalance. That trios focus on austerity and ending the age of entitlement meant Australia underwent a quite deflationary economic policy resulting in a lacklustre growth rate for several years. The OECD is reputedly a fairly enlightened group wary of extremism in any form. Nor can we attribute the OECD vote to the fact that 2021 marks 50 years since Australia became a member. Apart from Cormanns multilingual talents, one might put the vote down to plain ignorance about Cormanns past. I mean we already have Abbott advising the British on post-Brexit trade policy. What next? Hockey for managing director of the IMF?

Alex Millmow, Fitzroy Cigar emissions

Is there any truth in the rumour that shares in Havana cigars have gone through the roof now that Mathias Cormann is the next secretary-general of the OECD? It will be interesting to watch how Cormann handles opposition from the Australian government on the proposed EU border carbon adjustment. One thing is certain  emissions from the garden of OECD headquarters are set to rise.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn

Time running out

Sounds like Mathias Cormanns appointment as the new OECD secretary-general has allowed him to speak more honestly about the need for net zero carbon emissions rather than having to toe the Coalition party line. Not that long ago, constrained by the Coalitions deals with fossil fuel interests, he described such targets as irresponsible and reckless. You have to wonder how many other ministers and backbenchers in the Coalition have to mouth the talk of climate denial while believing the opposite. Climate-denying cabinet solidarity under Morrison makes cowards of those who lack the political courage to express their own views. So much for the Liberal Party being a broad church. We dont have time for this government to summon the courage to begin the process of decarbonising industry, transport, agriculture and energy.

Nick Toovey, Beaumaris Policy opposition

Mathias Cormanns appointment as next secretary-general of the OECD is a surprise. It suggests a majority of those countries governments are happy to pardon Cormanns long opposition to better climate policies, including his key role in 2014 (along with Abbott and Palmer) in securing the crossbench votes needed to repeal the successful carbon tax, introduced two years earlier by the Gillard government.

Peter Harkness, Mont Albert North Haunting music

What a brilliant idea from Australian composer Luke Styles to see parallels between the islands of Australia and Manus and set them to music titled No Friend but the Mountains: A Symphonic Song Cycle which will premiere in Melbourne next weekend (A cry that cant be silenced, The Saturday Age, 13/3). Music can be so moving and Im sure many more people will be haunted by the double cry for urgent Indigenous reconciliation and asylum seeker justice and assistance.

Barbara Fraser, Burwood Deputy PM has no plan

To listen to Michael McCormack on Insiders (ABC TV, 14/3) was a thing of infinite jest. Each unremarkable question from David Speers was answered with a stupidity the size of the Grand Canyon.

A suggestion that we may fail to meet our emissions target, Who knows what wonderful technology lies in wait? Were not the arbiters of law. Solicitor-General/Attorney-General/Parliament Michael? Didnt know, couldnt answer how much Qantas staff would receive from the government but, Were talking to Qantas about this. The big message? No plan, no plan, no plan.

Carmel Boyle, Alfredton Bargain travel

Scott Morrison, in typical Liberal fashion, has attempted to monetise a complex problem by tipping money into cheap plane tickets to particular Australian destinations (Victoria lashes unfair flights, The Age, 12/3). Mr Morrison doesnt understand the economic principle of supply and demand can have a negative impact in this case; even with mild risk of infection of COVID-19, can people be trusted to do the right thing and not travel if they have a bargain? Also, who pays the cost of accommodation to the stranded visitors if COVID-19 breaks out and travellers cant fly home?

Further, Michael McCormack is best served not advising states on decisions regarding the health of their citizens. Knee-jerk reactions keep people safe, and state premiers can make their own decisions without your input.

Julian Roberts, Burwood Waiting with less patience

To paraphrase a former prime minister of this country, fair shake of the sauce bottle. I am a medically compromised 71-year-old male desperately awaiting my promised COVID-19 vaccine. My family adhered to every direction issued by the government in the past year to combat this insidious virus but our patience is wearing thin. Many thousands of front-line medical staff are in the queue in front of me and their health is more important than mine. Im prepared to wait in line like millions of others but not forever. More important is the health of many sick and fragile residents of aged care facilities and yet the Prime Minister Scott Morrison has already not only received his first injection but also his second booster shot. Politicians privilege does not inspire confidence seeing them receiving the vaccine while millions wait in line.

Denis Evans, Coburg

Lack of substance

Once again Scott Morrison is guilty of over-promising and under-delivering. This time its a promise of 4 million vaccinations by the end of this month. The expected number is now a paltry 100,000. We know he already has a poor record including aged care, bushfire relief, unemployment benefits, climate change, Murray-Darling irrigation management, superannuation and attitude to women.

No doubt theres several other lost opportunities that can be added to this growing list. Hes never going to change and its about time Australians started looking elsewhere for more meaningful leadership. Not someone that talks the talk but is unable to walk the walk.

Kevin Ward, Preston Cow of a phrase

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has gone from bad to worse in regard to her lying cow comment, by stating that I did not mean it in the sense that it may have been understood (Defence Minister apologises after legal settlement with Brittany Higgins, The Age, 13/3). How many ways can such a derogatory phrase be interpreted. The phrase lying cow is a dreadful put-down based on the out-of-date stereotype of a cow being a dumb animal. Many people know they are not. Additionally, many animals are capable of showing empathy and compassion. It appears Minister Reynolds is not. Whoever invented that particular excuse should be totally ashamed. Surely they cant believe that the public will swallow such claptrap. Minister Reynolds obviously doesnt get it. What she said is unforgivable and she should resign. It is as simple as that.

Reinhard Beissbarth, Beechworth

AND ANOTHER THING ... Credit: WA election

A political commentator has suggested that, as the West Australian Liberals won just two seats in Saturdays election, their transport fleet could be reduced to a Vespa.

Tom Ward, Sorrento Maybe Morrison could offer cheap flights to WA for Liberal voters to help boost the numbers.

Greg Lee, Red Hill Scott Morrison must surely take a large slice of the credit for Labors WA win.

Roger Hehir, Albert Park

The one positive for the Liberal Party from the WA election is that the party at least has gender equity, one man and one woman elected.

Graeme Foley, Werribee Vaccine

Just train Amazon delivery drivers to give the vaccine. Entire population immunised by Saturday. By Wednesday if you have Prime.

Barry Michaels, Port Melbourne What is the point of announcing a travel bubble to Singapore when our vaccine rollout is delayed to later this year.

Peng Ee, Castle Cove, NSW Now the failure to procure and implement the jab is realised, we await the federal spin shifting responsibility to the states.

Arthur Pritchard, Ascot Vale Politics

Where politicians go to hospital depends on their party. Premier Daniel Andrews goes public while federal Health Minister Greg Hunt goes private. Says it all.

Barbara Lynch, South Yarra
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Is it possible, that while we were all preoccupied with surviving a pandemic, the criminal justice system in Cuyahoga County quietly took an important step toward achieving a judicial reform that keeps poor defendants from languishing in jail unnecessarily?

It appears thats what happened this fall, when Common Pleas Administrative and Presiding Judge Brendan Sheehan gave his colleagues his blessing to begin using personal bonds to release defendants charged with low-level felonies, effectively thinning the jails population and letting defendants go to work and care for their children while awaiting trial.

The change has been a long time coming.

For about three years, cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer advocated for this kind of bail reform in Cuyahoga County, with story after story about the injustices of a system that criminalizes poverty, jailing people who have not been convicted of a crime, simply because they could not afford to pay bail.

Our reporters focused the public consciousness squarely on the issue in a series called Justice for All, exploring best practices and telling the stories of Northeast Ohioans, whose lives were torn apart when they were unjustly detained. They amplified the voices of activist organizations, calling for changes to the system. As a result, a contingent of lawmakers proposed statewide reforms, the Ohio Supreme Court issued recommendations and Cuyahoga Countys then-Administrative and Presiding Judge John Russo assembled a task force to find the path toward a more equitable system. Change was on its way, albeit slowly.

Then, the pandemic hit, and something remarkable happened. Despite all the political concerns that earlier had caused those reform efforts to occasionally stall, the dangers of housing too many inmates in the Cuyahoga County Jail during a public health crisis quickly ushered bail reform right past the bureaucratic red tape.

In April, hundreds of low-level offenders and defendants were released to avoid a devastating COVID-19 outbreak in a crowded jail. Some of their cases were expedited through the system, while others were still awaiting trial. But over the summer, as court operations returned to normal, the jail population began to creep back up, Sheehan told me in a recent interview. So, in November, he issued a bold recommendation to the judges serving in the courts arraignment room: Defendants charged with nonviolent third, fourth or fifth-degree felonies should be released without having to put up any money, or what is known in legal circles as personal bond.

The recommendation didnt strip judges of their discretion. And decisions still take into account the feedback from bond investigators, who rely on a pretrial risk assessment and in-person interviews with defendants. But most judges have adhered to the presumption of personal bond, Sheehan said. And according to court data, that change has dramatically reduced the number of county jail inmates awaiting trial on low-level felonies, from 215 in March 2020 to 67 at the end of November. That number has remained stable ever since, Sheehan said.

Its kind of bail reform without me yelling it from the steps of the courthouse, saying Weve got bail reform! Sheehan told me. I just did it. And its been successful so far, knock on wood. Well see what the studies show.  But until Im proven otherwise, its game on. Were moving forward with it.

Sheehan said the courts early data has not shown evidence that those released on personal bond are more likely to commit crimes while awaiting trial or have failed to show up to court when required. But court data specialists told me theyre tracking the cases and expect to be able to draw firm conclusions by early fall about how successful Sheehans bail reform experiment has been. That analysis also will include the batch of low-level defendants released in April.

Sheehans change in the arraignment room aligns with bail reform efforts underway within Cleveland Municipal Court, which is the source of about 60 percent of the felony cases that feed into the Common Pleas system. Since early 2019, the municipal court has been using a highly touted risk assessment formula to help determine whether a defendant is likely to show up for court or commit a crime while awaiting trial. And later that year, the court added a pilot program that gave judges more options for supervising defendants while theyre free, including the use of electronic monitoring devices and periodic drug testing.

A spokesman for the court told me this week that in 2020, that program moved out of the pilot phase and now is in full swing, run by a newly created pre-trial services department. (I hope to tell you more about its successes in a future column, featuring a conversation with Administrative and Presiding Judge Michelle Earley.)

While the presumption of personal bond in Cuyahoga Countys arraignment room is a step in the right direction, some advocates on the frontline of the bail reform movement still feel the pace of change is lagging when it comes to developing a broader countywide collaboration. And I concur.

In an interview Friday, Melekte Melaku, organizing strategist for the ACLU of Ohio, pointed to the Bail Reform Task Forces initial blueprint for reform, which proposed granting defendants earlier access to a lawyer, extending pretrial services -- such as electronic monitoring and supervision -- to the countys other 12 municipal courts, and providing for data collection, among other reforms.

Progress on many of those measures, she said, is stagnant.

Melaku also criticized the court for forcing defendants to bear the often-unaffordable cost of electronic monitoring and for the way cases were expedited at the start of the pandemic.

People were applauding the mass plea hearings that led to the reduction of the jail population, Melaku said. But the risk of a coerced plea is heightened if the alternative is to remain in jail and get COVID-19. More than likely, this practice led to innocent people pleading guilty to crimes they didnt commit.

Sheehan said the court is working on waiving the fees associated with GPS monitoring. As for centralized pretrial services, Sheehan said much of that depends on the creation of a central booking facility, which is being handled by County Executive Armond Budishs administration.

Sheehans success with bail reform in his court should encourage him to press forward with the other reform measures sought by the ACLU and others, in the name of a more just justice system. We really cant afford to wait for another pandemic to force the action.

You can reach columnist Leila Atassi at latassi@cleveland.com.
Bitter partisan battles are underway in statehouses following the 2020 presidential that culminated with the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the nations Capitol.

Allies of former President Donald Trump continue to question the security of the election, and Republicans are rolling out legislation that critics say is an effort to suppress the numbers able to vote.

Alabama lawmakers have rolled out more than two dozen bill dealing with issues like no-excuse absentee voting and early voting. Thus far, a few of the GOP-backed bills have advanced in the Republican-controlled Legislature, while Democrats angle for public hearings on proposals they believe will increase ballot access.

As of February, state legislators in 43 states introduced 253 bills to restrict voter access, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. That figure is four times the number of legislative proposals introduced this time last year, according to Wade Henderson of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Georgia Republicans, he said, are launching Jim Crow-era schemes after rolling out 50 election-related bills.

Alabama state lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, have introduced 29 election-related proposals this session, up from 18 introduced last year. The trend each session has grown, with 11 introduced in 2019 and eight in 2018. The proposals come as the 2020 elections are getting fresh scrutiny from the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center through a report criticizing election systems in five Southern states  Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida.

Hundreds of voter suppression bills introduced across the country, and in the Deep South particularly, are being sold to prevent fraud, said Margaret Huang, SPLC president and CEO. Its a dangerous and deadly lie.

Alabamas top election official, Secretary of State John Merrill calls the SPLCs report a tabloid, and said the legislation in Alabama is aimed at making it easier to vote and harder to cheat.

At the forefront of our agenda is restoring the publics confidence in elections and protecting the integrity and security of the process, Merrill said. I am grateful to the members of the Alabama Legislature who have been receptive and supportive of these voter-centric pieces of legislation.

Highlights this year include:

No-excuse balloting

-HB83, sponsored by Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, is generating the most attention of late. The legislation would remove the excuses for someone to vote absentee.

A representative within the secretarys office, during an Alabama House committee meeting on February 24, said Merrill was in support of the legislation. Last week, Merrill said he no longer supported the measure. He said the legislation creates a perception that its passage would weaken the integrity of Alabamas elections.

Merrill has repeatedly touted the lack of problems with the 2020 elections in Alabama. He said the same security measures that Democrats often call voter suppression  requiring a photo ID, notarized signature from a witness to vote absentee  have been an effective deterrent for those looking to commit fraud.

These safety mechanisms have strengthened our voting process and protected the integrity of our elections, Merrill said.

More than three times the number of absentee ballots were cast during the 2020 election than in prior elections, and absentee ballots represented 14% of the overall ballots cast last year. Analysis from the Brennan Center showed the share of absentee votes by Black voters surging in 2020, while the number of white voters casting ballots absentee on the decline.

Caren Short, SPLC senior staff attorney, said the absentee system works, and that legislators should be doing everything in their power to make voting simple and accessible to voters.

Instead of focusing on Alabamians fundamental right to vote, they are focused on any alleged perception that its passage would weaken the integrity of our elections, Short said. She said proposals in Alabama should not be driven on optics and perceptions.

Other states are taking aim at no-excuse absentee voting. Lawmakers in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Missouri, North Dakota, and Oklahoma have introduced legislation that rollback no-excuse balloting, according to the Brennan Center analysis.

Curbside voting

-HB285, sponsored by Rep. Wes Allen, R-Troy, is the prohibition to curbside voting. The legislation prevents any voting machine of any kind from being removed from within the interior of an enclosed building designated as a voting place. Additionally, the bill prevents an election official from taking a ballot out of the voting places building.

Allen said the chain of custody of the ballot is of upmost importance. He said the legislation ensures Alabamas elections continue to be secure by ensuring election ballots and machines remain indoors.

The issue generated national attention for Alabama last year when the SPLC, in a federal lawsuit, accused Merrill of violating the civil rights of disabled residents for not allowing people to voting curbside during the COVID-19 pandemic. The same lawsuit also challenged Alabamas witness and photo ID requirements for absentee voting.

The U.S. Supreme Court, without explanation, sided with Merrills office in October. The decision occurred after a federal district judge blocked the curbside voting ban on September 30.

As the legal case made its way to the high court, the SPLC noted there was a two-week period in which voters could vote without the burdensome requirements, though Merrill said Alabamas security measures have been upheld by the nations highest court.

Mail-in voting

HB180, sponsored by state Rep. Adline Clarke, D-Mobile; and HB114 sponsored by state Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville; include no-excuse early voting and mail-in voting provisions.

Jacksons bill would establish early voting for two weeks before Election Day, Clarks proposal calls for 17 days and for county commissions to establish early voting centers.

I truly believe its what most voters want to see, said Clarke. I have lost count, but I have had so many people tell me, leading up to the general election in November, that they want no-excuse absentee voting, and they want early voting.

Clarke said some states offer early voting as many as 45 days before an election, with 19 days being the average. She also advocates for having voting held on Saturdays, like last year when large turnouts occurred outside of absentee election offices in Mobile and Jefferson counties.

The measures have an uphill climb in the super-majority Republican Legislature, and no public hearing is scheduled on either.

Clark, earlier in the week, said she was optimistic about her legislation receiving a hearing, but was informed on Friday that it will not.

Jackson is more critical of his GOP counterparts when it comes to election-related reforms.

We are losing our democracy here, said Jackson, citing the rise of legislation around the nation. We are going to have an authoritarian, fascist-type of government if we dont come together and fight for what is true democracy.

He said Republicans have lost it and arent Republicans anymore.

They used to be for law and order, but I dont know  it hurts to see it, said Jackson. They are not for the levels of democracy like they once were or defend the nation like they used to. Its all about them and the party.

Not every Republican opposes early voting. State Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, said he supports early, in-person voting. He acknowledges that hes in the minority within his own party but said that early voting options are more convenient for working people and would be a welcomed alternative than having to stand in line for three to four hours, which he said was the case in Trussville on Election Day.

Its the 21st century and weve evolved on so many things, Garrett said. Churches have to accommodate their service schedule to meet todays 21st century schedules. They have (services) at night, mornings and are flexible. I dont think its taken away from churches, and its enabled more people to participate.

Other notable legislation

-Garrett is sponsoring HB507, which gives county commissions authority to designate absentee ballot sites. Garrett said the bill will give county election authorities more options to open absentee ballot locations outside the home office for the absentee voting manger. State law prevented absentee election managers from opening alternative sites away from their main office, which led to long lines once Saturday voting options were available in several counties.

The people who took advantage of that opportunity (to vote in-person absentee) stood in long lines, two-to-three hours in the rain and cold, said Garrett. Rather than everyone going to Birmingham or Bessemer, you could go rent a facility in Trussville or go to Hoover or somewhere else  they have the option to do it in multiple locations.

-HB116, sponsored by Rep. David Standridge, R-Hayden, authorizes Merrills office to conduct a post-election audit after the November 8, 2022, general election to determine accuracy of the originally reported election outcome.

The legislation passed the Alabama House in February by an 84-9 tally and awaits consideration in the Senate.

Standridge said he introduced similar legislation during last years session that was truncated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the legislation allows for a piolet program set up in three counties in different parts of the state. The effort will examine local and state races.

Short, the SPLC senior staff attorney, said Alabama is one of five states in the nation with no post-election audit requirement. She said that counties chosen for the audit should be random and reflect the demographics of the state.

-HB357, sponsored by state Rep. Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana, requires county election officials to conduct a public testing of automatic tabulating voting equipment no more than 14 days before an election. The legislation remains in committee, but a question arose last week in the Senates Government Affairs committee over which companies manufacture Alabamas voting machines.

Merrill, in a news release last November, confirmed that Dominion Voting Systems machines were not used in Alabama. The company has been at center of much post-election criticism by Trump and his allies, resulting in the company filing a multi-billion-dollar defamation lawsuit against the former president and multiple celebrities and Fox News.

Short, said their organization supports routine voting machine tests, but is concerned with risks of further disenfranchisement in the name of demonizing certain brands of voting machines used in other states because certain politicians didnt like the outcome of a specific election.

-HB351, sponsored by state Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Springs, prohibits the governor, during a state of emergency, from issuing a directive that would affect how an election is conducted six months before the election occurs. Alabama is one of 14 states the governor has maximum authority to suspend an election during a state of emergency, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

A CNN story notes that eight states with Republican-controlled legislatures would strip governors and other executives of authority to suspend elections. Montana, for instance, is pushing legislation requiring legislative consent before the governor can suspend election procedures. In Georgia, legislation aims at diminishing the secretary of states role on a state elections board.

-HB70, sponsored by state Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, would make it a misdemeanor anyone from promising, before an election, to pay an organization or individual upon receiving proof that an elector or a specific number of electors voted in that election.

Kiel said its currently illegal for someone to offer payment in exchange for votes for or against a candidate. He said his proposal prohibits individuals or groups from offering payments on a per voter basis.

The legislation was approved in an Alabama House committee, and awaits a full floor vote.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A deferred judgment is granted in the case of a stolen van.

Logan Glenn Conway, 22, has pleaded guilty to one count of operating a motor vehicle without the owners consent. He was arrested February 7 after law enforcement said he was found driving a stolen van in Mason City.

Court document state that Conway told officers he planned on keeping the van and living in it until he found a job.

Hes been sentenced to one year of supervised probation. If he successfully completes it, this conviction will be removed from his record.
British Airways's new boss said vaccinated people should be allowed to travel without restriction - PA

Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..

The UK's national statistician said he has "no doubt" that there will be a further wave of Covid-19 infections in the autumn.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond, head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), also said there is a lot of regional variation in terms of how many people have antibodies.

His comments come after England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said there were still risks to reopening society and the UK will experience another surge of cases at some point, potentially in late summer or through the autumn and winter.

Sir Ian said people need to understand how the data is moving forward and look at the impact of the "wonderful" vaccine rollout.

"But having said that, we need also to recognise that this is a virus that isn't going to go away. And I have no doubt that in the autumn there will be a further wave of infections," he told BBC's Andrew Marr.

07:02 PM

Roundup of today's news

Here is your evening roundup of today's news:

There is no doubt that Britain will be hit by a third wave of coronavirus infections this autumn, the UKs statistics chief has said, as he warned of stark regional disparities in antibody rates.

AstraZeneca has found no evidence of increased risk of blood clots with vaccine.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has received his first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted that the UK will "beat Covid" in the coming months.

Angela Merkels party suffered heavy defeats in regional elections on Sunday as voters turned on her government over its handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Ireland temporarily suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca coronavirus jab, after Norway reported that one person had died and three been admitted to hospital after receiving the shot.

Dutch riot police used water cannon and batons on Sunday to disperse a crowd of anti-lockdown protesters gathered at a field in the centre of The Hague a day before general elections.

06:50 PM

Story continues

MPs not to dial in online for debates, Parliament recommends

MPs should not be allowed to dial into debates in the House of Commons virtually after the last coronavirus restrictions have been lifted, Parliaments procedure committee has recommended.

A cross-party group of MPs said hybrid proceedings, where members can choose whether to attend via video call or in person, should only continue until the last stage of the easing of lockdown, scheduled for June 21.

The committee recommended that virtual proceedings remain an option in case the Commons is disrupted again, such as when the Palace of Westminster is renovated, but that MPs should return to work as normal in the meantime. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, has previously backed a similar timetable, warning that MPs cant be behind nightclubs.

The decision will be made by a vote of all MPs. Karen Bradley, the Procedure Committees chair, said: "This committee's recommendations for a return to something approaching 'normality' are consistent with both the commission and the Government, but the ultimate decision must be made by all MPs."

06:43 PM

AstraZeneca finds no evidence of increased risk of blood clots with vaccine

AstraZeneca Plc on Sunday said it had conducted a review of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine which has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

The review covered more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and United Kingdom.

A statement below reads:

A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and UK with Covid- 19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country.

06:25 PM

US considers reducing social distancing to one metre

The United States' top pandemic advisor said Sunday that authorities were considering cutting social distancing rules to one metre a move that would change a key tenet of the global fight against Covid-19.

Anthony Fauci, a world-respected figure during the coronavirus crisis, said experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were examining a Massachusetts study that found "no substantial difference" in Covid cases in schools observing six-foot and three-foot rules.

Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" show whether that meant that a three-foot separation was sufficient, Fauci replied, "It does, indeed."

"The CDC is very well aware that data are accumulating making it look more like three feet are OK under certain circumstances," Fauci added.

06:04 PM

Italian region lifts ban on AstraZeneca vaccine

Italy's Piedmont region has lifted a blanket ban on the AstraZeneca vaccine and instead limited the ban to the batch used to inoculate a man who later died, writes Erica Di Blasi in Turin.

The northern region at first blocked all further use of the Astra vaccine while it established which batch was involved in the death of the man, a 58-year-old teacher.

It then limited the moratorium to the batch from which he was vaccinated, number ABV5811.

Sandro Tognatti, a clarinet teacher from the city of Novara, died this morning. He had been given the vaccine yesterday.

Those who had been waiting to be inoculated with the Astra vaccine this morning were sent home. Vaccinations with the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines continue.

The ban follows one on another lot of the Astra vaccine, number ABV2856, following the deaths of two people in Sicily who had received the jab.

06:02 PM

Protesters occupy French theatres to fight Covid-19 closures

Artists, performers and students have occupied iconic theatres in several French cities to demand the immediate reopening of cultural venues after months of Covid-related closures.

While most businesses have opened in France, theatres, music halls, cinemas and museums have been closed since the start of the second national lockdown on October 30.

Culture workers and artists occupy the Theatre de l'Odeon - Reuters

At least 29 venues in Paris, Marseille, Toulouse and across the country were occupied in protest as of Sunday, according to SFA-CGT, a union representing show business workers.

"We have not worked for a year. It's been a year that we have no salary, no benefits, no social security" Catherine Lecoq, an actress in Marseille, told French TV.

The movement started on March 4 as dozens of protesters organised sit-ins at the Odeon Theatre on the left bank in Paris that have continued every day since.

05:37 PM

Pupils' return to school 'politically motivated,' says senior union official

A partial return of all secondary school pupils to the classroom from Monday was "politically motivated", as the Scottish Government was seeking a "good news story", a senior teaching union official has claimed.

Education Secretary John Swinney said the Government's "sole motivation" was ensuring pupils' wellbeing.

Nicola Sturgeon announced on March 2 that all pupils would have some time in school from March 15.

The remaining primary pupils, P4-P7, all return on that date, with secondary school pupils making a partial return to the classroom through a blended learning model also involving home schooling.

Assistant secretary of the EIS teaching union, Andrea Bradley, told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show: "The decision seemed to be a political one rather than one that was based on sound educational principle.

"Certainly it wasn't one that has taken account of the very real circumstances in which teachers are working - under quite significant stress and pressure over the last six months."

04:32 PM

52 new deaths from Covid-19 in UK

The Government said a further 52 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday, bringing the UK total to 125,516.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 147,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

The Government also said that, as of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 4,618 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.

It brings the total to 4,258,438.

04:14 PM

No evidence to suggest AstraZeneca vaccine is cause of blood clots, says UK regulator

Evidence does not suggest the AstraZeneca vaccine is the cause of blood clots, the UK regulator has said.

Ireland suspended use of the jab on Sunday, out of an abundance of caution.

It followed reports of serious clotting in adults in Norway which left four people in hospital.

Irish Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said it was a "precautionary step".

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said: "We are aware of the action in Ireland.

"We are closely reviewing reports but, given the large number of doses administered and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause."

04:05 PM

Sir Keir Starmer receives vaccine

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has received his first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

The 58-year-old had the jab at the Francis Crick Institute in his Holborn and St Pancras constituency.

he mass vaccination centre is one of five across north central London set up by University College London Hospital.

Sir Keir said: "I am so grateful to the staff and volunteers at the Francis Crick Institute for their warm welcome and exceptional work throughout the pandemic.

"From the help they gave our local hospitals with testing last year, to this vaccination centre, they have been at the forefront of efforts to support our NHS and keep our community safe.

"It has been such a difficult year and the vaccination programme is the light at the end of the tunnel.

"The vaccine is safe, effective and I urge everyone in our community to take it when it's their turn."

04:02 PM

UK will 'beat Covid' in coming months, claims Boris Johnson

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted that the UK will "beat Covid" in the coming months.

Mr Johnson said that "in the not-too-distant future" businesses would be able to reopen and people would once again be able to hold family and friends.

He spoke about how the "kindness and perseverance of the British spirit" had shown "how much we can achieve when we all pull together" during the coronavirus pandemic.

And with the UK vaccination programme having "roared into life in every corner of this country", he said restrictions that have been in place across the UK for much of the last year could soon be removed.

In the coming months we will beat Covid - we will vaccinate everyone in our country and we will be able to remove restrictions. In the not-too-distant future, we will be able to reopen businesses, see friends in each other's houses and hold our loved ones again.

UK coronavirus cases showing impact of national lockdown

03:55 PM

Dutch riot police use water cannon to disperse anti-lockdown protesters

Dutch riot police used water cannon and batons on Sunday to disperse a crowd of anti-lockdown protesters gathered at a field in the centre of The Hague a day before general elections.

The demonstration was broken up after the crowd violated social distancing rules and ignored a police warning to leave.

Police officers try to disperse anti-lockdown protesters at the Malieveld in The Hague - Shutterstock

03:06 PM

Legal action launched over indoor hospitality reopening date

Plans to keep indoor hospitality venues closed for weeks longer than non-essential shops in England are facing a legal challenge from a leading restaurateur and night tsar.

Hugh Osmond, the founder of Punch Taverns and a former director of Pizza Express, and Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester's night time economy adviser, have submitted a claim for a judicial review to the Government.

They believe there is "no evidence or justification for the prioritisation" of non-essential retail over hospitality, and said it could have a "potentially indirectly discriminatory effect" on young people and people from BAME backgrounds working in hospitality.

Under the Prime Minister's road map for unlocking restrictions in England, non-essential retail will open no earlier than April 12. But indoor hospitality venues will not open until at least May 17.

Mr Osmond, director of Various Eateries, said the Government must base its decisions on "evidence not prejudice" when taking "momentous and unprecedented actions affecting millions of its citizens".

02:58 PM

Italian region suspends AstraZeneca doses

Italy's northern region of Piedmont said on Sunday said it would temporarily suspend AstraZeneca coronavirus doses after a teacher from the town of Biella died following his vaccination on Saturday.

The decision, following similar moves elsewhere in Europe, was precautionary and the region was awaiting the results of checks which will verify the batch that was used and whether there is a connection between the death and the vaccination, the regional government said in an online statement.

It did not say how the teacher died.

"It is an act of extreme prudence, while we verify whether there is a connection. There have been no critical issues with the administration of vaccines to date," Luigi Genesio Icardi, head of regional health services, said in the statement.

Vaccine distribution maps by vaccine/region

02:48 PM

Scotland records two more deaths as cases rise by 484

Scotland has recorded two more coronavirus deaths and a further 484 positive cases, the latest figures show.

The Scottish Government's daily statistics for Sunday show an increase in positive cases from the same point last week, when 390 were recorded.

However, positive cases are down from 639 on Saturday, March 13.

The death toll under the daily measurement - of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days - now stands at 7,510.

Registrar offices are often closed at weekends, affecting the reporting of deaths.

Some 461 people are in hospital with recently confirmed Covid-19 and 40 are in intensive care.

Coronavirus excess deaths - UK-wide

02:33 PM

Fauci hopes Trump will tell his supporters to get Covid-19 vaccine

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said on Sunday he hopes former President Donald Trump will urge his supporters to get the COVID-19 vaccine and emphasized that pandemic-related restrictions should not be lifted prematurely.

In a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll released last week, about half of U.S. men who identified themselves as Republicans said they had no plans to get the vaccine.

Asked whether Trump should speak to his supporters directly, given those poll numbers, Fauci said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program: "I hope he does because the numbers that you gave are so disturbing."

"How such a large proportion of a certain group of people would not want to get vaccinated merely because of political considerations ... it makes absolutely no sense," Fauci said.

The other living former U.S. presidents - Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter - are set to appear in two public service announcements for the coronavirus vaccine alongside their wives, without Trump.

02:29 PM

UK's vaccine programme show 'success' of Scotland union, says minister

Scotland would still be in the "vice-like grip" of coronavirus if it had followed SNP advice on vaccinations, a UK Government minister has claimed.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack hailed the vaccination programme against the virus as being a success for the UK.

He insisted: "Had we followed the SNP's advice on vaccines and waited for the flat-footed EU, we would still be in the vice-like grip of the pandemic instead of confidently looking forward to better days.

"There can be no more eloquent expression of the success of the Union than this brilliant UK-wide approach."

The UK, Mr Jack said, has developed a "Covid-19 vaccination programme that is the envy of the world".

He described this as being as a "truly astonishing achievement" and on a "scale that dwarfs anything since the war".

Is the UK on track to hit vaccination targets?

02:11 PM

Singapore may reopen its borders by end of year

Pime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said he hoped Singapore would start re-opening its borders by the end of the year as more countries ramp up vaccination drives against Covid-19 infections.

The Southeast Asian island nation has largely banned leisure travel, but has put in place some business and official travel programmes. It is also discussing the mutual recognition of vaccine certificates with other nations.

"I hope if that many countries can have substantial proportions of their populations vaccinated by later this year, we will be able to have the confidence and to have developed the systems to open up our international borders to travel safely again," Lee told the BBC.

"Hopefully by the end of this year or next year, the doors can start to open, if not earlier," he said.

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01:56 PM

Portugal to open borders to holidaymakers from May

Portugal could open its borders to British holidaymakers from early May, the country's tourism secretary has announced.

Rita Marques told LBC that visitors would only be permitted if they can provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test.

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01:49 PM

EU announces shortfall in AstraZeneca vaccine

The European Union was faced with another setback in its vaccination programme after AstraZeneca announced a shortfall, as countries across the world tried to step up their Covid-19 immunisation drives.

The pharmaceutical company's image had already taken a hit with several countries suspending the rollout of its vaccine over blood clot fears, though the World Health Organization said there was no reason to stop using it in the fight against the pandemic.

Mass vaccinations are considered critical to ending the pandemic, which has claimed more than 2.6 million lives globally, and the AstraZeneca announcement was another blow for EU leaders, who have already faced criticism for the stumbling start to the jab drive on the hard-hit continent.

"AstraZeneca is disappointed to announce a shortfall in planned Covid-19 vaccine shipments to the European Union... despite working tirelessly to accelerate supply," the firm said Saturday.

It had previously warned of shortfalls from its European supply chain due to lower-than-expected production output, and was hoping to compensate by sourcing shots from its global network.

Global vaccine rollout - top 10

01:40 PM

Bahrain relaxes Covid-19 measures as cases ease

Bahrain eased some of its coronavirus restrictions on Sunday, including allowing eating inside restaurants and re-opening educational institutions to students, as case numbers fall.

Restaurants and cafes, which had been limited to take-away meals since late January, can open with no more than 30 customers at one time, the ministry of health said.

A vendor prepares hamburgers at a food stall at Al Aali Mall amid the pandemic in Bahrain - Reuters

Swimming pools and sports facilities can re-open on Sunday, but social gatherings of more than 30 people in homes and private venues are still prohibited.

Ministry officials urged residents to get a vaccine and to continue to adhere to measures such as social distancing and washing hands.

Daily case numbers have fallen from a mid-February peak of 896 following a steady rise since December. The country, which offers residents and citizens four types of vaccine, registered 579 new cases on Sunday.

01:25 PM

Met Commissioner claims crowds at vigil 'posed a real risk of transmitting Covid-19'

Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball has said police were put into a position "where enforcement action was necessary".

She said: "Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19.

"Police must act for people's safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe.

"Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items."

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The assembled crowd chanted "shame on you" as police led people away at the vigil, while during another confrontation a distressed woman could be heard telling officers "you're supposed to protect us".

Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach in coronavirus restrictions.

01:24 PM

49 new deaths from Covid-19 in England

A further 49 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 85,234, NHS England said on Sunday.

Patients were aged between 50 and 93 and all except three, aged between 62 and 89, had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths were between January 10 and March 13, with the majority being on or after March 10.

There were 17 other deaths reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

Map of UK's seven-day Covid-19 infection rate, by local authority

01:17 PM

Australia says working on travel bubble with Singapore

Australia is "working with Singapore" to create a travel bubble between the two nations as early as July, officials said Sunday, in an effort to restart tourism and travel put on hold by Covid-19.

Early in the pandemic Australia effectively closed its international border to slow the spread of the coronavirus, with non-citizens banned from visiting except in special circumstances.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said Australia was "working with Singapore at the moment potentially for a bubble (beginning) in July".

"As the vaccine rolls out, not only in Australia but in other countries, we will reopen more bubbles," he told public broadcaster ABC.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported the deal would allow Singaporeans and Australians who had been vaccinated to travel between the countries without quarantining.

01:06 PM

Arrests at Denmark anti-lockdown protest

Two people were arrested on the sidelines of a weekend protest against coronavirus restrictions in Denmark's capital Copenhagen.

One person was arrested for throwing fireworks at police during the Saturday march, while another was detained over violent behaviour, Danish police said.

Danish anti-lockdown protesters - Martin Sylvest/Shutterstock

The rally was organised by a group calling itself "Men in Black Denmark" which has called regular demonstrations since the end of last year against what it calls the "dictatorship" of the country's Covid-19 restrictions.

Walking through firework smoke, the protesters held torches as they moved through the city centre chanting "Freedom for Denmark" and "Mette Ciao," a reference to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Local media reported that the march took place in a "sometimes intense" atmosphere, but without major incident.

12:45 PM

Italy's health minister expects cases to start falling in late spring

Italy is seeing a steady rise in infections but a national vaccination campaign and tougher restrictions mean numbers should start improving in late spring, the health minister said.

Italy, the first Western country hit hard by the pandemic, saw infections rise by 10 per cent last week compared with the week earlier.

Officials have warned that the situation is deteriorating as highly contagious variants gain ground.

"The application of more rigorous measures and the progressive rise in the number of vaccinated people make us think that already in the second half of spring (contagion) numbers will be improving," Health Minister Roberto Speranza told daily la Repubblica in an interview.

He added that the coming weeks "would not be at all easy".

Coronavirus Italy Spotlight Chart - cases default

12:32 PM

Japanese monks brave smouldering coals to pray for safety during pandemic

Japanese worshippers prayed for the safety of themselves and their families on Sunday by walking barefoot with Buddhist monks over smouldering coals at an annual festival near Mt. Takaosan.

The fire-walking was more tense than usual because participants were required to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

Fire-walking festival, called hiwatari matsuri in Japanese, at Mt.Takao in Tokyo - Reuters

The festival was also limited to 1,000 participants. Last year, it wasn't open to the public because of the pandemic.

"Passing your body through the flames cleanses your soul and delivers your prayers to Buddha," said Koshou Kamimura, a Buddhist monk from Takaosan Yakuouin Temple.

"Historically, Mt. Takaosan is an important place to pray for deliverance from plagues, so I felt we should hold the festival this year with certain precautions."

12:08 PM

EU says says speedy Pfizer production can help offset AstraZeneca vaccine delays

The European Union will be able to stick to its vaccination targets this quarter despite AstraZeneca delivery delays as Pfizer is producing faster than planned, EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton said on Saturday

AstraZeneca said on Friday it would try to deliver 30 million doses to the EU by the end of March, down from a contractual obligation of 90 million and a previous pledge made last month to deliver 40 million doses.

Breton told France's Europe 1 radio that the delay was unacceptable, but that for now there were no plans to sue the company.

"The good news is that even though there are delays with AstraZeneca we won't be late with our vaccination programme in the first quarter," Breton said.

Vaccination rates in the UK and the EU

11:57 AM

Ireland to suspend AstraZeneca vaccine

Use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine should be temporarily suspended, Ireland's deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said.

Serious blood clotting has been recorded after inoculations in Norway.

The Irish authorities have been pressing the pharmaceutical firm to speed up its supplies to the Republic.

Dr Glynn said: "This recommendation has been made following a report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four new reports of serious blood clotting events in adults after vaccination with Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.

"It has not been concluded that there is any link between the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases.

"However, acting on the precautionary principle, and pending receipt of further information, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recommended the temporary deferral of the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca vaccination programme in Ireland."

Several other European countries temporarily suspended AstraZeneca jabs following reports of people suffering blood clots.

11:44 AM

'No doubt' there will be further wave of Covid-19, warns head of ONS

The UK's national statistician said he has "no doubt" that there will be a further wave of Covid-19 infections in the autumn.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond, head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), also said there is a lot of regional variation in terms of how many people have antibodies.

His comments come after England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said there were still risks to reopening society and the UK will experience another surge of cases at some point, potentially in late summer or through the autumn and winter.

Sir Ian said people need to understand how the data is moving forward and look at the impact of the "wonderful" vaccine rollout.

"But having said that, we need also to recognise that this is a virus that isn't going to go away," he told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One.

"And I have no doubt that in the autumn there will be a further wave of infections."

11:01 AM

Regional variation in Covid antibodies

Professor Sir Ian Diamond, head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said there is a lot of regional variation in terms of how many people have antibodies.

Asked if it is too early to know how much of the fall in infection across the UK is down to the vaccine rollout, he said there are a number of moving parts such as vaccines and restrictions.

He told The Andrew Marr Show: "I mean I would say though that this has been an incredibly impressive vaccine rollout, and we've been looking at antibodies in the population, and we've been scaling up our survey in order to be able to take many more blood tests so that we can look at the impact.

"And what we're seeing is quite remarkable increases in the level of antibodies in the over-80s, and increasingly in the over-70s. So I'm very, very confident that the vaccine rollout is really starting to provide some real protection.

10:03 AM

Call for vaccinated people to travel without restrictions

British Airways's new boss said vaccinated people should be allowed to travel without restriction and non-vaccinated people with a negative Covid-19 test, as he set out his ideas for a travel restart a month before the UK government finalises its plans.

Holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest, the government has said, but before that, on April 12, Britain will announce how and when non-essential travel into and out of the country can resume.

Sean Doyle, appointed BA's chief executive last October, called on Britain to work with other governments to allow vaccines and health apps to open up travel, after a year when minimal flying has left many airlines on life support.

"I think people who've been vaccinated should be able to travel without restriction. Those who have not been vaccinated should be able to travel with a negative test result," he said.

Mr Doyle wants government to give its backing to health apps that can be used to verify a person's negative Covid-19 test results and vaccination status.

09:55 AM

Russia's daily coronavirus cases grow to more than 10,000 again

Russia reported 10,083 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours on Sunday, the first time the number of daily infections has crossed the 10 thousand mark since Monday, Reuters reports.

It brought the total case tally to 4,390,608.

The Russian coronavirus crisis centre said 395 more coronavirus patients had died in the last 24 hours, taking the national death toll to 92,090.

07:49 AM

EU faces another setback in vaccine programme

The European Union was faced with another setback in its coronavirus vaccination programme after AstraZeneca announced a shortfall, as countries across the world tried to step up their Covid-19 immunisation drives.

The pharmaceutical company's image had already taken a hit with several countries suspending the rollout of its vaccine over blood clot fears, though the World Health Organisation said there was no reason to stop using it in the fight against the pandemic.

Mass vaccinations are considered critical to ending the pandemic, which has claimed more than 2.6 million lives globally, and the AstraZeneca announcement was another blow for EU leaders, who have already faced criticism for the stumbling start to the jab drive on the hard-hit continent.

"AstraZeneca is disappointed to announce a shortfall in planned Covid-19 vaccine shipments to the European Union... despite working tirelessly to accelerate supply," the firm said on Saturday.

Read more: Oxford jab delivery hold-up disrupts EU bid to stop third wave

Vaccine distribution maps by vaccine/region

07:36 AM

Grandmothers missing out on baby's key moments

A fifth of grandmothers have not seen their grandchildren in nearly a year with many missing key milestones like first words and steps, research has found.

With lockdown restrictions in place across the UK, a YouGov survey revealed 21 per cent of grandmothers have not seen their grandchildren in more than ten months.

It also found that eight per cent of mothers and grandmothers said they had missed a childs first day of school or nursery, while six per cent said they had missed seeing a childs first steps and their first words.

Read the full story

06:59 AM

Experts predict a post-Covid baby boom

Did you know there was a baby boom nine months after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales? I didnt, but a spokesman from the Royal College of Midwives said so on the news this week, so it must be true. Seems a pretty odd aphrodisiac to me, but theres no telling with some.

Experts are predicting similar after the pandemic. Apparently, a quarter of 25- to 40-year-olds say that having children is more important to them now than before Covid struck, meaning that 1.9 million babies could be born in the two years after the restrictions are lifted.

Read the full story

Read more: Questions loom large over jabs for pregnant women

05:55 AM

Carnival CEO predicts another tough two years for cruise industry

Carnival Corp Chief Executive Arnold Donald anticipates at least two more tough years for the cruise industry, which is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2023, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The cruise company's full fleet might be sailing by the end of this year but it will take longer to recover to pre-crisis revenues, Donald told the newspaper in an interview.

Carnival in January reported a bigger-than-expected preliminary fourth-quarter net loss as business was brought to a virtual standstill by the coronavirus outbreak.

Read more: An inside look at 12 devastating months without holidays at sea

04:03 AM

Japan reportedly eyeing March 21 to ease restrictions

Japan's government is leaning towards ending a state of emergency for Tokyo and surrounding areas over Covid-19 as scheduled on March 21, the Sankei newspaper reported on Sunday.

The government is expected to make its decision at a meeting with advisers on March 18, Sankei reported. Calls to the prime minister's office were not answered.

The number of hospital beds in use to treat Covid-19 patients is falling gradually, which is justification to end the state of emergency as scheduled, the Sankei said, citing an unnamed government official.

Restrictions such as shorter business hours for restaurants and bars have helped reduce new daily cases in Tokyo to roughly a tenth of a peak of 2,520 on Jan. 7, but the number of new infections in Tokyo has been creeping up in recent days, raising concerns that the state of emergency might be extended.

03:08 AM

Charities urge people with health conditions to get jab

Scores of charities have written an open letter to encourage people with underlying health conditions to come forward for a coronavirus vaccine.

Cancer Research UK, Mencap and the Terrence Higgins Trust are among 18 signatories to the letter aimed at people in vaccine cohort six.

The group includes carers as well as people with a range of underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk from coronavirus.

They include chronic respiratory, heart, kidney and liver disease and neurological conditions, immunosuppression, asplenia, diabetes, morbid obesity and severe mental illness.

People with sickle cell disease, lupus and those on a GP learning disability register, as well as people who have vascular disease or have had a stroke are also included in group six.

Read more: Who is next on the priority list for Covid vaccines?

02:58 AM

Australia 'working with Singapore' to create travel bubble

Australia is "working with Singapore" to create a travel bubble between the two nations as early as July, officials said Sunday, in an effort to restart tourism and travel put on hold by Covid-19.

Early in the pandemic Australia effectively closed its international border to slow the spread of the coronavirus, with non-citizens banned from visiting except in special circumstances.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said Australia was "working with Singapore at the moment potentially for a bubble (beginning) in July".

"As the vaccine rolls out, not only in Australia but in other countries, we will reopen more bubbles," he told public broadcaster ABC.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported the deal would allow Singaporeans and Australians who had been vaccinated to travel between the countries without quarantining.

02:53 AM

Today's top stories
Mr Morrison said he did not usually attend protest marches in Canberra because his days were too busy. But Im very happy to receive a delegation and Ill respectfully receive that as Im sure they will respectfully engage with me, he said. I think thats the right way to do this. The most senior woman in the Morrison government, Senator Marise Payne, also declined to attend the march, telling organisers she would instead receive their petition. Janine Hendry, one of the march organisers, said they had declined a meeting with Senator Payne on Monday morning because they already had commitments. She said they were considering Mr Morrisons invitation to meet with a delegation of three or four people. March4Justice organiser Janine Hendry. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The government and opposition have also agreed not to call divisions  a method of taking a vote that physically counts members voting  between midday and 1.30pm to allow MPs and senators to attend the march.

Ms Archer said the Prime Ministers office was aware she wanted to attend the march. The Prime Minister has personally been open to my view on this issue now and for some time. In her maiden speech in 2019, Ms Archer, a mother-of-five and former mayor of George Town Council, said her own childhood story was painful and difficult to tell. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Like many other Australians, I have faced the challenges of living with childhood trauma, and that is a priority for me to address in my time in this place, she said at the time. I share a small part of this deeply personal story today because I believe we must do more as a society to keep our children and families safe. I am proud to stand as a member of this government that has committed to do more to address the scourge of family, domestic and sexual violence.

The marches, organised over the last two weeks, will span the country. They will be held in capital cities and country towns from Gosford to Katharine, Shearwater to Woombah. An event will also take place in London. Speakers at the Melbourne rally will include former state Greens MP Huong Truong, who has experienced domestic violence and former federal Liberal MP Julia Banks, who left politics after raising concerns about the bullying and intimidation of women. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has issued an open invitation for a delegation from the Womens March 4 Justice to meet with him in Canberra but has refused to address Mondays planned rally in person. Credit:Edwina Pickles, Alex Ellinghausen One organiser of the event, activist Marcella Brassett, said she got involved in the wake of Attorney-General Christian Porters press conference, in which he strenuously denied raping a woman. I was deeply offended and deeply upset and angry and hurt, as a survivor, to see how our leaders spoke about victims of gendered violence, and dismissed them, without any humanity. Avan Daruwalla, 20, who is a student at ANU and works with sexual assault survivors, said it was never an option to say nothing.

A lot of the work I do is about supporting survivors, Ms Daruwalla said, so it was never an option to say nothing. Im marching tomorrow and also speaking tomorrow because I think its time we take an active stand against gendered violence and stand up against institutional betrayal. The grassroots movement started with a tweet by Ms Hendry, a 58-year-old academic and designer, who pondered how many extremely disgruntled women it would take to link arms around Parliament House and stand in silent protest against discrimination and alleged sexual abuse in the nations Parliament. Ms Hendry said her tweet had been sparked by the governments handling of the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and the disturbing testimonies of harassment and assault from former schoolgirls collected by Chanel Contos, who is petitioning for consent to be taught earlier in schools. Speakers at other rallies include Australian of the Year Grace Tame in Hobart, Aboriginal elder Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng in Canberra and Michael Bradley, the lawyer for the late woman who accused Mr Porter of raping her, in Sydney.

Loading The Canberra event, to be hosted by Australian TV presenter Julia Zemiro, will no longer involve protesters linking arms around Parliament House, as had originally been planned, due to COVID restrictions. However, Ms Hendry tweeted they would still make an impact by showing up in their thousands. Dozens of Greens and Labor MPs are expected to attend the rally in Canberra including Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Labors spokeswoman for women and education Tanya Plibersek. We are pleased the government agreed to our request to suspend votes for an hour and a half so parliamentarians can attend the march, Ms Plibersek said. Many Labor MPs and senators and our staff will be attending and we hope members of the government and crossbench will too.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack will not attend the march, saying he had prior commitments. He said he appreciated it was an important issue. Nationals MP Dr Anne Webster, the federal MP for Mallee in Victoria, said she would attend the march if she could but it was not looking promising because her diary was full. She said it was very wise of the Prime Minister to offer to meet with a delegation of women from the march. I believe what women frequently feel is we are not heard and being heard is incredibly important to us, Dr Webster said. This is one way he can show he is listening and is hearing. Liberal MP for Higgins, Dr Katie Allen, was not attending the march but said she was very pleased that Senator Payne would be receiving the petition and the Prime Minister would be meeting with the organisers. This issue is above politics, Dr Allen said. It is time for change and the petition has four very reasonable requests including accepting the 55 recommendations from the respect@work report from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, who is also leading the independent inquiry into the culture of Parliament House.

Loading Dr Allen said she had been elected to be a strong voice inside the tent and thats what I intend to keep doing. Dr Goreng Goreng said she believed Mr Morrison offered to meet with a delegation after figuring out the nation-wide marches were a big deal. This big mob of women have decided to come together which shows there is a huge amount of feeling and emotion about recent events in Australia, Dr Goreng Goreng said. Thousands of people also gathered in London on Saturday for a vigil in tribute to murder victim Sarah Everard, whose death has sparked widespread anger and fear about womens safety in Britain. The 2017 Womens March  held throughout the world the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump to support gender equality and civil rights  is widely believed to be the largest single-day demonstration in US history.

Loading Another speaker at the Melbourne rally, Wurundjeri woman and social worker Sue-Anne Hunter, said sexual assault was rife in the community, particularly against Indigenous women, and there needed to be changes in how women were treated, particularly by males in government. More women were needed in positions where they can make decisions around the systems that are around for women. Victorian Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams said the royal commission into family violence had brought the issue out into the open. But a public discussion about sexual assault and abuse in our community has been slower to emerge. Thats why the march is so important. With Paul Sakkal and Rob Harris National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line: 1800 737 732. Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: (13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467 and suicidecallbackservice.org.au) and beyondblue (1300 22 4636 and beyondblue.org.au).
After a journalism student of Kashmir University named Firdos Ahmed was arrested by the local Jammu & Kashmir police, he exposed that Pakistan has been planning to carry out 'Lone Wolf' attacks in India in an attempt to spread terror in the valley. After further investigation, it was revealed that the journalism student was radicalised by Pakistan through social media to carry our attacks. He was given 3 Chinese pistols, 2 Magazines and a silencer to carry out selective assassinations through the 'Lone Wolf' attack.

It is important to mention here that Pakistan is the same country which had earlier signed an agreement with India on ceasefire regulation and now it is backing such attacks.

Republic accesses information on Pak's Kashmir terror plan

Upon accessing the exclusive details of the investigation, Republic Media Network learnt that after Pakistan failed to give terrorism a local colour, it has now resorted to planning 'Lone Wolf' Attacks. Such attacks by Pakistan pose a double challenge to India because the terrorists who are involved in such attacks are not known ones and they do not coordinate with the local overground network for weapons.

Pakistan has a two-point agenda behind such "Lone Wolf" attacks. First, to evade FATF blacklisting because it will tell the international community that terrorism in Kashmir is localised and not backed by it. The second is that it will continue to say that it wants peace and has now agreed to a ceasefire as well.

Former Jammu & Kashmir Deputy CM on Pak's Kashmir terror plan

Pointing towards Pakistan's newly exposed J&K terrorism plan, former J&K Deputy CM Kavinder Gupta said that Pakistan has been exposed for spreading terrorism frequently. He said, "Even at the international level, Pakistan has faced embarrassment from all countries for spread J&K terrorism and has also been isolated. And it is because of this reason that it does not want to show that it is behind the Kashmir terror plan."

Gupta said that Pakistan has adopted the 'Lone Wolf' attack so that the local terrorists will be able to carry out strikes without being affiliated with any terror outfits.

Defence expert on Pak's 'Lone Wolf' attack plan

Brig, Anil Gupta, who is a retired defence expert while speaking to Republic said that Pakistan on one hand is saying ceasefire, while on the other, it is coming up with new terror tactics. He said, "First Pakistan tried to give terror outfits local names in Kashmir such as TRF, MeM of Al Badr, but now it is planning 'Lone Wolf' attacks. They are radicalising youth online and encouraging them for such attacks in an attempt to save itself from FATF."
Krista Kennell / Shutterstock.com

Amid a calamitous year marked with historic civil unrest, a full-blown pandemic and a whiplashed economy, we could all use some words of encouragement. And to whom shall we turn for those prized pearls of wisdom? Might we suggest financial advisors. These money-minded folks are able to see the state of the economy in a way that the average American doesnt always get to see  unless theyre hiring them or their services. They bring a detached, big-picture perspective to financial affairs, understanding situations not only according to how they feel in the short term, but what they mean in the long term.

The Ultimate Financial Planning Guide: Do It Like the Pros in 6 Steps

Just as people lean on mentors in their respective fields, financial advisors look to successful people in their industry for guidance and perseverance. GOBankingRates consulted 11 different money experts to learn: What quotes spoken by great financial thinkers do they turn to in these times of trouble? How can these words of wisdom help out the average American right now, no matter their money situation?

Last updated: Feb. 26, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: Financial adviser, author, and TV personality Suze Orman speaks at a press conference at the National Press Club, January 12, 2012, in Washington, DC.

Suze Orman

The only way you will ever permanently take control of your financial life is to dig deep and fix the root problem. If youre not staying on top of your money, you are putting your financial well-being at risk.

Ebony J. Howard, CPA, a financial expert for RetireGuide.com, loves how this quote establishes how to maintain financial security. She added that this bit of Suze Ormans wisdom is essential to help folks become adequately prepared for any crisis that may arise during COVID-19. Ensuring that you have built an emergency savings fund to cover at least six months worth of expenses is the key to stay afloat  while focusing on keeping spending habits under control, lowering debts and only the necessities.

See: 22 Tips for Landing a Job During the Health Crisis

NEW YORK-MAR 30: TV personality Mark Cuban attends the "Woman In Gold" New York premiere, in conjunction with The Carlyle and ef+facto at the Museum of Modern Art on March 30, 2015 in New York City.

Mark Cuban

Creating opportunities means looking where others are not.

Story continues

Nicole Tanenbaum, partner and chief investment strategist at Chequers Financial Management, appreciates this pearl of wisdom from famed entrepreneur Mark Cuban.

The ability to take a contrarian view as an investor and take advantage of others herd mentality can often lead to great outcomes for your portfolio if done using a systematic and strategic approach, Tanenbaum said. Investing in out-of-favor sectors and asset classes when others are shunning them can provide opportunities to create long-term value. This allows the strategic investor to take advantage of short term emotionally-fueled market dislocations. Specifically, setting an allocation objective and sticking to it over time is key, which allows for rebalancing over time as the portfolio moves away from its original target allocation. In other words, buying more stocks as prices fall and selling them as prices rise.

With the stock market on a rollercoaster during this pandemic, its worthwhile to heed this advice and take advantage of some of those sliding share prices.

Check Out: 25 Companies Making the Most Money From Coronavirus

Mellody Hobson

I know many members of our community steer clear of Wall Street because of the perception that the stock market is risky, but I am convinced the biggest risk of all is not taking one.

Tremaine Wills, investment advisor at Mind Over Money, holds dear this quote from Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments. As a new advisor working to close the wealth gap, this message resonates deeply with me, Wills said. Fear of risk cripples many clients into not taking action which can seal in the fate of perpetual financial stress.

As this pandemic rages on, making any financial moves might feel extra perilous, but try to consider the risk from a place of abundance rather than of fear.

Dave Ramsey

Live like no one else now so you can live like no one else later.

This Zen riddle of a quote from Dave Ramsey is a go-to for Jeff Rose, CFP and founder of the personal finance website Good Financial Cents.

The pandemic is real and not going away anytime soon, Rose said. Most people are in a hold their breath approach  hoping that their job remains secure, or a new job is just around the corner and their savings wont run out. They arent looking to change the way they live, but thats not the right approach to take: Its time to be proactive and cut your spending vigilantly, find ways to start making money (like driving for InstaCart or delivering for Amazon) to boost those savings, and find ways to cut current debt, like refinancing student loans and curbing spending habits.

More Tips: Steal These Money Secrets From 25 Millionaires Under 25

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 19: Philanthropist Warren Buffett (C) is joined onstage by 24 other philanthropist and influential business people featured on the Forbes list of 100 Greatest Business Minds during the Forbes Media Centennial Celebration at Pier 60 on September 19, 2017 in New York City.

Warren Buffett

Over the long term, the stock market news will be good. In the 20th century, the United States endured two world wars and other traumatic and expensive military conflicts; the Depression; a dozen or so recessions and financial panics; oil shocks; a flu epidemic; and the resignation of a disgraced president. Yet the Dow rose from 66 to 11,497.

Warren Buffett wrote these prescient words in The New York Times op-ed in 2008 during the Great Recession. Now, in the bellows of the COVID-19 recession, these words ring true again to Asher Rogovy, chief investment officer at Magnifina.

The pandemic is certainly the biggest economic event which has occurred for many years [and] there was a violent market reaction in March and April, but many analysts predict that by this time next year, it will no longer be affecting the stock market, Rogovy said. This is Buffetts wisdom: to invest with a very very long-term horizon. He is the master at putting aside emotions and focusing strictly on the numbers. According to our research, only 30% of bear markets since 1950 have lasted more than three and a half years. The most recent one didnt even last three quarters.

Charlie Munger, vice president of Berkshire Hathaway is interviewed after the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting held at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb.

Charlie Munger

If you want to be an outlier in achievement, just sit on your a** and read most of your life.

This tough love quote from Warren Buffetts right-hand man Charlie Munger speaks to Sammy Azzouz, JD, CFP, president of Heritage Financial and author of The Boston Advisor blog. It highlights the importance of financial literacy and underscores that curiosity and education are key to smart money moves.

2020 has brought us a lot of things we never would have wanted, but one positive is the ability for people to read more about things theyve always wanted to learn, like how to improve their personal finances or to pursue the next leg of their careers, Azzouz said.

Stackshouse created by Farnoosh Torabi

Farnoosh Torabi

Money is a resource. Its not good, its not bad, its not evil, its just a resource.

Tracy Shen, holistic wealth advisor, managing partner at Florin Group, is endeared to this quote from personal finance expert and journalist Farnoosh Torabi because it instructs us to see money without any drama and to regard it in a more simple and detached way.

This helps some of our clients since they have anxiety with money, Shen said. So we teach them to build a positive relationship with money by finding out their money beliefs.

If you find yourself worrying about money right now, take a deep breath and a step back. Ask yourself whether you think of money as good or evil and then focus on letting go of those associations so as to regain perspective and hopefully, feel a little less stressed.

Benjamin Graham

Benjamin Graham

In the end, how your investments behave is much less important than how you behave.

This witty insight from Benjamin Graham, known as the father of value investing, appeals to Richard Best, a writer for DontPayFull who has over 30 years of experience in financial services. He likes it because it underscores the importance of not letting emotions rule your actions.

Graham and many of the other legendary investors believe investing without a solid investment plan, or the patience and discipline to stick with one, can leave a person vulnerable to [their] emotions, which invariably leads to disastrous results, Best said. Emotions are what make investors do things they later regret, such as fleeing the market after a steep decline or buying at the peak of market euphoria  both of which can have a devastating impact on their long-term investment performance.

In these pandemic-ridden times, the air is charged with fear and anguish. Feel your feelings, but dont let them sneak into your financial decision-making.

Peter Lynch Former Fidelity Magellan fund manager Peter Lynch during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in BostonPistons Celtics Basketball, Boston, USA.

Peter Lynch

Invest in what you know.

This pithy pearl from Peter Lynch, former fund manager for Magellan at Fidelity, is valued by Tricia Rosen, CFP, Principal, Access Financial Planning, in good times and in bad.

[It means] take advantage of your specialized, local knowledge of a product, service, or company to identify opportunities before they become more widely known, Rosen said. Research them further and then invest in them if they seem like a well-run, viable business. Granted, he said it before the internet and a Google search was common, and when active management was king, but it still holds true today. Most successful products and services get their initial momentum through word of mouth, so when you see a product or service which seems to provide a strong value, its worth looking into further to see if they would be a good investment opportunity.

Again, investing during a struggling economy can feel weird or even frightening  but dont let anxiety stop you from doing your homework; after all, even now people are still becoming billionaires for the first time.

Zig Ziglar

Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.

Howard Dvorkin, chairman of Debt.com, appreciates this no-nonsense quote by the sales icon Zig Ziglar during these dark times.

Since the start of the pandemic, Ive urged Americans to hold onto what they have and pay off debt where they can, Dvorkin said. Most people were wise, and credit card spending came to a halt in the second quarter. Many financial intuitions foresee a slow and hard recovery, but there is still time for people to reassess their recession savings plan. Its best for most people not to continue their spending as normal, and this holiday season, Im begging people to keep in mind: the worst is not yet over.

due date calendar and alarm clock with blur business woman hand calculating monthly expenses during tax season.

Jim Rohn

Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.

This quote from entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn inspires Anthony Appleton-Tattersall, CA, MBA, director of AAT Accounting Services, who finds that it carries special meaning during the pandemic.

During Covid, many people have found out just how much their time is worth, Appleton-Tattersall said. Money is still important of course, but so many are considering switching or downshifting career moves that should have been front of mind years ago.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Advice From Mark Cuban, Warren Buffett and Other Experts That Can Help You Survive a Crisis
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14) -- Calbayog City police chief LtCol. Neil Montano has been relieved of his post after the death of Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino in what police claimed was a shootout. The intelligence chief has also been sacked after having asked the courts for names of lawyers who represent left-leaning individuals.

Philippine National Police officer-in-charge LtGen. Guillermo Eleazar announced this in a statement on Sunday, saying Montano was dismissed due to command responsibility.

This came after the sacking of PLt. Fernando Calabria, Jr., head of the Calbayog City police intelligence unit, after he requested a list of lawyers of alleged communists from the Office of the Clerk of Court in Calbayog. Calabria said he made the request in compliance with higher PNP offices, a claim which Eleazar denied.

Nine other non-commissioned officers of the city police station were likewise relieved and reassigned to the Samar Provincial Police Office to undergo refresher seminar.

This reorganization is intended not only to improve the investigation and intelligence capacity of the Calbayog City Police Station in the light of the two incidents that happened but also to infuse new ideas and strategies on peace and order with the deployment of new police officers in the area, Eleazar said.

Montano will be replaced by PLtCol.Rodolfo Albotra as the citys new chief of police, while PMaj. Ruel Burlat is designated as the new chief of intelligence unit.

In a statement also on Sunday, the Commission on Human Rights welcomed the relief of Calabria, whose conduct, it said, is "significantly concerning," considering the recent killings of lawyers and the "pervasive" red-tagging problem.

We also welcome the comment of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra opposing and calling out the PNP for 'any such activity if the same is in violation of existing laws or established policies, or unnecessarily endangers the security of certain classes of persons, most especially lawyers, said CHR spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia.

The commission called on PNP to craft clearer guidelines on information gathering to ensure police power is not abused.

Meanwhile, Eleazar said both Calabria's actions and the March 8 "shootout" are currently being investigated.

"Based on consultation with our Chief PNP, PNP officers concerned are also ordered to refrain from making any comment on the case of Mayor Aquino, and wait instead for the final result of the investigation," he added.

Besides the mayor, the shooting incident killed five others, including Aquinos aides and three PNP personnel.

RELATED: PNP to work with NBI in probe on Calbayog mayor's slay, maintains Aquino's group fired first shot
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Liberal democracy -- grounded in the inalienable rights all human beings share -- protects, and is protected by, free speech. Good laws alone, though, cannot keep speech free. Also necessary is a public culture that promotes an accurate understanding of free speech and fosters the virtues that undergird it. The breakdown in the United States of that public culture -- particularly among the nations progressive elites -- is of pressing concern.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. The Supreme Court interprets this provision to require a broad though not absolute prohibition on government regulation of expression. Even among liberal democracies, Americans enjoy an unusually extended sphere in which they can speak their minds. Expression is subject to a few specified legal limitations: these include incitement to imminent lawless action, true threats, classified information, and slander and libel. This, however, leaves abundant room in which citizens can readily encounter unorthodox, dissenting, and, yes, deeply disagreeable opinions.

While government always poses a major threat to free speech, it never represents the sole danger. Today, apprehensions about Big Tech regulation  subtle and surreptitious as well as brazen and heavy-handed -- of social network and consumer platforms command center stage. Meanwhile, old nemeses of free speech -- inherited authority, social pressure, and public opinion -- show little sign of abating.

Because of the new and old threats, practicing free speech requires -- as always -- moral virtue: courage to present ones views accurately and subject them to public scrutiny, patience to consider alternative arguments, self-control to tolerate fellow citizens seemingly wrong-headed and ill-conceived notions. Free speech also needs intellectual virtue. To benefit from the give-and-take that energizes a free society, we must examine our ideas vulnerabilities. That difficult process depends on restating accurately, interpreting reasonably, and looking for the kernel -- or more -- of truth in opinions and positions that we are inclined to oppose.

In The Campaign to Cancel Wokeness, New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg attempts to defend free speech by exposing conservative hypocrisy. Because of the propensity to protect ones own speech while curtailing that of the other camp, Goldberg could have performed a service by holding conservatives to a standard they profess. She missed the opportunity, as do many progressives, by conflating criticism and cancellation.

Principled defenses of liberty of thought and discussion from the left would be particularly welcome in the New York Times. Alas, the venerable institution has proved a fair-weather friend of free speech. Last spring, for example, many staff members revolted and management forced out Opinion Editor James Bennet because the newspaper published an op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton arguing -- consistent with the views of about half of Americans -- that the president should use his authority to direct the military to respond to violent rioting in American cities. Only last month, the Times demanded the departure of science and health reporter Donald McNeil after more than 40 years at the newspaper. His principal offense? In the process of answering a students question about a notorious racial slur, McNeil uttered it himself.

Goldberg, though, does not rise to the moment by providing a ringing endorsement of a public sphere that welcomes opinions from right and left. Instead, she provides a textbook case of the failure to understand the principles of free speech, and to exercise the moral and intellectual virtues that bring benefits from it.

Conservatives dont like cancel culture, writes Goldberg, yet they pursue, she charges, an ironic quest to cancel the promotion of critical race theory in public forums. Her accusation betrays a rudimentary misunderstanding of cancel culture, which involves the shaming, ostracism, and silencing of individuals and companies for expressing disfavored opinions. In contrast, conservative criticism of critical race theory and opposition to using government organs to promote its controversial claims about race and justice are perfectly legitimate activities in a free society.

CRT is not merely an academic theory. In their 2011 book, Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, law professors Jean Stefancic and Richard Delgado -- Goldberg cites Delgado as a key figure in the movement -- stresses that CRT is simultaneously a form of activism grounded in a radical perspective that questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law.

Such extreme positions are an integral part of the public debate; canceling those that propound them would be unconscionable. Yet there are excellent reasons to criticize CRT ideas and counter efforts by activists to promulgate CRT views through government training sessions and school curricula. These include CRTs blurring of scholarship and politics, its incoherent rejection of principles of freedom and equality bound up with the Enlightenment on which it covertly relies, and its failure to grasp accurately and present fairly Americas founding principles and constitutional traditions.

In the conservative critique of CRT ideas and opposition to entrenching its doctrines as the nations official public philosophy, nevertheless, Goldberg sees only outright government censorship and attempts to suppress an entire intellectual movement. Her evidence shows nothing of the kind.

Last September, Goldberg writes, Donald Trumps Office of Management and Budget ordered federal agencies to begin to identify all contracts or other agency spending related to any training on critical race theory, which it described as un-American propaganda. The First Amendment, however, does not guarantee a right to have the federal government propound your preferred critique of America.

British conservatives, Goldberg argues, are just as bad as American conservatives. Again, her reporting misleads. A month after the Trump OMB directive, according to Goldberg, the conservative government in Britain declared some uses of critical race theory in education illegal. Indeed, Tory women and equalities minister Kemi Badenoch indicated in a parliamentary debate that it would be illegal to use CRT for propaganda purposes. The very words that Goldberg quotes show that Badenoch was opposing indoctrination, the teaching of a radical theory about racial justice as if it were the last word about race and justice. The Guardian, a left-wing British newspaper, emphasized that Badenoch argued not for the exclusion of views but for schools to remain politically impartial.

Goldberg also deplores developments in France. She cites a Times colleague: French politicians, high-profile intellectuals and journalists are warning that progressive American ideas -- specifically on race, gender, post-colonialism -- are undermining their society. But a warning is not censorship. Here, it is a routine exercise of free speech.

Goldberg rightly criticizes misguided conservative proposals in several U.S. states to ban the teaching of CRT. But she overlooks or ignores news that doesnt fit her narrative. While highlighting a pair of bills introduced by an Arkansas legislator banning the teaching of CRT ideas, she omits that on Feb. 9 -- more than two weeks before her column appeared -- an Arkansas legislative panel rejected the proposal. State Education Secretary Johnny Key, a Republican, explained that curricular matters are best left to the local elected boards and administrators and educators.

Goldbergs interest in protecting free speech is laudable. But in falsely accusing conservatives of undertaking a concerted international campaign to censor CRT, she conflates criticism and cancellation, misrepresents conservative ideas and actions, and assumes that there is only one way to uphold racial justice.

An effective defense of free speech must embody the principles, and exercise the virtues, of free speech.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 03:45:15|Editor: huaxia

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A woman wearing a face mask walks past the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, March 11, 2021.(Xinhua/Liu Jie)

U.S. President Joe Biden wants gender equality to be front and center of his new administration's policies.



by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden has created a White House council to push for more women's rights, while overseeing the government's commitment to gender equity and equality.

The Gender Policy Council will work with all cabinet secretaries and submit an annual report to the president to measure progress on prioritizing gender equality across the government.

It is a reformed version of the White House Council on Women and Girls set up under former President Barack Obama and later disbanded by Donald Trump's administration.

U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (L, Front) is sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 20, 2021, becoming the first female and woman of color to hold the nation's second-highest office. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Biden has said that he wants gender equality to be front and center of his new administration's policies.



"Too often, they have done so while being denied the freedom, full participation, and equal opportunity all women are due," said Biden in a statement when he issued an executive order establishing the council on the International Women's Day, which falls on March 8.

"There is so much work to do to address the systemic barriers that have held women and girls back here in the United States and globally. Because the truth is-those barriers have stood for far too long," said Jennifer Klein and Julissa Reynoso, co-chairs of the Gender Policy Council, in a message posted on the White House webpage on Friday.

"We'll work closely with the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice to end gender-based violence against women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people," read the message.

File photo of Janet Yellen, who was sworn in on January 26, 2021 as the 78th Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department, becoming the first woman to hold the position. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)



Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the center for international and security studies at the University of Maryland, noted that the first Gender Policy Council was within former President Bill Clinton's White House. However, it was less institutionalized and never received permanent standing.



"This version of the council has a budget and a small staff and will be harder to get rid of after Biden," Ramsay told Xinhua.

The purpose is to have gender questions always be on the checklist when the White House is working to formulate a policy.

"Women need not be an afterthought who get considered after a new policy's effects on women become evident," Ramsay said.

Official portrait of U.S. Democratic House lawmaker Marcia Fudge, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 10, 2021 as the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), one of the woman members in President Joe Biden's cabinet. (Source: fudge.house.gov)

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua Biden wants to make sure women have opportunities for advancement, adding that the president is putting major financial resources toward the issue.



"By putting the force of the federal government behind this effort, the president will ensure that others take this seriously," West said.

Biden has a laundry list of items of his agenda, which includes fighting against gender-based violence, decreasing maternal mortality and tacking on an amendment for equal rights to the U.S. Constitution.

As a part of his COVID-19 stimulus, the president has also discussed a number of proposals for women, which include a minimum wage hike, child care subsidies and paid family leave.

Latest data showed the COVID-19 pandemic has hit women the hardest -- 2.5 million women left the workforce in 2020 compared with 1.8 million men. The U.S. Department of Labor's February jobs report found Black and Hispanic women showed the greatest declines in labor force participation. 
Its a sort of verbal resume for local elected officials to show how long theyve been in office - the ability to name every disaster theyve helped respond to. And usually, its done in order.

Hurricanes Rita and Ike; Tropical Storm Harvey; Tropical Depression Imelda; the TPC Group explosion in Port Neches; COVID-19; Hurricanes Laura, Beta and Delta; Winter Storm Uri.

Some of these events touched parts of Southeast Texas but largely missed others, like Hurricane Laura.

Even the potential to see any one of these disasters repeat spurs the drumbeat of resiliency planning.

Likely one of the biggest recent developments for that planning process is expected in just a few short weeks. The Texas General Land Office is set to announce its first round of Harvey hazard mitigation grants.

Related: Orange, Hardin Cos seek state resiliency help

Those awarded dollars were capped at $100 million, and each applicant is expected to receive money for at least one project.

Projects under consideration include new drainage improvements and water treatment and wastewater facilities among others.

But even while funding has been tight with Hurricane Laura recovery and the COVID-19 pandemic, local governments over the past several months have continued the march toward building resilience.

The Enterprise sat down with representatives from Southeast Texas to talk about some of the many improvements that have been in the works:

Orange County

County Judge John Gothia said his countys main projects has been taking on local drainage projects that can be completed with funding gathered from the county and the Orange County Drainage District.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

If you drive around the county, youll see our major ditches and outlets, he said. Theres been a lot of work done to clean them.

In fact, crews undertook major cleanings before Hurricane Laura just in time for the storm to blow more debris in.

The countys in the process of getting more funding for intensive cleanings, but its keeping up with smaller-scale work.

He said the county also has moved forward on grant-funded home elevation and buyout programs, which currently are gathering paperwork from qualified individuals.

The biggest thing weve done though is work on the levee project, he said. Ive been in Austin with (Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick) a couple of times in the last few weeks with our folks to see if they can allocate money to keep that project moving forward.

He said he was concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic would cause such a large hit to the states budget that such funding wouldnt come down the pike, but he said at this point, things are looking promising.

Related: Orange County seals deal with Tx GLO and Army Corps of Engineers for protective levee

Once the levee project is completed, the region is looking at 15 miles of levees, seven flood walls and seven pump stations, all of which are expected to withstand future storm surge.

Hardin County

While Hardin County has been waiting for grant funding from the General Land Office like others in the region, the state agency recently granted it $8.5 million for Harvey recovery and future resiliency.

Applications and planning for that money took up quite a bit of disaster-designated time, said Hardin County Emergency Management Coordinator Aaron Tupper.

That money will create two new detention ponds, replace and relocate a communications tower that was flooded during Harvey. It also will cover the procurement of high-water trucks that can be used during fires and high-water rescues and radios that allow firefighters and police to communicate during disasters, he said.

Related: State releases $8.5M for Harvey recovery in Hardin Co.

At the same time, the county has made upgrades to the Emergency Operations Center, which allows it to use updated programs to report damages after disasters and currently is updating its Hazard Mitigation Action Plan.

That plan is a comprehensive document of every project that could possibly come to light some day to make Hardin County more resilient, he said, adding that it should be completed by September.

During this round of updates, the county is expected to have some more freedom in anticipated projects as the state and federal government signals its ready to allocate more money to flooding mitigation measures as opposed to just after-disaster recovery.

Beaumont

The city serves the largest single number of residents in the region, and Mayor Becky Ames said much of the past year has really been an almost continuous exercise in resiliency.

Related: Progress expected on Beaumont water-system upgrades

The citys Emergency Operations Center has been in operation for about a year and a half  likely a local record.

The city has had to consider using existing buildings for largely new purposes, such as mass vaccinations at the Civic Center. In that same vein, its also had to remain flexible when plans have to be updated, such as keeping vaccinations at the Public Health Department to allow for Civic Center to be used in other ways.

And at the same time, Ames said, the citys put into practice and even increased its ability to take care of residents when they may not be able to get into City Hall.

Thats just showing all the changes you have to adapt to and think outside the box, she said. Thats what happened this whole year in almost everything weve done.

Related: $200 million sought to improve hurricane resiliency in SETX

If the pandemic did anything positive, its taught us to work in a different way even if people cant come in and out of City Hall, she added.

At the same time, the city has focused maintenance designed to improve its aging sewer system. Ames said thats one of the key steps the city can take in the short term to build resiliency into the system for the next time storms come.

Ames said she plans to address other work thats taken place at a State of the City address next month.

Ultimately, when youre talking about the municipality or the county or the state, resiliency is in the people, she said.

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/KaitlinBain
Woolworths has launched a new mini store to help support kids with disabilities through a hands-on learning experience.

The grocery store opened at Black Mountain School in Canberra last month - where students are working behind the cash register.

The school, which caters for Year 7 to Year 12 students with a disability, has mimicked an actual Woolworths shop, with the supermarket giant's logo and uniforms.

Woolworths has launched a new mini store to help support kids with disabilities

The shelves are stocked with supplies and the students scan goods with fully operational Fujitsu registers.

They also get to experience money handling and the bagging of items through the initiative.

The students named their new mini store BMS Fresh Food.

Woolworths Group General Manager, IT, Service, Operations, and Infrastructure, Patrick Misciagna said: 'We're really proud of our new mini supermarket at Black Mountain School and the opportunities it will create for students.

'The students can experience how to shop, what to buy, how to handle money and how to work with weights and measures in a controlled environment.

'Even the registers are identical to those in our stores today with the same hardware and software.'

The grocery store opened at Black Mountain School in Canberra last month - where students are working behind the cash register

Clare Burden from Fujitsu Australia Limited said they were 'thrilled' to have the opportunity to 'contribute proactively' to the lives of students at Black Mountain School.

'As an organisation that promotes diversity and inclusion, it's inspiring to be able to empower these students to maximise their potential,' she said.

'We're looking forward to seeing Mini Woolworths Black Mountain flourish as it plays a vital role in the Black Mountain School community.'

BMS Fresh Food is the third mini supermarket of its kind, with similar shopping experiences created for St Edmund's College in Wahroonga and St Gabriel's in Castle Hill.
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State of the pandemic: A data expert on one year of COVID-19 in North Texas and where we are now
NINETTE  A second-degree murder charge has been laid in Ninette after a 61-year-old womans body was found Friday morning.

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RCMP look over the scene of a suspected homicide in Ninette on Saturday. (Tyler Clarke/The Brandon Sun)

NINETTE  A second-degree murder charge has been laid in Ninette after a 61-year-old womans body was found Friday morning.

The suspect, 22-year-old Nicholas Mass, has been arrested, and neighbours say the victim was Catherine Mass, 61.

An RCMP spokesperson said the suspect and victim were known to each other.

An RCMP spokesperson said the suspect and victim were known to each other.

Police have yet to identify the victim, but in addition to neighbours confirming her name, a canada411.ca search of 102 King Street in Ninette links the property to "C Mass."

RCMP tend to a drone at the scene of a suspected homicide in Ninette on Saturday. (Tyler Clarke/The Brandon Sun)

The small house, shaded by trees, was surrounded by police tape Saturday afternoon, where a few RCMP members were seen conducting their investigation, including one who flew a drone overhead.

A media release issued Saturday notes the Killarney RCMP have joined RCMP Major Crime Services and Forensic Identification Services for the ongoing investigation.

Police involvement began at approximately 9 a.m. Friday, when the release said police visited the residence to "to check on the well-being of a female."

Once there, they report finding the victim, deceased.

The suspect was arrested at the scene and remanded into custody.

A neighbour said Catherine was a "very friendly, very outgoing" artist who welcomed her to the neighbourhood with a freshly baked loaf of bread.

An area resident, upon spotting a Brandon Sun vehicle in the neighbourhood, pulled his truck parallel for a quick chat to ensure readers were aware of the "gentle, kind, talented woman" Catherine was.

"She was a really kind, sweet person," he said. "A gentle, kind-hearted woman, really."

The man in the truck added that Catherine was a long-time resident well-known in the area, and that for a small community of Ninettes size  fewer than 300 people  "It hits hard."

RM of Prairie Lakes Coun. Glen Johnston, who serves the area, declined comment on what he described as a "terrible tragedy."

The Sun has reached out to the Manitoba RCMP for more clarity on this matter but has yet to receive a response.

More to come in this developing story.

 The Brandon Sun


About 200 college educators in the United States have formed a non-profit organization called the Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA). On its website, the group says it aims to help college educators speak, instruct, and publish without fear of sanction or punishment.

The non-profit organization began out of discussions among some professors at Princeton University in the state of New Jersey. They wanted to find ways to fight against what they see as growing intolerance of differing opinions.

The AFA plans to support those they believe have been unjustly attacked and provide money for legal support if needed. Members who are professors with tenure will pay a yearly amount of $50, while others will pay $35. The alliance is also seeking donations.

Keith E. Whittington of Princeton University is head of the alliances academic committee. He said the group is looking for a way to advance a national discussion about free expression issues.

He said the group wants to keep alive an idea called academic freedom, which was put forward by professors about 100 years ago. It has three points. The first is the freedom to teach without outside interference. The second is the ability to do research and write on academic issues without university leaders preventing the public from seeing the work. The third is the ability to speak in public about ideas of the day without interference from university leaders.

Whittington said, We still see all those things threatened at American colleges.

Whittington said college professors have been concerned for a long time about losing their jobs if they express ideas that might be unpopular with students, administrators or people who give money to the school. Some college professors have had their jobs threatened for criticizing university presidents.

We still see faculty threatened for all those things now, he said.

Whittington and the founders created the organization to offer some support to those professors. Some, he said, joined the group for that reason.

Members of the AFA include writer and political activist Cornel West, who recently left Harvard University after not receiving tenure, and retired Vanderbilt University professor Carol Swain. Others in the alliance include constitutional researcher Sanford Levinson at the University of Texas School of Law; award-winning writer Charles Johnson, a retired professor at the University of Washington; and Nadine Strossen, a retired professor at New York University and former president of the American Civil Liberties Union.



Whittington said a number of professors who joined the AFA were nervous, at first, about joining. Some, he said, were worried that their supporters would be concerned if they joined a group that had members who expressed opposing political opinions.

But Whittington described the AFA as a genuinely cross-ideological group.

And it was somewhat difficult to persuade people that they ought to be out in front and standing up for these principles even though sometimes that would mean defending speech that they found pretty unpleasant and very wrongheaded and despite the fact that sometimes that would lead them to be personally criticized.

Some members have been involved in free speech disputes. For example, some students criticized Northwestern University professor Laura Kipnis for a document she wrote in 2015. In the writing, Kipnis disputed the schools ban on teachers and students dating each other.

Another, Harvard professor and language researcher Steven Pinker, was criticized in 2011 by members of the Linguistic Society of America for supposed insensitivity to racism and sexism.

Whittington said the alliance would center on free speech and academic freedom issues. He named two recent examples of why he says the alliance is needed.

One example involved University of Southern California professor Greg Patton. Last summer, he was teaching using the video conferencing application Zoom about words used to fill silences in spoken language.

He described a few Chinese terms that some students believed sounded like an English-language racial insult. Patton was suspended, and only returned after a school investigation found that the use of the Mandarin term had an actual purpose.



Also last summer, Auburn University professor Jesse Goldberg faced calls for his dismissal after writing a message on Twitter. The message included, The police do not protect people. They protect capital. They are instruments of violence on behalf of capital. Auburn University denounced the message and reassigned Goldberg from the classroom to a research position.

Whittington said the AFA seeks to fight against efforts to suppress and sanction professors who hold non-traditional or unpopular opinions.

Its essential, I think, that we continue the struggle. That we continue to try to articulate what these principles are and why theyre important, and we continue to try to defend individual professors who find themselves in the midst of these controversies.

Whittington said he hoped the AFA might start off with about 50 professors who could help spread their message. But the group received strong support and gained more members than that.

The group will start by working for its members in case of controversy. But Whittington said it also wants to look out for non-members who may be involved in situations where support from the AFA might be helpful.

Im Jonathan Evans and Im Dan Friedell.

Hillel Italie reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans and Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Dan Friedell added additional information from an interview with Whittington. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

Quiz - College Educators Form Alliance to Defend Free Expression Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

academic adj. of or relating to schools and education

sanction n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force someone to stop doing something

intolerance n. not willing to allow or accept something

tenure n. the right to keep a job (especially the job of being a professor at a college or university) for as long as you want to have it

faculty n. the group of teachers in a school or college

ideological adj. ideas and beliefs of a group or political party

essential adj. extremely important and necessary

controversy  n. argument that involves many people who strongly disagree about something : strong disagreement about something among a large group of people

articulate v. to express (something, such as an idea) in words
It is cheaper than ever to travel now as prices have dropped amid the pandemic, while this time of year is usually the slowest for the tourism sector.

Examples of such prices can be found in two recent ads offering cheap trips: VND2.19 million per traveler only for departures in March, including return ticket to Da Nang. Stay in 5-star hotel for two days... VND7.7 million per traveler for 3-day-and-2 night trip, including return ticket for 5-star Six Senses Ninh Van Bay in Nha Trang."

Airlines have also launched about 1 million tickets at the price of zero dong to VND88,000.

Analysts say that the tour fees are unimaginably low which has prompted people to resume their travel plans which they postponed because of the pandemic.

However, Le Hai Nga and her team of five members said they will only book tours just several days before the departure time instead of booking early.

Nga said a Covid outbreak can emerge at any time, so it will be risky to book tours too soon. She had to cancel a trip last year which she had booked nearly half a year in advance. And she has to delay a trip to Ha Long in March because of the latest Covid-19 outbreak. She had initially planned to go to Ha Long on Tet.

As for travel firms, tours have resumed since late February. It is now the low travel season, so the number of travelers is modest, but it is on the rise.

In the north, people mostly book tours to visit pagodas at the beginning of the Year of the Buffalo, and to the northeastern and northwestern highlands. Meanwhile, southern people go to the sea, islands, Da Lat or the Central Highlands.

Hanoitours CEO Ho Xuan Phuc said his firm has received a lot of calls asking for information about tours to Tam Chuc Pagoda (Ha Nam) and Tay Thien (Vinh Phuc) and tours to northwestern and northeastern provinces.

Hanoitours 22 clients will go to Lai Chau  Lao Cai on March 14-17, 100 clients to Sa Pa on March 19-20, 70 clients to Ha Giang in mid-April and 5-6 groups of travelers (15-25 travelers for each group) to Con Dao in March.

A representative of Flamingo Redtours said as the pandemic has cooled down, the number of travelers has increased. The firm serves 10-14 groups of tourists each week. The favorite destinations are Central Highlands and Da Lat in the south, and Ha Giang and Cao Bang in the north.

TST Tourist has re-activated with the first group of travelers to Phu Quoc in late February. To date, TST has served 800 travelers.

Tran The Dung, CEO of The He Tre, believes that travel will recover on the April holiday if there is no bad news about the pandemic.

Ngoc Ha

Restoring people's travel must meet pandemic prevention requirements: Spokeperson Vietnamese authorities are in talks with partners on how to safely resume commercial flights, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.
JACKSON, Mississippi  Less than 2 miles from the Mississippi's Capitol building, an elderly Black man hoards water.

James Brooks, 78, keeps rows of plastic containers of water at his Jackson home filled with varying shades of gray, yellow and brown water. On the porch. In the kitchen. In the bathroom. Water from the tap, water from Walmart, water from the melting snow on the roof of his car, boiled water, distilled water, most of it collected drip by drip and stored. There are so many gallon containers it is hard to walk among them, especially for his wife, Jean, who uses a cane.

And at the end of his front porch, a 99-gallon trash container, which he began filling in 2019, holds even more water, because Brooks has been, for 30 years, drowning in anxiety.

"You would hear stories about the water," Brooks said. "The word was out. The infrastructure in Jackson was in bad shape. You have to worry about what is under the asphalt."

Decades of neglect, under-investment and refusal to fix the water infrastructure have resulted in a crisis in Jackson, where residents are struggling to find water for daily living.

"We live in a predominantly Black community, and I don't think we are high on the list of priorities," Jean Brooks said.

Jugs filled with water sit on the front porch of the Jackson, Miss., home of James and Jean Brooks on March 4.

Mississippi's capital city enters week 4 of a water crisis: Here's how it got to this point

Jackson, Mississippi's biggest city, has a population of just under 170,000, of which 81% are Black. More than 25% of Jackson's residents live below the poverty line, and the median household income is about $38,000.

James Brooks points to houses around his block. The lady across the street keeps buckets to catch rainwater. A man across the way is doing the same. In Jackson, water buckets are a way of life.

Bad water is as persistent in Jackson as a birthmark.

Sometime in the 1980s, Brooks began dealing with the water on his own. He ripped out the pipes under his house and installed a new system. He insisted he and his wife drink only bottled water, a habit that has changed into drinking only distilled bottled water. And then he began the hoarding.

Story continues

"I was getting upset with him because this is crazy," Jean Brooks said. "I felt like I was going to scream."

Neither James nor Jean Brooks is crazy. He has a master's degree in economics, a doctorate in social work. He was a military policeman in Vietnam, a college professor, a Black Power advocate back in the day. She, too, was a college professor, a hippie, and she remembers raising her voice to city officials years ago about the potholes on her drive home from Jackson State University.

No end in sight: Mississippi's capital city hasn't had clean water in weeks

James and Jean Brooks have never called anyone to complain about the water. Fighting, they said, is pointless. She said she simply showers with her eyes closed because she worries about what the water will do to her vision.

Politicians who control the funding that could fix the water problems have said the scope of the city's problems are larger than they're able to handle on their own.

In 2013, an assessment of the city's water system found there are pipes that are at least 100 years old in many areas. Past city administrations have put money into the system, but that has resulted in patchwork bandages that do little to address the root of the problem.

Today, city leaders say there's not enough money to do what needs to be done. Jackson's tax base is dwindling. As it stands, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba admits the city hasn't been able to cover even routine maintenance for the system.

"The question then becomes why we haven't been able to effectuate the routine maintenance that is needed and that comes down to a matter of resources," Lumumba said.

Weeks after Mississippi winter storms: Some residents still don't have water

Or they blame the residents themselves for not paying the bills. A study in 2019 showed as many as 20,000 residents had not paid water bills. The problem is in part a result of an ill-fated contract the city entered into with Siemens Industry Inc. in 2012 to improve its water meter and billing system. The result was a tangled mess of underbilling, overbilling and some residents not getting bills at all, which culminated in a $450 million lawsuit.

The city reached a settlement for $89.8 million  roughly the amount paid to Siemens in the original contract  in 2020, but collections are still a problem.

When presented with several requests for comment from the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network, about when service would be restored, officials could offer only tentative dates, all of which came and went. Lumumba said a $2 billion price tag that has been floated for weeks is a combination of a previous sewer system evaluation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and water system studies the city has commissioned over the years.

Thousands of residents of Jackson have been without water since the frigid storm of Feb. 15, and thousands more have been advised to boil the water that comes out of the tap because it could be filled with bacteria. Some of the pumping stations stopped working. More than 100 water mains broke.

The ice storm only illuminated the problem.

This is not a new phenomenon.

Long history of water troubles

The problem started with a private water delivery system built in 1888 and purchased by the city in 1908. It is a problem as old as the Yazoo clay on which Jackson is built. Yazoo clay is susceptible to weather changes, shrinking and expanding like an accordion beneath the streets, mangling water mains in the process.

As far back as 1982, winter storm systems atypical for the South have turned Jackson's water system into a sprinkler when the weather warms.

A historic ice storm that hit the state in 1989 ruptured 182 lines and caused outages for days. In 2018, frigid temperatures caused more than 200 water main breaks across the city before crews were able to stabilize the system.

After the storm in mid-February, more than 100 breaks happened across the city. Boil-water advisories are exceedingly common, but no one in the city can recall a full outage lasting for nearly as long as it has today.

And breaks aren't the only problem. The city issued precautions in 2016 when elevated lead levels were found in the tap water at some residences. Although the levels at the time weren't found to be in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, expecting mothers and children were advised to avoid drinking anything coming out of Jackson's system.

James Brooks explains about the gallons of water on the front porch of the Jackson, Miss. home. Brooks, a self-declared water hoarder, is no stranger to water issues in the city of Jackson. He has always saved water he explains. It takes a full minute for his hot water to get hot "I'm going to catch that cold hot water...I paid for it," said Brooks. "I catch it and it serves for my plants and it comes in handy for the emergency. So, we had plenty of water," he said Friday, March 4, 2021, referring to the recent Jackson water crisis.

The city's sewer system also remains under a consent decree from the EPA because of Clean Water Act violations.

Despite all the problems, major investment into the system hasn't happened for several years. Without help from the state and federal governments, city leaders say, it's unlikely they will have to means to do so.

Public works nightmare

For several years, Jackson's public works department has suffered from staffing shortages and underfunding.

Before former Jackson Public Works Director Bob Miller's departure in July 2020, several positions were open in the department, which affected the ability to respond to breaks. In 2018, at least 60 positions went unfilled in the department. Several positions are still open today.

Revenue has been another problem. Because of the the issue with water billing, the department has had to turn to the city's general fund to cover budgeting shortfalls.

Current Public Works Director Charles Williams said lack of money has also affected the agency's ability to repair the city's water and sewage treatment plants. More money, he said, is needed.

"One thing that I'll tell you: I don't need an excuse to spend money in Jackson," Williams said. "We have a lot of deficient areas that relate to our infrastructure systems, and (with) our ability to be able to utilize (funding) for the betterment of our community, we'll use it to its fullest."

The forgotten neighborhood

James and Jean Brooks said they feel neglected by the people who could help them. Their neighborhood, they said, has been forgotten.

"The institutional knowledge is gone," Brooks said.

They know it shouldn't be like this.

James Brooks points to the house next door where an elderly woman is renting.

The house is owned by Jackson City Councilman Charles Tillman, who represents Ward 5 in west Jackson. It has been reported that Tillman owns 65 houses in this neighborhood.

Tillman, who once served on the Keep Jackson Beautiful committee and is the former chair of Jackson's budget committee, is now vice chair of the city's water ad hoc committee.

Tillman said he has known about the problems plaguing the water system since he joined the council in 2005. There isn't a city council meeting where it isn't mentioned to some degree, he said.

"It's like the problem is bigger than this city," Brooks said.

Tillman agreed. Although the city has to do its part, he said, a partnership is the only way to make headway.

"We need a system from county government, state government and federal government," he said. "When we are in need, that's what government is for: to take care of people in need."

Tillman, who has been investing in Jackson properties since the late 1960s, said he uses his own crew to replace the pipes in all the houses he buys before he rents them out. He estimated 35 of his houses are filled now.

A helping hand: As Jackson's water crisis continues, outside communities are bringing water to residents in need

A one-bedroom house, he said, could cost $1,500 to $2,000 to re-pipe.

There haven't been problems in the household pipes at those homes, he said, but the city connections have caused issues. Some of his tenants have told him for years that because Jackson is a predominantly Black city, state officials don't care about them.

"Other than the (Mississippi State Capitol Building) where they (are), and the state fairgrounds, and maybe some other parts of the city, the rest of the city  which is primarily minority  is not getting the attention we need," Tillman said.

Tillman said he has been advocating for changes to the water system for years but knows the problem won't go away overnight. New studies of the entire system will need to be done, and he said he knows it won't be easy  or cheap.

"Like my daddy always used to say, if you'll pardon the expression, it's gonna take a good chunk of money," he said. "We have studies sitting on the shelves, but if we want to go after this problem, we need an update to know what we're dealing with from the beginning."

Contributing: Justin Vicory, Mississippi Clarion Ledger.

Follow Keith Sharon on Twitter: @KeithSharonTN

Follow Keisha Rowe on Twitter: @KeishaRoweCL

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson, MS, water crisis: Aging systems lead to decades of headaches
FLINT - Residents and community members gathered Saturday afternoon to march down Saginaw Street in honor of the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylors death.

The Breonna Taylor Solidarity March began just after 5 p.m. Saturday, March 13, with a crowd assembled at the Black Lives Matter mural on Martin Luther King Avenue.

Gwen Hemphill, a Flint native, commenced the observance by devoting a song in memory of Breonna Taylor.

State Rep. Cynthia Neeley, D-Flint, offered some remarks on the significance of the day.

Breonna Taylor, what happened to her, that could have been us, Neeley told the crowd.

Taylor, 26, a Black emergency medical technician, was shot and killed by Louisville police on March 13, 2020.

We should never forget what happened to her, said Neeley. That face could have been our face and for that I am glad to be part of this in unity. Can we say unity?

Participants of the march responded by yelling back unity, in a single voice.

Poet Jovan Jo Brown offered up a poem titled, Ms. Taylor, that she wrote days prior to the event, reading it from memory.

Sister, Im sorry, so, I apologize, Brown said. I apologize for not saying your name every day. Your name lives through me.

For you Breonna Taylor, I will continue the good fight, I wont give up or lose sight because tomorrow night, could be my night, Brown said. Ill stand up for both of us while I still have my life. Im right here, live from Flint, imagine my surprise when I realized youre also from Michigan.

She ended her poem saying, rest in power to the queen, Breonna Taylor.

Ashley McIntosh, a poet, carried on the celebration of Taylors life by delivering her speech titled, For Breonna Taylor.

In her speech, McIntosh questioned the authenticity and trustworthiness of the justice system in the United States, stating, Who is Lady Justice married to? Equality or America?

Equality requires accountability. America has never been held accountable, McIntosh said.

Eeshya King, one of the organizers of the event, took time to speak on the protections of women.

Think about history? Whos behind the majority of social movements? King said. Women. Primarily black women. How is it that we can advocate for change for everyone but asking for the protection of ourselves is too much?

King demanded that on more things, more change be done on behalf of black women, refusing to remain complacent. King said that the death of Breonna Taylor was a wake up call.

I realize that in some eyes, we really do not matter, she said. Today, I am calling on not only black women but all people that commit actions in the name of justice. When you leave here today, continue to do the work. Do not let the movement die here.

Organizer Lashaya Darisaw spoke on Taylors death as a consequence of the war on drugs. Darisaw began her speech by getting the crowd involved by chanting, We have not forgot.

Breonna Taylors death did not end because she was a thug. Breonna Taylors life was not ended because she resisted arrest, Darisaw said. Id like to argue that Breonna Taylors death was because of a deeper, racist systematic problem - the war on drugs and poverty.

Taylor was a native of Grand Rapids.

She was from Michigan, she is family, Darisaw said. She was one of our own, she is one of our own.

After Darisaws speech, the organizers led the crowd in chants as they marched down Saginaw Street toward the Flint Police Department, keeping with social distancing

We have not forgot, voiced by a crowd of more than 50 people echoed through downtown Flint, with many bystanders taking notice and cars honking their horns in accordance.

Black Lives Matter and Breonna Taylor were among other chants vocalized by King and repeated by the crowd striding behind her.

A single police vehicle escort helped guide traffic as the demonstrators made their way to the police department.

Upon arriving at the department, King and Darisaw prompted everyone in the crowd to take part in a moment of silence to honor Taylors death.

The solidarity march ended with everyone laying roses down in front of the police department.

Read more on MLive:

Flint women set to march in celebration of Breonna Taylors life one year after she was killed by police

Grand Rapids march to mark anniversary of Breonna Taylors death

Dont forget Breonna Taylor, family urges community at Grand Rapids march
Days ahead of the elections, a rift seems to have emerged inside over seat allocation to candidates for the assembly polls.

A protest over the allocation of tickets for the polls, led by the Lok Sabha MP Vishnu Prasad, was called off after an assurance by the party's state chief KS Alagiri on the issue.

Tamil Nadu president Alagiri stated: "We are discussing with all the cadres and their views are being taken. We will inform the party's high command in Delhi about the developments. The final decision on the issue will be taken by them. It's our responsibility to take all our party members' views and inform the high command."

On March 7, Congress and DMK signed a pact wherein Congress decided for contesting 25 constituencies for the upcoming Assembly polls in the state. DMK will contest for 173 seats.

However, Congress Lok Sabha MP Vishnu Prasad on Saturday expressed displeasure over seat allocation of candidates by the party for the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.

"A candidate who joined DMK last month has been recalled by Congress and given ticket to represent the party from Sholinghur constituency who lost many times from the same constituency. The party should not give tickets to those who have re-joined the party. Hence, to express our dissatisfaction, we had carried out this protest. Now, after being given assurances from our party, we announced our withdrawal from the protests," Prasad told ANI.

"As of now, we have no specific choice of candidate for that constituency. We all have expressed our view to the Congress party. We, as a party, will stay united now. I hope that our alliance sweeps the polls. We just wanted the message to reach the high command of the Congress party. The high commands of the party took cognizance and will now act accordingly," the Congress leader said.

Prasad told reporters: "We announce withdrawal from this protest. We were carrying out these protests to make our point of view to be heard. The Congress party has assured us to look into the matter. Under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, we will surely win the election. We have decided to conclude the protest and participate in the election process with all togetherness."

Congress' Karur Member of Parliament (MP) Jothimani on Saturday took to social media (Twitter) to support the cadres alleging that the party was selecting the wrong candidates. The Congress leader slammed the party and said that the party was not ready to take their suggestions and added that even candidates who have winning chances were being ignored.

"I am aware of the agitated state of minds of cadres. There is no transparency in the selection of candidates. There are many mistakes, about which I had raised questions. There is no response yet. Congress is made of cadres blood and hard work. To destroy that, no one has moral rights," she said.

She said: 'It is unacceptable that those who have worked for the party for many years, those who have remained true loyalists and those who have winning chances are being ignored. It is atrocious that only those with money power could get seats."

Voting for the 234-member will take place on April 6. The results will be announced on May 2. In the 2016 Assembly elections, the AIADMK won 134 seats, DMK bagged 89 seats and Congress won 8 seats.

(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.)
Speaker upon speaker stood on stages across the nation during more than 40 Womens March 4 Justice rallies and described the atrocities they had been subjected to as women. Heres a snapshot of what they said:

Canberra

Brittany Higgins, former political staffer and the victim of an alleged rape: I watched as the Prime Minister of Australia publicly apologised to me through the media, while privately the media team actively undermined and discredited my loved ones. I tuned into Question Time to see my former bosses  people that I had dedicated my life to  downplay my lived experience.

If they arent committed to addressing these issues in their own offices, what confidence can the women of Australia have that they will be proactive in addressing this issue in the broader community?

This isnt a political problem. This is a human problem. Weve all learned over the past few weeks just how common gendered violence is in this country. Its time our leaders on both sides of politics stop avoiding the public and side-stepping accountability. Its time we actually address the problem.

Michele ONeil, ACTU president: We are here today for girls under covers listening to approaching footsteps. For every woman in a bar, street, in an office who feels that look, who feels that threat. We say to men in this place who are drunk on power, Dont think you will get away with it. ... Change is coming, its coming like a tsunami.

Saxon Mullins, co-director of advocacy at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy: One in five women have experienced sexual violence. Men, where do you think these perpetrators are hiding? They are your friends. They are your co-workers. They are your football mates, and they are your friends from school.

Korra Koperu says she is scared to walk anywhere alone. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Melbourne

Julia Banks, former Liberal MP: This is one of the most defining moments for Australian women because its driven by the most powerful force that makes up 51 per cent of our population: women.

Huong Truong, former Victorian Greens MP: Vote em out. Replace them and do not flinch. Double down. Stand witness. Lets give them hell.

Wil Stracke, assistant secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council: We are angry. And we are hurting. Its not just that we are not safe. Its not just that we are not respected. We are still not equal ... we still dont have equal pay. We are right to be angry.

Korra Koperu, 19, trans activist: I am not just scared to walk home at night. I am scared to walk anywhere.

Grace Tame at the Womens March 4 Justice rally in Hobart. Credit:Twitter

Hobart

Grace Tame, Australian of the Year: Ten years next month, actually, that I made a choice to stand up against a man who repeatedly raped me and used to boast to me about other girls that he had raped before he raped me. Im not going to name him  he doesnt deserve any air time. But I was afraid of doing something until a different kind of fear usurped that fear, and that was the fear of doing nothing. The fear of doing nothing should outweigh your fear of doing something.

You know, as is often the case when an issue that has been shrouded in darkness for such a long time is suddenly thrust into the light, theres widespread shock and disbelief over how something so evil could happen, and not just happen, but happen so ubiquitously. And the answer is plain and simple  silence. Evil thrives in silence. Behaviour unspoken, behaviour ignored, is behaviour endorsed.

Sydney

Dhanya Mani, former NSW Liberal staffer: Im so angry as well standing in front of this building because it isnt just about Scott Morrison, it isnt just about men, it is about every person in a parliamentary building who stood by and did nothing.

Matt Kean, NSW Environment Minister: This is not a Liberal issue or a Labor issue  its all of our issues. And this is about saying no to violence against women and saying yes to equality across our community, and thats something that we should all be a part of.

Debbie Fletcher addresses the crowd at King George Square. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia

Brisbane

Debbie Fletcher, Kalkadoon woman and social justice advocate: Im a grandmother, I am a mother, I am a sister and an auntie and a daughter ... Ive been a fighter all my life, I make no apologies for that. I will continue to raise my voice while women in Australia continue to be abused, raped and murdered.

Read more here.
(Newser)  After four years of US diplomatic efforts with North Korea going nowhere, the new administration has tried to establish a dialogue with the government of Kim Jong Un. Several attempts were made last month, USA Today reports, including one through North Korea's UN mission in New York. A Biden administration official said the intention was "to reduce the risks of escalation," adding, "To date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang." Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be in South Korea and Japan this week, and officials said North Korea's nuclear capabilities will be among the topics discussed by the allies, per Reuters. The Biden administration is conducting a review of US policy and interactions with North Korea, which the official said will be finished in a few weeks.

story continues below

Officials who served under former President Trump have been consulted for the review, as have South Korea and Japan, per CNN. There seems to have been no contact between the nations in more than a year, the administration official said. Allied nations and members of Congress are waiting to hear President Biden's plans. During the campaign, he called the three Trump-Kim meetings "photo-ops" that brought no results. In the meantime, North Korea kept adding to its nuclear and conventional weapons. The candidate said he'd meet with Kim only "on the condition that he would agree that he would be drawing down his nuclear capacity." Ahead of Blinken's trip, a State Department official said, "Our commitment to seeking a compete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ... has not changed." (Read more North Korea stories.)
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The Maharashtra government is imposing a lockdown in the Nagpur district from March 15 to 21, due to a spike in Covid-19 cases in the state.

Only essential services - such as vegetable and fruit shops and milk booths - will stay open, reads the order issued by the Nagpur district administration.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, to tackle the rising coronavirus infections in the state, ordered hotels and restaurants to adhere to Covid-19 protocols and not force the state to enforce drastic measures.

Thackeray said, "Do not force us to impose a strict lockdown. Consider this as the last warning. Follow all the rules. Everyone has to realise there is a difference between self-discipline and restrictions."

Maharashtra recorded new 15,602 COVID-19 cases and 88 deaths on Saturday, taking the tally to 22,97,793 and the death toll to 52,811.

Apart from Maharashtra, Punjab has imposed a night curfew in Patiala, Ludhiana, Mohali and Fatehgarh Sahib.

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that a night curfew might be imposed in Bhopal and Indore soon due to a rise in cases.

Chouhan said, "Look at the rise in infection cases. Tough measures will be taken to flatten the curve. Night curfew might be clamped in Bhopal and Indore from Sunday or Monday."

In addition to this, Uttarakhand's Dehradun District Magistrate (DM) has also ordered a complete lockdown in parts of Mussoorie. Dehradun DM in an official notification stated that all shops and offices will remain shut in the areas. The sale of essential items will be arranged by the district administration, it added.

The order further said that people in these areas need to stay indoors during the lockdown and that only one person from a family would be allowed to step out for purchasing essential items from the government mobile shop.

This comes as according to the latest health bulletin, the Covid-19 tally in the state has gone up to 97,700 while the toll has reached 1,700.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Christian Porter's ex-wife joined thousands of women to march against gender discrimination and violence in Perth.

Lucy Gunn, the Attorney General's first wife, was among the crowd of protesters who took to Forrest Place on Sunday.

The Perth event comes as thousands more women prepare to march across 40 metropolitan areas in Australia from midday on Monday to demand an end to gendered violence, inequality, and misogyny in the workplace.

The rallies are in the wake of rape allegations levelled at Mr Porter, which he vehemently denies, and a former Liberal staffer.

Pictured: Western Australians rallying for women's right in Perth on Sunday. Demonstrations will be held across the nation on Monday

The Attorney General and his alleged victim were teenagers when the alleged rape occurred in Sydney in 1988.

Mr Porter, who is taking leave from his role as a federal cabinet minister, has firmly denied the allegations.

The woman withdrew her complaint the day before she took her own life last year.

Mr Porter split with his second wife, Jennifer, at the beginning of last year.

Organisers of the Women's March4Justice rejected an offer from Prime Minister Scott Morrison to meet behind closed doors, instead urging him to come out and listen.

Founder Janine Hendry said with more than 100,000 women expected to march in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane a meeting with just three women was not enough.

The rallies are in the wake of rape allegations levelled at Christian Porter, which he vehemently denies, and a former Liberal staffer

'We have already come to the front door, now it's up to the government to cross the threshold and come to us,' she said.

'We will not be meeting behind closed doors.'

Ms Hendry came face-to-face with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack inside Parliament House on Monday.

'You have been looking at this for years,' she told Mr McCormack.

'The women of Australia want some action. We are drawing a line in the sand right here, right now.'

The rallies are being held across Australia to protest the unacceptable treatment of women in the workplace and the community and the right of women to feel safe.

'Wherever I go, I'm stopped by women, by girls, by men as well, saying that they've just had enough,' Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek said.

Pictured: Women marching in Perth while holding signs on Sunday at the historic March 4 Justice rally

She was one of many opposition politicians to front the media calling for change in their own party and within the parliament.

'I'm very concerned, too, that despite all of the efforts that have been made by so many people over so many years change is too slow,' Ms Plibersek said.

Finance Minister Senator Simon Birmingham said he expected members of the government would attend the rally but said 'proper discussions' would be best.

'I would encourage the rally organisers to reconsider their refusal to meet with the prime minister,' he told ABC radio.

The march comes as the Morrison government is under a cloud over the alleged rape of a former Liberal staffer by a colleague and rape allegations dating back to 1988 levelled at Mr Porter, which he strongly denies.
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 73F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Overcast with showers at times. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Prof. Malavige on second jab, concerns over AstraZeneca and more By Kumudini Hettiarachchi, Ruqyyaha Deane & Meleeza Rathnayake View(s): View(s):

The Sunday Times asked the Head of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Prof. Neelika Malavige for her expert opinion on some questions our readers had.

Has the South African variant been detected in Sri Lanka?

Yes, the South African variant has been detected in Sri Lanka in a person who was in a quarantine centre on return from Tanzania. However, the problematic mutation in this variant has also been found in the Sri Lankan lineage of the new coronavirus, in the Mahiyanganaya cluster.

Will such variants have an impact on the protection that people will get from the vaccine?

We have got the serum samples of these patients and we will be able to provide an answer to this vital concern within the next two weeks.

Can a person who has been vaccinated with one type of vaccine, get the second dose from a different type of vaccine?

The manufacturers say, No, you cannot. Both doses should be from the same type of vaccine. In the United Kingdom (UK), researchers are conducting a clinical trial on this  whether different vaccine doses can be used  and we should get the results in about two months.

Some countries though which have difficulties in securing large stocks of one type of vaccine are considering whether they can mix and match different types of vaccines with regard to the two doses.

What happens if a person who gets the first dose, does not take the second dose?

There will be some immunity, but that will not be as good as when a person gets both doses. Usually, after the first dose, the immune response should begin to kick in about three weeks (about 21 days) later.

As soon as a person gets the vaccine, there is no instantaneous immune response. This is not only for COVID-19 vaccines but for all vaccines.

Studies have found that one dose of AstraZeneca vaccine gives a person 76% protection against symptomatic infection, while research in Scotland shows that one dose has had a significant reduction in the number of people being hospitalized, having severe disease or dying.

Meanwhile, when an adequate number of people get immunized against a disease, there is a reduction in the transmission of that disease within that community. But there is a debate about what is adequate. Is it 70%, 80% or 100% of the people? It certainly wont be 10% of the people as that will be inadequate to stop transmission.

No vaccine has laid claim that they can prevent asymptomatic infection, so even after a person gets the two doses of the vaccine, an RT-PCR test can become positive though the chances are very, very less, if fully vaccinated.

Even if a person who is fully vaccinated gets infected, the viral load is less. The quantity of virus in that persons respiratory secretions is less, so transmission is less.

However, it is also important to follow the health guidelines  hand hygiene, face-mask wearing, social-distancing, cough and sneeze etiquette, etc.  strictly.

What if you have already got COVID, do you still take the vaccine?

The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines as of now are that such a person should take the vaccine but may wait for about six months before doing so as it is rare for a re-infection with COVID-19 occurring in the first six months following an infection.

Data, meanwhile, are emerging that such a person may need only one dose to gain adequate immunity.

What happens if we dont get the second dose, do we have to start all over again?

A person should try as much as possible to get the second dose at the stipulated time, but even if there is a slight delay (about 2 months), that person need not start the full two-dose vaccination again. Such a slight delay in getting the booster does not create a major issue, but it would be good to take it on time.

Why has the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine in some European countries been halted?

Denmark has halted the vaccination since Thursday (March 11) after reports of one person dying of blood clots with several others facing the same issue after getting the vaccine.

Norway and Iceland followed Denmark as they too were using the same batch of vaccines, while Italy and Romania did so over safety concerns though they were using different batches.

When something like that happens, the vaccine rollout is halted for investigations to check whether such incidents are linked to the vaccine. The moment an adverse event is reported, vaccination is halted, the issue looked into and the rollout resumed, if such an incident is not linked to the vaccine.

In Brazil, in October 2020, a participant in a clinical trial for AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine died, raising some concerns but it was found that he had not got the vaccine but a placebo (a substance which has no physical effects unlike the vaccine). Thus the trial was not suspended.

How is the virus transmitted?

The main modes of transmission are droplets and being air-borne. Some studies in Hong Kong have shown that 69% of infected people did not transmit the virus to even one other individual. However, 20% infected 80%, especially at super-spreader events such as weddings, funerals and large gatherings particularly in closed spaces with a lot of people.
The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recommended that the administration of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine be temporarily suspended from this morning.

In a statement, Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO), said the recommendation was being made following a report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four new cases of serious blood clotting events in adults after receiving the Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine.

Dr Glynn said the NIAC is acting on a "precautionary principle" as it has not yet been confirmed that there is any link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and these cases.

A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said a careful review is ongoing and it is committed to sharing information "without delay".

The spokesperson said an analysis of its safety data that covers reported cases from more than 17m doses of vaccine administered has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia with Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.

In fact, the reported numbers of these types of events for Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca are not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population, the spokesperson said.

As of last Wednesday, over 109,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered in Ireland, representing almost 20% of all doses given here to date.

Chair of NIAC, Professor Karina Butler said: This is a precautionary move. We will continue to monitor the situation and if we can be satisfied that these events are coincidental and not caused by this vaccine we will reassess the situation."

This vaccine is proven to be very effective against severe Covid-19 disease, which is associated with a risk of clotting events. We have taken this step out of an abundance of caution," she said.

Prof Butler said the cluster of four serious, very rare, very serious clotting events" are "not the kind of the usual clots in the legs but actual clots involving the brain or vessels that would normally be involved and in younger people, she told the Brendan OConnor show on RTE radio.

So, looking overall it was a number of these very small but very rare serious events in people that you might not otherwise expect it that raised a signal, a safety signal.

Prof Butler said that hopefully next week she would be in a position to inform people that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe to use going forward, but at the moment they had "serious concerns" that they needed reassurance on.

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland has advised that: "In the rare event that someone who has received the Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca feels increasingly unwell more than three days after vaccination, and/or who notices larger or smaller blue spots in the skin (purpuric, non-blanching rash, skin haemorrhages) they should consult their doctor or out-of-hours medical service.

It noted that these rare events that have been reported have usually occurred within 14 days of the AstraZeneca vaccine being administered.

Norway

Norway had halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, following a similar move by Denmark over concerns. Iceland later followed suit.

Norwegian health authorities said on Saturday that three health workers who had recently received the AstraZeneca 19 vaccine were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets.

All three individuals were under the age of 50.

We do not know if the cases are linked to the vaccine, Sigurd Hortemo, a senior doctor at the Norwegian Medicines Agency told a news conference held jointly with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

The European medicine regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA,) would investigate the three incidents, Hortemo said.

Before Denmark and Norway halted their rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Austria stopped using a batch of the shots while investigating a death from coagulation disorders and an illness from a pulmonary embolism.

The World Health Organization has also said that no causal link had been established between the vaccine and blood clotting.

The EMA said on Thursday the vaccines benefits outweighed its risks and that it could continue to be administered.

- Additional reporting from Reuters
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A motorist was pistol-whipped after a robber took his clothing and his vehicle during a carjacking on North Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans Saturday night, according to authorities.

The robbery occurred just after 11:30 p.m. in the 2200 block of North Claiborne Avenue (map). The victim, a 64-year-old man, was getting out of his car, a silver 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, when a man armed with a gun walked up, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

The robber pointed the gun at the man's head and grabbed the victim's keys. He also took the man's clothing, according to NOPD, though the department did not specify whether the robber stole all of the man's clothes.

The robber then pistol-whipped the victim before driving off in the vehicle. The SUV has a Louisiana license plate with the number 942ALN.

Anyone with information about the carjacking, including the whereabouts of the stolen vehicle, is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn a reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to an indictment.
UN Special Envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener

New York [US], March 15 (ANI): United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Christine Schraner Burgener on Sunday strongly condemned the bloodshed in Myanmar, amid increasing violence following the military's crackdown on peaceful protests and its continued refusal to follow international calls for restraint, dialogue and full respect for human rights after the coup.

According to a statement, the Special Envoy for Myanmar has personally heard from contacts in Myanmar heartbreaking accounts of killings, mistreatment of demonstrators and torture of prisoners over the weekend.

"The ongoing brutality, including against medical personnel and destruction of public infrastructure, severely undermines any prospects for peace and stability. The international community, including regional actors, must come together in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and their democratic aspirations," read the statement.

Burgener is also in close contact with regional leaders and Security Council members on their continued support towards her efforts to calm the situation in Myanmar.

Large numbers of protesters have taken to the streets of Myanmar since the military seized power in the February 1 coup, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, despite the increasingly deadly posture taken by security forces to quiet the wave of protests.

Since February, more than 70 people have so far been killed by Myanmar security forces, a UN expert on human rights in the Southeast Asian country said recently, adding arrests and detentions have risen beyond 2,000, with violence against protesters, including violence against people sitting peacefully in their homes, steadily increasing. (ANI)
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While Gov. Phil Murphy has pledged to be transparent throughout the coronavirus pandemic, his administration has denied or slowly responded to requests for records related to New Jersey spending, communications and decision-making.

Sunshine Week, an annual focus on press freedoms and the fight for government transparency, comes a year after the state marked its first positive case, and soon after that, the first death from the virus.

The pandemic has sparked an explosion of public data, yielding a sprawling COVID-19 website, updated daily with data and other information  including the numerous executive orders over the past year  created by Murphys office and the states health department.

Broad requests for COVID-19-related spending have also been answered, but the administration has blocked information from the public.

Its unclear how much more is being withheld than usual, given the dozens of dozens of pandemic-related executive orders and purchase orders, among other official actions, that have created public records. Its not unusual for governors to cite one of the handful of exceptions when denying records, but the states Government Records Council, which oversees the public records law, also says certain documents like payment vouchers should be released without delay.

That hasnt happened with some COVID-19-related records requests.

Murphy last week said it might take time to release some records, but recommitted his administration to transparency.

We are doing, I promise you, our level best to be transparent in every single way, he said. I would also remind folks that were still at war and were building the plane as we fly it, so I would just say to you, thats our commitment.

Associated Press requests last year for written and electronic communications among officials about the coronavirus were denied as overbroad, a kind of catch-all under the states Open Public Records Act that permits officials to shield certain information.

The administration also cited emails among the governors staff as privileged under the law because they were inter-agency and consultative or deliberative, additional carve-outs that prevent the release of documents under the law.

The administration also denied public records requests seeking payment vouchers for personal protective equipment it bought, saying it would be disruptive. Asked about it late last year, Murphy said he wasnt sure why the information was withheld and soon afterward, the state divulged a list of expenditures showing about $220 million in expenses.

Still, the list didnt include addresses for vendors and purchase dates.

In response to other requests, the governor also cited the 2005 Emergency Health Powers Act, which dates to Hurricane Katrina, that says reports and other records made during an emergency are not considered public.

The state has been under an emergency order for a year now.

The Associated Press had sought reports required under a March 2020 executive order calling for hospitals and nursing homes to disclose their capacity and supplies during the outbreak. The AP also sought records on any commandeered medical supplies authorized under another executive order. Both were denied under the Katrina-era law.

Other news organizations report they have been denied on the same grounds, including The USA Today Network, which operates newspapers across the state. The state denied the network records showing how the state worked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as on how it managed protective gear.

NJ Advance Media, which publishes the (Newark) Star-Ledger, sought agreements the state made with laboratories and consultants related to the coronavirus, among other records, and says it has received no response.

That wasnt lawmakers intent when the bill passed, said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who was a co-sponsor of the law.

If were making decisions about peoples public health, the public has a right to know how and why those decisions are being made, said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg in an interview. You can really make the case in times of an emergency its more important.

The American Society of News Editors launched the first national Sunshine Week in 2005 to coincide with the March 16 birthday of James Madison, father of the Constitution and a key advocate of the Bill of Rights.
A quarter-century ago, a Democratic president declared that the era of big government was over. Last week, another Democratic president  one who has been in Washington long enough to have applauded that line from Bill Clintons 1996 State of the Union address  signed a $1.9 trillion package of pandemic relief and individual, family and government assistance, affirming that the era of big government being over is itself over. That this first legislative mission statement of the Biden presidency coincided with the anniversary of the coronavirus-driven economic shutdowns was not just a coincidence.

Former President Donald Trump did less than Clinton and most other presidents to actually shrink the federal government, having dramatically increased the national debt even before the pandemic. But he did conduct the most thorough and conclusive test of the lunatic proposition that the federal government is not particularly necessary. And he did so just when we needed it most: in the teeth of a deadly, once-in-a-century pandemic.

A year later, thanks to the horrific human and material cost of that abdication, Biden and his fellow Democrats have a mandate to provide robust federal leadership that, at least beyond the Beltway, transcends partisanship: Polls show as much as three-quarters of the public supports their extraordinarily anti-poverty and pro-government legislation, including between 40% and 60% of Republicans; no wonder the president hastened to sign the bill as soon as it arrived at the White House, a day earlier than expected. The pandemic era isnt over yet, but it has already ended the era of pretending that the era of big government is over.

For all the disingenuous assertions that achieving natural herd immunity was ever a viable answer to the pandemic, the virus arrival in California and across the country presented a stark choice in March 2020: Shut down much of the economy or accept an incalculable toll. A year ago this week, the Bay Areas often fractious officials united across the region to lead California and much of the country in making the difficult but correct choice. San Francisco, which has been the most conservative in reopening, has since suffered less than a third of the average deaths per capita nationwide.

But getting beyond the blunt and ultimately destructive instrument of broadly ceasing economic and other activities to save lives would require government intervention on a massive scale. Businesses and workers needed assistance at levels beyond the capacity of the states to provide; indeed, state and local governments themselves required shoring up. Protective equipment, diagnostic tests and ultimately vaccines had to be developed, produced and distributed nationwide. California and other states struggled to fill the void left by the Trump administration and succumbed to the temptation to reopen too quickly, leading to more disease and death. Even now, with the latest and worst deadly surge ebbing and vaccinations increasing, Gov. Gavin Newsom is authorizing another rush toward normality that could set off a fourth wave of infections.

Americans have lost lives, livelihoods and much of a year of living to the pandemic. We played parent, teacher and employee simultaneously or went to essential jobs at the risk of our health and that of our families. We endured fear and isolation; we wore our masks and washed our hands. Too much of this effort, hardship and sacrifice was squandered.

A year later, the Bay Area has suffered significantly fewer deaths per capita than most of California, which in turn has fared slightly better than the national average, but that is in the context of one of the worlds most devastated countries. The United States has lost more lives to the pandemic than any other country, about a fifth of worldwide deaths sustained by less than a twentieth of the global population, ranking it among the 10 worst national tolls per capita. Weve suffered nearly twice the proportionate losses of Germany, four times those of Denmark and 40 times Australias.

For that we can blame an administration that abdicated most of its responsibility to respond to the pandemic, a Congress that was paralyzed for much of it, and the states and localities that failed, struggled or only incrementally managed to fill the void. After a year of national devastation, the era of nongovernment is over.

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.
Hospitalizations for those who tested positive for the coronavirus in Louisiana continue to decline since the state reported its lowest number of hospitalizations in nearly a year on Friday.

In its Sunday update, the Louisiana Department of Health reported 457 hospitalized patients who tested positive for coronavirus.

Louisiana tells coronavirus vaccine providers they must use doses in 7 days or lose future doses Louisiana is telling its coronavirus vaccine providers that they must get shots in arms within a week of receiving the doses or risk getting b

Sunday's hospitalization number is now the lowest since March 24, 2020, when 271 were reported. That was the very first day that the Department of Health reported that data.

In the days following March 24, hospitalizations quickly ballooned in Louisiana. Reported hospitalizations grew from 271 to 1,156 in the span of a week.

Louisiana reported a peak of 2,069 hospitalizations on January 8, 2021. Hospitalizations have steadily declined since then.

The state also reported 702 more confirmed coronavirus cases and 12 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Sunday.

With Black vaccination rates lagging, Louisiana churches become inoculation hubs Nearly a year after the first COVID-19 case was discovered in Louisiana, signs of pandemic were still omnipresent at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Chu

The number of hospitalizations decreased by 21, and the number of patients in need of ventilators increased by five.

There are now a total of 375,123 confirmed coronavirus cases and 62,270 total "probable" coronavirus cases in Louisiana, according to the agency's dashboard.

These are another few key statewide statistics as of Sunday:

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Total confirmed cases: 375,123

Total "probable" cases: 62,270

Total confirmed deaths: 9,134

Currently hospitalized: 457

Currently on ventilators: 68

Vaccine series initiated: 819,170 (updated twice weekly)

Vaccine series completed: 470,147

Presumed recovered: 420,459 as of March 8 (updated weekly)

Note: The Advocate and The Times-Picayune staff calculates daily case count and confirmed death increases based on the difference between today's total and yesterday's total of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. The Louisiana Department of Health releases a daily case count on its dashboard that includes probable cases as indicated by a positive antigen test. That case count can be different than the one listed here.

Here are some of the parishes with the highest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, based on the Sunday report:

East Baton Rouge: 91

Lafayette: 56

Jefferson: 52

Calcasieu: 47

Livingston: 40

Caddo: 40

Orleans: 37

Can't see chart below? Click here.

Can't see chart below? Click here.

Louisiana began reopening for Phase 1 on May 15-16 then moved to Phase 2 on June 5. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards extended Louisiana's Phase 2 restrictions twice in August before moving the state to Phase 3 on Sept. 11. The governor then moved the state back to a modified Phase 2 near the end of November before putting Louisiana back in a modified Phase 3 on March 2, 2021.

Emma Discher contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. More details and analysis to come.
The New York Times

Whoever wins the race to become the next Manhattan district attorney will take over one of the most contentious, highest-profile criminal investigations in the offices history: the inquiry into former President Donald Trump and his business. Two of the leading candidates in the Democratic primary field, Alvin Bragg and Tali Farhadian Weinstein, have had past contacts with Trumps administration  dealings that could become an issue if one of them becomes district attorney. Sign up for The Morni
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A Meal With Mister Koh Lanta

Based in Bangkok and still with one foot in the high (blood)-pressured world of advertising, I started pursuing my retirement dream of becoming a travel writer in 2004 by freelancing for John Everinghams iconic Art Asia Press and The Greater Phuket Magazine. December of that year saw me on an assignment to a magical realm called Koh Lanta, where John said I should get in touch with a fellow named Duane Lennie who he described as Mister Koh Lanta and who was reputed to know everything there was to know about this fabled isle.

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By Baz Daniel

Sunday 14 March 2021, 11:30AM

Duane Lennie, 1964 - 2020.

Getting to Koh Lanta in 2004 represented something of a challenge in itself as one had to drive on and then off two ancient, decrepit, car ferries to cross two pieces of water separating the mainland Isthmus of Kra from firstly Koh Lanta Noi, and then onward to Saladan Town on Koh Lanta Yai.

Now, 17 years later, we are down to just one decrepit car ferry to get there, and that folks seems to be progress Koh Lanta-style for you! Maybe its this eccentric indifference to the outside world which fosters much of the charm of this other-worldly island, beloved to the hippy back-packer party crowd, as much as to the sophisticated well-heeled international jet-set hidden away in their luxurious hillside villas, or billeted at stellar five-star resorts such as Pimalai on stunning Kantiang Bay in the south-west corner of the island.

My first visit in 2004 saw me settling into a little beach-side cottage overlooking Long Beach to the south of Saladan Town on the northwest coast. Once settled, I duly called Mister Koh Lanta and he agreed to drop over that evening for a sun-downer drink at my resort. A deep West Canadian vocal burr with honeyed edges announced the arrival of the warm-hearted fellow who turned out to be Duane Patrick Lennie a big teddy bear of a man with a twinkle in both eyes. We hit it off immediately and settled down with some cold ones for a long, beachside chat about the island, as a stunning Andaman sunset engulfed us.

Duanes story was notable because he had chosen in 2001 to forsake a successful career in one of the worlds most desirable and liveable cities, Vancouver, to travel out to this far-flung corner of Thailand in search of adventure and serendipity. Prior to relocating, Duane was a founding partner in Curve Communications, one of Vancouvers top billing public relations companies, yet his pioneering adventurous spirit had brought him to this fabled isle to set up various tourism-related businesses and become Mister Koh Lanta.

Over the ensuing years, by then working as Editor of The Greater Phuket Magazine, I became immensely fond both of Koh Lanta and of Duane himself. I travelled there many times and stayed with Duane at his funky Mango House Boutique Resort nestled in a cluster of 100-year-old wooden Chinese Shophouses jutting out over the turbid waters of the bay in the heart of Lanta Old Town (known as Sri Raya in Thai).

Very few foreigners called this Muslim fishing town home, but one was Duanes great friend Julie Prescott, who helped him design and furnish aspects of Mango House Resort. With guesthouse rooms, over-the-sea villas and a 50-seat bar and bistro, Mango House Resort was as unusual and creative as Duane himself and became one of the regions unique places to stay, winning accolades and write-ups in prestige publications from Conde Nast Traveller to The Sun newspaper in the UK.

Over the years I wrote many laudatory stories about Koh Lanta for this ongoing Blazing Saddles column, after pedalling along the beguiling beaches, or up into the silent hills of the central spine of this magical island. After each days adventures Id look forward to a sunset return to my romantic base at Mango House and drawn-out suppers with Duane holding court at some ramshackle water-side restaurant long into the tropical night.

As our friendship developed, I had the pleasure of working with Duane as a writer and consultant on several marketing and communications projects which his consultancy handled around the Andaman region. This was not without its challenges, as anyone who has toiled in the shark-infested depths of the property and tourism business around the Andaman will know. However, we managed to keep on laughing and enjoying our shared sense of humour in spite of the many rogues and villains we encountered!

Duane was a major force in the Laanta Lanta Annual Festival, one of the most charming events youll find around this region and a rich celebration of the peaceful cultural diversity of Koh Lantas residents. Its a chance for the various ethnic groups to say thank you to each other, displaying the best of their own art and customs to each other and to visitors. Duane and his funky resort were at the centre of all this and many of us enjoyed the wonderful musical raves which Mango House hosted as a part of the Festival.

Tragically, Duane suffered a mild stroke in 2015 and subsequently decided to return to Vancouver in September 2017. His friend Roman Weber took over the running of Mango House and it remains to this day as beautiful and beguiling a place to stay as youll find in all the Andaman.

Like so many of his friends around the region, I was devastated to learn of Duanes passing in August last year aged just 56. It was a cruel blow and its supremely unfair that such a lovely, lively soul, who brought so much happiness to others, has been taken away from us.

Personally, I wanted to write this piece to thank Duane for all the laughter and joy we shared. Duane Lennie was certainly a one-off character, a true romantic adventurer, but to me he was and will always be... Mister Koh Lanta.

R.I.P. Duane Patrick Lennie, 1964 - 2020.
An Australian businesswoman who suffered six miscarriages has revealed she is now 19 weeks pregnant.

Keira Rumble, 30, who runs the health food business Krumbled Foods from the New South Wales Central Coast, lost the unborn children over a devastating three-year period.

During her last pregnancy, Keira was rushed in to hospital for life-saving surgery after a heterotopic pregnancy was discovered.

An Australian businesswoman who suffered six miscarriages has revealed she is now 19 weeks pregnant (Keira Rumble pictured pregnant)

Keira Rumble, 30, from Sydney, lost the unborn children over a devastating three-year period (pictured in hospital after her heterotopic pregnancy)

A heterotopic pregnancy is rare and involves a dual pregnancy with one pregnancy being ectopic - or in an abnormal place.

After the surgery, Keira was left with chronic pain that doctors dismissed as being adhesion pain from the operation.

But when it had not improved after 18 months and was accompanied by extreme swelling in her abdomen, Keira knew there was something more at play.

After the surgery, Keira was left with chronic pain that doctors again dismissed - this time as being adhesion pain from the operation, but she (pictured) knew something more was wrong

Bedridden and in huge pain, the 30-year-old returned to hospital, where she was eventually diagnosed with severe endometriosis.

'They found endo everywhere,' she said.

'Over my bowel, my uterus, my ovaries. It came as a huge shock, but I had known something was wrong with me even when I was turned away.'

She added: 'I felt a lot of shame, guilt and isolation for all of my losses, as all had an impact on my life, and some greater than others.

'But I had known I needed to trust my gut in order to find out what was wrong.'

What is endometriosis? * Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that forms the lining of your uterus grows outside of your uterine cavity. The lining of your uterus is called the endometrium. * Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue grows on your ovaries, bowel, and tissues lining your pelvis. It's unusual for endometrial tissue to spread beyond your pelvic region, but it's not impossible. Endometrial tissue growing outside of your uterus is known as an endometrial implant. * The hormonal changes of your menstrual cycle affect the misplaced endometrial tissue, causing the area to become inflamed and painful. This means the tissue will grow, thicken, and break down. Over time, the tissue that has broken down has nowhere to go and becomes trapped in your pelvis. * Endometriosis is a common gynecological condition, affecting up to 10 percent of women. * The symptoms of endometriosis vary. Some women experience mild symptoms, but others can have moderate to severe symptoms. Symptoms include painful periods, pain in the lower abdomen, cramps, infertility, pain following sexual intercourse and discomfort with bowel movements. * This condition can disrupt your life if it's left untreated. Endometriosis has no cure, but its symptoms can be managed. Source: Healthline Advertisement

Determined to have a child, last year Keira and her partner began IVF, as their last hope of conceiving - and Keira (pictured) was lucky enough to get pregnant in the first round

Determined to have a child, last year Keira and her partner began IVF, as their final hope of conceiving.

'I went into our first round of IVF not expecting much,' Keira recalled.

'I have close friends who have done between nine and 10 rounds, so I was very much preparing myself for the first round to be a bit of a discovery round, to see how well my body responded to the medication.'

Before beginning the IVF, Keira said she was given a diagnosis of a blood clotting condition called Factor V Leiden, which gave the couple some certainty as to why they had been losing babies beforehand.

But it took Keira 'off guard' when she found out she was pregnant after the first round of IVF, and the businesswoman is now 19 weeks pregnant.

The Krumbled Foods CEO (pictured) decided to announce she was pregnant this time at nine weeks, because Keira said she was sick of feeling so 'isolated' while expecting

The Krumbled Foods CEO decided to announce she was pregnant this time at nine weeks, because Keira said she was sick of feeling so 'isolated' while expecting.

'For me, pregnancies should be celebrated no matter how far along they are,' she said.

'We're told to announce at 12 weeks, but if you unfortunately suffer a loss, it's better people know because you have them mourning with you, rather than feeling isolated and alone.

'I wanted to announce my pregnancy because it was my seventh pregnancy and I felt no matter what the outcome was, I needed to celebrate this little miracle.'

Keira has since been sharing regular updates about her first and second trimesters on her Instagram page, covering both the good and bad sides of being pregnant.

Keira (pictured) has since been sharing regular updates about her first and second trimesters on her Instagram page , covering both the good and bad sides of being pregnant

After her miscarriages and endometriosis diagnoses, Keira said she is urging all women to 'follow and trust your gut' if you think there is something wrong with your body.

'The biggest moment of trusting my gut for me was in January 2019, when I had the heterotopic pregnancy,' she said.

'I was misdiagnosed for four weeks, which led to internal bleeding, my tube rupturing and me needing emergency surgery.'

Keira said before the surgery, she had been to hospital several times saying something was wrong, but she was repeatedly turned away and dismissed.

'I was finally heard, but by that point it was too late and I needed emergency surgery,' she said.

Now, if something doesn't feel right - whether it's in her business or personally - Keira said she is 'quick to do something about it.

'I always tell women to trust their gut, as if I hadn't, I still might not know what was wrong,' she said.

To find out more about Keira Rumble and to follow her online, please visit her Instagram account here.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy on Sunday said that West Bengal Chief Minister has further dented her image as people even from her own party Trinamool Congress (TMC) know that the alleged attack on her is a drama.

Asked on the Election Commission's comment on lack of evidence of an attack on Banerjee, he said,

"It's not only the Observers of the Election Commission but even common people think the same. People from every party, people from her own party, West Bengal police, all of them think that it is a drama. With this, has stooped too low before people,'' Reddy added.

Banerjee, who was on a two-day visit to Nandigram from where she filed her nomination on Wednesday, alleged that she was pushed by a few unidentified people during election campaigning.

She had sustained "severe bone injuries" on her left foot and ankle as well as bruises and injuries on her shoulder, forearm and neck, according to the report of her initial medical examination.

The Chief Minister was discharged from the hospital on March 12.

West Bengal will witness eight-phased Assembly polls beginning March 27.

The tenure of the 16th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal will end on May 30 this year. A total of 7,34,07,832 voters will choose their representative for the 17th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal. The counting will take place on May 2.

(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| 2021-03-14 22:23:54|Editor: huaxia

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by Ndalimpinga Iita

WINDHOEK, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The anticipated arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines facilitated by government efforts and donation by China has drawn a positive response in Namibia.

Tingling with enthusiasm, many locals are keenly waiting to be inoculated against COVID-19 with the vaccines.

The country's first batch of COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive mid-March, said Ben Nangombe, executive director in the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

Prosper Shigwedha, employed at a local corporate company in the national capital Windhoek, is excited about the inoculation.

Shigwedha, who has witnessed his loved ones succumb to COVID-19, said that he is hopeful that the COVID-19 vaccine would make a huge difference.

"Vaccines are known for aiding the fight against many diseases, and COVID-19 vaccines are no exception. I am glad to hear that the vaccine will arrive soon. It will make a big difference," said the 29-year-old man on Saturday.

He is not the only one. Based in northern Namibia, Ester David is hopeful that the vaccination against COVID-19 would complement existing government regulations and the global community in getting back to normal.

"COVID-19 disrupted many things, including business operations. My wish is that the vaccines complemented by existing regulations could make our lives improve and new opportunities evolve. I hope I will be one of the lucky ones to be vaccinated," she said.

Namibia targets to vaccinate 60 to 80 percent of the country's population.

Besides, the locals also read extensively about the various vaccines to enhance understanding and keep abreast with evolving developments globally.

"At first, like many people here, I thought there were hidden motives for the vaccines given amid fake news and misinformation. But after reading and researching, I would not mind being vaccinated. I thus think that the government should undertake more education," said Andre Namaseb from Windhoek.

Meanwhile, to demystify misconceptions around the COVID-19 vaccines, the health ministry has developed a communication strategy to address health information gaps on the COVID-19 vaccines, said Petronella Masabane, head of the national vaccine taskforce in the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

Awareness interventions include public dialogue, development and dissemination of information material on vaccines.

"There is much misinformation about the vaccines. The campaign aims to provide factual information and provide reassurance to the public," she said.

The ministry has also trained regional and district front line workers, local leaders, and health managers to provide factual information about the vaccines at the grassroots level.

Moreover, the government established a national clinical and scientific evaluation committee to ensure the vaccines' safety profile and efficacy.

"Government at all times aims to protect its population as traditionally done through the extended program on immunisation in Namibia," according to Nangombe.

In the interim, the health ministry has put in place a distribution system for dispatching the vaccines countrywide to ensure broad inoculation.

So far, Namibia spent 441 million Namibian dollars (29 million U.S. dollars) under the deployment and vaccination in deploying and acquiring the COVID-19 vaccines. Enditem
THIRTY thousand people will have their AstraZeneca vaccination appointments cancelled this week as a result of the clinical pause on its roll-out.

The State will not seek to use other vaccines, such as those by Pfizer and Moderna, to meet the shortfall and to avoid disappointing those who had been due the AstraZeneca jab.

Such a move would disrupt other efforts to vaccinate other cohorts and could sow confusion, the Government has concluded. It is not being considered at the moment.

Meanwhile 117,000 people have had their first AstraZeneca injection and may now have a concern over their second, following reports of unusual blood-clotting patterns in recipients of the vaccine in Norway.

No AstaZeneca first-jab recipient in Ireland was due to have their second jab this week. But those awaiting their first inoculation with the Oxford-made protection include members of Cohort 4  those at high risk because of underlying conditions and illnesses, such as transplantees and those on kidney dialysis, as well as some cancer sufferers.

The others are the remainder of the frontline healthcare workers, where there has been a 95pc collapse in Covid-19 cases as a result of vaccinations already completed.

Of course it will be very disappointing for people not to get their jab this week, and I recognise that and regret it, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told the Irish Independent.

I hope they will be comforted by the fact that the clinical advice is erring on the side of caution while this issue is investigated. Id be glad to know that this is clinically-led.

The Government expects the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is studying reports, to make a recommendation on Thursday, which could allow a resumption of the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine by next week.

An initial investigation into a report in Austria found no blood-clotting that would be out of the usual pattern for the particular population involved.

But Norway, which has a similar population to Ireland, has flagged possibly unusual clots in young people and in the brain, rather than the leg. The number of cases, however, is extremely small and may not be statistically significant. It is not known how many AstraZeneca vaccines have been administered in Norway.

Those aged 70 and over have been receiving vaccines other than AstraZeneca, and given Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna jabs instead.

The dose interval for AstraZeneca vaccines has been pushed out to 12 weeks, meaning no one in Ireland has yet received both AstraZeneca jabs.

Mr Donnelly said he did not expect that the cancellation of vaccination appointments this week could have a knock-on effect in administering other jabs later, saying he was confident that timelines would not be affected.

I think people will wait to see what the EMA says and the delay may only be of one week.

He said the Health Products Regulatory Authority in Ireland had only received a small number of reports about embolisms or blood clots, thought to number four.

None of the Irish cases are unusual in the manner reported by Norway, and no cause-and-effect link has been established to any vaccine, suggesting they may have occurred in ordinary course.

I think people understand, Mr Donnelly said. It is not leading to any fewer doses arriving here. While there had been well-publicised disruptions in AstraZeneca supplies, the new issue would not affect this in any way.

Meanwhile first dose recipients of the AstraZeneca jab will not be able to switch to an alternative product when the time comes for their second. A senior source said: With these cohorts it makes sense to use the same vaccines in the follow-up programme.

The Department of Health is buoyed by new research from Scotland showing that the AstraZeneca jab is just as effective as the Pfizer and Moderna, which work in a different way in suppressing Covid-19.
For a century no one knew exactly when this mesmerizing movie of San Francisco was made, or who made it.

The camera moves like a phantom, drifting steadily from 8th and Hyde down Market Street, passing life in historic San Francisco  nuns, newsboys, a lady in a white-feathered hat, horse carts, a group of young women awaiting a cable car, postal service automobiles and kids dodging traffic.

The old Flood Building, the Palace Hotel, the Chronicle building and the domed Call building pass us by to the sound of clopping hooves, whinnies, children's voices and early motor engines, before we come to a halt at the Ferry Building.

As some expert historical sleuthing revealed in 2010, nearly all these structures and many of the people in view would be lost to one of the deadliest natural disasters in the history of America, only four days after filming.

Based on the state of construction on Market Street, alongside the angle of the shadows and the time on the Ferry Building clock (3:17 p.m.), historians initially estimated it was made sometime in September 1905.

That was the date the Library of Congress settled on and was used to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the footage in 2005, when the Exploratorium shot a modern-day version of the trip in its "A Trip Down Market Street at the Embarcadero" celebration.

But after historian David Kiehn was unable to find any historical reports of the filming  an event that would surely make the daily papers in 1905  in the archives, he revisited the footage and noticed some interesting details.

"I couldnt find a thing, and that got me even more curious," Kiehn told CBS's 60 Minutes at the time. "So, I studied the film some more and noticed there were puddles of water on the ground. That indicated to me there must have been some recent rainfall ... there was no rainfall in August or September in 1905 at all. Zero rainfall. I thought that was rather interesting. "

Kiehn then realized that the angle of the shadows combined with the time may also occur in late March/early April. But the construction meant that it couldn't have been the spring of 1905.

It must have been late March/early April 1906  a time period more monumental than any other in San Francisco history.

Sure enough, some more digging led Kiehn to an advertisement from production company "The Miles Brothers" for a movie named "A Trip Down Market Street" around that time.

San Francisco Call

A story in the San Francisco Call on March 29, 1906, reports that the brothers, Harry, Joe, Herbert and Earle Miles, were seeking permission to shoot Market Street, "one of the greatest streets in the world, and they propose to have the world learn of its magnificence."

They also sought the use of a cable car to mount their equipment, as the vibratory motion on an automobile, which they previously attempted, is "so severe that the films are blurred and print indistinctly."

Permission was granted by the city and film was made on a busy San Francisco day, April 14, 1906, four days before the earthquake and fire would destroy nearly everything seen in the film, (except the iconic Ferry Building which somehow survived the destruction.)

The advertisement for the film published in the New York Clipper on April 28 stated that the footage had been shot "just one week before the complete destruction of every building shown in the picture."

But how did the film survive the fire that destroyed 80% of San Francisco? The Miles Brothers, the first movie company in San Francisco, also had an office in New York. They fortuitously boarded a train with the developed negative three days after the shoot on April 17, saving the iconic film from destruction that leveled their San Francisco studio on Market Street the morning after they left.

In 2020, a film restoration tech company, neural.love, brought the video to life. Exhaustive methods using machine learning and artificial intelligence to colorize and sharpen old movies transformed the scene into the smooth 60-frames-per-second, vivid cityscape below.

And while the street at first appears to be filled with traffic, as bicycles, horse carts and motor cars cut each other off, closer inspection reveals one of the cars circles the camera 10 times.

"Today we will time travel to San Francisco in April of 1906," neural.love's Denis Shiryaev, says over the opening of the footage. "Have a nice time travel experience."

Plan to Study Abroad? Here Are 6 Movies and TV Series You Should Watch to Get You Ready for The Experience

Studying abroad is a wonderful experience for all students. You get the chance to explore new cultures, meet new people and make plenty of memories that will stay with you for a lifetime. This has turned studying abroad into a global phenomenon, especially since now it is much easier to find a program that allows you to study for a semester or more in almost any country in the world.

Still, it is understandable that studying abroad can be a frightening experience as well. You will be landing in a foreign country, where people may or may not speak your language, all by yourself. It is a challenge indeed, but you need not be scared. Change is what drives us to improve, and an experience such as this one can bring you out of your comfort zone and make you realize you are capable of much more.

Movies are one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a new experience, as they reveal a glimpse of what to expect. This is true for studying abroad as well, which is why we have prepared a list of movies and TV series you must watch before you travel for your first semester overseas.

Get some popcorn ready, find the remote, and enjoy!

Street Food: Asia

This Netflix documentary will make you want to order food from basically all Asian restaurants in your town. Prepare to get immersed in the wonders of Asian cuisine as the documentary celebrates and brings forward the best street food around Asia.

During its nine episodes, you will be transported through the streets of countries such as Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and South Korea, because what better way to understand a culture than through its food?

If you live in a country where Netflix is not available at all or content is restricted, remember that you can always use a VPN to bypass geoblockers. The same thing works if you use streaming devices such as Roku, but you will need to use a VPN that supports Roku devices.

Emily in Paris

Yet another TV series produced by Netflix, Emily in Paris, follows the experience of a social media marketing strategist named Emily, as she tries to adapt to her new job in Paris.

A bubbly and enthusiastic 20-something American, Emily receives an unexpected job opportunity that prompts her to leave her Chicago life for the streets of Paris. She is sent to the City of Love to bring an American point of view to a more traditional French marketing firm that was acquired by the company Emily works for.

While this TV series is not exactly about studying abroad, it offers a very interesting perspective on what it takes to move to a foreign city all by yourself. The protagonist has to face cultural clashes, language barriers and many other challenges as she explores work, friendship, and romance the French way.

Lost in Translation

The movie features Scarlet Johansson and Bill Murray and was directed by Sofia Coppola. Lost in Translation is inspired by Sofia Coppola's time spent in Tokyo and does an amazing job at capturing the feeling of loneliness when you are all by yourself in a big city that you can't really understand.

While the movie does not really sound like an advertisement for student life abroad, it manages to showcase the true magic of living in a place that is difficult to figure out. And what if, in all this beautiful confusion, you find someone you can potentially understand and love? Wouldn't this be a beautiful adventure?

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Woody Allen's films can sometimes be difficult to understand, but once you understand the magic of his movies, there is no going back. This movie will make you want to pack your bags and move to Barcelona, to explore a culture that is full of passion, free-thinkers, and adventure.

The movie begins with Vicky and Cristina, who decide to visit Barcelona for the summer. Here the women meet an artist, Juan Antonio, who shows them a different way of seeing the world. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a movie that will make you cry, laugh, get mad, and definitely want to spend at least one semester in Barcelona.

The Social Network

Would there be any real movie top for students without mentioning The Social Network? The infamous movie that tells the story of how Facebook was created is not exactly about studying abroad, but it does a very good job at showing how hardship and seemingly bad decisions can result in positive outcomes.

When Mark Zuckerberg's girlfriend leaves him, he steals photos of girls from the college database and puts them on a website, asking college boys to rate these girls on their appearance. Despite the fact that he gets caught and put on academic probation, the website draws people's attention and develops into what we now know as Facebook. While Zuckerberg's example is not exactly the most positive one, it shows that success does not have to follow a traditional recipe and something good can happen when you least expect it.

Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting is a wholesome movie that is meant to help you realize the potential you have. It features Matt Damon as Will Hunting, a twenty-year-old genius who works as a janitor at MIT. Because Will has a brilliant mind, and when professor Gerald Lambeau leaves difficult mathematic problems on the blackboard to challenge his graduate students, the janitor solves the anonymously, surprising everyone.

When the professor posts a very difficult problem in order to find out who the genius is, Will solves it unknowingly of the Lambeau's plan and is caught by the professor late at night. Believing in Will's qualities, the professor is determined to help him realize his true potential.

This movie shows it's never too late to discover your talents, and when this happens, your true potential will get unlocked.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A creepy coincidence or a match made in horror heaven?

That's for you to decide when Connecticut's first-ever paranormal convention, PARACONN, takes over the Ansonia Armory on July 24 and 25.

Each night, the team of paranormal investigators will perform investigations using infrared and SLS (Structured Light Sensor) cameras in order to capture whatever otherworldly beings may be living in the supposedly haunted Ansonia Armory, according to a press release.

The convention, which is equal parts seminar and bazaar, will host a plethora of other spooky activities that range from exhibits to those real-time paranormal investigations.

The idea for a Connecticut paranormal convention comes from Nick Grossmann and Charles Rosenay, the two founders of PARACONN.

Courtesy of Ghost Storm

Grossmann leads the Norwalk-based paranormal research team Ghost Storm, which has done a number of notable paranormal investigations in the area including at Stratford's Boothe Memorial Park and Derby's Twisted Vine. At PARACONN, Grossmann will unveil footage from his upcoming documentary, Ghost Expedition Valley," which chronicles a recent investigation that Ghost Storm undertook.

Rosenay is the owner of Fright Haven in Stratford and regularly hosts ghost tours throughout Europe. Rosenay will be revealing his first book, "The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists, at the convention.

Grossmann and Rosenay will be joined by veteran paranormal investigator Patrick Cross from Paranormal Night Shift, and Barry Pirro of ConnecticutGhostHunter.com. More guests will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the press release.

Aside from lectures and investigation, the convention will also host a bazaar offering horror-inspired goods that deal with topics like cryptozoology and the occult.

Still not enough spookiness for you? PARACONN also promises to bring in a Connecticut woman who claims that she may still be possessed by an otherworldly entity.
Amanda Burke covers Pittsfield City Hall for The Berkshire Eagle. An Ithaca, New York native, she previously worked at The Herald News of Fall River and the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise. Find her on Twitter at @amandaburkec.
The Outlook is today's look ahead at the week's weather, its impact on the Berkshires and beyond. Clarence Fanto can be reached at cfanto@yahoo.com.
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No fewer than 120 Church leaders from various denominations within Nigerias South-east have proffered solutions to the lingering insecurity and other challenges in the country.

The church leaders, at a peace summit held on Saturday in Enugu, Enugu State, advocated fair representation of zones in government, non-selective justice and improved border security as panacea to lasting peace and unity in the country.

The peace summit was organised by the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission.

Goddy Okafor, chairman, Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), South-east, said the summit was a step in the right direction, adding, No nation can make progress in an atmosphere of chaos.

Peace is required, if we as a people in the country want to make progress. This summit has reawakened our consciousness to follow peace and allow peace to reign.

I call on all to follow the path of peace for all of us to make progress as well as join the government to fight all forms of challenges against peace in the country.

Sunday Onuoha, bishop of the Methodist Church Circuit, Abia State, noted that there might be no peace if there was injustice and marginalisation of any section of the country religiously, socio-economically and politically.

Also speaking, Okechukwu Obiora, the pastor of the Living Word Outreach International, Onitsha, urged both federal and state governments to do more on youth engagement and empowerment through skill acquisition.

I believe the violence and vices in the zone can be checked if almost all our youths will be gainfully employed and there is no idle person within communities in the zone, Mr Obiora said.

Nkechi Nnamani, a pastor with Assembly of Love and Charity Ministries, Enugu, advocated development of the country to create more socio-economic and healthy competition among the various zones.

Ms Nnamani also called on the government at all levels to give women more slots and visibility in the political space, while urging all to support the girl-child education and empowerment of women in general.

The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Yakubu Pam, said from issues discussed, the commission would make necessary recommendations to President Muhammadu Buhari, who as a father will look into them all.

Mr Pam, a cleric, said the recommendations that needed instant implementation would be done, while the process of kick-starting those that would take longer time will also take place.

The Church leaders in the South-east have vehemently raised issues of social injustice, lack of adequate representation in appointive positions in government among others.

However, the Church leaders unanimously agreed that we must co-exist and live together as one indivisible entity and country.

They all believed and agreed that we have more to gain in living together as one entity, while we all work towards sustaining peace, he said.

The executive secretary said the Church leaders also proffered solutions to their grievances and other issues complained about, especially those threatening peace in the zone.

I am delighted and so will Mr President be, as the Church leaders also on their own proffered practical solutions to all these challenges. All these I will take back to President Buhari as well.

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I am satisfied with the meeting as well as the very large turn up of Church leaders in the zone to discuss peace in the country, he added.

(NAN)
By one recent tally, the governor has issued 260 orders and counting in the campaign against COVID-19. The odds are that at least a few of those orders could conceivably be deemed missteps in hindsight  by the lights of of Democrats as well as Republicans. Isnt it reasonable to revisit decisions in the interest of making better ones in the next crisis?
Hard questions with regard to our real interests in Afghanistan were never asked then and are not being asked even now

Since India is now going to sit at the high table to decide the future of Afghanistan it must seriously consider what real strategic interests it has in Afghanistan. (Photo: AP)

Consider the following vignettes. A child born in the December of 1979 in Afghanistan would be today 41 years old. Across four decades that middle-aged person now has only known strife, violence and bloodshed as the only normal. It was on the 24th of December of that year, Soviet Tanks had rolled across the Amu Daraya to commence a brutal nine-year occupation of that antediluvian acreage situated on the crossroads of time.

It was the year 2016. For 15 long years Afghanistan had now been free of the malevolent influence of the Taliban. At a Track-2 event, I ran into a former chief of the Afghan National Army early one morning. I asked him, how is the situation in Afghanistan currently? He said we have democratic government, a free and a vibrant press  print, TV, radio and digital  encompassing over 1,800 media outlets, girls and women in schools and colleges. Any Afghan can even tell the President that he is in the wrong. It was a learning to see that a former military man was calculating the achievements of the past decade-and-a-half in intangibles rather than gain or loss of territory qua the Taliban.

Cut to 2021 and Joe Biden is the third consecutive President wanting to end Americas longest war. Two decades ago, the Americans had gone into Afghanistan after 9/11 hunting for Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda after the Taliban leader Mullah Omar refused to turn them over to the US. While Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar were both dead, the Taliban and even the Al Qaeda are both alive and kicking.

In fact, the United States, after holding leading elements of the Taliban leadership in primitively medieval incarceration in Guantanamo Bay for over 15 years or more, in a complete volte-face on February 29, 2020, cut a deal with the same eminences in Doha. One of the essential elements of the deal being total withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan by 1st of May 2021.

In a recent letter to President Ashraf Ghani, the new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken virtually read out the riot act to the Afghan government to fall in line with the latest US approach to the Afghan quagmire. The letter has been made public by the Afghan news outlet Tolo News. Neither has it been denied by the US or the Afghan government, respectively.

The missive sketches out the following modes for an across-the-board settlement to the Afghan imbroglio pegged on the desirability of an enduring ceasefire by the Taliban. It, therefore, envisages ministerial-level parleys under the auspices of the United Nations between Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and India and the United States of America to deliberate upon a unified approach to supporting peace in Afghanistan, a senior-level meeting between the Taliban and the Afghan government hosted by Turkey to take place shortly to finalise a peace agreement between the two.

It mentions a revised plan to operationalise a ninety-day reduction in violence programme predicated upon thwarting a spring offensive by the Taliban. The dispatch further calls upon President Ghani to consider US proposals for a roadmap targeted at a new and inclusive Afghan government.

The letter closes with a rather portentous caveat stating: We are considering the full withdrawal of our forces by May 1st, as we consider other options. Even with the continuation of financial assistance from the United States to your forces after an American military withdrawal, I am concerned the security situation will worsen and that the Taliban could make rapid territorial gains.

Since India is now going to sit at the high table to decide the future of Afghanistan it must seriously consider what real strategic interests it has in Afghanistan.

Writing a decade earlier on the same question veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta opined, It will still be a country of great strategic importance. But for whom, is the question. It will be of no strategic importance to us. None of our supplies or trade comes to Afghanistan. None of our bad guys hide there. No Afghan has ever been involved in a terror attack on India. In fact, almost never has a terror attack on us been even planned in the more precise Af-Pak region. They have all been planned and executed between Muzaffarabad, Muridke, Karachi and Multan. Almost never has an Afghan, Pakhtun, Baluch, Tajik, any ethnicity, been involved in a terror attack in India.

It's always been the Punjabis. Ask anybody in the Indian army who has served in Kashmir and he will tell you that the intruders he fought were exactly of the same ethnic stock as the bulk of the Pakistani army he may have to fight in a real war: the Punjabi Muslims. Leave Afghanistan to the Pakistanis. If the Pakistani army thinks it can fix, subdue and control Afghanistan, after the British, Soviets and Americans have failed to do precisely this at the peak of each ones superpowerdom, why not let the Pakistanis try their hand at it? If they pour another ten divisions and half of the ISI into that hapless country now, isnt it that much of a relief for us on our western borders?

This assessment is as relevant today as it was a decade ago. Hard questions with regard to our real interests in Afghanistan were never asked then and are not being asked even now. Would a foothold in Afghanistan help us in the event of a two-front war with China and Pakistan? Highly unlikely till the time we are not willing to put boots on the ground in Afghanistan. Is it desirable to put boots on the ground even if the Afghans were to request Indian military presence after the Americans leave? Highly undesirable. The last time India had seriously considered such a request was in early 2003 to deploy US forces in Iraq. Prime Minister Vajpayee had rightly refused to do so. Does a presence in Afghanistan open up new vistas for India in Central Asia? Not really, after Iran dropped India from the Chabahar to Zahedan just before it inked a USD 400 billion 25-year strategic partnership with China.

While it is heady to be invited to the high table, as the saying goes, there is no free lunch in life. India needs to be careful.
The idea of flying on a plane fueled by cooking oil waste would have been ridiculous a decade ago. Now, this is reality. Sustainable aviation fuels, according to some, are the only way air travel can decarbonize meaningfully.

Sustainable aviation fuels have the potential to reduce the industrys carbon footprint by as much as 34 percent. Thats what the managing director of Airlines for Europe, a trade organization representing 70 percent of the industry, told Argus recently in an interview.

SAFs are a huge chunk, 34pc, of the entire emissions reduction potential by 2050, Thomas Reynaert said. This excludes some 10pc in carbon offsets. The biggest emission reduction share comes from improved aircraft technology with 37pc.

Waste oil and garbage

But what are these sustainable aviation fuels made of? Well, waste cooking oil is one feedstock used in their production. Others include animal fats and other plant oils, solid waste from households and businesses, including things like paper and packaging, and even food waste, as detailed by BP.

This makes sustainable aviation fuels double positive: on the one hand, they reduce a flights emissions by up to 80 percent, and on the other, they reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills. The sustainable fuel can be blended at up to 50 percent with regular jet fuel without affecting the aircrafts performance, BPs website explains, or the way it loads the fuel.

There is growing interest in the fuels thanks to their potential to reduce emissions over their lifecycle. The carbon dioxide absorbed by plants that are then turned into biomass used to produce SAF is calculated against the carbon dioxide emissions of this SAFs combustion during a flight. This is the way most total emissions get calculated or estimated. According to the International Air Transport Association, this year SAF production will reach 100 million liters. Another 7 billion liters are in forward purchase agreements. More than 45 airlines have tried sustainable fuels.

It has to be said that 100 million liters are not a whole lot. Jet fuel demand averaged 7.5 million barrels daily in 2019, which makes the amount of sustainable aviation fuels used in the industry pretty meager. Yet pressure is growing on airlines to use it more, and this pressure is bearing fruit: American Airlines recently struck a deal with German transport and logistics major Kuehne + Nagel to sell it some of its renewable energy credits, earned for its use of SAFs.

Cost and availability If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. SAFs are no exception. True, they have a lot lower carbon footprint than regular jet fuel because of the feedstock they are produced from. But though that feedstock sounds like an unlimited resource, it is not. In fact, the availability of enough waste suitable for turning into sustainable aviation fuel is rather limited, which is a big obstacle in the path of SAFs to dominance.

Related: Oil Prices Drop As Traders Take Profits

In a recent article in Advanced Clean Tech News, author Jon Leonard notes that even in California, which has generous subsidies for sustainable aviation fuels, demand for SAFs exceeds their supply. The problem, in this case, is the political landscape, according to Leonard: it encourages more production of biodiesel than sustainable aviation fuels. Also, biodiesel is cheaper to produce.

In for the long haul

Cost is perhaps the biggest challenge for sustainable aviation fuels. What makes it so big is the fact that it is not going away anytime soon.

Production costs for SAFs will remain as high as they are now, said none other than the vice president of one of the biggest producers of sustainable fuels, Neste. Thorsten Lange added, speaking to industry media outlet CAPA, that this will put the airlines that use SAFs at a competitive disadvantage to their rivals, until passengers begin choosing carriers solely based on sustainability, Simple Flying wrote.

That time when passengers choose carriers solely based on sustainability may not be too far in the future, although it will only make a difference if there are enough wealthy passengers to be able to afford SAF-fueled flights.

Yet even if that time comes, the availability problem may well remain. Neste, according to Lange, currently produces some 100,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuels annually. The company plans to scale up to 1 million tons by 2023, so a supply increaseand a major oneis possible, at least for Neste. But this compares with pre-pandemic jet fuel consumption of some 330 million tons annually, meaning Nestes 1 million tons will be a drop in an ocean of jet fuel if consumption ever recovers to pre-pandemic levels.

The industry wants to reduce its emissions, the Load Stars Ian Putzger reported last month, citing executives. Yet, the availability of SAFs is making this a challenge.

Related: Europe Cant Keep Up With Demand For Battery Metals

We need a joint effort and the support of policymakers across the globe to send a clear signal to the fuel producers  we need more fuels from renewables, we need more sustainable aviation fuel, Putzger quoted a spokesman for logistics major DB Schenker as saying.

Just like other renewable forms of energy, then, SAFs need strong government backing, including policies aimed at encouraging greater availability and lower cost. For now, however, the EU is giving airlines emission reduction targets they are obliged to hit or suffer the consequences. This has prompted budget airlines to ask Brussels to extend the emission requirements to not just European flights but long-haul ones, too. Thats one way of leveling the playing field. The industry needs more ways like that before SAFs get the chance to live up to their promise.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
On Monday, we told women to dream big, speak out, take up space, go where no woman has gone before.

On Tuesday, we told women to shut up, stay quiet, we don't believe you when you speak out.

On Wednesday, we told women it was their responsibility to stay home if they wanted to stay alive.

Apologies society, if we're confused by your mixed messaging.

Let's start with Monday.

When we marked International Women's Day last Monday, the theme was #ChoosetoChallenge. Here are some of the stories people, men and women, shared with me on Monday.

A friend who is an employee in a progressive London-based company said her Monday morning Zoom call got interrupted. The women had just been asked how they were going to challenge the status quo today. A colleague butted in: "Why aren't we including men in this too?"

I guess many of us still think that those marginalised by a system are the ones responsible for changing it.

Another friend, who works in Ireland, chose Monday to reveal abuse she was subjected to in a job she loved and was superb at. She doesn't work there anymore. The place was populated by bystanders.

Another friend, a man, who works for a large multinational finance company in Ireland, explained how his International Women's Day went down on Zoom.

"They said there is an 80/20 gender split in the company, can you believe that, 80% male, 20% female?"

But that's the status quo.

Women's voices make up just 28% of all voices heard talking about news and current affairs on Irish radio. When it came to Covid-19 coverage internationally, just 19% of people quoted were women. And when you look at the make-up of Dail Eireann, 22.5% of TDs are women, 77.5% are men. That 80:20 ratio appears to be a bit of a pattern.

And as we all tweeted away about #ChoosetoChallenge there was the on-going public conversation about our first-ever minister to give birth in office, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, and will she, won't she, get maternity leave.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee: getting maternity leave.

Then news comes in of a political resignation - Green Party councillor, Clare O'Byrne, who recently had her first child, resigned her seat on Monday because of a lack of maternity leave.

By Thursday, we've heard though that Minister McEntee will get her leave, and have her job covered for her.

Though the tweet from Taoiseach Micheal Martin read like he was gifting it to her himself in act of generosity

Then again, maternity leave and its affect on your career is not something men have ever had to worry about.

On to Tuesday now.

Meghan Markle clearly laid out how she feared she would take her own life because of abuse from the tabloid press.

Just in case society thought women were getting ahead of themselves for speaking out against the status quo, we were lucky enough to hear everyone's twopence worth about Meghan Markle's words to Oprah Winfrey come Tuesday morning. It aired on Monday night on ITV and RTE One.

Meghan Markle clearly laid out how she feared she would take her own life because of the relentless barrage of abuse from the tabloid press. Her husband, Prince Harry, said how he would come home to find his wife crying while breastfeeding their baby son.

But the problem was with Meghan. Some of us were having none of it. Didn't believe a word.

Because, yes, who willingly, publicly but falsely claims the mantel of being suicidal? No one.

But the rhetoric, the narrative, was once again one of not believing a woman.

One headline read "what has she done?"

She? She did not make racist remarks about the colour of an about-to-be-born baby's skin. She did not ignore someone's cry for medical help.

But the narrative was about Meghan's failings.

And then comes Wednesday.

Sarah Everard.

For the days leading up to Wednesday, well-known people living in London shared images of this missing woman, how she'd been wearing leggings and runners and was on her way home. There was something eerie about it, a feeling that it wasn't going to end well.

Murder victim Sarah Everard.

And then on Wednesday evening, news breaks of a body being discovered in a woodland, the remains of 33-year-old woman Sarah Everard.

The suspect  a police officer, "a wonderful father" apparently. Everyone gets given a narrative.

One of the ones given to Sarah was about her walking home alone. "Women need to be careful". Perhaps violent men need to not kill.

And then to top it all off, #notallmen begins trending on Twitter.

For those of you who are too busy with real life to be on Twitter and embroiled in the latest culture war, that hashtag referred to how not all men are violent murderers.

How did we go from discussing the discovery of a woman's remains to defending random men? Was this moment really for men who felt affronted by women's tales of being harassed and scared as they went from A to B, from Lidl to their front door after sunset?

Perhaps instead of defending yourself against an imagined personal attack, you could put yourself in a woman's shoes or a trans woman's shoes, as they walk alone at anytime of day or night.

What woman hasn't done a quick and discreet backwards glance as she enters a tunnel in broad daylight? Discreet, in case we offend the innocent, non-violent man walking behind us. Were even accommodating in the expression of our fear.

I was listening to the Irish comedian and writer Aisling Bea speaking on the iWeigh podcast this week. She was saying how a friend of hers believes the biggest job the patriarchy ever did on anyone was men.

We give boys guns and trucks and diggers to play with from babyhood. We tell them not to cry. We insist they be good at sport, that they work in non-creative jobs. And worst of all, we tell them not to feel

But feeling isn't female, feeling is human and it's the very thing that has kept us as the top species on this planet all these years. Emotions are our species' navigation system. Ignoring feelings isn't strong, it's actually stupid.

Our myths and biases harm everyone.

But in this case, this week, a woman was murdered in an act of gender-based violence.

Sarah Everard was her name. She was "strong". She was "intelligent". She was "incredibly kind." She was.

None of this acceptable anymore. None of it. We all need to challenge it. Not just women, not just men. All women. All men.
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Labor Premier Mark McGowan's landslide victory in the Western Australian election could spell disaster for Scott Morrison federally, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese claims.

The Liberal party was so decisively crushed that the result was declared just 42 minutes after polls closed on Saturday night with just 0.7 per cent of ballots counted.

WA Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup called the premier about two hours after polls closed to formally concede defeat. The 34-year-old also lost his own seat.

His party's nightmare scenario has become reality, with the party likely to be reduced to just two MPs and lose their opposition status to the Nationals who have five seats.

WA Premier Mark McGowan and Mrs Sarah McGowan (pictured) are seen with ballot papers before casting their votes

Mr Albanese said the win is not just about how WA Labor has handled the pandemic with its stiff border closures.

'It's about the way WA Labor have run the economy, they have produced surpluses, they have created jobs and they have kept West Australians safe,' Mr Albanese told Sky News.

'This is primarily about Western Australia but it has to be good new for federal Labor as well.'

He said the fact a branch of the Liberal party has essentially been wiped off the map shows that they are going to struggle with a lack of resources to run an effective campaign over the next year when a federal election is due.

'Certainly their campaign in the state election was disastrous, and it'll be the same people who are running campaigns on the ground during the federal campaign,' he said.

'They can fit people in a Mini.'

Mr Albanese, whose leadership has been under siege for months as he legs behind Mr Morrison in the polls, said the thumping victory gave him momentum.

'The fact is many people have voted Labor for the first time. It shows they're open to voting Labor and I take great encouragement from it,' he said.

The WA election result could spell disaster for Scott Morrison federally, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese claims

ABC pollster Anthony Green said the Liberal Party, both state and federal, would have a much harder time fundraising for the next four years with so few state MPs.

'Parties rely on having people in some sort of job where they can work on party affairs while on a salary,' he said.

'The Liberal Party's just lost nearly any sort of employment for their party apparatchiks in the state, so they're weakened financially.'

Mr McGowan walked into his victory party to ACDC's Thunderstruck with his wife, parents, and three children to tell a rapturous crowd he would be forever grateful for the people of WA.

'The magnitude of what happened today is not lost on me. With it comes great responsibility,' he said.

'We will continue to deliver stable, competent, responsible and caring government for all West Australians.

'To have the support and faith of so many West Australians in one of the most important state elections is a great honour.

'Can I thank those people who voted Labor for the first time in their lives across Western Australia.

'Can I also acknowledge West Australians who didn't vote for us. I promise to work for everyone across Western Australia over these coming four years.'

Western Australi Premier Mark McGowan (pictured) is set to claim a landslide election victory with the polls closing on Saturday

Mr Kirkup lost his marginal electorate of Dawesville, becoming the first WA Liberal leader to lose his seat since the 1930s. He reiterated that he would not seek re-election at a state or federal level.

'It is a loss that will be difficult to bear,' he said in his concession speech.

'But in so doing we must remember that 2021 is not an end but a beginning. In so doing, we must remember that it is an obligation we all have to make sure that over the next four years, we do all we can to help rebuild this party.'

Mr McGowan was accompanied by his wife Sarah and their children for his victory speech.

'This is a humbling experience. To every last West Australian who voted to re-elect this WA Labor government, thank you so much,' he said.

The ABC's electoral analyst Antony Green called the election for Labor with less than one per cent of the ballots counted and just 42 minutes after the count began.

Mark McGowan and wife Sarah celebrate his re-election as WA Premier at the party's HQ on Saturday night

Mark McGowan gives his victory speech to supporters accompanied by his wife and three children (pictured)

Early results showed a remarkable and quickly climbing double-digit swing to Labor and an almost 10 per cent fall in the Liberals' vote.

'It's a tsunami, just wiping everything out,' former Liberal figure Colin Barnett said.

Mr Kirkup conceded defeat at 9.30pm local time saying, 'The people of Western Australia have spoken.

'With a very small number of members [in parliament] we must do all we can to hold Labor to account,' he said.

The 34-year-old WA Liberal party leader added that he would not be returning to politics again.

'Western Australians have overwhelmingly chosen to elect the McGowan Labor government for a second term in office,' Mr Kirkup said.

'That is obviously very devastating for us here today, it means that we lose incredibly good local members of Parliament and it means that we lose very good candidates who could have been part of the Liberal Party going forward.'

Premier Mark McGowan is seen speaking to Labor volunteers at polling booths at the West Byford Primary School on Saturday

Supporters (pictured) of the WA Premier celebrated as the Labor premier stormed ahead in Saturday night's vote count

Liberal figures have called for reform as the party faces a wipeout in the state election, possibly holding as few as two seats - down from 13.

It also looks likely that the Nationals will become the official WA opposition, with more seats than the Liberals, with the party's leader Mia Davies saying she was ready to step up.

'If it turns out that's how the number falls, I've said we're ready for the challenge,' she told the ABC.

'We've been around for over 100 years, we have never shied way from a challenge, we'll deal with that bridge and cross it when we come to it.'

Labor's parliamentary majority could ultimately be the biggest held by any party in WA's history.

'This is a disaster, let's be honest about it,' retiring former Liberal leader Mike Nahan told the ABC.

'This will be a cleansing for the Liberal party and it will be up to us to get our act into gear.

'Unfortunately we (have) very few seats to work with.'

A call by the Liberals to open WA borders while the state continued to deal with Covid-19 had done 'immense' political damage, Dr Nahan added.

Western Australia's Liberal Candidate Zak Kirkup conceded defeat in the election and said he would be stepping away from politics (pictured arriving at polling booths at Glencoe Primary School in Perth on Saturday)

Retiring Liberal MP Dean Nalder said there were real concerns about the influence of conservative powerbrokers over the party.

'There seems to be this sense of anger (among voters),' he told Perth radio 6PR.

'Some people feel that we lost sight of our values as a Liberal party and we need to regain that.'

Former Liberal MP Murray Cowper said the party would require a root-and-branch overhaul in the wake of the result.

'We have a house on fire - do we let it burn to the ground and rebuild from the ground up?,' he told Seven News.

Cheers rang out across Labor's election-night function as results flashed up predicting gains in Kalgoorlie, Darling Range and Hillarys.

Deputy Premier Roger Cook said voters had rejected the Liberals' campaign against handing Labor too much control.

'People are recognising that Labor's a good government,' he said.

Mark McGowan (pictured with his wife on Saturday) has won a second term as Western Australian premier

'Mark McGowan is a great premier and has led a good government that takes responsible and careful decisions and doesn't act out of temper.'

Liberal MP David Honey's safe seat of Cottesloe is one of the very few the party will have some confidence of retaining.

'There are going to be some really excellent people who will possibly lose their seats,' Mr Honey said.

'The whole electoral cycle just turned to a vote on COVID or how well the government had handled COVID and that's what we've seen coming through to this election.'

Federal Liberal senator Ben Small earlier told Seven News that anywhere between five and 10 seats being held by the party 'will be celebrated'.

The Nationals are set to become the Opposition to McGowan's Labor party with Liberals expected to hold as few as two seats after the election

Mr Kirkup voted alongside his father Rob in his electorate on Saturday, saying he had no regrets about the Liberals' campaign.

Asked whether he ever thought it was possible for the Liberals to win the election, Mr Kirkup - who took over the leadership in November - replied 'probably not'.

'The reality is, history would be going against us in any case - 1974 was the last time that a first-term government was voted out of office in Western Australia,' he said.

Mr McGowan visited a polling place in the district of Hillarys, the Liberals' most marginal seat and one that appears certain to fall to Labor.

The premier said Covid-19 had presented 'one of the biggest crises the country and world has seen since the Second World War'.

'It's been an affirmation for me of the great spirit of our state and we want to have the opportunity to make sure Western Australia stays on its current pathway,' he said.
Wondering when youll get your hands on that $1,400 of stimulus cash?

You can now check the Internal Review Services Get My Payment tool to find out when and how your latest economic impact payment will be sent.

Youll need to enter your Social Security number, date of birth, street address and zip code.

If you filed taxes jointly with a spouse, either person can use Get My Payment by providing their own information to verify their identity and view the payment status for both.

People who arent eligible will see the message Payment Status Not Available, but that could also mean the payment hasnt been processed yet, according to the IRS.

President Joe Biden signed the new $1.9 trillion rescue package on Thursday, the day after it won final passage in the House. The measure provides for payments to qualifying individuals of up to $1,400, with payments to a qualifying family of four of $5,600.

-- Jaimie Ding

jding@oregonian.com; 503-221-4395; @j_dingdingding
(Newser)  A longtime adviser to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo leading the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been calling county executives to gauge their loyalty to the Democratic governor amid a sexual harassment investigation, per the AP. According to the New York Times, one Democratic county executive, who was not named, was so disturbed by the call from vaccine czar Larry Schwartz that the executive filed notice of an impending ethics complaint with the public integrity unit of the state attorney generals office on Friday. The executive feared the countys vaccine supply could suffer if the executive did not indicate support for Cuomo, the Washington Post reported. Schwartz served as secretary to the governor from 2011 until 2015 and has advised Cuomo off and on since then. He returned in a volunteer capacity last spring to assist the administration with the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Schwartz acknowledged making the calls to county executives, but told the Post he did not discuss vaccines in the conversations. I did nothing wrong, he said. But the phone calls could raise questions about an intermingling of politics with the states coronavirus response. If you are in control of a vital supply of a lifesaving resource like vaccines, you are carrying an enormous amount of implicit clout when you ask for political allegiance, Arthur Caplan, NYUs medical ethics director, told the Post. Schwartz said that the calls he made to assess political support for Cuomo were distinct from the role he plays in the vaccination effort. Beth Garvey, Cuomos acting counsel, said in a statement Sunday that any assertion Schwartz acted in any way unethically or in any way other than in the best interest of the New Yorkers that he selflessly served is patently false.

(Read more Andrew Cuomo stories.)
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's MORENA party ratified late on Friday a gubernatorial candidate accused of rape, in a case that has fueled fiery protests and been a source of friction within the ruling party.

MORENA approved Felix Salgado Macedonio to run as governor for the state of Guerrero, following weeks of support from Lopez Obrador, who had described the calls for Salgado to step down amid the allegations as politically motivated.

Salgado has denied the allegations, according to Mexican media. He has not responded to Reuters requests for comment.

"The inaction of judicial authorities in cases of violence against women not only violates their rights, but also denies us, as a society, the right to truth and justice," MORENA said in a statement.

"However, our political institute cannot place itself above the organs of justice, nor violate essential rights, such as the presumption of innocence," it added.

Guerrero prosecutors are investigating one accusation of rape against Salgado, after earlier this year dropping a probe into another accusation that they say was filed too long after the alleged crime.

Salgado's candidacy and Lopez Obrador's support for him have caused friction within MORENA and helped whip up protests demanding justice for victims of violence and an end to Mexico's crisis of femicide.

At marches to mark International Women's Day on Monday, activists projected feminist slogans in bright lights across the facade of the presidential palace, which had been barricaded, including a message saying "a rapist will not be governor," referring to Salgado.

"The ratification of Salgado Macedonio is an insult to Mexico, especially to Mexican women. Once again it has become clear that Lopez Obrador and MORENA do not care about women, their voice, nor their safety," Adriana Aguilar, the head of women's issues for the opposition National Action Party said on Twitter.

According to public policy think tank Mexico Evalua, which analyzed government data, five million women were victims of sexual violence in the second half of 2020 alone in Mexico, including harassment, sexual abuse, attempted rape or rape, the vast majority of which did not get reported.

(Reporting by Anthony Esposito and Sharay Angulo; Editing by William Mallard)
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KURNOOL: Continuing its winning trend since last general elections, YSRCP has swept all municipalities in the Kurnool district, apart from the Kurnool Municipal Corporation (KMC).

While the ruling party won 41 out of 52 wards in KMC, TDP got nine wards. Two seats were won unanimously by YSRC. All the seven municipalities in Kurnool district, apart from Atmakur Nagara Panchayat have also been won by the ruling party.

AIMIM did not open its account, despite its president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi campaigning in Kurnool and Adoni. The party had contested from total 27 wards in various municipalities.

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy played a major role in ensuring the victory of ruling party candidates in all segments of urban local bodies in the Kurnool district. Dhone municipality, the home constituency of Rajendranath Reddy, saw YSRCP winning 31 wards while one ward went to CPM. The influence of the K. E. Krishnamurthy family appeared negligible in Dhone, as TDP won no seat.

In addition, YSRC won majority of seats in the municipalities of Nandyal, Adoni, Yemmiganur, Guduru, Allagadda, Atmakur and Nandikotkur in Kurnool district. There are total 302 wards in various municipalities and one municipal corporation. YSR Congress won 256 wards, TDP 23, BJP 3, CPI 1, CPM 1 and independents 19 wards. CPM, which won five wards in Kurnool Municipal Corporation, drew a blank this time. BJP got two seats in Allagadda and one in Guduru municipality.

YSR Congress Party Kurnool parliamentary president B. Y. Ramaiah, who contested from the 19th ward of KMC, won with a majority of 2,066 votes. He is tipped to be the first mayor of KMC from backward classes. The mayoral seat has been lying vacant since past 11 years due to court cases.
Farmers Union asks agitators not to build permanent structures at protest sites

India

pti-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 14: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is leading the anti-farm law protests, on Sunday asked the agitating farmers not to build permanent structures at Delhi''s border points where they have been camping since November last year.

The SKM''s statement comes in the wake of Haryana Police registering two separate cases against farmers for allegedly raising concrete wall structure and digging a borewell on National Highway-44 in the state''s Sonipat district, close to Delhi''s Singhu border protest site.

Some permanent structures have started to come up at the Singhu border, one of three prominent protest sites besides Ghazipur and Tikri border points, where agitation against the Centre''s three agri laws has been going on for over three months.

During a meeting of the Morcha, which included 32 Punjab farmer unions, a decision was taken that the protestors should not build any permanent structures at the protest sites, an SKM statement said.

The statement further said that several SKM leaders also travelled to West Bengal to campaign in support of their agitation and to urge voters there not to vote for "anti-farmer" BJP.

'Going strong': Punjab 'Pind' replaces tractors as farmers gear up for long haul

The SKM delegation addressed Mahapanchayats at Singur and Asansol in the state on Sunday, it said.

The outfit said after a debate in the United Kingdom''s House of Commons on the issue of peaceful protests and press freedoms in India, it could be the House of Representatives in Australia that could pick up a petition.

"The e-petition has four more days for collecting signatures before the House of Representatives could pick it up," the statement said.

The ''yatras'' taken out in support of farmers demands in various states, including Odisha, Bihar and Uttarakhand, are going on and receiving support there, the statement said.

The SKM said of the 151 farmers, arrested in connection with various FIRs other than the one concerning the Red Fort incident on Republic Day, 147 have been released on bail so far.

The protesters are demanding the BJP government to repeal three farm laws and extend legal guarantee for MSP of their crops.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey helped design a controversial financial crisis debt scheme that ultimately led to thousands of small businesses being crippled in a major City scandal, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Documents uncovered in a Freedom of Information request show that in 2009 Bailey  the Bank's chief cashier at the time  worked 'on the design' of the Government's so-called Asset Protection Scheme.

This insurance scheme was a vital safety net to protect 280billion of toxic RBS loans that threatened to topple the bank.

But the scheme  along with its controlling body, the Asset Protection Agency  has since been blamed for putting pressure on RBS to aggressively recover the debts from its small business customers.

Input: Andrew Bailey had key role at Bank of England, above, in dealing with toxic loans

The bank's notorious Global Restructuring Group (GRG) allegedly pushed small firms to default on their loans and then sold off their property and assets to boost the bank's profits.

It is not known which aspect of the scheme Bailey was involved in designing, and there is no suggestion that he was responsible for any wrongdoing.

However, his links to the scheme will raise concerns because a decade later Bailey was in charge of the City watchdog when it published a heavily-criticised review into the GRG scandal.

He was made Deputy Governor of the Bank of England before being appointed chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority in 2016.

After a series of investigations, the FCA's final 2019 report on the GRG scandal was described by some MPs as a 'whitewash' because it failed to hold any senior RBS managers to account for sending thousands of businesses to the wall.

Bailey returned to the Bank of England as Governor in 2020. In response to an FOI request, the FCA revealed it 'did not hold records of the FCA board being informed during the period that Andrew Bailey was CEO' that Bailey had 'partially designed' either the Asset Protection Agency or the GRG.

The FCA referred to a Treasury committee hearing in 2009 involving several Bank of England officials including Governor Mervyn King and Andrew Bailey. A transcript of the meeting confirms that Bailey helped the Treasury design the crisis scheme.

In the hearing, King is asked a question about the Asset Protection Scheme and replies: 'The person who has been working most closely with the Treasury on the design of this is Mr Bailey, so perhaps he can comment.'

The FCA said that it was 'a matter of public record that HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the (then) Financial Services Authority were involved in the creation of the Asset Protection Scheme and the Asset Protection Agency'.

But Kevin Hollinrake MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking, said: 'It is disgraceful, I can hardly believe it. I did not know [Bailey] was involved in the design of the Asset Protection Agency because no one did.

'In public life you are meant to declare your interests because the FCA was leading this investigation into GRG and it was a complete whitewash. We need a proper investigation and he needs to answer in public why he did not disclose this.

A Bank of England spokesman said: 'Andrew Bailey had no role in the creation and scoping of the GRG Review which was then undertaken by Promontory [an external company].

'These decisions were taken prior to Andrew becoming chief executive of the FCA. He was not a decision maker in respect of any decision by the FCA on whether or not to undertake enforcement action.'
Shamrock is a Dutch clover introduced from England a couple of centuries past. It's not really Irish.

A friend in Portugal sent images of a wild plant called a Bermuda buttercup, a sorrel, which, with three big heart-shaped leaves, would be clever thinking by the good Patrick to hold up as a symbol of the Trinity.

You can see it. But we all know that puny, bunched lesser trefoil clover is the true shamrock of Erin.

Wood sorrels may have some supporters but they are few - and elderly, like myself.

About 70 years ago, the Manchester Guardian, as it then was, threw out a few sprogs about the provenance of what it described as "sham shamrocks".

The paper said that one way to annoy the Irish on St Patrick's Day was to tell them that the plant they are wearing in their buttonholes is false, "not the real shamrock at all".

The paper added that "many English botanists" had decided the true, vivid green shamrock to be the wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) and that a common Dutch clover, and its varieties, were introduced to Ireland from England more than 200 years before - and "are not Irish at all".

This may well be so and that may mean the 'modern' shamrock is yet another invasive species.

Old Irish manuscripts and 'lives' of Patrick have no references to the national symbol.

The word "shamrock" appears for the first time in English in Campion's A Historie of Ireland in 1571 and it was subsequently recorded by Edmund Spenser that the "wilde Irish" ate the plant for sustenance, the people "feeding on shamrocks when reduced to starvation".

Fynes Moryson, chief secretary to Lord Deputy Mountjoy, in 1600 recorded that the "shamrock, of sharp taste, was willingly eaten" and that Irish freebooters sustained themselves on cakes of it.

But this was possibly duckweed (Lemna minor), which covers watercourses in a thick, fibrous mat and is now known to have a high protein content.

Shamrock as a badge or symbol was first noted in English traveller Thomas Dinley's journal in 1681, but the Trinity story of Patrick had to wait 100 years before getting into print in Synopsis Stirpium Hibernicarum in 1727 by a Dublin botanist named Caleb Threlkeld.

The plant's big breakthrough did not come about until the turn of the last century when a Dublin police courts clerk and amateur botanist named Nathaniel Colgan conducted a national survey by writing to parish priests to send him samples.

This went on for two years, finally being whittled down to a close call between the yellow-flowered Lesser Trefoil (Trifolium dubium) and White Clover (Trifolium repens) - with not a sorrel in sight.

Which was Dutch? It must have been T dubium, the narrow winner among 40 samples. Colgan got the backing of the renowned Robert Lloyd Praeger of the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, with some reservations ("not entirely foolproof"), but it was enough to establish the trefoil with its "small, neat leaves" as the official version.

This is the plant widely marketed today and bound, as usual, for Washington in a crystal bowl.

No chance for sorrels then, and the Bermudas, on their long stalks, only flourish on these islands in the Scillys off England's south coast. However, they may have once arrived with Bronze Age coastal people who brought strawberry trees and Kerry slugs and worshipped a horse goddess, named Danu.

It may just be romantic to think so, however.
Sprinkled around downtown Athens, you may have stumbled across one of many cartoon drawings by Augusta artist Jacob Boland.
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Amanda Holden has recalled the time she accidentally exposed her cleavage during a family lunch at Piers Morgan's LA home. (Getty Images)

As a body-confident woman in the public eye, Amanda Holden frequently opts for head-turning ensembles for her glamorous TV appearances.

But the 50-year-old has admitted that she's sometimes left a little too much on show, recalling a family lunch at which she accidentally exposed her cleavage for a matter of minutes before she realised what had happened.

Recalling the embarrassing incident in an interview with the Daily Mail's You magazine, the star said: "It was at Piers's house in LA. It was my left breast."

Alluding to how her risque outfits have previously garnered a mixed reception, she jokingly added: "And there were no Ofcom complaints."

Britain's Got Talent panellists Holden and Morgan (pictured in 2012) have been friends for years. (Getty Images)

Holden and Morgan  who resigned from Good Morning Britain earlier this week after Ofcom received over 40,000 complaints about him  are old friends, and appeared together on the Britain's Got Talent judging panel.

In the same interview, the mother-of-two opened about how her family feels about her daring gowns on TV.

She said: "My mum loves it. She just laughs about it. So does my daughter.

"If Im trying on outfits for shows Ill say to Lexi: 'Is there too much side-boob?' or 'Is this too much?' and shell grin and say: 'Go for it, Mum.'

"Ill ask [husband] Chris if Im looking like mutton and he says: 'Mandy, you could never look like mutton.' Its positive affirmation that we women need."

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Last October, Morgan's journalist wife Celia Walden interviewed Holden for The Sunday Telegraphs Stella magazine, in which the Heart FM host opened up about how she is instilling body confidence in her teenage daughter Alexa.

The star explained that she has banned a common phrase from the family home in order to promote her 15-year-old growing up feeling comfortable in her own skin.

She said: It's so hard for girls now, and if Lexi ever starts a sentence with, 'Do you think I look f...', I cut her off with, 'Do not even say that word in my house.'"

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Earlier today, Holden marked Mother's Day on Instagram by sharing a picture with daughter Lexi and her nine-year-old sister Hollie.

Captioning the post, she wrote: "Happy Mothers Day! So grateful for my two gorgeous girls who woke me up with a coffee and marmalade on toast this morning.

"Thinking of those of you who have lost a mum or the hope of being one and sending my love."

Famous friends, including Tess Daly, Sheridan Smith and Ashley Roberts, commented with love heart emojis.
EU faces fresh shortfall of AstraZeneca vaccine

WORLD: AstraZeneca yesterday (Mar 13) announced a fresh shortfall in planned vaccine shipments to the European Union, dealing another blow to the blocs efforts to step up vaccinations.

CoronavirusCOVID-19health

By AFP

Sunday 14 March 2021, 10:20AM

Photo: AFP.

The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical companys image has already taken a beating with several countries suspending the rollout of its vaccine over blood clot fears, even as the World Health Organization (WHO) said there was no reason to stop using it.

Denmark, Norway and Iceland have paused using the shot as a precaution and an Indian official yesterday said the country would carry out a deeper review of its post-vaccination side effects next week. Thailand also delayed the planned roll-out of AstraZeneca vaccinations just before a ceremony on Thursday where the prime minister was to receive the first jab.

AstraZeneca blamed production problems and export restrictions for the latest shortfall, a major setback in efforts to fight a pandemic that has claimed 2.6 million lives worldwide.

The company had previously warned it was facing shortfalls from its European supply chain due to lower-than-expected output from the production process and was hoping to compensate in part by sourcing vaccines from its global network.

Unfortunately, export restrictions will reduce deliveries in the first quarter, and are likely to affect deliveries in the second quarter, it said in a statement yesterday.

AstraZeneca started delivery of the vaccine to the EU in February, and still aims to deliver 100 million doses in the first half of 2021.

Of this, 30 million are due to be delivered in the first quarter.

AstraZeneca had initially agreed to supply three times as many doses in the first quarter, and 180 million doses in second quarter alone.

The under-fire firm said it was collaborating with the EU Commission and member states to address the supply challenges.

The EU yesterday sidestepped the issue of the number of AstraZeneca doses it was expecting and merely said: We are aware that the company is experiencing supply issues and that discussions are on-going.

We insist that the company is doing all it can to honour its commitments and we are following up with them.

In contrast, the United States has ramped up its vaccination programme after a shaky start.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 100 million vaccine doses have been administered in the US, around 30% of the worlds total of shots given so far.

String of setbacks

The company received further blows this week when several countries suspended use of its vaccine while the EUs drug regulator said severe allergies should be added to the possible side effects.

The WHO, which said its vaccines advisory committee was examining the safety data coming in, has stressed that no causal link has been established between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clotting.

Yes, we should continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said Friday, stressing that any concerns over safety must be investigated.

AstraZeneca insisted its jab was safe, adding there is no evidence of higher blood clot risks.

Italy and Austria have banned the use of jabs from separate batches of AstraZeneca, and Thailand and Bulgaria said this week they would delay their rollout.

The shadow cast over the AstraZeneca jab is adding to the EUs problems distributing vaccines amid fears of another bout of the virus.

Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Latvia meanwhile called for EU talks to discuss huge disparities in vaccine distribution, according to a letter published yesterday.

The leaders of the countries sent the letter to the EU chiefs claiming that deliveries of vaccine doses by pharma companies to individual EU member states are not being implemented on an equal basis.

Unequal distribution

If this system were to carry on, it would continue creating and exacerbating huge disparities among member states by this summer, whereby some would be able to reach herd immunity in a few weeks while others would lag far behind, the letter said.

We therefore call on you ... to hold a discussion on this important matter among leaders as soon as possible.

Italy on Friday announced tough new restrictions in much of the country, with Prime Minister Mario Draghi warning it faced a new wave of infections.

Schools, restaurants, shops and museums were ordered to close across most regions of Italy, including Rome and Milan from next week.

Disneyland Paris, one of Europes biggest tourist attractions, said it will not be able to reopen as planned on April 2 as infections remain stubbornly high in France.
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MILITARY COUP: A policeman beats a man being taken into custody on a street in Yangon, Myanmar in this still image taken from a social media video

Catholic nun Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng pictured last Monday, kneeling before police officers to beg them to stop shooting children who had taken shelter in her convent in Myitkyina, Myanmar

Myanmar security forces yesterday killed at least 12 people, witnesses and media reported, as the acting leader of a civilian parallel government vowed in his first public address to pursue a "revolution" in order to overturn the February 1 coup by the military.

Five people were shot dead and several injured when police opened fire on a sit-in protest in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city, witnesses told Reuters.

Another person was killed in the central town of Pyay and two died as police fired in the commercial capital Yangon, where three were also killed overnight, domestic media reported.

"They are acting like they are in a war zone, firing on unarmed people," said Mandalay-based activist Myat Thu. He also said that the dead in Mandalay included a 13-year-old child.

Si Thu Tun, another protester, said he saw two people shot, including a Buddhist monk. "One of them was hit in the pubic bone, another was shot to death terribly," he said.

In Pyay, a witness said security forces initially stopped an ambulance from reaching those who were injured, leading to one death.

A truck driver in Chauk, a town in the central Magwe Region, also died after being shot in the chest by police, a family friend said.

Junta-run media MRTV's evening news broadcast labelled the protesters as "criminals" but did not elaborate.

The deaths came as the acting leader of the country's ousted civilian government addressed the public for the first time. Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is in hiding along with senior officials from the ruling National League for Democracy Party, posted online: "This is the darkest moment of the nation, but the moment of the dawn is close."
Columnist Laurent Herblay predicted Frexit (Frances exit from the EU by analogy with Brexit). He wrote about this in his article for Le Figaro, Pledge Times reported.

As the journalist writes, the health crisis that arose against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic showed that industry had left Europethere were almost no mask-making enterprises left, and up to 80 percent of the ingredients for medicines were produced outside Europe. At the same time, China, where the coronavirus came from, has only enriched it due to the explosive growth in the export of medical products, Herblay said.

The author of the article sees this as the direct responsibility of the European Union (EU), which deals with trade agreements and prevents the provision of preferences for European trade, and also recommends countries to cut medical costs and cut doctors salaries in order to increase competitiveness. According to the journalist, the EU could provide more substantial support to the member states. He notes that the United States has already adopted the third aid plan and the amount of allocated funds for 2020 and 2021 reaches five trillion dollars, while in Europe this amount barely reaches 300 billion euros.

At the same time, the author of the article pointed out, the UK strategy to combat the coronavirus turned out to be more successful than that of the European Union, despite the fact that many troubles were predicted for the kingdom after Brexit. The EU is so slow and bad in its negotiations that more and more European countries are beginning to bypass and buy vaccines from Russia and China, Herblay writes.

As he notes, Brexit showed that leaving the European Union is difficult, but possible, and even may be beneficial, in conditions when the EU did not protect France from a single crisis.
During a recent Sunday service at the Gathering Place, an evangelical church in Orlando, Fla., the Rev. Gabriel Salguero focused his sermon on the Covid-19 vaccine, and the fear and suspicion that his largely Latino congregation clutches so tightly.

He turned to the New Testament: the parable of the good Samaritan, about the importance of aiding the stranger.

In getting yourself vaccinated, you are helping your neighbor, he preached to about 300 masked and socially distanced worshipers. God wants you to be whole so you can care for your community. So think of vaccines as part of Gods plan.

Mr. Salguero is among thousands of clergy members from a cross-section of faiths  imams, rabbis, priests, swamis  who are trying to coax the hesitant to get vaccinated against Covid-19. By weaving scripture with science, they are employing the singular trust vested in them by their congregations to dispel myths and disinformation about the shots. Many are even offering their sanctuaries as vaccination sites, to make the experience more accessible and reassuring.
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Christian scientist John Polkinghorne dies at 90

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John Polkinghorne, an Anglican priest and respected theoretical physicist, has died at age 90.

The news of his death was shared by Queens' College, Cambridge, England, where he served as president from 1988 to 1996.

He remained an honorary fellow of the college until his death in Cambridge on March 10.

Polkinghorne enjoyed a distinguished career at Cambridge University, having previously been a professor of mathematical physics from 1968 until 1979, when he resigned to study for the priesthood.

He was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1982, serving first as a curate in south Bristol before becoming a vicar in Blean, Kent. In 1986, he returned to Cambridge University as dean of chapel at Trinity Hall and president of Queens' College.

From 1994 to 2005, he served as canon theologian of Liverpool Cathedral.

During his lifetime, he authored dozens of books, many of them on the relationship between religion and science.

Polkinghorne's talents were recognized with a knighthood in 1997 and the prestigious Templeton Prize in 2002, donating the $1.4 million (1 million) prize money to endow college positions.

Current President of Queens' College, Mohamed El-Erian, spoke of his "great sadness" at Polkinghorne's death, but also his "gratitude for all that John did for Queens' and beyond."

"To say John had an exceptional life would be an understatement," he said.

"Born in 1930, he touched many lives as a highly respected physicist, theologian, and priest. The author of a number of influential books, he was admired for his important research and insights on religion and science."

A private family-only funeral is to be held due to COVID-19 restrictions, but the family plans to hold a public memorial service to celebrate his life once restrictions have been lifted.

Originally published at Christian Today
Mumbai, March 14 : Television actor Ankit Siwach is thrilled to be a part of popular television show "Ishq Mein Marjawan 2" (IMMJ). The actor, who has already started shooting for it, says playing a character like this was on his bucket list.

Talking about his role, Ankit tells IANS,"I am playing a larger-than-life character on the lines of classy, wicked, charming gangster villain. The character is called "Vyom". There is an artistic inclination within the layers that he has. And I was looking for something which I have not attempted earlier. A stylised international gangster was definitely on the list." The show would soon make transition from television to an Over-The-Top (OTT) platform.

The actor says that it would help the show in many ways.

"OTT gives creative liberty to the makers, the edit pattern and treatment is also different from regular television shows. IMMJ has been doing great till now, hope that the show grows even more with time. And the more audience will get to see this." He further said,"I feel IMMJ is a brand in itself, the first season was immensely popular while the second season has also lived up to its expectations. Kudos to the creators who know what it takes to penetrate a show directly into the audience's hearts. A combination of love, thrill and revenge is something the audience is always hungry for." Ankit was last seen in the show "Beyhadh 2" just before the lockdown last year. The actor would also be seen as the lead in the film "Banaras Vanilla".
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AVON, N.C.  Bobby Outten, a county manager in the Outer Banks, delivered two pieces of bad news at a recent public meeting. Avon, a town with a few hundred full-time residents, desperately needed at least $11 million to stop its main road from washing away. And to help pay for it, Dare County wanted to increase Avons property taxes, in some cases by almost 50 percent.

Homeowners mostly agreed on the urgency of the first part. They were considerably less keen on the second.

People gave Mr. Outten their own ideas about who should pay to protect their town: the federal government. The state government. The rest of the county. Tourists. People who rent to tourists. The view for many seemed to be, anyone but them.

Mr. Outten kept responding with the same message: Theres nobody coming to the rescue. We have only ourselves.
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President Joe Biden is bringing back presidential addresses made directly to the American people. He started Feb. 2 with the first installment of A Weekly Conversation, a short video on social media in which he talked with an unemployed woman about his American Rescue Plan.

Biden is reviving a tradition that began with President Franklin D. Roosevelts radio Fireside Chats during the Great Depression and World War II. Hes chosen an excellent historical model of masterful communication.

Biden, like Roosevelt, is confronting crises and addressing long-neglected problems. They both have direct, frank speaking styles that convey empathy, information and confidence.

Roosevelt held frequent news conferences and gave dozens of speeches. But his unprecedented radio broadcasts are famous because they were so effective. People felt the president was talking to them at home.

Roosevelt believed newspapers could be biased or inaccurate. Radio, the leading-edge communications technology of the day, somewhat comparable to social medias growing ascendency now, gave him a way to communicate directly with the people, explain complicated issues, and build support for his policies. As governor of New York (1929-1933) before becoming president, he tried out the new medium with an address to the people of the state via Schenectadys WGY radio April 3, 1929.

FDR was a natural radio personality. He used everyday language and explained things so people could understand them. He sprinkled the broadcasts with stories and anecdotes. As he talked, his face would smile and light up as though he were actually sitting on the front porch or in the parlor, said Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins. Journalist Lorena Hickok reported that people listening to the chats feel he is talking to each one of them personally.

The broadcasts began March 12, 1933.

When FDR took office March 4, the nations banking system was in free fall, with banks defaulting and closing every day. He closed all banks by executive order to stanch pressure from fretful investors. He then got Congress to pass emergency legislation giving the Federal Reserve power to inspect banks, provide needed funding and certify them for reopening.

On the evening of March 12, the day before the first banks would reopen, the president took to the airwaves to explain his actions and bolster public confidence. He went over the new bank reforms and told listeners, I can assure you that it is safer to keep your money in a reopened bank than under the mattress.

FDR explained the complicated subject so everybody could understand it, even the bankers, comedian Will Rogers quipped. It was homey and human and just what the nation needed, one Brooklyn listener wrote to the president.

When the banks reopened, it was apparent Roosevelts talk had rallied public confidence. Bank deposits exceeded withdrawals, the banking system began to revive and the stock market rebounded.

On May 7, Roosevelt discussed his legislative program for recovery and reform, commonly known as the New Deal. His unprecedented proposals were no more than well-considered and conservative measures part of a well-grounded plan, he explained reassuringly. The speech bolstered public support and helped speed passage in Congress.

Some speeches advised people to assess the economy and New Deal programs by their impacts on themselves, family, and community. On June 28, 1934, the president suggested that the simplest way for each of you to judge recovery lies in the plain facts of your individual situation. Are you better off than you were last year? Are your debts less burdensome? Is your bank account more secure? Are your working conditions better? Is your faith in your own individual future more firmly grounded?

On Dec. 29, 1940, with German armies on the march in Europe, Roosevelt discussed the need for providing aid to their opponents. America could no longer count on the oceans to shield us from attacks. Our national security demanded that we must become the great arsenal of democracy. The masterful speech helped win popular support for military aid to Britain and steeled Americans for entering the conflict.

The president addressed the nation Dec. 9, 1941, two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor forced the United States into the war. It will not only be a long war, it will be a hard war, the president said, but we are going to win the war and we are going to win the peace that follows.

Fireside Chats during the war kept Americans updated on progress. On June 12, 1944, six days after the allied invasion of France, he told Americans proudly that today we are on the offensive all over the world  bringing the attack to our enemies.

Presidents after FDR used the broadcast media to reach the people. Ronald Reagan began making regular Saturday radio broadcasts in 1982 and presidents have used news conferences, TV broadcasts from the Oval Office and other media.

But the Fireside Chats are still the gold standard for building a sense of rapport between president and people. FDR used them to create a new, softer connection to the hearts of his listeners, historian Jonathan Alter said.

Biden has something comparable to FDRs flair for creating rapport, empathizing with what people are experiencing in their own lives, and explaining policies. His initiatives are proof that somebody in Washington understands what you are going through and is doing something real, notes New York Times columnist David Brooks. Bidens new Fireside Chats, like Roosevelts, have the potential to get that message across.

Bruce W. Dearstyne is a historian in Guilderland. He is the author of The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire States History.
The Ralli Museum in Marbella reopened at the beginning of March and is celebrating its 20th anniversary a year late, because of the pandemic. The exhibitions on the first floor now include new works of Latin American and European art in the permanent collection. Curator Silvia Sanchez says these works "break the prejudices about contemporary art, because they are very accessible and intuitive".

One exhibition features contemporary art from Oaxaca, described as a mixture of avant-garde, myth and tradition."Many of the works are large with striking colours, which is what we always associate with Mexico," Silvia explains.

"It invites you to enter into the culture of Oaxaca on different levels. On one hand, through popular culture and tradition, with pleasant scenes, and on the other a more disruptive aspect, exploring and experimenting with techniques and languages and takes you to the Mexico that was also innovative and avant-garde," she says. "A third line introduces magical scenes, very mysterious, with beings from mythology, through a figurative language."

Completely different from a formal perspective but sharing the oneiric perspective, the exhibition Surrealism, from Giorgio de Chirico to Francis Bacon encourages visitors to reflect upon labels.

"In European art when we talk of surrealism, we are talking of a movement but not naming any artist who forms part of it," says Silvia. "These names are put in the title on purpose, to attract attention and confuse at the same time.

"The intention is for visitors to enter directly into dialogue with the work, to see what it transmits and then decide whether they consider it to be surrealism or not, independently of whether the artist is associated with the movement".

The display includes famous names such as Man Ray, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali, others we consider assimilated into surrealism like Giorgio Chirico and Chagall but also some like Francis Bacon, with the aim of exploring their language and seeing what is surrealist about them.

Two very intuitive exhibitions that encourage critical thought and break through prejudices about contemporary art by interacting with those who visit them.
The question is how to set up such a system.

After revelations in 2013 by the former intelligence contractor Edward J. Snowden that set off a debate about government surveillance, American technology companies are wary of the appearance of sharing data with American intelligence agencies, even if that data is just warnings about malware. Google was stung by the revelation in the Snowden documents that the National Security Agency was intercepting data transmitted between its servers overseas. Several years later, under pressure from its employees, it ended its participation in Project Maven, a Pentagon effort to use artificial intelligence to make its drones more accurate.

Amazon, in contrast, has no such compunctions about sensitive government work: It runs the cloud server operations for the C.I.A. But when the Senate Intelligence Committee asked company officials to testify last month  alongside executives of FireEye, Microsoft and SolarWinds  about how the Russians exploited systems on American soil to launch their attacks, they declined to attend.

Companies say that before they share reporting on vulnerabilities, they would need strong legal liability protections.

The most politically palatable headquarters for such a clearinghouse  avoiding the legal and civil liberties concerns of using the National Security Agency  would be the Department of Homeland Securitys Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Mr. Gerstell described the idea as automated computer sensors and artificial intelligence acting on information as it comes in and instantaneously spitting it back out.

The departments existing Einstein system, which is supposed to monitor intrusions and potential attacks on federal agencies, never saw the Russian attack underway  even though it hit nine federal departments and agencies. The F.B.I., lawmakers say, does not have broad monitoring capabilities, and its focus is divided across other forms of crime, counterterrorism and now domestic extremism threats.

I dont want the intelligence agencies spying on Americans, but that leaves the F.B.I. as the de facto domestic intelligence agency to deal with these kinds of attacks, said Senator Angus King, a Maine independent, member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and co-chairman of the cyberspace commission. Im just not sure theyre set up for this.

There are other hurdles. The process of getting a search warrant is too cumbersome for tracking nation-state cyberattacks, Mr. Gerstell said. Someones got to be able to take that information from the N.S.A. and instantly go take a look at that computer, he said. But the F.B.I. needs a warrant to do that, and that takes time by which point the adversary has escaped.
NEW YORK (AP) - New Yorkers are marking a year since they learned of the states first fatalities from COVID-19. New York City officials planned an evening ceremony Sunday to remember the approximately 30,000 city residents killed by the coronavirus since March of 2020. The 7:45 p.m. event was set to stream on city websites and social media. For many, those first fatalities brought home the reality that the pandemic was no longer some distant, foreign threat. Officials rushed to close businesses and schools. By early April, New York City was averaging 750 deaths per day.
President Joe Biden has officially signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, the largest one to date.

He also did it with zero Republican support, with Texas' Republican senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz among those who voted against the bill, per the Texas Tribune's Abby Livingston.

FOR THE CULTURE: Black Twitter takes Black resilience and humor online

The relief plan will provide $350 billion to cities and states that saw a drop in tax revenue but increase in expenses, more than $25 billion in emergency rental assistance, nearly $10 billion in emergency mortgage aid for homeowners, extensions of unemployment payments through early September  and a third round of stimulus checks, starting at $1,400.

"Moneybagg Joe," a play on the moniker given to Megan Thee Stallion's rapper ex-boyfriend Moneybagg Yo, began to trend shortly after. And as of Friday morning, Twitter still had memes rolling in.

The money could begin being distributed to Americans as soon as this weekend, the president said.
Out of the about 100 young people who visit a Clinical Psychologist in Accra every month, 80 present with depression, anxiety or stress or a combination of all.

Often, the source of the problem seems to be stressed relationships within their homes, especially between their parents.



It includes broken homes.



The Clinical/Counselling Psychologist, Rev Father Anthony Afriyie Amponsah, is therefore asking parents to build a good rapport with their children and be observant in order that they will notice when their children needed help and offer the necessary support.



Rev. Amponsah in a chat with The Mirror in Accra on Wednesdsy explained that one of the difficulties encountered in offering counselling and treatment was his inability to involve the parents of his clients who were often the source of their childrens problems because of client confidentiality.



Once the client does not give the go ahead to contact a person in relation to the case, and there is no criminality involved, we respect that entirely, he explained.



He said that investigations often found that some of these clients have parents fighting at home, they feel lonely, rejected and this affects them badly.



Some of these clients end up doing drugs etc., in their bid to find an escape but unfortunately this only compounds their problem, he said.



Rev. Father Tony said some of those young people sought help after they felt rejected by their partners, some of whom were gays and lesbians.



The approach adopted with such relationships according to him, was not to stop clients from having such relations but to counsel them in a way that may help them to stop.



What we realise is that many of them are cajoled into such relationships. They for instance go to school with problems from home and when they get people offering themselves as father or mother figures who are also into such relationships, they manage to influence them, he explained.



On substance abuse, Rev. Father Amponsah said some of the young clients were referred to him from other health facilities for substance abuse, including cannabis.



The worrisome thing is that some of them are not even aware that they had taken drugs because they attend parties where drugs are laced in different kinds of ways including as sweets and the next some of them see is themselves in hospital, he said.



Rev. Amponsah said he believed that the extent of drug abuse among students could be more alarming because not all cases were reported, and the cases he was seeing were significant.



He called for more education and information on the subject in order to make young people aware of some of those tricks in order that they do not fall prey.

Source: Graphiconline.com









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Boys, Fathers Neglected in Bidens Gender Policy Council: Warren Farrell

The Biden administrations recently established White House Gender Policy Council appears to focus only on women and girls while neglecting boys and men, according to Warren Farrell.

Farrell, an educator and author for mens and womens issues, told The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders that by virtue of the new councils name, it would presumably help both genders in areas where theyre having problems.

Farrell said that he believes President Joe Biden feels that the only people who have issues that are worth paying attention to on a policy level are women and girls.

I was shocked that a man who talks about division and unity, and diversity and inclusion and equity, will leave out boys and men, both in the black community and white community, the Hispanic community, and the LGBTQ community, he said. Youre not protected by the Gender Policy Council if youre an LGBTQ malejust female. Youre not protected [as] a black person if youre malejust if youre female, and that is such a travesty.

Bidens initiative may lead to more challenges that may ultimately warrant more government intervention, he said.

If [Biden] doesnt attend to the importance of fathers and the importance of families, he is basically helping to create the crimes and the mental health problems that he will then be cleaning up. And the fastest way to a big government is to eliminate that and make the government into a substitute husband, Farrell warned.

In addition to advocating for women and girls of all backgrounds, Farrell is advocating for the Gender Policy Council to consider including and implementing policies that would also benefit boys and men.

The Boy Crisis Needs Attention

Farrell is a coauthor of The Boy Crisis, published in 2018, which describes what he sees as a profound crisis that boys and men in developed nations are facing. Key indicators include how, compared to girls, boys are behind in every academic subject at school; how men in general are more likely to be prone to addiction and mental illness; and how they are more likely to be involved in crime.

According to Farrell, being deprived of a father figure was a major aggravating factor for the boy crisis.

Among many examples, his book noted that about 93 percent of the U.S. prison population is male. Also, as boys become young men, their suicide rates increase from equal to that of girls, to five to six times more than that of young women, according to his research. I would eventually find out that the single biggest cause predictor of suicide [across both genders] was being raised without a dad, he said.

Farrell said he has communicated with Jennifer Klein, the co-chair of the Gender Policy Council, about the importance of having policies to help boys and men avert such a crisis.

Shes sort of been very lets say, receptive and dismissive, meaning that she said, Oh, President Biden cares about men and women, men as much as women. And hes been a great father, and I said, Yes, and there needs to be policies that help boys and men and that avert the boy crisis. And shes expressed no interest in those policies.

One approach, according to Farrell, could include efforts to help inspire men to contribute to society, feel needed, and be involved fathers.

Such an effort requires the emotional intelligence development in males rather than just repressing feelings, and they should be able to express feelings and know how to facilitate feelings, Farrell said. They should have communication skills that they can bring to their peer relationships and eventually to their romantic relationships and eventually to their children.

He called the effort he described as a kind of father warrior program, which he said he was trying to suggest to Klein, but there was not much receptivity.

A second possible initiative, Farrell said, could come in the form of a male teacher corps, which he described as an effort to help train males to be teachers in elementary schools. He said this would help children who do not have a father figure at home.

He also expressed that in a Gender Policy Council, there can also be policies to help men and women as couples learn and implement healthy communication skills, including conflict resolution skills, and to help couples cooperate and appreciate the contributions they each bring to care for and educate their children.

All of this can be part of the policies of the Gender Policy Council, he said. The result of that will be that women will find boys who are worthy of their love.

I dont know why right now boys are dropping out of high school at a much higher rate. Theyre much more likely, 66 percent more likely, to be living in their parents basement. I dont know a lot of women who are looking for future fathers searching unemployment lines or the basement of parents for boys that have dropped out of high school. This is not the type of boy and future father that most women are looking for, he added.

We are hurting daughters every time we are not equally paying attention to the problems that are leading to our sons committing suicide five times as often as our daughter are.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times request for comment over Farrells assertions about the White House Gender Policy Council.

Male Privilege

The messaging in society needs to change to inspire boys and men, Farrell said.

Were telling men that theyre full of male privilege, that theyre the oppressors that theyre part of the patriarchy, and the future is female,' he said. And you send a 14- and 15-year-old boy to school and you tell them the future is female, this doesnt make them feel inspired to be involved over the world, and if you tell him that theres no need for him as a father, that all fathers are jerks, this does not inspire him to be engaged as a dad.

But the world, in fact, has not been dominated by a patriarchy, its been dominated by the need to survive. And to survive, both sexes had rigid roles in their past.

Farrell explained that historically, to survive, women raised children, men raised money, or men had to go to war. Every generation had its war, and we trained boys to be disposable in those wars. If youre going to be disposable in those wars, you get trained to be disposable by not being in touch with your feelings.

Being disposable is not quite male privilege,' he remarked.

He later added, we need to say were in a new era where there has to be a balance between keeping your feelings to yourself and being able to express who you are.

Farrell was previously elected three times to the board of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in New York City. He said he had joined NOW for genuine equalityto free both sexes from the rigid roles [of] the past, to more flexible roles for their future.

He says times have changed since men and women took up traditional gender roles. [In the past] we had a lot of very strong demand for large numbers of men to be willing to die in war, or to be the sole breadwinners. Now, women are sharing much more [of the] breadwinning burden, so men can be freer to do things that they love to do, as well as just things that they need to do.

So reversing roles is something that is we have the freedom to do for the first time in history. And it can be very enhancing to both sexes. Boys and men who are that nurturer-connector type feel that they have a purpose in the world, and women and girls who are the provider-protector types, they feel that they are being supported in the world.

For the first time in history, we have not a need for a womens movement blaming men, and not a need for a mens movement blaming women, we have a need for a gender liberation movement, freeing both sexes from the rigid roles of the past. For more flexible roles for our future.
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Stimulus checks are starting to land in Americans' bank accounts across the country this weekend, just days after President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law.

The third round of direct payments  which follows two previous sets of payments signed into law last year by former President Donald Trump  are the most substantial yet, although some of the people included in the last deals won't be eligible this time.

"The checks are going to start arriving today," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on MSNBC's "The Sunday Show." "New Yorkers should start receiving the checks today, and many of them will get them this week. We promise that. Republicans blocked it. We said put us in power, we'll get it done."

Those who make less than $75,000 or heads of households who make less than $112,500 are eligible for the full $1,400 payment. Individuals earning less than $80,000 and heads of households making less than $120,000 are still eligible for reduced payments.

Couples who file taxes jointly qualify for the full payment if they earn up to $150,000 and can receive partial payments if they make up to $160,000.

In addition, parents can get up to $1,400 more for each child  including children over 18  listed on their tax returns. For example, a family of four with a household income under $150,000 should get $5,600.

The White House this weekend promoted accounts from Twitter users who had had the payments recently land in their bank accounts.

"Stimulus check just hit my account via direct deposit. Lightning fast," one user wrote. "Thank you @POTUS Biden and everyone who supported helping Americans through this pandemic. Hope is back. Light is visible."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that the checks are just "the first wave" and that they will continue to flow over "the next several weeks."
As states ease up on COVID-19 mitigation efforts following downward case trends, increased vaccination and pressure to return to normalcy, the nations top infectious disease expert warns against a no masks, no nothing mentality as the U.S. combats a pandemic thats left millions out of work and half a million dead.

We absolutely need to avoid the urge to say, Oh, everything is going great, Dr. Anthony Fauci told NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday, even if declines in new cases have been steep.

Fauci, one of President Joe Bidens top pandemic advisors and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said case counts are still too high across the country to declare a victory, even if trends are in the right direction a year after the pandemic began.

Fauci expressed concern that if states entirely eliminate protections and restrictions including social distancing and mask-wearing too soon, cases could surge again.

NBC reported that nearly a dozen states have reduced pandemic-linked measures such as mask mandates, capacity limits indoors and other restrictions. At least Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas have reportedly ended mask mandates.

Dont spike the ball on the five-yard line, Fauci said. Wait until you get into the end zone. We are not in the end zone yet. When I hear pulling back completely on public health measures, saying no more masks, no nothing like that, that is risky business.

Following downward trends and increases in vaccinations, Massachusetts public health officials have loosened restrictions and plan to further ease requirements in restaurants, businesses and stadiums this month. Education officials are calling on elementary students to be back in the classroom on April 5.

As of Saturday, at least 567,108 Massachusetts residents have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began and 16,281 have died, according to data from the state Department of Public Health.

Almost 30 million Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 and nearly 535,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. But NBC News reported the seven-day average of new cases is about 57,000, the lowest since October.

Nearly 37 million Americans are fully vaccinated, and Biden recently announced that his administration plans to secure at least 100 million more doses of Johnson & Johnsons single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. The deal will significantly bolster the U.S. vaccine supply, reportedly giving the country more than enough to get shots in the arms of every American.

Biden said Thursday night that every American adult will be eligible for a vaccine starting May 1.

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Vaccination in India cross 2.9 crore mark

AFP

The cumulative tally of vaccination has crossed 2.9 crore mark in the country after 9,47,090 vaccines were administered on Saturday, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

"Total 9,74,090 vaccine doses were given till 7 p.m. on Saturday out of which 8,05,014 beneficiaries were administered first dose while 1,69,076 healthcare workers and frontline workers received second dose, as per the provisional report. Final reports would be completed for the day by late night," the officials said.

The latest figure of inoculation has pushed the cumulative tally of the vaccine doses administered has reached 2,91,92,547.
Scotland would still be in the vice-like grip of coronavirus if it had followed SNP advice on vaccinations, a UK Government minister has claimed.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack hailed the vaccination programme against the virus as being a success for the UK.

He insisted: Had we followed the SNPs advice on vaccines and waited for the flat-footed EU, we would still be in the vice-like grip of the pandemic instead of confidently looking forward to better days.

There can be no more eloquent expression of the success of the Union than this brilliant UK-wide approach.

The UK, Mr Jack said, has developed a Covid-19 vaccination programme that is the envy of the world.

He described this as being as a truly astonishing achievement and on a scale that dwarfs anything since the war.

Expand Close Scottish Secretary Alister Jack (left), seen her with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was addressing the Scottish Conservative conference. (Yui Mok/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Scottish Secretary Alister Jack (left), seen her with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was addressing the Scottish Conservative conference. (Yui Mok/PA)

Mr Jack said: Across Britain, we have jabs going into arms at a tremendous rate, hammering back this dreadful virus.

The foundations for this success were laid long ago when this Conservative Government took the visionary decision to back a host of experimental vaccine programmes.

He spoke out about the vaccination programme in his speech to the Scottish Conservative Conference  in which he also attacked Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP Scottish Government.

Dubbing SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford a champagne separatist, he hit out at his comments that there could be a second Scottish independence referendum towards the end of this year.

Mr Jack said: It is chilling that with the monumental task of recuperating from a pandemic still ahead, supposedly serious politicians can spend even a moment contemplating the reckless folly of another referendum.

His comments came as he defended a controversial scheme which will see Westminster spend cash directly in devolved policy areas in Scotland.

We intend to ensure this money is spent for the betterment of people the length and breadth of Scotland, and not left to moulder in the coffers of Bute House Scottish Secretary Alister Jack

But Mr Jack said this would ensure the funding is not left to moulder in the coffers of Bute House.

The Scottish Secretary hailed the 4.8 billion Levelling Up scheme as true devolution, saying it allowed politicians in London to put the power and the money local communities crave directly into their hands.

The SNP has, however, accused the Conservatives at Westminster of a naked power grab, saying the administration there is trying to bypass the devolved governments and dictate spending over devolved areas.

But Mr Jack said: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will see at least 800 million for high street regeneration, local transport, cultural and heritage projects  things that will make a genuine difference to the quality of life in communities across the land, and create good jobs too.

The Scottish Tory MP continued: The Levelling Up Fund will allow us to directly invest in capital projects, working with local authorities and others who know best what their communities really need.

Together, we intend to ensure this money is spent for the betterment of people the length and breadth of Scotland, and not left to moulder in the coffers of Bute House.

Here, then, is true devolution with central Government putting the power and the money local communities crave directly into their hands.

He described the move as being a welcome sea-change for this country as he said the fund was just one way the UK Government is investing in Scottish jobs and Scotlands future prosperity.

The Scottish Secretary highlighted the role of city and region growth deals  which see investment from both the UK and Scottish governments in areas across the country.

He also insisted local councils are beating a path to the door of the Scotland Office to find out more about freeports  a scheme the Scottish Government has rejected in favour of its alternative green ports proposal.

The Scottish Secretary said much of the work being done by the UK Government had only been made possible by Brexit  as he insisted that contrary to the scaremongering our lights did not go out when the transition period came to an end on December 31.

He told how the UK had achieved the tariff-free, quota-free deal, which many said was Mission Impossible.

And while Mr Jack accepted not everything has been smooth following the change, he stressed that an undertaking on this scale was always going to have snags.

Although the seafood industry has suffered, Mr Jack said this had been addressed with a 23 million support fund and a dedicated taskforce to untangle the knots of EU red tape.

And he stated: A further 100 million has been earmarked for the seafood sector to help it maximise the opportunities now we are free of the dead hand of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Following the UKs departure from the European Union he said sectors such as food and drink and agriculture were poised to take advantage of opportunities on new horizons.

He stated: We have a long tradition of being standard bearers for free trade and we are once again blazing a trail.
Another 1,548 Massachusetts residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 34 more have died from the virus, health officials announced Saturday.

So far through the pandemic, at least 567,108 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and 16,281 have succumbed to the illness, according to data from the state Department of Public Health.

There are 26,001 cases of the virus currently active in Massachusetts, data indicates.

Saturdays new cases are based on 105,498 new molecular tests. The seven-day average of positive tests in the state is 1.73%, which has been steady this week after dropping following the winter peak. The lowest that rate has been through the pandemic was 0.8%, which was reached in September.

Currently, 643 residents are hospitalized with the virus, including 176 in the intensive care unit and 109 who are intubated. Hospitalizations, like percent positivity, have been decreasing for weeks.

So far, a total of 2,467,392 vaccine doses have gone out across Massachusetts. There are 880,067 residents fully vaccinated as of Saturday, according to DPH.

The state has launched a website in an effort to streamline access to the vaccine. Anyone who lives or works in the state can use the site to pre-register to get the vaccine, whether or not they are currently eligible.

Demand for the vaccine still outpaces supply. The state receives 150,000 first doses of vaccine every week, not enough to meet the total number of senior residents, educators and residents with two or more comorbidities who are currently eligible to get the shot.

As of this week, 14 communities in the state are labeled by DPH as at high risk for spreading the virus.

Here are the total COVID cases by county:

Barnstable County: 10,632

Berkshire County: 4,960

Bristol County: 57,054

Dukes County: 880

Essex County: 85,661

Franklin County: 2,051

Hampden County: 43,307

Hampshire County: 7,793

Middlesex County: 115,376

Nantucket County: 1,211

Norfolk County: 47,117

Plymouth County: 41,599

Suffolk County: 80,655

Worcester County: 67,432

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KYODO NEWS - Mar 14, 2021 - 20:37 | All, Japan

The body of a man was found following an avalanche Sunday on Mt. Norikura on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures in central Japan, with two other people injured, local police said.

Five people were caught in the avalanche that occurred around 10 a.m. on the Nagano side of the mountain but the two others were uninjured, according to the police.

Two men from Shiga Prefecture, 41 and 49, who sustained light injuries, had been with the man believed dead when they were hit by the snowslide.

"I only realized that an avalanche was heading our way when someone ahead of me cried out but I was quickly caught up in it," the 49-year-old man told the police. "I only stopped when a felled tree caught me."

The avalanche in the Northern Japan Alps, was about 200 meters wide and slid 300 meters, according to the local police, possibly a surface avalanche in which a layer of freshly fallen snow slides over a dense layer of packed snow underneath it.

Nagano's meteorological observatory had issued an avalanche advisory for the Norikura and nearby Kamikochi areas because of heavy snow that fell from Friday night through Saturday noon. More than 30 centimeters of snowfall had been recorded in Mt. Norikura by Saturday.

Earlier Sunday, local fire officials received a call that several people were caught in an avalanche at the Senjojiki Cirque, a popular hiking trail, in the Central Japan Alps in Nagano Prefecture.

A 40-year-old man from Aichi Prefecture was taken to a hospital, but is not in critical condition, local authorities said.
Kathmandu:

Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba described his recent state visit to India as "successful" and criticised the opposition for making"unwarranted comments" on his talks with the Indian leaders. Briefing the Parliament about his visit, Deuba said he raised the issue of flooding and inundation at the border as during talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. "My state visit has been successful in laying the foundation for further strengthening Nepal-India ties," Deuba told the lawmakers.

He returned home last evening after concluding his maiden foreign visit since assuming the top executive post in June. Deuba said he also held a discussion with Indian officials for completion of the Detailed Project Report of Pancheshwor Multi-Purpose Project within a month. He said that an agreement was reached with India to come up with appropriate ways to implement all aspects of power trade agreement apart from resuming operation of trade transit points like Dhangadhi-Gauriphanta, Gulariya-Murtiya, Jatahi-Piparaun, and Pashupati-Sukiyapokhari after upgrading them.

Deuba said he held talks with the Indian side foreconomic development and investment in Nepal. Similarly, agreements have been reached for development and expansion of tourism sector, construction of Nijgadh airport and construction of a 132 KV transmission line. He also said that agreement has been signed to construct transmission line in new places and added that discussions were also held regarding expediting hydropower projects like upper Karnali and Arun III.

Prime Minister Deuba said he has taken note of criticism over remarks he made during his India visit. He said Constitution promulgation and implementation is an internal matter of Nepal and asserted that he had not mentioned anything about the domestic affairs of the country while in India. "There shall be no compromise over the internal affairsand Constitution of Nepal.

All these unwarranted comments makeno sense," said Deuba. He said he had been effortful in making the Constitutionall-acceptable by addressing the grievances over it. Deuba faced criticism from political parties in Nepal for assuring India about Constitution amendment to address the issues of Madhesis. "Deuba raised the issue of Constitutions acceptability out of context from the foreign land, which is highly objectionable," main opposition leader and CPN-UML chairman KP Oli had said last week. "Deuba has taken the oath of office and secrecy whileassuming the post of Prime Minister under the sameConstitution and he was elected the Prime Minister under thesame Constitution, how can he speak against the Constitutionin the foreign country," Oli had questioned. Nepal's parliament last week failed to endorse the much-awaited Constitution amendment bill after it failed to muster the required a two-thirds majority.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalized the Terai community.

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The New Jersey U.S. Navy contractor who was charged with participating in the riot at the U.S. Capitol was known by many of his associates as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer, regularly spewing anti-Black and anti-Semitic views, including once saying that Hitler should have finished the job, according to allegations from prosecutors in a Friday court filing.

Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 30, of Colts Neck, was previously arrested for allegedly taking part in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and charged with unlawfully entering restricted grounds, obstructing a law enforcement officer, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, demonstrating in a Capitol building, and obstructing government business.

At the time of his arrest, Hale-Cusanelli was a member of the U.S. Army Reserves and a contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle, where he had a secret security clearance and access to a variety of munitions, according to a criminal complaint and arrest warrant filed in U.S. District Court. His current status in the reserves and at the naval station is unclear.

Charging documents previously accused Hale-Cusanelli of being a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer. The motion filed Friday by federal prosecutors requested detaining Hale-Cusanelli as he awaits trial. It laid out a litany of examples of his alleged racism and bigotry provided by interviews with associates.

Federal prosecutors interviewed 44 members of the Naval Weapons Station Earle crew, most of whom corroborated his alleged racist and violent views. In one example, a crew member said Hale-Cusanelli said he would kill all the Jews.

Another person interviewed said that Hale-Cusanelli said, Hitler should have finished the job and another said that he said Jewish people, women and Black people were on the bottom of the totem pole.

Of the 44 people interviewed, 34 described Hale-Cusanelli as having extremist or radical views pertaining to the Jewish people, minorities, and women.

Hale-Cusanelli was also known to sport a Hitler mustache while on duty, and was admonished by a supervisor at least once. Several photographs taken from Hale-Cusinellis cell phone and included in the court document show him wearing the mustache while on duty and other instances while wearing a black shirt.

An HBC supervisor stated that s/he was aware of multiple workplace issues regard Defendant, and specified: Defendants issues with women and talking about Jewish people, according to the court document. The HBC supervisor also noted that s/he had to correct Defendant for wearing a Hitler mustache to work.

Also found on his cell phone were cartoons and memes depicting Nazis as the savior of white Americans from the Republic and Democratic parties along with other images that mock the killing of George Floyd and disparage Black people.

Also included is a photo of Hale-Cusanelli flashing the OK hand signal, now co-opted by White supremacists to mean white power.

When reached by phone Saturday morning, Jonathan Zucker, Hale-Cusinellis lawyer, declined to comment. The Army and Navy could not immediately be reached for comment.

Law enforcement first became aware of Hale-Cusanelli after he allegedly told a confidential informant that he drove to Washington, D.C. and entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, while also showing the informant video of him making harassing and derogatory statements toward Capitol Police officers both inside and outside the Capitol building, according to the criminal complaint.

In the days leading up to the riot, Hale-Cusanelli wrote on an online forum: Trust the plan, its the final countdown, stay tuned next episode, according to the complaint.

When he was arrested, authorities recovered white supremacist reading material, like Mein Kampf and The Turner Diaries, a 1978 race war novel that the FBI once deemed the bible of the racist right, according to the complaint.

Hale-Cusanelli told federal agents after his arrest that he stormed the government building in order to stop the votes of the election and expected President Donald Trump to accompany the crowd, according to federal prosecutors.

The case is currently with the U.S. Attorneys Office of the District of Columbia, where the charges were filed.

Editors Note: In certain instances, when writing about extremism, NJ.com elects to use a Staff byline in order to protect the safety and privacy of our reporters. These stories nonetheless adhere to our highest standards for sourcing and accuracy. If you have concerns or questions about such stories, you can email: staffbyline@njadvancemedia.com.

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In a Feb. 1 letter to the interim city manager, Leon Valley Police Chief Joe Salvaggio said he didnt wish to sue this city that I truly love.

So instead of filing a lawsuit, the chief said, he would retire if the city would give him 1,678.2 hours of pay in personal and medical leave and severance compensation  at a cost to the city of nearly $117,000, including taxes and retirement  and a positive letter of recommendation.

By March 5, there was a new acting city manager and Salvaggio was out of a job.

Its the latest chapter in a long-running saga of political feuding involving mutual allegations of corruption and heavy-handedness, complaints of pushing and shoving and even several arrests. One council member was kicked off the council by his colleagues after an arduous hearing that lasted eight nights over six weeks. Two were recalled by voters last year.

On ExpressNews.com: Leon Valley councilman charged with assaulting police chief

In this latest episode, Salvaggio followed up his Feb. 1 letter with another one three weeks later, this one addressed to the entire council, withdrawing his original offer.

He alleged more harassment and once again raised the possibility of filing a whistleblower lawsuit, claiming that several council members know they are under criminal investigation due to (Salvaggios) reporting of their possible illegal activity to an outside law enforcement agency and that he shouldnt be fired while the investigation is ongoing. He gave no specifics about his allegations.

The 56-year-old chief ended his Feb. 24 letter by saying he could still retire instead of suing, but now any settlement would need to start at five times the amount of his initial request.

Two days later, Interim City Manager Hank Brummett tendered his immediate resignation. Mayor Chris Riley told the council Brummett left to help his wife deal with broken water pipes in their house in Colorado.

Riley said Brummett sent an email the morning of Feb. 26 saying, Things in Colorado have gone from bad to worse, and I simply must go.

Crystal Caldera, assistant city manager and a city employee since 2005, was named acting city manager.

On March 5, Caldera informed the council that Salvaggio, the suburbs police chief for nearly five years, no longer worked for the city.

It was a startling development. Some were relieved. Others were incensed. Some were simply puzzled.

Will Bradshaw, a council member and Salvaggio critic, said he first heard about the chiefs departure that day. He later learned Salvaggio was terminated at the sole discretion and the decision of Caldera, as permitted in the city charter.

I believe Ms. Caldera did what she felt was best for the city of Leon Valley and I support her in this decision, Bradshaw said Friday.

Matthew Hodde, who recently served on the council for just over a year, said he was trying to wrap my head around the sudden departure of Interim City Manager Hank Brummett.

Hodde told the council at its meeting last week he doubted Brummett would have suddenly resigned unless he was threatened, or saw something, wrongdoings, that he wanted to be no part of.

Then, a few days after Mr. Brummett resigns, Chief Salvaggio is suddenly fired. So that is telling me something right there, said Hodde, who filled a council vacancy after Councilor Benny Martinez, another critic of Salvaggio, was ousted in the 2019 forfeiture-of-office hearing.

Martinez also addressed the council last week, urging the members to look into the allegations in Salvaggios letters and try to determine whats going on here, and remedy it as fast as possible.

On ExpressNews.com: Three officers fired by SAPD were hired in Leon Valley

Early last year, Salvaggio had the support of the council, before its membership changed after the last elections. In February 2020, the council voted to name Salvaggio interim city manager when longtime City Manager Kelly Kuenstler announced she was resigning.

At the time, Kuenstler told the council she had tried to persuade Caldera to take the interim job but that Caldera declined for family reasons. Kuenstler then recommended Salvaggio, who has a masters in public administration. But Kuenstler agreed to stay on when the pandemic erupted and to guide the city through the budget season.

On the eve of city elections in November, the council voted to name Salvaggio interim city manager to replace Kuenstler, who finally left, and granted Salvaggio an 18-month contract after a lengthy, contentious meeting. The next day, however, several of his supporters on the council lost their seats, and the new council rescinded approval of the contract. Salvaggio continued as police chief.

In recent weeks, dozens of residents have addressed the council about Salvaggio. Some praised him for dedication and professionalism in protecting citizens and businesses. Others said theyre troubled by the 51-member police departments tactics and worried they might be arrested by overzealous officers.

Salvaggio has been criticized for his policy of towing vehicles with expired registration parked at their owners homes and for extending the contract for red-light cameras, which many cities abandoned after a 2019 state law weakened the ability to collect fines using them.

Some council members, including Hodde, were surprised last year to learn Salvaggio had authorized a door-to-door survey conducted by off-duty officers, asking residents about their opinions of the police department and whether homes had alarms, cameras or other means of security.

But Salvaggio has fired back. His Feb. 24 letter took particular aim at council members Bradshaw and Josh Stevens, accusing them of harassing me to greater heights and putting pressure on the city to wrongfully terminate me. He wrote they have boasted they would try to keep him from finding other employment, and he claimed the two council members have created a hostile work environment.

No one is doing anything illegal in this department and your officers do not deserve to be mistreated like this, he wrote in the letter.

Friction between Bradshaw and Salvaggio intensified when the citys former zoning chairman, Olen Yarnell, 79, was arrested and handcuffed at City Hall after a council meeting in June.

Yarnell was taken to jail and charged with simple assault, accused of grabbing a councilwomans shoulder more than a year earlier.

On ExpressNews.com: Judge issues injunction to stop Leon Valley councilmans removal

Last month, Stevens, 30, was arrested for allegedly elbowing Salvaggio in the chest in January 2020. According to a police report, Stevens and other residents were filing out of the council chambers after a meeting when he and a woman began arguing. He pushed himself back towards Salvaggio, who intervened to keep the peace, then jabbed his left elbow at the chief, who said his chest hurt but refused medical attention.

Stevens, Bradshaw and others have challenged the account in the report and said the exchange appeared staged.

Stevens turned himself in and posted bail on a $6,000 bond on charges of assault on a peace officer, a second-degree felony, and interference with the duties of a public servant, a misdemeanor.

In an interview after the arrest, he said Salvaggio has been resistant to efforts to update old school police procedures that emphasize the rights of the citizenry.

Its unclear whether Salvaggio, a former San Antonio Police Department captain with a 29-year career in the Army and Air Force, will file a lawsuit now that he has been dismissed. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Caldera also had no comment about the reason for the firing. She has appointed David Gonzalez as the new police chief, and has asked the community to give David a fresh start and judge him based on his ability to lead the department.

Gonzalez served with SAPD for 31 years before joining the Leon Valley force in 2017.

shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA

La Paz: Bolivias former interim President Jeanine Anez landed behind bars on Saturday in the capital of the country she led just six months ago after the new government arrested her on claims she participated in a 2019 coup to seize power.

Anez and a raft of ministers and security officials face charges of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy over an alleged coup against Bolivias 13-year socialist government, according to an arrest warrant she posted on social media.

Standing behind bars, Bolivias former interim President Jeanine Anez speaks to an unidentified woman at a police station jailhouse, in La Paz, Bolivia. Credit:AP

Anez led Bolivia for less than a year after long-time president Evo Morales left office following contested elections and violent protests.

The crackdown escalates hostilities between the current socialist administration of Morales political ally and successor President Luis Arce, and more conservative opponents it accuses of ousting Morales.
STATEN ISLAND, NY  Each year two cultural groups  the Irish and the Italian  celebrate the holidays of St. Patrick and St. Joseph, the patron saints of Ireland and Italy, respectively. They come not only with religious ceremonies, but with food and cultural traditions.

Joyce Venezia Suss, director of special projects at Casa Belvedere, the Italian cultural center on Grymes Hill, reminds us that St. Patricks Day on March 17 celebrates the patron saint of Ireland, who is also its national apostle. St. Patrick lived during the Fifth Century and is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.

St. Josephs Day on March 19 is celebrated in many Italian-American households and in Italy as the national Fathers Day. Marys husband and father figure to Jesus, St. Joseph is also the patron saint of workers, and is honored for answering peoples prayers to end a Sicilian drought during medieval times.

Joyce offers several little known facts about the two popular holidays and ways to celebrate  even if youre not Italian or Irish!

WEAR THE CORRECT COLOR

On St. Patricks Day, the Irish wear green, because according to folklore, green makes people invisible to leprechauns, who will pinch humans if they spot them.

The shamrock, which was also called the seamroy by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the 17th Century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. Many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule. St. Patrick used the shamrocks three leaves to illustrate the Holy Trinity. The green trefoil plant also symbolizes the arrival of spring.

Music is often associated with St. Patricks Dayand Irish culture in general. From ancient days of the Celts, music has always been an important part of Irish life. The Celts had an oral culture, where religion, legend and history were passed from one generation to the next by way of stories and songs.

On St. Josephs Day, Italians traditionally sport red clothing. The wearing of red honors the patron saint of Sicily, but the real celebrating centers around extravagant altars filled with traditional food, religious symbols and tributes to loved ones.

Italians may set up a St. Joseph altar at home, brimming with items to honor the saint, such as rosaries and statues, candles, bread, citrus fruits, and fava beans which thrived during the Sicilian drought. Items are sometimes arranged in the shape of a cross, or in three tiers to represent the Holy Trinity. Italians sometimes visit each others homes to see the various altars.

An ancient Sicilian legend dictates that if a single, unmarried woman pockets a lemon from the altar of St. Joseph when no one is looking, she will wed by the time the feast day rolls around again. And if a woman steals a lemon from the altar, she will soon have a baby. But she must put the lemon under her pillow.

EAT A TRADITIONAL MEAL

The Irish celebrate St. Patricks Day with Irish soda bread. Traditional Irish holiday meals might feature lamb stew, shepherds pie, and colcannon (a buttery mash of potatoes and kale or cabbage.) In the United States, corned beef and cabbage is a favorite holiday meal, accompanied by a pint of Guinness stout.

Italians celebrate St. Josephs Day with several traditional dishes. Pasta Con Sarde, also known as Pasta di San Giuseppe, features bucatini pasta mixed with sardines, pine nuts, raisins, and a healthy sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs. Some say the breadcrumbs are poor mans cheese while others say it looks like sawdust from the workshop of the humble carpenter Joseph.

Italian bakeries sell San Giuseppe bread in the shape of a cross or a shepherds staff. For dessert, Zeppole di San Giuseppe is a sweet fried doughnut sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, filled with pastry cream, and topped with whipped cream and a sour cherry. If its filled with cannoli cream, its called sfinci.

And those who bear the name of Joseph, Josephine, JoAnn or Joanna, must foot the bill for those must-have St. Joseph Day pastries.

ENJOY SPECIAL TRADITIONS

The Irish celebrate St. Patricks Day in a big way, with parades featuring bagpipers and Irish dancers. They may host a social dance gathering called a ceili, where musicians play the Celtic harp, the fiddle, uillean pipes and a drum called a bodhran.

In Italy, the feast day of St. Joseph is also celebrated as Fathers Day. Italians say thank you to fathers, grandfathers, uncles and men  past and present  whove cared for their families.

SAY A PRAYER

Remember the Catholic roots of these two feast days and give blessings to these patron saints.

The annual St. Joseph Day celebration at Casa Belvedere will not be held this year because of pandemic restrictions. However, the Italian Cultural Foundation organized two small in-person culinary classes where adults will learn how to make Pasta Con Sarde and Irish Soda Bread, and children will make Irish Soda Bread Cookies. Both classes are sold out, but for information about future culinary programs, visit https://casa-belvedere.org/culinary-programs-casa-belvedere/
Auburn, N.Y.  A man stands accused of trying to stab another man to death Saturday evening in Cayuga County.

Jeffrey P. Murray Jr., 22, of Sennett, has been charged with attempted murder. He was arrested about 9 hours after he attacked a man in Auburn, the Auburn Police Department said.

The assault happened shortly before 8:15 p.m. Saturday on Steel Street at Grover Street, police said. The victim  a 28-year-old man  was stabbed multiple times, police said.

The wounded man showed up at Auburn Community Hospital minutes after the stabbing, police said. He was later transferred to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

Officers arrested Murray on Grant Avenue at 4:59 a.m. Sunday.

Murray has been charged with attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault, both felonies. Hes being held in the Cayuga County Jail, waiting to be arraigned.

Police have asked anyone with information about the stabbing to call (315) 567-0073 or (315) 253-3231.

Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com.
Picente : A look back at the past year, and a look ahead

Utica, N.Y. - One year ago today, New York State saw it's first COVID-related death.

This week also marks one year since the first positive case of coronavirus here in Oneida County and the subsequent shutdown of everything from schools, to businesses, to nursing homes.

On Sunday, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente spoke with News Channel 2 about this past year and where things stand right now.

Picente says he feels the excitement in people's faces these days, that there may be an end in sight.

He says we have turned the corner with the COVID numbers that continue to come down, along with the vaccine, and the nice weather that's on its way, he says he can see it has gotten people in a better mood, "Well it certainly does, certainly the vaccine really changed the entire dynamics and allowed for a little bit of a sigh of relief."

But Picente is still urging everyone to continue the three safeguards, "Wear a mask, social distance and good hygiene."

Picente says it's been a very long year for everyone and he remembers many things, when schools shut down, when the grocery stores opened early just for seniors, but among everything, he thinks about the people who died, and their loved ones who lost them.

He says Saturday marked COVID-related 400 deaths here in Oneida County due to the pandemic, "To all those families that couldn't continue to interact and take care of them, couldn't even go see them, the question will always be, what is the death preventable and that something we'll have to struggle with for a long time, those families always will."

Picente says there were some positives about the pandemic, "Brought families together, it allowed us to take a step back and appreciate the things we have in the family and friends we have."

As far as where we stand now, Picente says, "Over 30% of our eligible adult population has been vaccinated. We have more test sites this week, we're getting more vaccines this week."

Picente says not everyone wants to get the vaccine, and he understands that is their choice, but he continues to urge people to get it, "My message is, look, everybody has to make that choice but we've seen this virus can do to people, we've seen what it means when families get impacted. If you're eligible for it, and at that time that you are, people should get the vaccine, it really is what's going to save us and get us out of this. You know, what, are we going to be like a year from now, March 13 of 2022, I for one don't want to see us in the same spot we're in today and the only way we get there is with this vaccine."

Oneida County has a vaccination site open tomorrow, Monday, March 15th, at the Turning Stone. They have 1,000 doses to give out.

The event is only open to those aged 60 and older and an appointment is necessary.

To secure a spot, those interested should call (315) 798-5439.
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Have you, like Sarah of Old Testament, been waiting?

Maybe youre waiting for COVID to take a hint and vanish. (Who isnt?) Perhaps youve clutched a verse, waiting for God to manifest His personal promise. But your bare arms still long for a spouse. Your barren womb is aching for a baby.

I feel you. My heart has been cradling a book idea that has cost hundreds of hours of writing, rewriting, conference going, and networking.

And yet 

The publishing industry, polite but persistent, insists my platform needs supersizing first.

My mind understands what they mean  you need tobuild a larger following who will buy your book  but my heart hears it as just wait.

Sarah suffered a similar plight. Abrahams faithful wife followed him as he uprooted their family to obey God. By the time we hit Genesis 16:3, shed resided in a foreign land for a full decade, sans the heir God had promised.

Ten years isnt just a long time  it also symbolizes completion. I get how this momentous mark prompted Sarah to switch from tarrying to plotting. If youll sleep with Hagar the maid, well finally have our baby, babe, she coaxed Abraham, according to my very loose translation of the verse above.

Unfortunately, short-circuiting waiting spawns unnecessary heartaches. Sarahs scheme eventually transformed Hagar into the worlds first single mother (Genesis 21:1-21). Moreover, when Sarah aborted her waiting, she also catalyzed the birth of two people groups Jews and Arabs  whose rigid rift reaches even to our day.

Perhaps learning to wait is in order. But since nobody enjoys the process, here are five nuggets to lessen the pain.

1. Waitings unique function

There are crucial lessons we cant embody any other way except by living through  instead of bypassing  waiting. Among other things, having to wait on God exposes how much faith we place in Him. How? By measuring the length of time were willing to earmark as our waiting period. Is there a tipping point that can lure us to squash it prematurely? Like we discovered, Sarah maxed out at 10 years.

I cant judge her. My insides shudder at having to wait until 2031 before my book greets the world.

What about you? Will the passage of time convince you to quit believing that God is ushering a bright future your way?

2. Wisely waiting

Rather than stare at the clock, pray. Instead of fretting about what ifs, pray. When tempted to ruminate, guess what? Pray. In the Classic Amplified translation, James 5:16 promises how prayer unleashes tremendous power. The same promise applies to 21st century prayers because this verse never expires.

Pray for what?

That the outcome that pleases God will materialize in every circumstance we care about. According to 1 John 5:14-15, God guarantees a yes for this type of prayers. So, rather than grumble, lets saturate our waiting with life-defining petitions.

Pray for Gods grace to assist as we wait.

The longer we wait, the more prayers we can utter  which means the better off well be.

3. Winning against time

When it comes to time, God isnt just perfect  Hes a perfectionist. He executes His decisions with flawless precision at the exact time. For instance, He planned Jesus birth to transpire in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4-5, NKJV). As a minister, Jesus delayed his arrival at the Feast of Tabernacles by a few days to mark the right time (John 7: 1-10).

Unlike God, we operate under times constraints. But dont let it bully you. Just because time marches on doesnt mean we need to shift our position. Lets imitate our Father (Ephesians 5:1) and resolve to be unmoved by time  believing Gods precious promises will come through, regardless of how long it takes.

4. Who else cares?

Waiting rankles partly because of fear that our forlorn state might slip Gods mind. Thats why I treasure Hebrews 6:10 (NKJV). Savor how it starts: God is not unjust to forget. Our God remembers. He knows how long weve puttered around in the predicament were in. Better yet, He sits with us in the off-putting here-and-now.

The new weve been dreaming of may be days or even hours away, but dont dismiss the current season because it reeks of delays. Rest in the promise of Isaiah 60:22 (NIV) instead, I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly." Complete this waiting period  and watch God move rapidly.

5. Why delays happen

I pondered this question and when the insight arrived, its simplicity surprised me.

God often takes a long time because He often uses people.

So what?

Well, people, um, have issues. We procrastinate. We waffle on whether it was truly Gods voice we heard. Even when we establish that yes, the Lord wants us to buy a weeks worth of groceries for the widow down the street, we rationalize our obedience away.

We may not be waiting because God frowns at our requests, but because those He taps to deliver the goods arent budging.

I cant prophesy when a publishing house will release my book. But I vow to continue writing, teaching, and trusting God until my hands can caress its dust jacket.

Even if it means tolerating more waiting.

Whatever youre waiting for, may I suggest sticking with it until the end?



Those who wait for Me shall not be put to shame. (Isaiah 49:23, ESV).
A hoodie-wearing youth has caused outrage after he was pictured urinating on a war memorial honouring 25,000 servicemen who fell while defending Britain.

The man was caught on camera relieving himself against The Naval Memorial in Portsmouth, Hampshire, which commemorates around 10,000 fallen sailors of the First World War and almost 15,000 of the Second World War.

Veterans today voiced their disgust at the antics and complained that the stone of the memorial is actually deteriorating due to how often it is urinated on.

The shocking scene is the latest in a year-long saga which has seen anti-social thugs desecrating the 'nationally important' monument on the Naval city's seafront during lockdown.

A youth is pictured urinating in The Naval Memorial in Portsmouth, Hampshire, which commemorates around 10,000 fallen sailors of the First World War and almost 15,000 of the Second World War

There are now calls for CCTV cameras to be installed at the site as part of a clampdown.

Royal Navy veteran Chris Purcell, of Portsmouth, lost 20 of his crewmates when his warship, destroyer HMS Sheffield, was sunk by an Exocet missile during the Falklands War.

The 61-year-old said: 'I'm disgusted at what's happened. These yobs are the lowest of the low. It makes my blood boil.

'People like this honoured at these memorials paid the ultimate sacrifice so we can live the life we have got today.

'These yobs just haven't got a clue. Everyone - civilian, veteran, politician - will be up in arms over this.'

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of the city council, branded the incident 'disrespectful'. Pictured: Remembrance Sunday at The Portsmouth Naval Memorial

Fellow local resident Nick Pellatt, who has been crusading for tougher measures to defend the seafront tribute, said: 'I'm disgusted and angry at how many people are doing this. It's backward and selfish.

'People are urinating on the name plaques of people honoured at the war memorial. It's getting to the point that the stonework is being damaged because of the ammonia in the urine.

'The memorial absolutely stinks at the moment because it's been heavily weed on. It's disgraceful. Something needs to be done to stop this.'

Councillor Donna Jones, is head of Portsmouth's Conservative group at Portsmouth City Council.

The former city council leader said: 'This is the ultimate insult to many people across the city. Those that have done this should hold their heads in shame.'

The shocking scene is the latest in a year-long saga which has seen anti-social thugs desecrating the nationally important monument on the Naval city's seafront during lockdown. Pictured in June 2020

Stephen Morgan, Portsmouth South MP and Labour's shadow armed forces minister, was also appalled.

'Portsmouth Naval Memorial is an invaluable part of our city's heritage and desecrating it in this way will cause untold hurt to our local families,' he added.

'Incidents like this at our city's historic landmarks have unfortunately been too commonplace and it must be urgently sorted now without delay.'

A Service on Remembrance Sunday held at The Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common, that commemorates all those lost at sea in WW1 and WW11

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of the city council, branded the incident 'disrespectful' adding: 'This monument honours the tens of thousands of men killed during the First and Second World War who paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep this country free.

'We will do whatever we can to try and make sure people treat this really important monument the respect it deserves.'

However, he said installing CCTV 'wasn't practical' given that offenders tended to use sheltered parts of the monument where roofs were 'low enough for cameras to be ripped down'.
(Newser)  The name Kathleen Folbigg may not be familiar to Americans, but it surely is to Australians. The 53-year-old is known as the nation's "worst female serial killer" after being convicted of murdering her four babies in the 1990s, reports the Guardian. Folbigg, though, has always maintained her innocence, and now 90 scientists have signed a petition backing her up and calling for her to be pardoned. Folbigg blamed the deaths on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and the scientists agree that the infants almost certainly died of natural causes. Specifically, they blame genetic mutations, explains the New York Times. The researchers found that Folbigg an extremely rare mutation of a gene known as CALM2, as did two of her babies, Laura and Sarah. The defect has been known to trigger cardiac arrest and deaths among infants and older children.

story continues below

Folbigg's other two children, Caleb and Patrick, had different genetic mutations related to fatal epileptic seizures. We would feel exhilarated for Kathleen if she is pardoned, immunologist Carola Vinuesa of Australian National University tells the Times. It would send a very strong message that science needs to be taken seriously by the legal system. Vineusa lays out the research in the Conversation, adding that more such cases are likely to surface as science improves. Folbigg was convicted largely based on diary entries presented at her trial, including one in which she wrote that Sarah died "with a bit of help." Folbigg said it referred to her hope that God had taken her. Authorities are now considering the newly submitted petition from the scientists, two of whom are Nobel laureates. If the petition fails, Folbigg will be eligible to seek parole in 2028. (Read more SIDS stories.)
Ella Gouman deleted the messages from her phone but can't wipe them from her head no matter how hard she tries.

'DRINK BL3ACH'. 'DO IT W***E'.

The vile messages poured in for two years as an evil cyber stalker created 120 different profiles to transmit a torrent of hate to the New Zealander from the small town of Milton, 50kms south of Dunedin.

'I hope the dirty little s**t kills herself'. 'Tell her to overdose on pills'.

The horrid texts came from multiple directions as the glamorous 21-year-old's Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Trade Me accounts exploded for all the wrong reasons.

'She was relentless,' Ms Gouman said, while adding 'the fact someone could get satisfaction from something so nasty is disturbing'.

Ella Gouman received disgusting messages from 120 different fake social media accounts over two years with some telling her to kill herself

Tahlia Cochrane messaged Ms Gouman (pictured) on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Trade Me staring in 2018

The woman Ms Gouman is referring to is Tahlia Cochrane who was so persistent that each time one of her fake accounts was shut down, she would create another to continue her evil campaign.

Cochrane pleaded guilty to two charges under New Zealand's Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 in Dunedin District Court on Wednesday, March 10 with the judge saying it was the worst cyber abuse case he had ever heard.

'Some nights I would go to bed and hear Tahlia's messages repeating in my head,' Ms Gouman wrote in an emotional victim-impact statement.

She told Daily Mail Australia this week that the abuse started over a boy they had both dated.

'It started out of pure jealousy. She had an obsession with my boyfriend, but the obsession soon moved to me,' she said.

The first message landed in her Instagram account in 2018 calling her a 'flat chested, bung-eyed frog'.

Ms Gouman's memory of the initial abuse is hazy as she didn't begin taking screen shots of the messages until police began investigating.

'I didn't know it was Tahlia behind the accounts. I didn't know it would kick off from there,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Ms Gouman, through her own detective work, eventually discovered it was Cochrane but without proof there was little she could do about it.

'When I first went to the police and was told nothing could be done it was pretty upsetting, and made me pretty mad,' she said.

'I knew it was her, but there was no proof. Nothing was serious enough back at the start to look into it further.'

The 21-year-old (pictured) said the abuse started over a boyfriend she and Cochrane had both dated

The abusive messages included pictures mocking her body and face calling her 'disgusting' and 'ugly'

The messages, and by now even pictures and memes, flooded her inbox from mystery accounts.

A beautiful picture of Ms Gouman holding a dog was captioned 'AHAHAH 2 MUTTS' with the words 'look at your fat pig nose' and 'potato head' printed on top.

'Hey piggy how's your life in the mud' followed with emojis of a pig and 'Oink oink, oink oinkkkkk oink'.

A closeup image of her face was brutally mocked telling her to wax her 'caterpillar brows' while pointing out the size of her chin and forehead.

Ms Gouman said she initially found ways to cope with the abuse but was eventually overwhelmed during coronavirus lockdowns.

'The whole time from when it begun has been really difficult, but I dealt with it anyway,' she said.

'It wasn't until we had lock down, when her offending become a lot worse, that I really begun to struggle.

Cochrane was so persistent that each time one of her fake accounts was shut down, she would create another to continue her evil campaign (some of her messages pictured)

'This is when the police become more involved, and when she was first arrested on May 1, 2020.'

Ms Gouman said she resorted to shutting down all her social media accounts to avoid seeing the hurtful messages but that simply made Cochrane change her target as she began contacting Ms Gouman's sister.

At one point Ms Cochrane said: 'How's your mental health?' with a laughing emoji.

Cochrane even stole the victim's clothes, make up and cut the cord on her hair straightener while she was on bail waiting for sentencing which resulted in two more theft charges.

Defence lawyer, Ann Leonard, said Cochrane was addicted to social media, had a personality disorder and a tough upbringing.

'She told me it was like somebody flicking a switch and she can't stop,' the court heard according to the NZ Herald.

'She becomes so angry she has to lash out.'

Cochrane began messages Ms Gouman's sister after she shut down her social media accounts to escape the torrid of abuse

Judge Kevin Phillips said he did not believe Cochrane was sorry for her actions but felt jailing her was not 'justifiable'.

Cochrane was handed six months' community detention and banned from social media for 12 months.

Ms Gorman said she hoped Cochrane would get the help she needed.

'I feel pity towards her, that she's obviously so unhappy with herself that she has to try and bring someone else down with her, out of pure jealousy,' she said.

'There is no excuse for what she's done to me, and as I said to the judge, I hope she gets the help that she clearly needs.'

Ms Gouman said Cochrane should have received a harsher sentence as a deterrent.

'I feel the punishment was rather light for the extent of the offending she had actually done, but she is clearly unwell,' she said.

'A prison sentence could have made this a lot worse, and I would fear for myself more when she got out'

Ms Gouman said victims of cyber harassment should contact police immediately and persist until they investigate.

'Don't be afraid to reach out! If you're not getting any action, keep pushing! Keep every little piece of evidence. Don't let it get under your skin!, she said.

'If someone is bullying you, it's only showing more about them as a person, and not you. If it is really affecting you mentally, speak up! You're not alone.'
The leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), George Simion, is requesting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) to intervene with the authorities in Chisinau so that he may be allowed access to the Republic of Moldova, as a Romanian dignitary, the AUR MP claiming he is stuck at the Leuseni Border Crossing Point, where he was informed that he is denied entry to the country until 2023.

"If it's necessary, I'll stay here until 2023, so that I am allowed access to the Republic of Moldova. I request diplomatic assistance and I am waiting on the authorities in Chisinau, the Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify this situation and to understand that I have every right to cross the Pruth [River] as a Romanian MP," said George Simion, co-chair of AUR, according to a release of the party sent on Sunday to AGERPRES.

According to AUR, George Simion is traveling to Chisinau upon the invitation of MPs in the Moldovan Parliament's Commitee for European Integration.

He also intends to attend the funeral of writer Nicolae Dabija, the quoted source mentions.
BIMSTEC invitation apart, Lanka undecided whether to recognise Myanmar junta View(s):

An invitation to Myanmars Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwina retired colonel appointed to that position after the February military coup  to participate in a Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) meeting this month, did not signify Colombo had accepted the military junta or rejected it, says Foreign Secretary Admiral (Ret) Jayanath Colombage. We dont talk anything about it, he said. As far as BIMSTEC is concerned, Myanmar is a member. And it is the practice for us to write to the incumbent Foreign Minister, President or Prime Minister when extending an invitation.

As the BIMSTEC chair, we have to do the planning. The only thing is that it was an issue for the people of Myanmar and some others. We merely followed standard practice Secretary Colombage adds.
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In November 2018, Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Veronica Garcia stood in front of a crowd of community leaders and promised to eat one of her signature hats if the districts students didnt have a breakthrough year that school year.

Well, the breakthrough, as far as statistics go, in fact didnt happen in 2018-19.

And there was never a hat-eating event (even after Garcia had hedged her headgear bet, suggesting someone could make an edible hat for her consumption if her prediction didnt come true).

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But it turns out that Garcia wasnt too far off in her prophecy of success for SFPS. The breakthrough came in the 2019-20, as revealed only recently in data released by the state Public Education Department.

The SFPS graduation rate jumped to 86.3%, up more than 10% from the 78.1% rate for 2018-19 and the second-best graduation rate among New Mexico school districts. As recently as the class of 2017, the SFPS graduation rate was less than 70%, meaning close to a third of students werent getting diplomas.

Now comes the news that Garcia  perhaps New Mexicos best known educator, as a former state public education chief and often de facto spokesperson for New Mexicos public schools  has decided to retire after 48 years in her profession. Shell officially leave the district at the end of June.

The sizeable gains in graduation rates are an impressive accomplishment for Garcia and the school board that has kept her around for five years, a relatively long tenure for a superintendent.

So Garcia is going out a winner, despite more than a year of struggling to keep students learning during the pandemic.

She was hired back as Santa Fe superintendent in 2016, after first holding the position from 1999-2002.

The graduation rate actually dipped a bit in her first year back, an expected result, Garcia said, because district leaders had tightened up an online class credits program. The district wanted to make sure we graduate kids who are ready, she said.

Now, it will be interesting to see if SFPS can sustain its graduation gains going forward.

With the pandemic, some special measures were in play as students ended their school year in at-home learning. The Public Education Department gave seniors an extra month to meet graduation requirements and waived the 1,080 hours of instruction typically needed. Seniors were allowed to take year-end exams to meet graduation requirements and those who failed a spring class could recover through special projects or submitting portfolios.

But all New Mexico districts had to deal with COVID problems, and SFPS excelled, helped along by voter approval bond funding a few years ago for technology improvements that included tablets for every student.

In her first stint as Santa Fe superintendent, Garcia calmed a district that was wobbling after years of rapid-fire turnover at the top and financial mismanagement. She then served as the state secretary of education from 2003-10 under Gov. Bill Richardson. Before returning to SFPS, she was executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children.

She more recently played a key role in the landmark Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit, serving as a key witness in the litigation that led to a judges ruling that New Mexico wasnt providing an adequate education for many students, spurring a major increase in state school funding.

Garcia has cited several programs for improving the Santa Fe districts performance, including aligning curriculum among teachers and from grade to grade, professional development programs for educators and a program where high school seniors serve as mentors for freshmen.

Garcia, 70, has acknowledged that dealing with pandemic-era schooling has been a grind. This last year has been like two for me, she said. As I look at my personal circumstances, where things are, it just seems like now was a good time.

Santa Fe Public Schools still has many serious challenges. Student proficiency scores, as shown when last published, remain way too low. An effort to make the school district more equitable for all students, including in how interzonal transfers take place, seems to have stalled during the pandemic.

We havent always agreed with Garcia, as when she cancelled classes and encouraged students to attend a Roundhouse political rally in support of more school funding during Susana Martinezs gubernatorial administration.

But Garcia has shown that hard work and smart management can make a difference where the rubber meets the road, in student gains.

She may be riding off into the sunset and, for now, the Santa Fe community can offer her its thanks and wish her well as she moves into retirement.

But it will be no surprise if Garcia somehow remains a participant in New Mexicos discussions over public education. Otherwise, there will be a big hole to fill.
World Relief demands Pres. Biden raise refugee ceiling as promised

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An evangelical aid organization has urged President Joe Biden to fulfill his promise to raise the refugee ceiling more than a month after his administration announced 62,500 refugees would be allowed to enter the United States this year.

The Biden administration sent the report to Congress on Feb. 12 announcing the entry of 62,500 refugees. A month later, over 700 refugees are still waiting and had to cancel their flights to the U.S. due to delayed action by the administration.

On Friday, Christian humanitarian aid organization World Reliefs Senior Vice President Jenny Yang moderated the "Justice Delayed" panel with other aid organizations to discuss why they're urging the Biden administration to raise the refugee cap.

The panelists included: John Slocum, interim executive director of Refugee Council USA; Melanie Nezer, senior vice president of public affairs at Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society; Basuze Magodo, resettlement specialist at World Relief Memphis and former refugee; Todd Turner, community sponsorship lead for Grace Immanuel UCC; and Jennifer Sime, senior vice president of U.S. Programs at International Rescue Committee.

World Relief and other refugee resettlement groups receive funding from federal taxpayers and are paid on a per refugee basis.

Slocum of Refugee Council USA noted that, as a senator, Biden co-sponsored the Refugee Act in 1980. This legislation created the current system of refugee resettlement and has allowed in an average of 95,000 refugees yearly since then.

[This] is who we are as a country, Slocum said. Its what we do. It reflects our values, our religious traditions, our foreign policy commitments, and its written into our laws. The United States has been the worlds leader in refugee resettlement.

Raising the refugee cap from a record low during the Trump administration was one of Bidens campaign priorities, and in November, the then-Democratic presidential candidate promised a Jesuit group that he would raise the refugee settlement ceiling to 125,000 annually.

In the Feb. 12 report to Congress, the Biden administration stated: A robust refugee admissions program is critical to U.S. foreign policy interests and national security objectives. Refugee protection is a concrete demonstration of the United States commitment to human rights, including freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression, and is necessary to mobilize other countries to meet their humanitarian obligations. It is a demonstration of solidarity with refugees and the countries hosting them, and furthers the United States international commitments.

A month after Biden sent the report to Congress stating that 62,500 refugees would be resettled in the U.S. this year, the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions has yet to be signed.

This is more than quadruple the Trump administrations refugee cap from last year that only allowed 15,000 refugees, which was a historic low criticized by these aid organizations. At the time, the Trump administration said the refugee cap was justified because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sime, of the International Rescue Committee, said raising the ceiling would provide the U.S. with an opportunity to make up for lost time after four years of lower refugee numbers.

We are calling on the Biden administration to immediately sign the Presidential Determination and restore American leadership in refugee resettlement. , Sime said.

The United States has a unique opportunity to once again become the leader for refugee resettlement and set the example for others to follow," she continued. "We learned during the past four years that when the U.S. settled fewer refugees, other countries did the same thing. There are now 80 million refugees and internally displaced persons around the world. There are approximately 1-and-a-half million who need immediate resettlement."

Magodo, a specialist at World Relief Memphis and former refugee, said his family had to cancel their flights due to Bidens delay in signing the determination. He added that their medical clearance will soon expire if action is not taken quickly.

Right now, they are praying very hard; they are hoping that the president and those people advising him  that they will come to a decision and formalize that number.  Right now, they are going through a very tough moment, Magodo said.

The proposed FY 2021 allocation includes 22,000 refugees from Africa, 6,000 from East Asia, 4,000 from Europe and Central Asia, 5,000 from Latin/South America and the Caribbean, 13,000 from Near East/South Asia, and another 12,500 from an unallocated reserve.

Nezer of Hebrew Aid Society said signing the determination to allow more refugees to resettle will help the U.S. return to normalcy.

It is normal for the U.S. to admit refugees through the U.S. refugee admission program, offering safety and the chance at a decent life to people who are persecuted. Its time to get back to it , Nezer asserted. For that reason  on behalf of refugees around the world, we urge the president to sign the Presidential Determination.

Slocum concurred, adding, Its now time to put pen to paper. We urge the president to sign the revised admissions goal without delay.  Further delay only harms the most vulnerable future Americans.
It's been another torrid few weeks on team vaccine. Most frontline health workers are done and dusted; most over-85s have received their first of two Covid-19 vaccine shots; the medically vulnerable have been moved up the priority list.

But the airwaves have been dominated by patchy deliveries; a doctor's tale of scouring his county for spare syringes; and for the second week in a row fewer over-80s will be vaccinated because of a shortage of Moderna supplies. The ever-diminishing deliveries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are an international diplomatic issue.

All this as Covid-19 numbers remain stubbornly high and a summer of restrictions looms.

Out of the gloom, Professor Brian MacCraith appears on the Teams meeting holding a metaphorical torch for the vaccine.

"We have the flame working now. It's flickering a bit with supply vulnerability, but this will be in full flame when we will have multi-million doses as we move through quarter two."

The physics professor who chairs the High-Level Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force has been shy about committing to projections, given the volatility of the vaccine supply.

Today he wants to convey the message that the country is on track to deliver first vaccine doses to three million people by the end of June.

He adds a caveat to everything with terms like "dependent on supply", but he has figures at the ready, and a summary goes like this:

* Ireland expects to get delivery of its biggest ever shipment of 175,000 to 200,000 Covid-19 vaccines - Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca - all around March 31, give or take a day or two.

* The shipment will be followed up by more big deliveries that will "ramp up" through April, May and June, delivering an average of 1m doses every month.

* Three million adults should be offered a first shot of vaccine by the end of June - around 80pc of the adult population of 3.75m.

* The country's 38 vaccination centres will become operational in April, the larger centres opening first. Thirteen are already operational.

* The vaccination centres offer 800 vaccine booths between them and the largest is capable of vaccinating 5,000 people a day or 35,000 people a week - and most will be seven-day operations.

* A public portal on which people can register for the vaccine will also become operational from April, although he doesn't have an exact date for that. So far so good for the High-Level Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force, and for the Taoiseach, who hung his hat on "vaccinating 80pc of the population by June" when announcing continued Level 5 restrictions last month.

"The Taoiseach's pronouncement that up to 80pc of people will be vaccinated by the end of June is a reasonable assumption based on all we know at the moment," says MacCraith.

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"On average, we expect to receive about a million a month or more in quarter two and that provides an awful lot of capability for us to vaccinate a significant population."

Prof MacCraith's defence of the vaccination programme comes after last week in which the Government was attacked about a vaccine programme that has been progressing at "a snail's pace" and the "abject failure" of the Health Minister missing his "modest" target of 1.25m doses of vaccine by the end of March.

The Taoiseach was grilled on whether the Government had gone the extra mile to secure additional doses or whether it has done enough to hoover up any spares. Questions have been raised as to whether Ireland missed a trick by not getting in earlier on EU vaccine procurement negotiations last autumn, to snap up the supplies that some countries turned down as too expensive.

Prof MacCraith suggests that was before his time - he joined the High-Level Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force in November when it was set up.

Did we miss a trick?

"I think all of these issues have been discussed and addressed in recent days - there is no magic supply of vaccines out there," he says.

"Since I've been involved the Government has availed of every opportunity and every option available. And in all cases, to my knowledge, we've achieved our pro-rata allocation."

He also says there is "no opportunity to pursue the manufacture of vaccine" here - he and IDA boss, Martin Shanahan, who also sits on the vaccine task force, have looked into this in detail.

In any case, all countries are "focused on the same thing" at the moment, he says: "vaccinating our own people first" and even after that "there's no solid indication from anywhere that vaccines will become available".

"Like there is no vaccine sitting on shelves anywhere," he says.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine - and its see-saw supply to the European Union - has impacted on roll-out across the Continent and not just Ireland.

The British-Swedish company committed 100m doses to the EU by the end of March, then cut that to 40m and on Friday reduced that further to 30m - a third of what was initially promised. It leaves Ireland with a vaccine shortfall of about 45,000.

After one delivery change too many, the gloves came off last week, with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and then the Taoiseach Micheal Martin demanding answers from AstraZeneca and its chief executive, Pascal Soriot.

Prof MacCraith runs through the schedule changes that were the straw that broke the camel's back. "We were expecting 64,000 doses on Friday, February 26. On Tuesday, February 23, late in the day, it was cancelled," he says. "I mean, you've planned your week around this!"

He continues: "We were expecting, or we were told we were getting an extra 12,000 [in addition to the regular delivery] the following week to compensate for that. On the Friday of the same week, that was cancelled," he says.

"On March 8, we were expecting 52,900 doses to arrive next week from AstraZeneca. We were told on Tuesday of last week we would get 26,000. We were told on Thursday that we would get less than that." It was the late notice of the schedule changes that caused most disruption.

"Clinics have been set up to use AstraZeneca particularly for healthcare and frontline health care workers. At such late notice, and literally going into a weekend, really just disrupted plans and it meant that some of the planned numbers of people to be vaccinated just couldn't be addressed," he says.

He has regular meetings with AstraZeneca's country manager, which despite the frustration, seem to be polite affairs. "How it would go is we get a phone call indicating to us that there's an update. We would have the conversation and it would be conveyed to us what the changes are and that would happen," he says.

Asked what explanations AstraZeneca gave for the delivery changes, he says: "Well the sort of explanations given will talk about challenges and yield."

What does it mean? "It is sufficiently. vague," he says.

He says Leo Varadkar, the Tanaiste, asked the question "we'd all love the answer to".

"If AstraZeneca supplies to the EU are facing all these challenges, why does it not equally apply to supplies to the UK and the US?" he says.

He raised the question with AstraZeneca in one of his meetings.

"I mentioned it, but I have not really had a clear answer on the matter. But I think it needs to be raised at a higher level and I am delighted the Taoiseach has asked to meet the CEO of AstraZeneca. So I hope that meeting takes place and I hope a satisfactory answer is given."

The meeting took place on Friday night but the Taoiseach has not disclosed whether he asked that question or received a satisfactory answer.

As a result of the string of supply upheavals, the Government has downgraded its reliance on AstraZeneca from 40pc to 20pc of vaccine stocks, according to Prof MacCraith.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine - a single dose, fridge-friendly vaccine - is coming on stream next month with a "general expectation" of 600,000 doses, but most probably in June and July.

"They are going to deliver 2.2m doses to Ireland in 2021 - starting in the second half of April and will ramp up from there," he says.

The frequently changing numbers around the vaccine supply are confusing.

But Prof MacCraith rejects criticism of the three different voices speaking on the biggest inoculation project ever undertaken in the country: the HSE, the Department of Health and now the Task Force (which he points out has no executive powers, although executives with power sit at the table).

"We try to engage and you will see a lot more information coming out in the coming weeks, a steady coherent stream of information coming out," he says.

He says the difficulty is "balancing the uncertainty that's out there with the constant requests for precision".

"And I think what we really want to give people is information that inspires confidence," he says.

To this end, Prof MacCraith has more figures. He says the "administration efficiency" of the programme is "very, very high". He says 95pc of all available doses that were in the country on February 24 were administered by March 3. So, the speed of administration "is very high indeed".

He produces more figures that show dramatic reductions in Covid-19 cases in the worst-affected groups - health workers, nursing home residents and staff and those over 85.

If the point of a vaccination programme is to reduce mortality, severe illness, and hospitalisation, he says, these figures suggest it's working.

MacCraith is rushing off but he jams in more positive messaging, even as he departs, reprising his trusty torch analogy.

"The flame is lit. It is flickering with fluctuating oxygen because of the vaccine supply. But this is going to be a flaming torch by the end of quarter two," he says.

"Watch this space."
The third edition of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations (MBZMFG 2021) set to be held today (March 14) in Abu Dhabi, UAE will gather leaders, youth, decision makers, government officials, experts, and entrepreneurs.



The virtual event is organised by the Education Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court under the theme Thriving in the Next Normal; it presents an interactive platform for young participants to engage in constructive dialogue with the speakers in an effort to enhance their skills, empower them, and engage them in the plans to shape a better future.



The 2021 Majlis welcomes 36 speakers with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. All in all, the virtual sessions of the event will feature 12 ministers, six high-ranking federal and local government officials, several international experts, and a group of prominent local and international entrepreneurs.



The sessions of the MBZMFG 2021 will be streamed on social media channels, while more than 13,000 young participants join the event on its official website. Activities will also include the unveiling of findings from an unprecedented study conducted with young Emiratis to gauge their vision for the UAEs agenda for the next 50 years.



Mohamed Khalifa Al Nuaimi, Director of the Education Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, said: The events third edition this year coincides with the UAEs celebration of its 50thanniversary; it provides the ambitious young participants with real opportunities to meet and connect directly with high-profile and influential decision makers, government officials, and international experts. It is a chance for them to gain experience that will train and empower them to be the leaders of the future.



This years event is taking place amid a rapidly changing world, entirely transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Al Nuaimi added. In this new reality, young people and their efforts remains a prominent player. This makes the Mohamed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations more important this year, where it will encourage talented young individuals to come forward with their ideas and innovations that will support the sustainable development of our communities and carry us forward towards a bright and better future.



AlAnood Al Kaabi, Education Programs Manager at the Education Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, said: This years innovative edition of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations presents a series of interactive sessions featuring experts in various fields. The objective is to inspire the young participants to tap into their creative energies and propose scenarios that will allow us to steer the post-COVID-19 phase to our advantage, continue moving forward, and preserve the achievements our country has made over the past 50 years.



Their ideas will help carry us to new accomplishments that fulfil the aspirations of our wise leadership and the dreams of our Founding Fathers for the UAE to be the best country in the world in the next 50 years, Al Kaabi added.



The 2021 Majlis focuses on three primary themes: A Changing World, New Opportunities, and The Next 50 Years. It aims to empower a new generation of leaders with interactive virtual experiences that motivate and engage them in plans to shape a bright future for the UAE.  TradeArabia News Service
Dan Worrall knows more about Houston-area history than any concertina enthusiast Ive ever known. The fact that the Fulshear resident is the only concertina enthusiast Ive ever known - the object of his musical affection looks like a small accordion  does not diminish the fact that he is a gifted amateur historian. A member of the Harris County Historical Commission who writes and publishes books as a labor of love, he has an almost uncanny ability to dig deep and uncover Houstons undiscovered or forgotten past.

Thanks to Worralls first book, Pleasant Bend: Upper Buffalo Bayou and the San Felipe Trail in the 19th Century (2016), Ill be driving along San Felipe and suddenly recall the thousands of German immigrants who landed at Galveston in the1840s, loaded up covered wagons and headed west along San Felipe Trail. Or Ill imagine thousands of formerly enslaved African Americans trudging along the trail in the opposite direction after the original Juneteenth, headed to Houston and freedom or farther east searching for lost family members. Hang out with Worrall for a while, and youll see Houston and environs differently.

With his latest book, A Prehistory of Houston and Southeast Texas, the retired Shell geologist ventures back pretty far - back 30,000 years, in fact, to the last Glacial Age. With assistance from Rice University geologist John Anderson and geophysicists at Compagnie Generale de Geophysique in Houston, he recreates the dramatically evolving landscape and the culture that emerged from the cooler climate over millennia. Its a culture that lived sustainably on the land we call home for more than 13,000 years, until overwhelmed by European disease and colonization. Thats a lot to cover in a 485-page book, much less a newspaper column, so Ill focus on one small portion that Worrall explores.

A Frenchman named Simars de Bellisle is a good place to start. Most of us, I suspect, have never heard of him, even though Worrall calls him the first Houstonian.

On August 14, 1719, Bellisle sailed as an officer on the Marechal dEstree, a French West Indies Company ship bound for Louisiana. Entering the Gulf of Mexico, the ships captain got lost, sailed past the mouth of the Mississippi and ran aground near Galveston Bay. Bellisle and three other officers were put ashore, apparently with the idea they would walk back to Louisiana and get help.

Meanwhile, the ship floated free and sailed away while the castaways watched from shore. (Imagine shaking fists and words unprintable in French or English.)

Not unlike Cabeza de Vaca two centuries earlier, the Frenchmen started walking. One by one, Bellisles three companions died of starvation or exposure. Bellisle, barely subsisting on oysters, boiled grass and huge yellow worms he pried from driftwood, eventually encountered a group of Akokisa Indians collecting eggs on an island in Galveston Bay. The Akokisa, a band of the Atakapa cultural and ethnic group, fed him. And enslaved him.

Kept naked and often beaten, Bellisle wandered with the Akokisa throughout the summer of 1720, while the band hunted deer and bison and dug wild potatoes along the western shore of Galveston Bay. On one of the bison hunts, he struggled to keep up with his captors on a three-day dead run from the shore of Trinity Bay, perhaps near present-day Baytown, onto the Katy Prairie. Worrall told me by phone last week that the band had acquired four horses by then, but everybody else had to keep up as best they could.

Despite his maltreatment, Bellisle noted that they were traversing the most beautiful country in the world. He eventually made it back to the French outpost at Natchitoches, La., probably without knowing that his captor/saviors were ancient ones, having lived on the land that we call greater Houston and Southeast Texas for at least 13,500 years. Worrall suggests that their descendants live among us today. They were a cohesive tribal group into the early 1800s.

Some today, Worrall writes, have Anglo names, and others Cajun French names. Some are African American. All have descended from the intermarriage of their Atakapan grandparents with the local Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana population.

Worrall came across an account of an Akokisa group that lived into the early 20th century along Cypress Creek, near todays Telge Park in Cypress. (The group had by then merged with a band of Atakapa called the Bidai.) Chester Telge, born in 1918, recalled that they were still there when he was growing up, living in hide tents.

In an interview with archaeologists, Telge recalled that his father and grandfather occasionally gave the Indians beef and hides. His grandmother traded with them. On baking day, she would wrap a large loaf of bread and leave it on the back porch. By sundown, the Indians would have exchanged it for a large catfish.

But then there came a day in the early 1920s when the loaf of bread remained on the porch long past sundown. Telges grandmother brought it back into the house. In German she announced to her family, The Indians are no more.

So, whats the point of trying to understand these vanished ancient people? Worrall has a ready answer: The earliest Anglo and African-American settlers of Southeast Texas got here nine generations ago. The ancient ones lived here for at least 650 generations. Apparently, they knew something about living on the land.

They managed vast prairies, keeping them open from woody vegetation by means of frequent burning, Worrall writes. They learned to live along river and creek banks with a bounty of aquatic and lowland fauna and flora, and on the bays, harvesting brackish water fish and shellfish. And when their time came to an end, the ecosystems where they lived for those many millennia were still in a healthy state. Theirs was a sustainable, very long-term occupation of the land, and the comparison with our own brief occupation in this regard is stark.

In other words, they were completely sustainable for more than 10,000 years. In our brief time in the area, weve increased the population more than 2,000 times and paved over a great deal more, Worrall reminded me in our phone conversation. Were living in an explosion of people, he said. Its not sustainable.

Here's one other sobering observation from Worrall, who was writing, he notes, at a time when our own civilization is battling a dangerous global pandemic: More than at any recent time, we may empathize with a people who lost more than 95 percent of their population to a deadly mix of successive epidemics.

Our forebears on this land were prey to unpredictability. Worralls fascinating book is a reminder that we are too.

**

Dan Worrall will be signing A Prehistory of Houston and Southeast Texas at Beckers Books on Sunday, March 28, at 2 p.m. The bookstore is located at 7405 Westview Drive in Houston.

djholley10@gmail.com

Twitter: holleynews
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2021) Bahrain is interested in the production of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in the kingdom, the country's ambassador to Moscow, Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Saati, told Sputnik on Sunday.

"Bahrain is extremely interested in cooperation with Russia on the production of vaccines. There is an agreement in principle and proposals from Bahrain to the Russian Direct Investment Fund. We want to create a small laboratory for the production of vaccines, and not only against the coronavirus. We will start with the Sputnik V vaccine, it will become the basis, and eventually, we will start producing vaccines against influenza and other infectious diseases," the ambassador said.

The diplomat noted that the Persian Gulf region was in constant need of vaccines and was open for trade and tourism. The ambassador added that he would contact Russian laboratories and authorities to address the issue.

Even though Bahrain has the funding and desire to set up a laboratory for vaccine manufacturing, it needs "Russian science and experience in this field," the diplomat added.

The opening of the laboratory may pave the way to new forms of bilateral cooperation, including joint medical centers and hospitals in Bahrain, which could become "the center of Russian pharmaceuticals in the region," Al Saati said.
Kabul, March 14 : An official of a local court and a police officer were killed in Afghanistan on Sunday morning, the latest in a string of targeted killings in the war-torn country.

In Ghazni city, the capital of Ghazni province, the official, identified as Quban Ali, was shot dead by two gunmen in Police District 2 of the city when he was on his way to office, provincial government spokesman, Wahidullah Jumazada, told Xinhua news agency.

The assailants fled the scene and the provincial police have launched an investigation into the case, he said.

In neighbouring Nangarhar province, a police officer was killed in the provincial capital Jalalabad city.

Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 2,950 civilians were killed and over 5,540 others wounded due to fighting in 2020, according to the country's independent human rights commission.

In 2020, targeted attacks caused 2,250 civilian casualties, including 1,078 deaths, and 1,172 injuries, according to the commission.
The Chinese side expresses its strong condemnation of and firm opposition to "groundless slanders at China" and blatant interference in China's internal affairs by some politicians, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Britain said Saturday.

Responding to a statement by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and another joint statement by the Group of Seven foreign ministers and the High Representative of the European Union, both on issues related to Hong Kong, the spokesperson said that the authority of China's National People's Congress's decision to improve the electoral system of Hong Kong "brooks no challenge."

"This decision was made by China's highest organ of state power," said the spokesperson, adding that it is in line with the provisions of the Constitution of China and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, conforms to universal practice, and constitutes a necessary step to uphold and improve the mechanisms of "one country, two systems."

Improving the electoral system in Hong Kong and implementing the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" will promote the sound development of the democratic system in Hong Kong, better safeguard the rights, interests and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens, and ensure the steady and sustained practice of "one country, two systems," said the spokesperson.

Moreover, the so-called "China breaches the Sino-British Joint Declaration" is a non issue, the spokesperson said, adding that the core content of the Joint Declaration is to ensure China resumes exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and its historical mission was completed at the handover.

"The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of 'supervision' over Hong Kong after the handover, and it has no so-called 'obligations' to Hong Kong citizens. No foreign country or organisation has the right to take the Joint Declaration as an excuse to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs," the spokesperson said.

China strongly opposes any external interference, said the spokesperson, adding that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China.

"How to design and improve its electoral system is purely China's internal affair and brooks no external interference," the spokesperson said.

The attempts of politicians from the relevant countries and groups, including Britain, to distort facts and impose unwarranted accusations on China will in no way change the judgement of the just force in the international community, said the spokesperson.

"China has the will, determination and capability to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests. We urge the relevant countries and groups, including the UK, to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs," said the spokesperson.
CFW @18 looks at fashion in a post-COVID reality By Sashini Rodrigo View(s): View(s):

Continuing to uphold their core beliefs in sustainable and ethical fashion, the 18th edition of HSBC Colombo Fashion Week will focus on the increasingly important aspect of circularity for their Summer 2021 showcase taking place from March 25 to 27.

This years theme of Circularity in Fashion focuses on transformation in fashion, inspiring meaningful change in the fashion design industry of Sri Lanka, and promoting sustainability in the new environment created by shifting demands in a post-COVID reality.

Circularity in fashion means societal wellbeing and environmental wellbeing, says Founder and Managing Director of CFW Ajai Vir Singh. Speaking at the official press conference this week, he adds that 2021 is a new chapter for fashion globally in terms of how people perceive, create and consume fashion.

Additionally, the garment evaluation tool titled Responsible Meter  a global first that was introduced last year will continue to be developed in Phase 2 as it strives to create dialogue between creator and consumer.

This edition of CFW will see 21 designers presenting their takes on the theme of circularity across a period of three days, with key designers like Sonali Dharmawardena, Charini Suriyage, Fouzul Hameed, Amilani Perera, Aslam Hussein and Dinushi Pamunuwa amongst others. Joining the illustrious lineup are three alums of CFWs Designer Development Programme, namely Ayesh Milendra, Nilusha Maddumage and Himashi Wijesekera.

Continuing to maintain emphasis on developing the next generation of local fashion designers, 11 high potential young designers from CFWs Emerging Designer Programme will also present their collections this year.

Joining CFW on their journey towards developing fashion in Sri Lanka are their partners, beginning with Title Partner of 14 years HSBC. CEO for HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives Mark Prothero also announced the launch of the HSBC Emerging Designer Fund and NextGen Award, for budding designers to promote sustainability in fashion.

After last years successful collaboration with designer Amilani Perera for her collection Unbreakable, the United Nations Population Fund in Sri Lanka has come on board as strategic partner to raise awareness on the issue of violence against women and girls. We need all segments of society to take action to end violence, and this is where fashion comes in  fashion for a cause, says the Representative of UNFPA in Sri Lanka Ritsu Nacken.

Also joining CFW 2021 is Shangri-La Hotel as Official Hospitality Partner, TRESemme as Official Hair Care Partner, One Galle Face as strategic partner for CFW Retail Week, Vision Care as Official Eyewear Partner, Hameedia, Ramani Fernando as Official Hair and Make-up Partner, Media Factory as Official PR Partner, Emerging Media as Outdoor Digital Media Partner, amongst others.

Keeping in line with strict health protocols and social distancing, CFW will follow a hybrid format that includes limited attendance and livestreams of the runways for local and international audiences.

For more information on CFW Summer 2021, visit their website at www.colombofashionweek.com and their Twitter and Instagram pages @colombofashionweek.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday he was traveling to Asia to boost military cooperation with American allies and foster "credible deterrence" against China.

Austin kicked off via Hawaii, seat of the American military command for the Indo-Pacific region, his first foreign visits as Pentagon chief.

"This is all about alliances and partnerships," he told reporters on the trip that is to include meetings with key allies in Tokyo, New Delhi and Seoul.

"It's also about enhancing capabilities," he added, recalling that while the United States was focused on the anti-jihadist struggle in the Middle East, China was modernizing its army at high speed.

"That competitive edge that we've had has eroded," he said. "We still maintain that edge. We are going to increase that edge going forward."

"Our goal is to make sure that we have the capabilities and the operational plans... to be able to offer a credible deterrence to China or anybody else who would want to take on the US," he added.

Lloyd will be joined in Tokyo and Seoul by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"One of the things that the secretary of state and I want to do is begin to strengthen those alliances," he said. "This will be more about listening and learning, getting their point of view."

This tour in Asia of the heads of diplomacy and defense of the United States follows an unprecedented summit of the "Quad", an informal alliance born in the 2000s to counterbalance a rising China.

Blinken will join President Joe Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, in Anchorage on March 18 with their Chinese counterparts Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi.

The Alaska talks will be the first between the powers since Yang met Blinken's hawkish predecessor Mike Pompeo in June in Hawaii -- a setting similarly far from the high-stakes glare of national capitals.

The Biden administration has generally backed the tougher approach to China initiated by former president Donald Trump, but has also insisted that it can be more effective by shoring up alliances and seeking narrow ways to cooperate on priorities such as climate change.

sl/jm/qan
In the case of Sri Lanka, out of around 21.5 million population, females are around 50.7%, perhaps due to more males being killed in wars and violence.

by Dr Laksiri Fernando

Oppression refers to a mode of human relations involving domination and exploitation  economic, social and psychological  among individuals, social groups and classes within and beyond societies, and globally, among entire societies. - David Gill, Confronting Injustice and Oppression

Rights of Women

Women undoubtedly are the most oppressed throughout all societies, north or south, east, or west, poor, or rich, developed, or underdeveloped, and throughout the most of human history. It is the number one human rights problem today not addressed properly. Out of around 7.8 billion world population, while male-female balance might be 1:1, there is estimated 1.7% people who are intersex. Whereas rights of all people are important, there is a clear oppression and marginalization of women and LGBT people in almost all countries.

In the case of Sri Lanka, out of around 21.5 million population, females are around 50.7%, perhaps due to more males being killed in wars and violence.

When we talk about human rights and oppression, the women question should be mentioned especially in the context of the International Womens Day celebrated on 8 March. In this context, Dr. Santhushya Fernandos speech on this day in Colombo should be especially appreciated. The remembrance of womens rights or rights of all should not be limited to one day but all days. The most henious among womens rights might be the sexual harassment and subjugation due to male domination in love affairs, family, workplace, politics, and society. All of us as men should be mindful of this situation. If it has not come from the socialization of childhood, it should be inculcated through human rights education with emphasis on responsibilities.

There is a possibility that some of the human rights violations like womens rights do happen because of the lack of awareness, socialization, or education. However, the social structures, property laws, workplace practices, profit making, and even religious institutions, justify and perpetuate them. Equality in education (perhaps largely achieved in Sri Lanka), equal pay for men and women, positive measures in promoting women in politics and social activities, are necessary in addition to promoting womens rights through education.

Oppressors and the Oppressed

In historical awareness or advocacy of oppression, it is unfortunate that womens rights have come almost at last. The first person who had talked about women oppression is considered as Alice Paul, beginning of the 20th century, but not yet in all aspects. Such was the prejudice or neglect.

When we talk about oppressors and oppressed, in a dichotomic or dialectical manner, Friedrich Hegel was the first to talk about religious oppression, Catholics as the oppressors and the Protestants as the oppressed in Germany in the 19th century. We know more about Karl Marx, who not only talked about class oppression, but explained underlying economic reasons, the bourgeoisie as the oppressor and proletariat as the oppressed, later in the same century.

The class analysis is still valid as the economic systems have not fundamentally changed except perhaps in countries where the state has strongly intervened as an intermediary like in China or Cuba. The Soviet Union has gone. Even in these societies the classes existed and still exists, but comparatively progressive to societies we live in. There are so many other thinkers who have followed the methodology or class analysis of Marx and Engels.

Vladimir Lenin perhaps was more future thinking in extending this analysis to the global context talking about oppressed and oppressor nations under imperialism. What he or his disciples mainly meant by nations is national states like Sri Lanka. However, there is a possibility of extending this analysis to see an oppressed nations or an oppressed national groups within a nation state.

However, it is highly questionable whether an oppressed nation or a national group within a national state, which is particularly in oppressed conditions, could obtain genuine support of an oppressor nation for their grievances or liberation. There are serious moral questions involved in oppressor nations (i.e. Western) apparent intentions or motivations. All national groups in an oppressed nation under imperialism, whether majority or minority, are in the same soup.

There are several other forms to oppressor-oppressed dichotomy. One is caste. In Sri Lanka this is not unknown. Another is political. In a democracy when authoritarian governments take over or people feel or believe that is the case, that kind of a dichotomy might emerge. However, how far these are subjective, or objective is a subject for debate.

There are equal possibilities of political oppositions (or outside forces) propagating these feelings or ideas. These are symptoms of an underdeveloped democracy where political power struggles are intense. Otherwise, the normal practice in a developed democracy is to wait for the next turn, while constructively criticizing an incumbent government progressively. Australia is one example. There are also needs of bipartisanship on nationally important matters like foreign policy or social welfare measures etc. Sri Lanka is terribly missing them, involved in terrible hatred and violent feelings against each other between governing and opposition parties.

International Context

The terms like imperialism or oppressor-oppressed nations are quite taboo these days as Marxism has become discredited. However, no one can avoid the distinction between rich and poor nations or countries. Even the IMF and the World Bank are compelled to deal with them at least superficially. This is also a number one human rights issue in the world today like gender oppression. Poverty and womens rights go hand in hand in many respects.

Since the end of the Second world war, which was considered a new era in human history, the poor-rich dichotomy or the gap has not subsided but increased. This is under the supervision of the UN with a clear human rights mandate. After the emergence of political neo-liberalism, the situation has worsened.

There are people who believe (and behave that way) that poor countries like Sri Lanka are at the mercy of rich countries like USA, Britain, and EU or OECD countries. It is said that we depend on them for aid, investments, and economic guidance and therefore we should not criticize them even in the human rights sphere. Political realism is wrongly invoked in defense of this despicable approach. This is the colonial mindset whatever the words or terms used defending such shameful approaches. This is the same as what is told to women: you are dependent on men and they are your superiors. Therefore, do what they ask you to do.

Challenging the West is also called narrow nationalism. That is not the case. It is not nationalism, but justice. If it is nationalism, it is the nationalism of the oppressed. What is rampant today in the West is vaccination nationalism on their part. They themselves struggle and compete to monopolize the vaccine. Sri Lanka should support the call by India and South Africa to waver the intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines and treatments. Otherwise, there is no justice to the poor countries, like in the human rights sphere.

Global Exploitation

The countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America are poor not primarily because of their fault. The rich countries are exploiting them. The world is not only in a Lucas Paradox, where the capital does not flow from developed countries to developing countries although the capital per worker in developing countries is terribly low. Adam Smiths or Milton Freedmans free flow or free market does not work. In addition, the studies have revealed that the flow of money from poor countries to rich countries far exceed the flow in the other way round. Let me quote Jason Hickel Aid in Reverse: How Poor Countries Develop Rich Countries (The Guardian  Australia, 14 January 2017).

In 2012, the last year of recorded data, developing countries received a total of $1.3tn, including all aid, investment, and income from abroad. But that same year some $3.3tn flowed out of them. In other words, developing countries sent $2tn more to the rest of the world than they received. If we look at all years since 1980, these net outflows add up to an eye-popping total of $16.3tn  thats how much money has been drained out of the global south over the past few decades. To get a sense for the scale of this, $16.3tn is roughly the GDP of the United States.

Is this not a human rights problem? How far this outflow of money impinged on economic and social rights of the people in poor countries, and the right to development in general? The UN big guns, including the High Commissioner for Human Rights, of course allow few hours for the member countries to discuss the right to development ceremonially. But no tangible solutions are proposed to change the situation.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  At St. Joseph Hill Academy, Sr. M. Charlotte told us about the Ides of March. Latin class prompted us wear black bands on our arm to commemorate the anniversary of Julius Caesars death, the Ides of March. But its not the 1,977th anniversary to mourn these days but a modern day somber moment in time upon which to reflect  March 15, 2020  that day a light switch turned off with restaurants.

Mike Esposito of The Richmond in Stapleton recalls the fateful day. He said, I thought Id be going back to work after two weeks. I remember seeing the last couple of customers to leave the restaurant that night and wed be back to business as usual. I didnt know it was going to be a year of such a life-changing experience. It was nothing like anticipated. The memory comes back to him when he sees those very pair of guests as theyve returned in these times of limited outdoor dining.

Rosemarie Saladino of Marina Cafe said, That was the day they announced we had to close. The cops had come in in the afternoon and said we had to be out of the building by 8 p.m. We ripped apart the kitchen and gave the food away, gave the food to staff.

She remembered, It was a very somber day because people didnt really know what was going on. We were cleaning and prepping and getting rid of food. We cancelled any orders we had coming in  any parties, any reservations. I remember we had a funeral that day and we were like, Its the last time were going to have people in here. It was a freaky time.

Flashback to May, 2020: Al fresco dining at Marina Cafe has been expanded. Here are owners Joe Labriola, left, Rosemarie Saladino and Rob Parascandola. (Courtesy of Marina Cafe)

Janessa Rubino of Facebook page Eat Your Heart out New York said, I remember stopping at Lailas to pickup a to-go order. It was heartbreaking to see an empty dining room. She saw that day how sad were owners Amal and Alan Dakhlallah.

Janessa said, We got teary-eyed. I couldnt believe this was reality. Theyre always so positive. I could also see the fear of uncertainty. And her restaurant-centric Facebook page posts dropped by half.

Everyone was closing. There were no specials to promote, she observed. Most Staten Islanders were fearful of dining out so there were no dishes share.

Alan admits, It was just crazy. We did delivery for a week or two. Then we shut down for the whole April until May, a good 40 days. We were just sitting at home. Never in my life have I sat home for 40 days. The restaurant wasnt even a year old.

Alan Dakhlallah in front of Laila Restaurant during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Staten Island Advance/ Victoria Priola)

After further reflection he said, It was just a scary time. It was like last year never existed. Last year doesnt count.

From the produce guys to the fishmongers, friends who serviced the industry collectively experienced 100% cancellations on orders starting around 8 p.m. on March 15, 2020. Many of us hoarded food and pillaged supermarkets...and the rest is toilet paper history.

Coming back from church on the Ides of March 2020  that would be the last time for months  I headed straight to an East Shore restaurant, summoned by a local artist who was making a huge restaurant announcement.

His story that never got reported that Sunday was about how Staten Islanders could COVID-proof the boroughs restaurants  no kidding  and its OK to laugh aloud because the notion really was ridiculous. If only that were the solution to nip the pandemic in the bud we wouldnt be in this position of limited seating capacities and scores of deaths over the year.

But anyway, that meeting was sobering: it was a time when we desperately sought leadership and clarity. And the reality at the time was that we would take answers from anyone who took charge.

Back when we were in 2020: The final day of school for Andrew and James Cavagnaro watching a ceremony on Zoom with Grandpa. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

And so there was a working Mommy in charge of two little boys, Andrew and James, as we home-schooled and chronicled the implications of a dying restaurant industry from within four walls. Our little guy, now 12, reminded the other day on how we lived our lives on alarms. There was an alarm for wakeup, several for meal and break times, one for pretend school starting and ending times. Time  that we had a lot of on our hands back then. Its the one thing I might miss the most.

Yet forever I will be leery of the Ides of March.

Keep in touch.

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
Change is the only constant in life. Change allows us to grow and become better. Change is good. Unless you're talking about introducing a piece of pop culture from one country to another. That stuff should mostly be left alone. Nobody outside the US wants to pick up, say, a Batman comic only to find out that the publisher drew little berets on Bruce in every frame, changed half the dialogue to be about the awesomeness of French headwear, and renamed the character Le Hatman. But that is basically what happened to some of your favorite books, movies, and comics, like how 

5 Japanese Spider-Man Is A Power Ranger, Powered by Alien Body Fluids

We're willing to admit that Japan might have had trouble accepting Spider-Man in his original form. For example, a big part of the character is that his uncle was shot, and in Japan, pretty much no one owns a gun (so much so that the country actually has a legitimate problem with katana attacks.) That's why, in the Japanese Spider-Man show (1978  1979), the main character is Takuya Yamashiro, and he becomes Spider-Man after losing his father  who is a scientist killed by a robo-dinosaur monster with knife/ax hands after he discovers a spaceship belonging to the alien Professor Monster and his Iron Cross Army. Again, no guns in Japan. What else were they supposed to do? Something not totally rad?

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Of course, more changes had to be made regarding the source of Takuya's powers. For mysterious reasons, Japan has a thing about radioactivity, so instead of a radioactive spider, the Japanese Spider-Man gets his powers from the blood of an alien from Planet Spider who's crash-landed on Earth and spent thousands of years living in a cave. Basically a retelling of Green Lantern's origin, only with more injections from hobos. The alien blood gives Takuya all the familiar Spidey powers like super strength, the ability to climb on walls, his Spider-Sense, etc. But to remain fair and balanced, Japan also focuses on the negative effects of shooting up alien spider-blood like Takuya becoming susceptible to cold. And, one would assume, giant newspapers.

Also, Trucks - the silent killer.

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Actually, though, giant anything probably wouldn't worry Takuya seeing as, unlike Peter Parker, his greatest weapon wasn't his kindness or his dedication to saving the world. It was his mega-cool spaceship called the Marveller, which transformed into a giant-ass robot called Leopardon.
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Martin 'the Viper' Foley is in the clear following Garda enquiries into a video where he told a businessman to 'Google me' as he tried to collect a disputed 10k debt.

The former gangland criminal turned debt-collector made the comment as he visited a taxi business in Ballyfermot, in south-west Dublin on March 4.

He demanded the owner pay the disputed debt to a former business partner.

The dispute over the alleged 10,000 debt, which saw the 70-year-old and a colleague from 'Viper Debt Collection Ltd' call to the man's premises, arose after the man's former partner exited their business.

The businessman is understood to maintain he has already paid his former partner 35,000 and believes no further debts arise.

It is understood, in the wake of Foley telling the man to 'Google me', the businessman did exactly that and was alarmed to learn of Foley's gangland past.

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Officers from Ballyfermot Garda Station visited and spoke with the businessman on two separate occasions in the wake of the video going viral on the internet.

However, he was not asked to give a formal statement in relation to the incident.

But in a statement to the Sunday World, gardai said yesterday that the contents of the video do not at this stage merit criminal investigation.

"Gardai have received reports of a dispute over business debt that is reported to have occurred at a commercial premises in Ballyfermot on 04/03/2021," the statement read.

"At this time this is being treated as a civil matter and no offences have been recorded. Enquiries are ongoing."

In the viral video, first shown on sundayworld.com, Foley can be heard telling the businessman to: "Google me and see who I am."

Addressing the alleged debt, Foley tells the businessman: "He's saying you owe him 10,000.

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"There is proof there. There's text messages."

He continues: "If this goes to court, the court proceedings will outweigh the debt and you'll still have to pay it.

"You'll go to court? So you're saying you're not paying him, are you?"

The businessman responds: "No, I'm not paying him. If he proves it to me, I'll pay him. He hasn't given me the money. I've paid him everything that I owe him. I gave him two cars; I gave him everything that I owed him. I don't owe him this."

Foley then dismisses the businessman and says that he is "acting the bo****ks".

When the businessman mentions that he may get the gardai involved, Foley interrupts him saying: "There's no need to call the cops. I have no need to call the police. Google me and see who I am."

Although no longer listed as a director, the video shows how Foley continues to involve himself in his debt collection company, Viper Debt Recovery and Repossession Agency.

Sources say that he has been spotted in Co. Kildare in recent times trying to retrieve a debt against a businessman in the locality.

Last June, a businessman claimed before the High Court that a former developer is using the firm of criminal Martin 'the Viper' Foley to try to collect a disputed debt from him of more than 100,000.

Foley is one of Ireland's most notorious criminals and has more than 40 convictions, including for assault, robbery and possession of threatening weapons, but has not been charged with a criminal offence for many years.

Foley has links to both factions in the brutal Hutch/Kinahan feud and has known senior players in the rival mobs for decades.

In the aftermath of the Regency Hotel bloodbath in 2016, it was reported that Foley was being targeted by the Kinahan mob over his friendship with Gerry 'the Monk' Hutch.

However, there have been no major issues with Foley since then and no attempts to murder him.

The Viper' was ordered to pay 738,449 in tax, interest and penalties after losing a Supreme Court appeal against a Criminal Assets Bureau tax bill in February of last year.

The interest and penalties incurred over the unpaid tax bill more than trebled the amount initially owed.

Foley came to prominence in the 1980s when he was a member of the gang which was led by slain mobster Martin 'the General' Cahill and as a spokesman for a gang which clashed with the Concerned Parents anti-drug movement.

He was kidnapped by the IRA in 1984 but was freed after a shoot-out between the terrorists and gardai in the Phoenix Park.

Foley's life has been under threat since the late 1980s with different criminal enterprises intent on murdering him.

In the last major attack on his life, he was shot numerous times in broad daylight in Dublin in January 2008 by the Kinahan cartel.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Cliff Owen

I was appalled to see Gavin Donohue in his commentary Theres a role for natural gas in the renewable-energy future," March 2, advocate for burning gas to create electricity and then using that electricity to mine crypto-currency. If we parse his words carefully, he is saying that an otherwise non-competitive energy plant can use this strategy to stay in business, and we should all be happy because that plant will provide backup energy when we need it.

This gas-powered plant would continue to run even when not needed as a backup, adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and worsening climate change, just to make money for someone while creating social benefit for no-one.
The historic merger of SABB and Alawwal bank was completed today (March 14) with all products and services now combined for all customers.

The integration saw the best of both institutions brought together into an enhanced proposition, designed around the growth ambitions of a transforming kingdom, said a statement.

Lubna Olayan, Chair, SABB: Today marks the completion of our integration, but we remain determined to continue delivering on our promise to create a better bank for our customers, our shareholders, our employees - and for our country. As a stronger, more diverse and now fully integrated bank, we are even better positioned to be the bank of choice for a wide range of innovative banking and finance services and to support the exciting transformation of the Kingdom and our economy.

Since legally merging in June 2019, the integration saw every aspect of business reviewed to retain the best of each bank, while also investing to make a more competitive proposition overall.

Today the bank offers Saudi Arabias most complete corporate banking proposition to support growth in all aspects of the economy, from the smallest to largest businesses, through to financing the biggest infrastructure projects. Retail customers will also have access to a larger branch network Kingdom-wide, award winning online and mobile apps, plus a market leading rewards program, it said.

The bank will further leverage its partnership with HSBC to offer access to an unrivalled international banking network, while also introducing new standards in digital services to the Kingdom.

David Dew, Managing Director, SABB: Wed like to thank the regulators for their support in helping us deliver on our goal of creating a better bank for the Kingdom, our customers and our people. Our increased balance sheet and capital means we can better support our customers and deliver greater shareholder value. Were all very proud of the bank we have created and the new world of financial opportunities it provides for our customers.

Despite being the first time a merger of this scale and complexity has been attempted in the kingdom, and the challenges of the pandemic, the integration of both banks was completed on time. The integration saw a 300-member project team complete thousands of tasks, including the migration of 4,500 corporate clients and 500,000 retail customers originally from Alawwal bank into the new combined business.

After 11 years leading the bank, David Dew will retire on May 23, 2021, handing over to former CEO of HSBC Singapore, Tony Cripps. Cripps was unanimously approved by the board to lead SABB in its new strategic direction. Dew will stay on as advisor to the SABB Board until May 2022.  TradeArabia News Service
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Webinar held on 'Traditional Ecological Knowledge 02 Jun 2021 | 8:04 PM Itanagar, Jun 2 (UNI) The Fridays For Future Arunachal Pradesh (FFFAP) on Wednesday organised a webinar on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Resource Management.

Resource person, Bengia Pappi, a PhD research scholar at Rajiv Gandhi Universitys Sociology Department, said that traditional knowledge is tradition-based undisclosed information and all other tradition-based innovations and creations resulting from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary or artistic fields. see more..

Govt should cancel JAC Board Exams: Deepak Prakash 02 Jun 2021 | 8:04 PM Ranchi, Jun 2 (UNI) State BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash has demanded the state government to cancel the JAC Board Exams. see more..

Snan Purnima of Lords to be observed only by servitors adhering to covid guidelines 02 Jun 2021 | 8:01 PM Puri, Jun 2 (UNI) The Jagannath temple administration is contemplating to observe the famous Snan Purnima of the trinity only by the servitors adhering to covid guidelines. see more..

Stigma leads to reluctance in health check-ups among transgenders during COVID-19: Expert 02 Jun 2021 | 7:53 PM Kolkata, Jun 2 (UNI) Indian transgender people are one of the worst impacted victims of the pandemic. see more..
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London: Police have faced criticism and calls for investigations after clashing with crowds at a memorial for murder victim Sarah Everard, whose death has sparked widespread anger and fear about womens safety in Britain.

Police told organisers of events to honour Everard planned in London and around the country that public gatherings would be in breach of COVID-19 restrictions and could lead to fines up to 10,000 pounds ($18,000).

A woman reacts in Clapham Common, as people gather despite the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard being officially cancelled, in London. Credit:AP

Organisers at Reclaim These Streets said they had cancelled a vigil on Clapham Common in south London near where Everard, 33, was last seen 10 days ago. Other events around the country were also cancelled.

But hundreds of women and men  including Kate, Duchess of Cambridge  went to Clapham Common during the day to leave flowers and drawings at a memorial to Everard. A palace official said Kate remembers what it was like to walk around London at night before she was married.
Its getting harder for Texas to be one of the few remaining states that hasnt expanded its statewide Medicaid system under Obamacare, and that needs to change. Well, thats assuming that you believe that more health care  especially more health care for the poor  is a good idea in Texas, which it certainly is. At long last, Republicans in the Texas Legislature should drop their stubborn opposition to expanded Medicaid and join the vast majority of states that want the best health care possible for their residents.

The logic behind this move is unassailable, but Uncle Sam just sweetened the deal. The federal government already would have covered 90% of the expansions costs for the first few years. The stimulus bill approved Wednesday would add a 5% bump for two years.

Texas Republicans have previously rejected this deal because they feel that when the federal subsidies ran out, the state would be saddled with higher Medicaid costs than it can afford. But only 12 states are still holding out, and those that have accepted this incentive have not regretted it. In recent years, many states dominated by Republicans, such as Oklahoma and Arkansas, have joined the trend. If conservatives in other states can do the math here, so can conservatives in Texas.

At first many Republican governors and legislators didnt want to expand Medicaid in their states because it would have happened under the umbrella of the Affordable Care Act, and anything connected with Obamacare was considered off-limits politically. But over the years, Obamacare has gone from controversial to mainstream. Its not a perfect program, but it has helped millions of people get health care. Regardless of how one feels about Obamacare, the Medicaid expansion is not central to it. Every state has a Medicaid program, and this provision of the Affordable Care Act would simply expand it to more people.

In Texas, an estimated 1.2 million residents would gain this minimal health care if Medicaid were expanded. For many, it would be the first time in their lives they had any kind of health coverage. Texas has been leaving billions of federal dollars on the table every year it refuses expansion  nearly $6 billion annually now with the added incentive of the stimulus bill. That does not make sense.

Better health care is always a good idea, but its especially important as the nation tries to recover from this terrible pandemic. People with access to health care miss fewer work days and can do more for their families and their communities.

Texas Democrats have long supported this move, and in this session a few Republicans have finally started dipping their toe in the water. At a minimum, the Legislature should take another look at this issue in view of the added incentives. Fortunately for Texas, the stimulus bill is being passed right in the middle of the states biennial session of the Legislature. The timing is perfect, and Texas lawmakers should take advantage of it.
Photo: The Canadian Press People are shown arriving at a COVID-19 vaccination site in Montreal, Sunday.

UPDATE: 3:56 p.m.

Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says health officials are observing a rise in new infections after several weeks of levelling off. The country reported a seven-day average of 3,052 new cases daily between March 5 and March 11.

Despite the rise in cases, Tam said severe outcomes such as hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline.

Unlike many other provinces, Quebec has authorized using the AstraZeneca vaccine for people over 65, despite the national immunization committee warning of a lack of data on efficacy in that age group.

Health Minister Christian Dube took to his Twitter account to reassure the population that the vaccine is safe, after several European countries temporarily suspended use of AstraZeneca over concerns surrounding blood clots.

"Vaccination is the solution, regardless of which one," Dube said.

Both the World Health Organization and Health Canada's chief medical adviser have said there is no scientific explanation to suggest a link between the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots.

Alberta, meanwhile, has been running out of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which it has been offering to younger people.

Albertans who were born between 1957 and 1961, and First Nations, Metis and Inuit people born between 1972 and 1976, are eligible for the AstraZeneca shots.

While Tam warned that the average number of new COVID-19 cases was rebounding slightly across the country, that wasn't the case across the board.

There was good news in Atlantic Canada, where Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases of COVID-19, while New Brunswick added five cases to its tally and Nova Scotia reported just one.

Manitoba reported 44 new cases and one death, while Saskatchewan reported 98 new cases and two lost lives.

ORIGINAL: 12:15 p.m.

Some provinces are expanding their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts amid what Canada's chief public health officer describes as a recent increase in the number of new cases across the country.

Dr. Theresa Tam says health officials are observing a rise in new infections after several weeks of levelling off.

Tam expressed concern over an increase in cases linked to more contagious virus variants, as well as a higher infection rate in Canadians age 20 to 39, who she described in a statement as more mobile and socially connected.

Her statement adds urgency to the vaccine effort, which is ramping up in several provinces as more doses arrive.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the province's COVID-19 vaccine booking system is ready to start taking appointments for those 80 and older as of Monday morning, following recent pilot projects allowing some pharmacies and family doctors to deliver vaccines to certain groups.

Quebec, which is already vaccinating people ages 70 and up across the province or 65 and up in Montreal, will expand its booking system as of Monday to add some 350 pharmacies to the list of places where people can get shots.
New Delhi, March 14 : The money received from Gulf countries by arrested Campus Front in India (CFI) general secretary K.A. Rauf Sherif was not meant for the mask business during the Covid-19 lockdown or as a commission but was a disguise under which money was being remitted from Popular Front of India (PFI) member Noufal Shareef and others.

The ED has filed its first chargesheet against five office bearers of the PFI and its student wing, the CFI, including Sherif in connection with its money laundering probe in February this year.

The ED chargesheet, which has been viewed by IANS, rubbished the claims of Sherif over the reasons cited by him for receiving Rs 1.36 crore from foreign countries as commission for the face mask and PPE kits supply during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The ED in its chargesheet said, "Transactions with PFI member Noufal Shareef and other individuals based in Oman and Qatar should be seen in context of a deliberate and planned mechanism to transfer funds to India in the guise of payments or commissions etc. related to international trade and to use such funds in propogating anti-national radical and terrorist ideas and in perpetarating unlawful activities towards fulfilment of such nefarious goals." It said that Sherif stated that he received Rs 24.26 lakh from Noufal in 2020-21 as payment for 2,000 boxes of masks ordered by his friend.

The ED claimed that Sherif also stated that these masks were purchased from Jayanmohan who was doing trading under Lizy Trading in Foshan Shinde, China.

The ED said that it also recovered some documents from his pen drive. It said, "As per Sherif's statement, he supplied 2,000 boxes to Noufal whereas in the said document the quantity was mentioned 20,000. And the price of one box of mask was six Oman Riyal (which was the quantity as per Sherif) this would work out to 12,000 Oman Riyal. However, in the said document the total price is mentioned as 11,000 Oman Riyal. Further, for 11,000 Oman Riyal, the per box amount for 20,000 boxes mentioned in the document would be 5.5 Oman Riyal per box and not 6 Oman Riyal as claimed by him." The ED said that the Sherif in his statement mentioned that for the consignment of 2,000 boxes sent to Noufal from China, he sent him Rs 14 lakh and Rs 10 lakh was sent by Noufal directly to Jayanmohan.

"Later, Sherif said that he was wrong and that he received Rs 17 lakh from Noufal whereas Jayanmohan directly received Rs 7 lakh from Noufal. However, as per the impunged document, out of the total amount of 11,000 Oman Riyal almost the entire amount of 10,586 Oman Riyal was to be transferred to Sherif. There is no mention of any payment to Jayanmohan or any other person on his behalf," the ED claimed.

The ED said that other documents recovered from the pen drive like delivery orders and Airway bills of consignments of masks from China to Abdulla Hassan Khaja Est. appear to be in his possession as he was associated with Race International LLC and it was around these documents that he weaved the inexplicable story of earning profits and commission for trading of masks.

Sherif was arrested by ED on December 12, last year, when he was trying to flee to Oman.

(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)
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(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Brussels, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2021 ) :Belgian police said Sunday they arrested around 10 people from among 200-300 looters who clashed with police on the fringes of a Black Lives Matters protest in Liege.

A total of 36 officers were injured during Saturday's clashes, one of whom was still being treated in hospital, said Liege police chief Christian Beaupere.

The violence happened on the fringes of a demonstration called to protest an incident on Monday in Liege, when officers arrested a woman of Congolese origin for "rebellion".

Officers were working to identify other members of the group that looted and vandalised shops in the city centre, Beaupere added, speaking at a news conference beside city mayor Willy Demeyer.

Beaupere stressed the organised nature of the looting and the violence the offenders had unleashed.

Those arrested came not just from the eastern city of Liege and its outskirts, but from the capital Brussels.

Most of those detained were between 20 and 30 years of age, but there was also one minor, he added.

Demeyer expressed his support for the police and promised support for the businesses hit by the vandalism and looting.

He said he and Beaupere would be attending a meeting Friday with members of the city's sub-Saharan community, to try to build bridges.

The woman arrested Monday has filed an official complaint accusing the police of violence and racism, a charge the force has rejected, saying she had resisted arrest.

Video footage of the incident shows two officers pinning her to the ground as others prevent members of the public from intervening.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Increasing clouds with showers arriving this afternoon. High 66F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Rain showers early becoming more intermittent overnight. Low 56F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
That history repeats itself can plainly be seen in Americas most recent descent into violent racism aimed at Asian Americans and Chinese Americans (Asian Americans still fear attacks a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, March 5). These Americans are suffering indignation, violence, and death. The apparent reason for this is ex-President Donald Trumps false implication that the coronavirus pandemic may have been intentionally released upon us by the Chinese government. We remember that Chinese immigrants who contributed to the building of a significant part of our infrastructure, the railroads, were also targets of 19th-century discrimination. However, that is not the repetition I am referring to.

During the 1300s, the ignorant, bigoted and hateful accused Jews and other outsiders of poisoning the drinking wells, thereby causing the Great Plague. Today, the imaginary Jewish Space Laser is a reminder that ignorance and fear are what demagogues thrive on. It seems that the repetition of history is most common when driven by evil. As Americans, we must identify, reject and eliminate the evil bigotry that, despite the demagogues claim of patriotism, is the most un-American of thoughts and actions.

James Marder,

Shaker Heights
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 22:01:45|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- British Airways (BA) will introduce digital vaccine passports in time for the return of international travel in May, when Britons are allowed to travel for their holidays, the Evening Standard newspaper reported Sunday.

The airline will ask those who have had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine to log their vaccination details with their BA app, said the London-based newspaper.

The new BA decision was announced at a time when the Scottish Labour Party revealed passengers are bypassing the Scottish government's hotel quarantine system by flying from other airports in Britain.

Holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest, the British government has said, but before that, on April 12, Britain will announce how and when non-essential travel into and out of the country can resume.

Sean Doyle, who was appointed BA's chief executive last October, called on Britain to work with other governments to allow vaccines and health apps to open up travel, after a year when minimal flying has left many airlines on life support.

"I think people who've been vaccinated should be able to travel without restriction. Those who have not been vaccinated should be able to travel with a negative test result," he said.

On Feb. 22, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his long-anticipated "roadmap" exiting the lockdown. The Monday reopening of schools in England was the first part of the four-step plan, which Johnson said was designed to be "cautious but irreversible".

Other parts of Britain, including Wales and Scotland, have also unveiled plans to ease the restrictions.

Experts have warned Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants and the risks of the public breaching restriction rules.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem
HERKIMER, N.Y. -- Herkimer County is asking people living in the town of Herkimer who have village water to boil their water until further notice.

The Herkimer County 911 Center tells NEWSChannel 2 there was a water main break in the town of Herkimer. Representatives with the 911 Center said the main has been fixed, but are asking residents to boil their water until further notice.

Stay with WKTV for updates.
Phoebe Sheehan

I was dismayed to read that Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, recently voted against the Equality Act, a bill that would protect gays and lesbians from discrimination. I was further dismayed because she voted for the bill in 2019. Finally, its disturbing that she gave no rationale for why her vote changed.

As a woman married to another woman, this legislation directly affects me and raises questions. Is Stefanik no longer concerned about the discrimination my family may face? But, in 2019, she was concerned?
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.
Fiji - new ham

Joanna 'JK', 3D2ZK, from Denarau, Nadi, Fiji, posted the following on QRZ.com [edited], "I'm very new to the HAM radio family. Please be patient when you hear me.

"I finished Jagielonica Law University in Krakow, Poland. I am a living rebel, so I joined forces with Rebel DX

Group. My plan is to be active from 3D2/C (Conway Reef), 3D2/R (Rotuma Island) and several rare IOTAs around Fiji from May 2021 for 3-4 months."

No QSNs have been reported yet.

OPDX
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-13 23:35:14|Editor: huaxia

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The opening ceremony for academic year 2020-2021 is held at Peking University in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Education has issued a notice to improve second bachelor's degree programs in universities.

Universities should fully harness their educational resources to train interdisciplinary talents, thus providing support for stabilizing employment and enhancing students' employability, said the document.

It also made clear that universities are allowed to enroll students across schools for a second bachelor's degree education.

Also, the ministry will establish a national online platform for universities to release relevant enrollment information. 
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China appears to be becoming a major importer of Iranian oil, as Irans production levels look set to soar thanks to better relations with Bidens U.S.

Over the last year, China imported an average of 306,000 bpd of crude oil from Iran, totalling 17.8 million tonnes. Most of these imports, 75 percent, came indirectly via Malaysia, Oman, or the United Arab Emirates.

As demand increases, this March, Chinese imports of Iranian oil are expected to reach levels of 856,000 bpd, an increase of 129 percent on February. The sudden influx of Iranian oil is reported to have caused congestion in ports as tankers are offloaded.

China is drawn to Iranian oil thanks to its low costs, often priced at between $3 to $5 below the Brent benchmark.

Imports from Iran have decreased substantially across Asia, particularly to China, India, Japan and South Korea, since 2018 following the sanctions imposed on the country under the Trump Administration. However, Chinas uptake of Iranian oil over the last few months suggests this trend is likely to change under the new Biden Administration.

Imports never completely stopped from Iran to China, but they certainly decreased. However, according to Emma Li, a Refinitiv crude flows analyst, Volumes started to surge from the last quarter of 2020, with Shandong province as the top receiving region which indicates independent plants are the main consumers.

Related: How Oil Could Go To $100 Per Barrel

India has also begun importing Iranian oil, under the assumption that trade with Iran will resume. This comes as The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) attempts to foster new partnerships across Asia, to boost its export potential as it ramps up national production.

A government official in India believes Iranian supplies will return to the market within three to four months. With expectations for developing additional partnerships following Irans June elections.

Chinas interest in Iranian oil goes hand in hand with the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The initiative expects trade between the two countries to reach $600 billion over the next decade. In addition, Chinas Belt and Road initiative (BRI) attempts to strengthen regional political, economic and strategic ties, with a focus on the energy industry.

In recent energy deals with China, Iran has been allowed to complete financial transactions in foreign currencies, such as Euros, to avoid being tied in with the U.S. dollar and imposed U.S. sanctions.

At present, Iran provides just three percent of Chinas total oil supply. However, greater collaboration between the countries across a variety of industries could encourage a stronger energy deal as the force of the U.S. sanctions on Iran gradually subsides.

China looks to remain the worlds top oil importer, with an oil demand of around 12 million bpd. This makes it an essential partner for oil-rich nations to establish long-term trade links. Despite a drop in demand in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinas oil imports increased by 32 percent in January.

This reflects a trend across the entire Asian region, which is thought to have increased its oil imports by 7.5 percent between December and January.

It seems that after years of difficult relations with Iran, China and the Asian region will soon resume their energy partnerships with the oil-rich nation as it intensifies production to meet the increase in demand.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Our blokes in Sri Lanka are pathetically sweating themselves with the consciously unconvincing wisdom of national security as the reason for the ban.

by Mass L. Usuf

Let it be known that this column is about everything else except religion. Should not all the women including the Muslim women ask, who the hell are these men to dictate to us what to wear and what not to wear? If women want to be treated equally with regard to many issues, why not about the choice of dress? Is this patriarchal dominance? Male chauvinism? Sexism? Or, some form of inferiority complex? Are rights or equal treatment of women confined only to what a group of people like. Or, are these positions based on principles?

Funny, is it not, when the imposers of the ban labour to find lame excuses, knowing very well that they are depriving someone of the freedom of choice. The French government prior to banning the burqa stated that it was to protect its secular Republican values. The then President Sarkozy who has now been sentenced to jail for corruption and bribery said that the ban on face veil is to protect women from being forced to cover their faces. Imagine this corrupt person posing as a hero to save the burqa wearing Muslim women of France!

Our blokes in Sri Lanka are pathetically sweating themselves with the consciously unconvincing wisdom of national security as the reason for the ban. One wonders if these are markers of a disoriented state of the mind. Confusion at its finest which is, in our case, logically proven below.

Fake National Security

What I personally like or dislike cannot be the benchmark for an issue of national security and extremism. These are matters to be decided rationally and logically based on principles and facts.

Internationally, there have been thousands of violent terrorist attacks around the globe. Terrorist groups and individuals have perpetrated over 3,000 attacks in 48 countries since 2013 per the Global Terrorism Index report. How many of these attacks have had any direct or indirect relationship or relevance to the face veil?

Locally, the LTTE was actively operating for 30 years, why was the burqa not considered an issue of national security at the height of the war? How can face veil suddenly be a national threat after 21/4, when it had nothing to do with the attack or the attackers? None of the attackers were clad in a face veil. What then was the rationale behind imposing a face cover ban under the emergency regulations post 21/4? There was no evidence whatsoever correlating the face cover with the attacks. In this background, it is very clear that there is no causal relationship between the presently proposed face veil ban and the baselessly hyped security threat?

Which Is Better?

Ironically, the reverse of this can be true. The banning of the face veil itself may become a cause for national security. We have witnessed that with the ban on face cover during the Sirisena government following the 21/4 attack, vigilante groups spontaneously appeared all over. These vigilantes were persecuting young Muslim girls and women who were only wearing the regular scarf. Muslim women avoided going out of their houses fearing for their safety.

Social media was replete almost on a daily basis with clips showing harassment, intimidation, arguments and scuffles in public places, super markets, banks, public transport, even in Galle Face. This unbearable tyranny was so irritating, annoying and a grave affront on an individuals liberty that some of them were emotionally pushed to think that they should not have condemned the 21/4 attack.

Consistent and systematic harassment aggravates to marginalisation which ultimately leads to radicalisation of thinking culminating in violence. So, is the banning of face veil good or bad? Is it national security or something else that is the real reason for the burqa ban?

Robe Was Not Banned

The late Prime Minister Mr. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike seeing the Buddhist priest Talduwe Somarama Thero who had come to see him, came forward showing respect to the priest in the customary form. His reverence to the priest was reciprocated by a volley of bullets from a .45 Webley Mark VI revolver. The Buddhist priest pulled out the gun concealed under his robe and shot to kill the prime minister point blank.

No one hated or despised or abused the saffron robe after that cold blooded murder. The robe was never considered a national security threat. A ban on robe was not even contemplated. The wearing of the robe in public places was not restricted.

Explosive Belt

Even today anyone can wear a robe and carry a weapon under the robe. Any person can pretend to be a monk and wear a suicide vest covered by the robe. Some of the extremist monks, considered so by the media, are highly revered because of the robe and such a person can walk into any place where there is a security concern without much suspicion.

Which poses the security threat? Not being able to see a womans face or the flowing garment under which there could be concealment of a weapon? If it is the former, any authority can demand to see the face. If it is the latter, the robe of the monk, the cassock of the priest, the thobe of the Moulavi and even the sarong of citizen Perera can pose a threat. Oh! nearly omitted mentioning the maxi dress of citizen Pereras wife.

Ridiculous Bureaucrats

When LTTE suicide bombers were walking around Colombo targeting sensitive security spots, were they wearing face veil? If burqa was never considered a security threat at the pinnacle of the war and if burqa was never considered a threat during the JVP uprisings, if burqa was not considered a threat during the decades long emergency period to do so today is clear proof that the use of the phrase national security is a mere sham. Bogus. A mockery.

To be inspired by Hollywood, what could stop a terrorist wearing the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit (a specialized dress worn for protection) and driving an ambulance to carry out an attack. When this is later found out, will there be a ban on driving an ambulance in PPE kit?

So, what is the point then? It is not the robe or the burqa or an endless list that has to be banned. What needs to be done is plain and simple. If there is a perceived national security threat take steps to institute proper security measures. No one cuts off the nose just because he has a common cold. The 21/4 incident is an extreme example of the disgraceful negligence of the authorities and yet they want to ban an absolutely unrelated face veil. The bureaucrats should think wisely and avoid making a fool of their own selves.

Why Banning Is Dangerous?

Agnes De Feo, a sociologist and documentary filmmaker who has studied the impact of the French ban on burqa, says it has had some unintentional effects. "Almost all the people wearing the niqab in France today started after the law [ban was implemented]. They considered the act of wearing the veil as one of "rebellion" against the French state, for depriving them of their fundamental right of choosing what to wear. A young convert named Emilie Konig, eventually fled to Syria to join the Islamic State. De Feo says she doubts she is the only one to travel to Syria.

Banning burqas isnt a sensible response to terrorism was an article in the Washington Post of August 12, 2016. It cited the findings of a Researcher as follows: Haroro Ingram, a research fellow at the Australian National University who studies extremist literature, notes that extremist groups have specifically used France's face-veil ban as a recruitment tool.

David Thomson, author of "The French Jihadist," said in one interview published Thursday. "For them, (the Al-Qaida) this (the ban) is a godsend." Because the French authorities are doing the propaganda for them.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, ASIO, strongly stated that a burqa ban would provide further fuel for extremist propaganda, recruitment, and radicalisation efforts. Australias national security service has warned against banning the burqa, claiming it would only bring negative consequences for the country and further isolate vulnerable populations.

The simple conclusion is that extremism cannot be combatted by banning the face veil. Therefore, do not walk on that path. To do so will be to further endanger the delicate and sensitive socio-cultural fabric of this already torn apart society.
Higher learning has a clear path forward, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the crunch of finding sources of revenue, the new head of the University of Queensland has insisted.

Professor Deborah Terry is called the new UQ vice-chancellor, although she has been in the role for over six months after starting in August last year.

Professor Deborah Terry has taken the reigns at UQ at a turbulent time for Queenslands oldest and largest tertiary institution. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It was, she admitted to Brisbane Times, a less-than-ideal time to take up the reins of Queenslands oldest and largest centre for higher learning.

I came in pretty much right at the start of second semester 2020, when the university was very much still working through COVID restrictions and a whole range of issues, she said.
Officials say more than 1 in 10 Connecticut residents  or about 545,000 people  are now considered food insecure.

Thats a staggeringly high number, said Jason Jakubowski, president and chief executive officer of Connecticut Food Bank and Food Share. We also know that food insecurity has increased 32 percent since the pandemic began.

Jakubowski said the state has never seen such a large influx in a short period of time  and he said its a problem throughout Connecticut.

Its not as if this is just an urban problem, or just a rural problem. Jakubowski said. We have seen increases in major cities. We have seen increases in very small, rural towns. Weve seen increases in even the most affluent suburbs. There is not one town that we have not served since the beginning of the pandemic.

In the shoreline area, Jakubowski said organizations connected with the Connecticut Food Bank and Food Share serve about 3,700 clients per month. In the last year, he said, more than 370,000 pounds of food has been distributed in shoreline communities.

In that area, there are certainly pockets of affluence, but there are also pockets of poverty, he said. I think thats a thing that we forget about sometimes.

As Connecticut passes the one-year mark of the COVID pandemic, in which many people lost their jobs, food kitchens across the state work to address food insecurity.

The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries assist 11 communities, including Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton, Old Lyme, East Lyme, Centerbrook, Essex, Deep River and Chester.

Amy Hollis, executive director of SSKP, said 30 percent of their coverage area qualified as asset limited, income constrained, employed  a description that had been used for the working poor.

Thirty percent is a high number, she said. That was before the pandemic hit.

A few weeks into the pandemic, Hollis said, SSKP saw more than double the attendance at its meal sites and pantries.

Every week is a new story in the life of each person, each family, she said. We continue to see high numbers. They are not as high as they were in the middle of the pandemic. But we dont know why.

Everyone is welcome

Hollis said SSKP food pantries have shifted to an outdoor model because of the pandemic. Prior to COVID-19, the pantries were indoors and clients could come inside and pick what they wanted off shelves.

The need remains high, Hollis said, and the organization still provides approximately 30,000 pounds of food every week.

Hollis said some people struggle with the thought of needing the food pantry. She said the SSKP and other food banks try to break down those stigmas so anyone who needs food will come.

We are seeing first-time guests, who have never been to a pantry before, she said. We try to make it easy for those individuals to come, and greet everyone with dignity and respect. Letting them know that they are welcome to come and receive food.

The organization has food pantries in Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton, Old Lyme and East Lyme. It has meal sites in Centerbrook, Essex, Deep River, Chester, Old Saybrook, Clinton, Old Lyme and Westbrook.

Hollis said everyone is welcome at the meal sites, explaining there is no paperwork or proof of residency required. She said pantry sites do require registry.

Everyone is welcome to go to a site once a week, she said. If they cant come to one site, they can go to another site. They are able to receive food once per week. Some pantries across the country only offer food for their guests once a month.

Hollis said the paperwork is also required for the pantries because some of the food comes via state and federal programs. She said the supply of food has fluctuated throughout the year, noting the field faced a lot of the same challenges as other industries early in the pandemic.

We still found ways to make sure there was a variety of food available, she said. We receive food from the food bank system. We also receive food that is dropped off directly to our pantries through food drives. We also have a portion that we purchase.

Hollis said the SSKP is overwhelmed with the support from the communities it serves. Whether people donate their time, money or supplies, she said it feels like its all hands on deck.

It has been amazing, she said. The generosity, the support from the community, from neighbors, from social-civic groups, from towns, from faith communities, from businesses, from children, from adults.

Statewide food insecurity

Jakubowski said food insecurity, or the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, has been on the rise for several years. He said it comes after several years of difficult economic times, particularly for the middle class.

The United Way talks about the ALICE population, he said. Those who are working, but still fall below the poverty line. This has been a particularly difficult time for those families.

After a year of the pandemic, Jakubowski said, even people in high-paying jobs have found themselves out of work.

That is why weve seen such a sharp increase during this particular pandemic, he said. Weve definitely ramped up our efforts significantly.

In many ways, Jakubowski said, that led food banks and non-profits serving that population to reinvent their operations. That includes emergency drive-thru food distribution centers and increasing the size and numbers of the facilities.

Weve never done those types of drive-thru distributions before  where you pop your trunk and somebody puts food in your trunk and then you drive away, he said. Thats something thats completely new, just as a result of this particular pandemic.

Along with the increase in need, he said, the Connecticut Food Bank and Food Share has also seen a surge in donations.

Ive always said that we are absolutely fortunate to live in the state of Connecticut, because residents of the state of Connecticut are very generous and are very supportive of the work that we do, he said. What the good news is, is we have never raised more money. The bad news, of course, is that we have never spent more money.

Jakubowski said the organization has needed to hire temporary staff and purchase more items because the food industry has not donated to the same degree.

In the early days of the pandemic, Jakubowski said, the organization came close to running out of food a few times. Now, between food donations, purchases and supplies from the federal government, he said, the organization has a healthy supply.

Even after the virus itself has been solved, were probably looking at a 12- to 18-month lag on the economic impact, he said. Were going to be doing this for a while. We know that. But thats our job. Its why we are here.

People can donate to The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries via an option on its website. Checks can also sent to SSKP, P.O. Box 804, Essex, CT 06426. Donations can be made to the Connecticut Food Bank and Food Share on its website.
A new, 500-person Border Patrol tent facility for processing and holding illegal immigrants in Donna, Texas, on May 2, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Children Held in Border Detention Never Saw the Sun: Lawyer

A lawyer representing unaccompanied youth in U.S. government custody said some of the children held by the United States described crowded quarters and were not allowed outside.

Neha Desai, the lawyer, said that some of the children at a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility in Donna, Texas, are being held as long as seven days before being transferred to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facilities.

There was a staggering amount of very young children, Desai told CBS.

Desai said the children described overcrowding that was so severe they had to take turns sleeping on the floor and some said they were only allowed to shower once.

Others allegedly told lawyers about how they never saw the sun.

The interviews were conducted on March 11 outside the holding facility. The lawyers from the National Center for Youth Law were denied access to the inside. The Biden administration has also refused press requests.

CBP is only legally allowed to hold unaccompanied minors for up to 72 hours, though Biden administration officials have acknowledged that some of them are being detained longer than that.

The United States is in the midst of an illegal immigration crisis, with more than 100,000 apprehensions recorded at the U.S.-Mexico border in February alone.

That figure portends even higher numbers in the coming months, since the summer is typically peak migration season.

That the numbers are so high so early is a harbinger of bad things, Andrew Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy for the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Epoch Times.

One of the four main pods inside a new Border Patrol tent facility for processing and holding illegal immigrants in Donna, Texas, on May 2, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Illegal immigrants from Central America take refuge in a makeshift U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing center under the Anzalduas International Bridge after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico in Granjeno, Texas, on March 12, 2021. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

Nearly 9,500 unaccompanied minors, or children who arent with an adult, arrived at the southern border last month, a jump of over 3,700 from January.

The surge in children, coupled with COVID-19 recommendations, has triggered the reopening of multiple facilities near the border, along with the sending of Federal Emergency Management Agency workers to help deal with the influx.

In a call with reporters last week, CBP officials refused to say how many children were in their custody. Its always fluctuating as we work [with other agencies] to move the children into a safer environment, Troy Weaver, a senior agency official, said.

While we cant provide numbers on children in custody and how long theyve been in custody, I just want to be very clear here that that border patrol stations are not places for children and we do everything in our power to move them through as quickly as we can, another official added.

The agency is working closely with the HHS, which has said its boosting capacity for unaccompanied minors.

Weaver said the Donna facility has a recreation area and that meals are provided three times a day, along with showers at least every 48 hours.

We appreciate the extraordinary challenge that the government faces in undoing the damage of the prior administrations immigration policies, Desai told CBS. That said, it is deeply concerning to see young children in facilities for days on end, unable to take a shower, call their families, or see the sunlight.

The White House has said it is working on transforming the immigration system to a more humane version.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday, now is not the time to come and the majority of people are turned away at the border.

I know that what people are looking at is that there are more children who are coming across the border, and weve certainly confirmed and acknowledged that, she added.
The phrase like a girl is something that shocked me when I was called out for it, he said. I did not mean to say you kick like a girl or you run like a girl in a way that offended women, it was more to tease my mates. But it was when someone spoke to me about that phrase that I realised it is incredibly offensive to women. Even the phrase grow a pair of balls or that was ballsy, is saying to women that in order to be brave you must be a man. Joshua said awareness about this topic would help get rid of disrespectful behaviour directed at women. Today is not about pointing fingers or telling everyone off for this type of behaviour, it is about identifying that this behaviour and language does exist, and it has been widely accepted or laughed off, he said. He said his generation had grown up in a world where this type of language had been accepted, having heard it from brothers, friends and people they looked up to.

Loading I am not going to stand here and act as though I have not been a part of this behaviour, he said. I have been in situations where women have been spoken of in a way that makes them out to be lesser than men, or objects, and I did not stop this behaviour. I did not say a word. I accepted it, as though it was okay to speak about women in this way. Joshua said the first step in making genuine progress was to accept there was a problem.

We have the ability as a school, as role models to the junior and middle school, and as young men, to make incredible change in this area, he said. If we recognise and take responsibility for our actions and behaviours, and understand the disrespect that exists towards women, then we are on our way to getting rid of the sexist and abusive attitudes that exist. Old Scotch Collegians president Michael Silbert, who graduated in 1979, said it was clear even the most senior leaders in our community sometimes got these things seriously wrong. It is equally clear that we are in a moment when civil society is demanding that we examine ourselves and that we make changes, he said. Mr Silbert said it was vitally important to recognise and check toxic behaviour, and respect and consent were both essential signposts on the long road of this conversation.
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Saturday said that the attempt by Trinamool Congress (TMC) to create controversy has backfired as the district administration as well as Election Commission has called the incident in Nandigram that resulted in an injury to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as an accident.

"Reports of district administration and EC have called it an accident. Mamata ji has said that she was pushed. It`s a controversy between governance and administration. This attempt of stirring controversy and gain sympathy has backfired," said Vijayvargiya after BJP`s central election committee meeting in Delhi.

"We are not worried. Those (TMC) who tried to use the wrong means to gain sympathy from people should be worried. They have been exposed," he added when asked if Banerjee`s injury could swing voters in her favour.

Banerjee, who was on a two-day visit to Nandigram from where she filed her nomination on Wednesday, alleged that she was pushed by a few unidentified people during election campaigning.

She had sustained "severe bone injuries" on her left foot and ankle as well as bruises and injuries on her shoulder, forearm and neck, according to the report of her initial medical examination.

West Bengal will witness eight-phased Assembly polls beginning March 27.

The tenure of the 16th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal will end on May 30 this year. A total of 7,34,07,832 voters will choose their representative for the 17th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal. The counting will take place on May 2.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Theres a special place in Nasario Garcias memory  and his heart  for New Mexicos Rio Puerco Valley. Its where the 85-year-old Garcia grew up. And many of his beloved childrens stories are set there.

Garcias new book  Lagrimas: Poems of Joy and Sorrow  is an ode to the rural valley southeast of Chaco Canyon.

The collection of compact, enticing, prose-like poems, in Spanish and English, takes the reader back to a long-ago world. The subjects of Lagrimas include the land, the sky, religious celebrations and especially the people as Garcia remembered them. Garcia was raised in the village of Ojo del Padre (Guadalupe).

In fact, one poem, titled Ojo del Padre, is a tribute, and at the same time, a lament to the village: Today we leave you,/not for lack of love/but fearful/that tomorrow/we may not have/enough to eat. In the next stanza Garcia mournfully explains the possibility of starvation by drought: The cornfields/are tired/of begging for rain./What will we harvest?/How will we live?

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What prompted him to write this book of poetry? The initial prompt goes back decades, after Garcia had received a B.A. and an M.A. at the University of New Mexico. He and his wife went to Spain where Garcia did a year of doctoral work at the University of Granada.

Granada was sort of a hot bed of (famed writer Federico) Garcia Lorca and the city vibrated with his poetry; it was simple yet complicated. The language reminded me of the (Spanish) my elders spoke. There was that affinity and poetic inspiration of Lorca, and other poets later on, Garcia said in a phone interview from his Santa Fe home.

Actually, Garcia explained, the Spanish of his elders was a mix of sources  medieval Spanish, the Spanish and Nahuatl of Mexico, Anglicisms and a number of expressions you dont see outside my valley. The people ingeniously invented phrases, he said.

Garcia gave an example of a phrase that he said either came from Mexico or originated in the valley. The phrase is at the very beginning of the fourth stanza of the poem Tio Filiberto:  Que catos/ni catos! interrumpio/ la esposa de Filiberto toda enfadada./Es lo que saca/por andar de pelagatos. 

The phrase in question is Que catos/ni catos!

On the next page is the stanzas translation: Dont bring me that! Filibertos angry wife interrupted. Thats what he gets for being such a nobody. 

Another poem, A Great Cowboy, pays homage to a man named Sergio Tenorio.

The poem declares that there was no better horseman than Tenorio in the valley, not in its forests, nor in its ravines. Garcia writes that Tenorio could rope, brand and earmark calves so proficiently that no one could outdo him.

By contrast, the poem Iscariote is about a fellow named Josefate from the village of La Jara. His nickname was Iscariote, which in the valley meant a shabbily dressed person. Another descriptive phrase in the same poem described Josefate as dressing al troche-moche. In the valley it means, Garcia said, something done helter-skelter. Its a variation of al trochi-mochi.

Garcia wrote the poems of Lagrimas, or tears, three years ago at the rate of about one a day. Writing and editing the poems, he said, was easier for him than the longer process of writing and editing stories or his memoir Hoe, Heaven, and Hell: My Boyhood in Rural New Mexico. Garcia is also a well-regarded folklorist, educator and linguist.

Among his other books are those on Hispanic humor, and tales of witchcraft and the supernatural from various parts of northern New Mexico.

The Historical Society of New Mexico bestowed on Garcia its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Lagrimas: Poems of Joy and Sorrow
If the multitude of fictional works about bank robberies have taught us anything, its the importance of a getaway vehicle when trying to conduct the perfect crime. Movies like Drive and Baby Driver have made this into the stuff of high art; last year, S.A. Cosbys superb novel Blacktop Wasteland pushed the subgenre into a higher gear. But in the more mundane world, finding the perfect solution to the getaway car conundrum remains a challenge.



For one Texas man, that challenge was one he readily accepted  with a particularly resourceful solution.



The New York Post has the story of one Eric Dion Warren, who was recently sentenced after pleading guilty to federal bank robbery charges. In 2019, Warren drove to a bank near Lubbock, Texas where he brandished a weapon  which turned out to be a pellet gun with a paint job  and asked for $10,000 in cash. Once hed received the cash he sought, he drove to a car dealership and finished paying for a BMW hed been in the process of buying.



How did he get to the bank, you might ask? He got a loaner from the car dealership and used that to make his way over. Warren was eventually arrested at the car dealership. Evidently, creativity can only get you so far.
Beautiful glass artwork and a zoo might make strange bedfellows, but the administrators of Connecticuts Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport believe Peter Greenwoods glass art fits quite nicely into their greenhouse, where lush foliage and blossoms enhance the beauty of both artwork and plants, according to the zoo.

Connecticuts Beardsley Zoo is offering DAZZLE: A Garden of Glass with a presentation of 500 pieces by Greenwood. The award-winning glass master has shown his work in 25 museums, from The Louvre Museum in Paris to The Bruce Museum in Greenwich and the New Britain Museum of American Art. His work also is included in numerous private collections worldwide.

The theme of the exhibit, described by Greenwood, is regeneration, and includes pieces, many repurposed from previous installations, all intended to evoke vines, leaves, roots and petals in vibrant shades: cobalt blue, ruby, green, and yellow.

A display of 20 glass pitchers will be tilted from a tree overhanging the pond. In other places, glass reeds will rise from the foliage, encouraging guests to engage in a discovery of beauty.

The zoo is delighted to share glass master Peter Greenwoods beautiful glass blown treasures amid the natural beauty of the rare plants and colorful blooms in the Greenhouse, said zoo Director Gregg Dancho We invite you to come and be dazzled by his hand-crafted artwork.

According to his website, Greenwood, a Riverton resident, studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as the Pilchuck School in Washington State, where he was exposed to the Venetian method of glassblowing. He opened his first studio in 1980.

Today, he works out of a historic stone church in Riverton, where he maintains a studio and gallery. His works include wood furniture, hand-forged iron, stainless steel fabrications and stonework.

I started working with glass in 1979 after being exposed to glass blowing at the Rhode Island School of Design, said Greenwood, and I was always building things as a child. I like to incorporate wood and metal with the blown glass pieces and, having evolved in that direction over the years. I also started teaching glass blowing about 14 years ago.

To Greenwood, the quality of craftsmanship is very important to his work, and he said he strives to achieve such workmanship in every piece he produces. The inspiration for his individual pieces comes from many different visual sources. The challenge of working with a ball of molten glass on the end of a five-foot pipe and the endless possibilities that working with hot glass offers, keeps his creative juices flowing, he said.

The most challenging aspect of working with glass, he said, is the skills needed of manipulating the hot molten material.

For me, the excitement of working with hot glass lies within the challenge of the process, Greenwood said on his website. The need to respond with great speed, skill and certainty at the very moment of its formation is unique. The great potential of molten glass is in the technical discoveries and artistic inventions that are seemingly endless.

Greenwood sees his art as significant in that it is an original idea and design brought to life in a finished piece. Most of the time, he winds up pleased with the end results of those ideas and designs.

Some pieces have taken years to produce, he said. Most projects are time-consuming and difficult, but there are other pieces that can be made in a matter of minutes.

His creations include lighting, furniture, wall sculptures, and vessels of myriad deigns and colors.

Greenwood said he is pleased that over the years, people have had a positive reaction to his work. As an artist, Greenwood said, (I want to) keep searching for new ways and developing new designs of combining glass, metal and wood into quality finished pieces.

Greenwoods studio and gallery is located inside the historic Union Church on Robertsville Road, built in 1829. A large gallery on the second floor exhibits the artists metal, glass and woodwork, and paintings and sculptures by Christine Chaise Greenwood.

He offers glass blowing tours and lectures by appointment Tuesdays through Saturdays, when visitors have the opportunity to watch the process of blowing a large free form crackle glass bowl. While forming the shapes from the glowing gathers of molten glass, Greenwood shares his 40 years of experience of working with hot glass, and explains the various steps and techniques involved.

The studio also offers a variety of workshops suitable for all levels. No experience is necessary to participate. Greenwood also holds special events, such as birthday parties, team building sessions, corporate gatherings, school groups and organized group field trips. The workshops are designed to accommodate all ages and any size group, he said. .

DAZZLE at the Beardsley Zoo will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 6 through April 6. Entrance to the display is included in the price of admission to the zoo, members entering free. All the pieces in the show will be available for purchase at the end of the exhibition.

The zoo, now in its 99th year, features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American and Northern Asian species. It is a non-profit organization.

Tickets must be purchased on the zoos website at beardsleyzoo.org.

Greenwoods Riverton gallery and studio are open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays 9 ta.m. to 5 p.m. Call ahead to confirm the studio is open. Visit www.petergreenwood.com.\
Former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger has stepped down from the Future of Media Commission.

It comes after sustained pressure over the fact that he was editor of the left-wing British national daily while columnist Roy Greenslade was secretly a supporter of the IRAs armed campaign.

Mr Greenslade in particular targeted former Labour Party Senator Mairia Cahill for adverse comment over her revelations that she had been raped by an IRA man at a safe house  and then repeatedly maligned by the Republican movement.

The departure of high-profile Mr Rusbridger now throws the future of the Future of Media Commission into doubt, and the Government will want to find an early replacement.

Mr Rusbridger said: I was pleased to be invited by the Taoiseach to be part of the Future of the Media Commission.

"I was heartened by his backing for my continued involvement, along with the Culture and Media Minister, Catherine Martin.

"The unanimous support of my Commission colleagues was very important to me. The commission is considering critical issues for Ireland and I dont want my involvement to be a distraction from its work, so I have told its chair, Prof Brian MacCraith, that I will step down.

The Taoiseach and the Ms Martin have acknowledged Mr Rusbridgers decision to step down.

They thanked Mr Rusbridger for his "significant contribution" to the Commission to date.
President Donald Trump walks off stage after an address to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held in the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 28, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Alabama GOP Presents Framed Resolution to Trump as One of the Greatest and Most Effective Presidents

The Alabama GOP gave former President Donald Trump a framed copy of a resolution the party passed unanimously, declaring him to be one of the greatest and most effective presidents in the history of the United States.

The framed resolution was presented to Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday evening.

Whereas, President Donald J. Trump was one of the greatest and most effective presidents in the 245-year history of this Republic, the resolution honoring Trump reads at the start.

President Trump put the American people and the American worker first in all his decisions and policies, it continues.

It then goes on to mention other achievements by the 45th president, such as Operation Warp Speed, the largest tax cuts in American history, and withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), replacing them with the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA.)

The resolution, basically, it just talks about the greatness of Donald J. Trump, how he made America great again and I hope other states will follow suit, Perry Hooper Jr., a member of the state partys executive committee, told Fox News.

President Donald Trump participates in a tour of a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 5, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Hooper was Trumps Alabama campaign co-chairman in 2016 and worked on Trumps campaign finance committee ahead of the 2020 election.

Hes just done so many great things, Hooper said. I was a kid when Reagan was elected and I thought nobody would top the great things Ronald Reagan did. But then comes along Donald J Trump and in my opinion, hes not just one of the great presidents, he is the greatest president weve had in America.

The resolution also praises Trump for standing up to China and revitalizing American manufacturing.

President Donald Trump (R) and Chinas President Xi Jinping (L) along with members of their delegations, hold a dinner meeting at the end of the G20 Leaders Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 1, 2018. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

He stood up to China, the resolution states, bringing back manufacturing industry to the U.S. and by increasing made in the U.S.A. production while securing access to new markets for Americas farmers.

The article also mentions his building up of the military and assigning 220 federal judges who will interpret the Constitution as written, as well as confirming three judges to the Supreme court.

It says that Trump showed strength and leadership internationally by withdrawing from the shady Iran nuclear deal and installing the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

President Trump accomplished more in 48 months than Joe Biden did in 48 years as a senator and vice president, the resolution reads.
Vaccines mean we are hopefully coming to the end of COVID-19s most-lethal phase. But really, were at the start. This is the rebirth of the pandemic age, Professor Doherty says. We need to treat COVID-19, painful though it is, as a trial run. *** Today, Turkeys central plains are a patchwork quilt of broad-acre farming that feed a growing nation. But about 9000 years ago, parts of them were fertile wetland that played home to fish and waterbirds. Wild animals roamed the plains. There, a small band of stone-age humans established one of the first known cities: Catalhoyuk.

Cities, experts believe, are made possible by farming, which allowed us to produce more food and store it, allowing nomadic hunter-gatherers to settle down. And exploiting livestock, particularly sheep, goat and cattle, was central to Catalhoyuks existence. They were the centrepiece of the citys feasts and banquets, their bones and horns becoming part of the mud-brick architecture, their painted images adorned the citys walls. Catalhoyuks early residents paid the price. Evidence from fossilised bones shows a third were affected by serious disease, many likely to have jumped from animals. When we lived in very small hunter-gatherer populations, there are so few hosts any virus would not have been able to spread that far. As we became farmers, we would have experienced more. In the first cities, we would have had even more, says Professor Holmes. *** Catalhoyuks honeycomb of mud-brick apartments laid the foundations for how we live now: in density. More than 50 per cent of humanity lives in cities; that number could rise to 70 per cent in the next 30 years.

Cities are naturally vulnerable to pandemics simply because they pack so many targets into a small space, according to a recent report from the UN-backed Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Dense city apartments were the site of superspreading events for the original SARS, while urban centres rapidly amplified West Africas Ebola outbreak, the report notes. Burial workers in protective gear carry the remains of someone that died of Ebola in Beni, Congo in 2019. Credit:AP Its not clear where or when COVID-19 jumped from bats to humans, but it was in Wuhan the outbreak took off. Wuhan is a city of more than 11 million people  all susceptible targets. Mega-cities like this are like fuel on the fire, says Professor Holmes. At the time the virus was spreading locally, Wuhan was celebrating Lunar New Year, a time that sees the city  a local and global travel hub  flooded with visitors from across China and the world. As they returned home, many they took the virus with them.

Its in Wuhan in the morning, and Singapore in the afternoon, and from there everywhere, says Professor Holmes. The Black Death took five years to circle Europe. An emerging virus in a city with an airport is instantly a global threat. When the emergence of a possible new pandemic virus is detected, we need some sort of global agreement to instantly ground the worlds airplanes, says Professor Doherty. We stopped it from getting to Australia by stopping the planes, he says. We have to stop the planes. And we have to notify everyone so they have to stop the planes. ***

Exploiting animals exposes us to their viruses, though the vast, vast majority cannot infect humans. But very occasionally they will. And if we keep exposing ourselves, its just a numbers game. Somethings going to happen, says Professor Holmes. Modern humans have been around for a few hundred thousand years. Mammals have been around for hundreds of millions of years. Thats a long time for their viruses to diversify. Examine newsletter Science and health explained and analysed with a rigorous focus on the evidence. Examine is a weekly newsletter by science reporter Liam Mannix. Sign up to receive it every Tuesday. Scientists estimate there are something like 1.67 million viruses circulating in mammals and waterfowl  although thats a very rough guess. In complex life, there is maybe 87 million viruses. We have managed to catalogue perhaps 0.1 per cent of them.

How many virus species currently infect human cells? Two hundred and nineteen. More than 60 per cent of emerging infectious diseases in humans come from animals, with that number increasing over time. To go from animal to human, a virus first needs to randomly develop a mutation that allows it to survive and replicate in two entirely different species. Then, it needs to be able to jump from human to human  all the while evading our immune systems defences. Lastly, it needs the opportunity: the bat with the ultra-rare new disease needs to come into contact with a susceptible human, and that human then needs to spread the virus. If we keep our contact with animal viruses low, maths is on our side. But given there are so many animal viruses, as we increase our contact with animals the maths starts to swing sharply the other way. And new animal viruses are likely jumping over to humans way more than we think, experts suspect. Its just that, in nearly every case, the virus cannot spread from patient zero. Ninety per cent of the time, the farmer gets sick and does not give it to anyone else, says Peter White, a professor of microbiology at the University of New South Wales. Minks in cages on a farm in Gjol, Denmark. Credit:Cathrine Ertmann/Bloomberg

*** Livestock is just one part of the problem. Pandemic threats lurk far from human eyes, in dark caves, wet rainforests, dense jungles. Places where biodiversity, and hence viral diversity are highest. Every year, we intrude more and more into these spaces. Humans have already brought 70 per cent of the worlds habitable land under control. Our species population grew by 30 per cent in the last 20 years. Were likely to have cleared 1 billion hectares of land by 2050 as a species, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report predicts. Its easy to blame local farmers for cutting down rainforest. But much of that virgin land will be planted with cash crops like palm oil to put in cosmetics sold to Western consumers, says Dr Michael Walsh, co-leader of the One Health Node at Sydneys Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity. Countries are losing their forests, their wildlife, for cash crops for export. And the people who are suffering, the ones who the diseases are spilling over into, they dont have any control. They are not profiting off the forest loss, says Dr Walsh.

With the forest gone, the animals that survive have nowhere to go but into human communities. Their viruses come with them. A section of Amazon rainforest stands next to soy fields in Belterra, Para state, Brazil. Credit:AP Ebola and Lassa fever in Africa and Machupo virus in South America have all been linked to land-use changes, according to the IPBES report. We need to stop agricultural expansion at the rate its going, says Dr Katie Woolaston, one of the reports authors and a Queensland University of Technology international wildlife law researcher. One way of doing that: a tax on meat consumption, as proposed by the IPBES report.

Thats very controversial, says Dr Woolaston. But we need to really transform society. And if were going to do that, we need some radical changes, to make sure this does not happen again. This is the start of a pandemic era, because of human activity. This is a wake-up call. As the climate crisis boils over, it will push animals even further from their normal ranges and into ours. Warmer temperatures also open up communities to new threats. Bluetongue disease  an African virus that can kill sheep  has spread to Europe over the last two decades, as the ticks that carry the virus move into the warming continent. Warmer temperatures are allowing a tick that spreads Lyme disease access to northern parts of America that were once too cold. ***

A dead crocodile is seen on the floor of Huangsha Seafood Market in Guangzhou. Credit:AP The growing wildlife trade, which brings humans into close contact with exotic animals, poses serious epidemic and pandemic risks, with Ebola, SARS and HIV likely among the diseases that have resulted. Over the last two decades the trade has expanded significantly. The legal trade has grown by 500 per cent since 2005, per the IPBES report, and thats not counting the often-invisible illegal trade. About a quarter of all land-dwelling species are now traded. Many of these animals end up at wet markets, such as the Wuhan market from which the virus is believed to have spread. Loading There is evidence wet markets do pose risks, as viruses are able to jump from one animal to another and then to humans. But blaming wet markets alone  which include Sydneys Fish Market  is simplistic, says Dr Woolaston. A lot of people talk about it as a global south, a Chinese problem, but the driver of their trade is consumption. And that consumption comes from the global north, says Dr Woolaston.

The USA is among the biggest importers of wildlife, closely followed by Germany. Traditional Chinese Medicines demand for exotic animals is large, and Chinas growing middle-class is inflating the market. But so is the demand from Americans keen to own an exotic pet. Netflixs Tiger King doco shocked American viewers who were unaware the country has more pet tigers than there exist tigers in the wild. America has more pet tigers than there exist tigers in the wild. Credit:Netflix *** Mike Pritchett flew into Australia early in the pandemic, after spending three years living between Australia and Singapore working on the video production start-up he founded, Shootsta.

The contrast, as he touched down in Sydney and then walked through the city, could not have been more jarring. Both countries have led the world in the effectiveness of pandemic response  but one, already scarred by the SARS shock, was far better prepared than the other. Lockdown was lockdown. You were allowed out once a day. If you were seen without your mask on, just going for a walk, people would take a photo of you on the street and youd be busted. And you just would not break the rules  no one does that over here, says Pritchett. Asia was ready. They already have biometric security. They take your temperature when you walk through the airport. Australia was left sitting there going whats happening?. A body temperature scan at Singapore Airport. Credit:Getty Images In our new pandemic age, every society that wants to weather the storm is going to need to become pandemic resilient  learning the same lessons Singapore and Taiwan learnt after SARS, says Associate Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott, an expert on pandemic preparedness at the University of Sydney.
Fish off the South Carolina coast have a few more hiding spots after a 50-foot tugboat and approximately 20 large pieces of concrete culvert were added to the McClellanville Reef last week.

The additions to the CCA McClellanville Reef were a joint project between Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

The reef is located in 50 feet of water, approximately eight miles off Bulls Bay between Charleston and Georgetown. The GPS coordinates for the reef are 32 degrees, 51.80 N and 79 degrees, 22.50 W.

"This is our 13th reef in a decade, part of our coastal initiative that CCA South Carolina has made to put 42 reefs off the coast of South Carolina by 2030," said Scott Whitaker, executive director of CCA South Carolina, adding that BP America and Shimano North America, which is headquartered in Ladson, partnered on the project.

"This was kind of a coming home for us," Whitaker added. "This was the site of the very first reef deployment CCA South Carolina did, and now there are three different deployments on that site by CCA South Carolina."

The purpose of artificial reefs is to stabilize or enhance fish populations. South Carolina has established more than 40 such reefs.

A lot of species have been overfished. By creating additional habitat, were enhancing fish populations. Using artificial reefs helps to stabilize fishing pressure. It spreads it out so no one particular area becomes too overfished, said Robert Martore, who heads the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Department's artificial reef program.

Martore said the McClellanville Reef, only 400 yards in diameter, is one of the program's smaller reefs.

"It was established in 2004 and it's been the CCA McClellanville Reef from the beginning. They put up a lot of money and got a couple of tugboats when we initially started the reef. It's a reef that was requested by anglers who fish out of McClellanville who said they had no nearby reefs to fish."

The tug that was added to the reef on March 9 was 50 feet long with a beam of approximately 20 feet. It offers a 20-foot profile from the bottom. Martore said the tug originally was piloted from a higher level, but they had to cut off the pilot house to provide clearance for boats. The pilot house was reattached to the front deck of the tug.

The other tugs measure 105 feet and 45 feet. Martore said there are approximately 200 pieces of big culvert now on the site, and also rubble from when the Cooper River Bridges were removed after the Ravenel Bridge was completed in 2005.

"This reef is easily reachable by the center console guys on a good day," said Whitaker, adding that he feels like the effort to establish CCA projects on all the state's artificial reefs by 2030 is on track. he said those projects have been on reefs ranging from water depths of 45 to 105 feet.

"I think we have a shot to put in between three and five more this year. We have secured some of the material and in the process of securing the remainder. We have our eyes on some of the most dynamic near-shore reef structures that have ever been deployed, if we can make this happen."

Information, including GPS coordinates, for south Carolina's artificial reefs and the structure that has been deployed on the individual reefs can be found at dnr.sc.gov/artificialreefs.

Summerville's Walters 3rd in Bassmaster event

Summerville bass fishing pro Patrick Walters finished third in the Bassmaster Southern Open tournament fished on Florida's Harris Chain of Lakes. Walters led after the opening day but dropped to third on the second day. He finished the three-day event with a 15-bass limit weighing 55 pounds, 14 ounces and won $17,760. Keith Tuma of Brainerd, Minn., won the event with 58-13 and earned $52,300.

America's Boating Club

Americas Boating Club Charleston will hold a boating safety class March 20 at the Berkeley County Emergency Training Center in Moncks Corner. Classes also will be held March 27 and April 10 at 1376 Orange Grove Road, Charleston. The classes begin at 9 a.m. and end around 4 p.m. Successful participants earn the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Boater Education Card. The cost is $25 for adults and youth 12-18 are free. Call 843-312-2876 or email lynes@tds.net.

Brady Bates Redfish Open

The Brady Bates Youth Redfish Open Scholarship Tournament is scheduled April 10 out of Buck Hall Landing. The tournament is part of the Student Angler League Tournament Trail. Last year's tournament saw $15,000 in scholarships awarded. The tournament is free to all members of SALTT (Student Angler League Tournament Trail). Visit salttfishing.com for information or email rayburnposton@gmail.com.

Inshore Anglers Sheepshead Tournament

The Charleston Inshore Anglers' 28th annual "Big Ed" Sheepshead Tournament will be fished 17. The captain's meeting and registration will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. April 15 American Legion Post 147, located at 968 Folly Road. The tournament weigh-in also will be held at American Legion Post 147 from 4-5 p.m. The entry fee for the tournament is $40.

Contact Kevin Mischke at 843-324-1006; Robbie Zetrouer at 843-709-0650; Nick Kvestad at 843-557-2811; or Gene Broderick at 843-224-6826
Amid moves to import Chinese vaccine sans data, four NMRA board members sacked By Kumudini Hettiarachchi, Ruqyyaha Deane & Meleeza Rathnayake View(s): View(s):

The lightning sacking of four respected members of the countrys drug regulator has thrown it into disarray, with the health sector being rocked by serious allegations that this is an attempt to bring in COVID-19 vaccines without reliable data.

The National Medicines Regulatory Authoritys (NMRA) four board members who are serving on an honorary basis are well-known health expert Dr. Palitha Abeykoon, management expert Dr. Kapila Ranasinghe, accountancy expert M.K. Harshana Karunaratne and lawyer Chamindika Herath.

The letters of termination of appointment dated March 8 (Monday) signed by State Minister Channa Jayasumana states: By virtue of the powers conferred to me as the State Minister of Production, Supply & Regulation of Pharmaceuticals under the extraordinary gazette No. 2187/27 of Sunday, August 09, 2020 and further to His Excellency the Presidents communication, according to Section 9 (2) of the NMRA Act No. 05 of 2015, I have decided to reform and increase the efficiency at NMRA by appointing fresh members to the Board of the NMRA. Hence, your appointment as a Board Member of the NMRA will terminate with effect from March 8, 2021.

In a similar letter sent out the same day (March to NMRA Chairperson Prof. Asita de Silva, but with the change ..with His Excellency the Presidents concurrence per the letter dated 17th February 2021, the State Minister has appointed Prof. Sisira Siribaddana (Management), Raja Goonaratne (Law), Dr. Udayasri Kariyawasam (Accountancy) and Dr. R.I. Wijewantha (Health) in place of the sacked members.

The Sunday Times understands that as a sop to Cerberus, Dr. Palitha Abeykoon has been appointed as a Member of the MMRAs National Advisory Committee which has not been convened for three years. There was no confirmation whether Dr. Abeykoon has accepted or declined the offer.

These letters had followed an emergency meeting on Monday (March that the NMRAs independent advisory Panel of Experts on vaccines had held with Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, State Minister Jayasumana and State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control Dr. Sudharshini Fernandopulle to explain the reasons why the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm has not yet been granted emergency-use listing (EUL) by the NMRA.

The Panel of Experts had pointed out that Sinopharm has not been given World Health Organisation (WHO) EUL, neither has it got EUL from a stringent regulatory authority. No data on efficacy and safety had also been submitted to the NMRA with regard to the required Clinical Trial studies.

A source said that no data on safety and efficacy had been submitted for Sinopharm, even though the NMRA had made many requests for such data.

This was as Chinas food and drug regulators former chief Bi Jingquan, as reported in the South China Morning Post, urged vaccine manufacturers in his country to give more details about Clinical Trial data. Publish all your data, its good for strengthening everybodys trust, he has said.

Sri Lankas NMRA has so far given EUL for AstraZenecas COVISHIELD vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India and the Sputnik V vaccine produced by the Gamaleya Research Institute in Russia.

Minister Wanniarachchi, after listening to the vital need for vaccine EUL to be granted only based on science and proper data on safety and efficacy, as otherwise it would pose a serious danger to the people of the country, had at Mondays meeting requested that the NMRA organise a Zoom meeting with the Chinese vaccine manufacturer.

With regard to the sacking of the four members, the Sunday Times also heard views that such action cannot be carried out by a State Minister as the appointing authority for NMRA members is the Health Minister, based on recommendations with regard to people of eminence.

In early January, Dr. Palitha Abeykoon was one of six handpicked as Special Envoys by WHO Head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to coordinate the global response to COVID-19. He represents the South East Asia Region and works in close collaboration with the WHO DGs Office, the WHO Regional Directors and the country offices.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Times understands that with regard to the four NMRA Board Members who are nominated by the Colleges of Physicians, Paediatricians, Surgeons and Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, the State Minister has in an unprecedented move requested some of the colleges to submit three names each for just one seat respectively.
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New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (March 14) released the list of candidates for 112 seats for the upcoming assembly elections in Kerala.

"Metroman" E Sreedharan, who recently joined the BJP, will contest from Palakkad constituency, while the state party chief K Surendran will contest from Manjeshwar in Kasaragod and Konni in Pathanamthitta.

The party will contest a total of 115 seats in the 140-seat assembly, said BJP national general secretary Arun Singh The remaining 25 seats have been left for the allies.

"In Kerala, BJP will be contesting 115 seats and the rest of 25 seats will be left for four parties. State BJP chief K Surendran will contest from two constituencies - from Manjeshwar in Kasaragod and Konni in Pathanamthitta," Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

Former state president Kummanam Rajasekharan will contest from Nemom, while actor Suresh Gopi has been fielded from Thrissur.

Former DGP Jacob Thomas will contest from Irinjalakuda and former union minister KJ Alphons will contest from Kanjirappally assembly seat, Singh said.

The elections in the state will be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

Earlier this week, the Kerala Congress (Joseph) group, an ally of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) announced the candidate list for the upcoming elections. The party will contest 10 seats.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has been allotted 27 seats, out of which it has released the list of 25 candidates.

The Left Democratic Front(LDF) has also released the partial candidate list for the upcoming elections. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will contest from Dharmadam, KK Shailaja from Mattannur, Kadakampally Surendran from Kazhakkoottam, and KT Jaleel to contest from Thavanoor.

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New Delhi, March 14 : Two years back, Goa-based photographer Prashant Panjiar started recollecting anecdotes, stories and behind-the-scenes musings of different photographs he had taken during his 30-year career as a photojournalist, and started posting them on his social media handles. This not only incited interest among those who have been following his work, but also Navajivan Trust, a non-profit publishing house founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1929 which approached him for a book. "The result is 'That Which is Unseen' which will be released in April-May and has around 60 images and the stories around them," said Panjiar, a self-taught photographer who got drawn towards the medium during the Emergency.

The recent lockdown owing to the pandemic gave him enough space and time to complete the book and some long pending projects. "I have been working from home since 2001. It has been about going to assignments and coming back to work. The lull during the lockdown period allowed me to put my archive in order and finish several incomplete projects, some of which had been hanging for more than a decade," says the photographer, just back from a three-week project. "This was the first travel after the lockdown was imposed," said Panjiar whoworks on issues of health, education and livelihood across Asia and Africa for international non-profit organisations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, American India Foundation, UNFPA, IPPF & HIV-AIDS Alliance.

Someone who founded the Delhi Photo Festival along with photographer Dinesh Khanna, has served on the jury of the World Press Photo Awards and is associated with the Goa Open Arts Festival believes there has been a downward slide in photo festivals after the boom witnessed post the Delhi Photo Festival in 2011. Believing that it was bound to happen, and now things are stabilising to a more sustainable model, Panjiar said, "I really don't think it is necessary to have a photo festival everywhere just for the sake of it. It should be held at places that can afford a location and attract a synergy with the space, city, and its history. The best example of a festival that has worked around a city and its cultural context is Photo Kathmandu. It's based in Patan, and is shown there in the community which also participates in it. Or look at The Rencontres d'Arles which takes place in the South of France, which has a lot of tourist influx, takes place during the the holiday season and allows allows people to have a different kind of holiday which has a cultural ethos.

Another example is the Kochi Biennale -- it caters to a large art crowd, there is part of Kerala culture, the city has been a travelling point of various cultures, and travellers and tourists are coming even now. Now just because I am in Jhumri Talia doesn't mean that I should have one festival there. To think of a festival just in terms of ownership of a place or a community is self-defeating. It has to have an audience, which comes from diverse places," he said.

Adding that mushrooming of photo, art and literature festivals all around the country will not necessarily create an atmosphere for a more vibrant scenario, he said, "It can work at fragmenting things rather than making them better. Each one of them has to be well planned so that as a visitor, you can visit all of them." Talking about the Goa Open Arts Festival which did not take place this year owing to the pandemic, but gave grants to five (and one by Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai), Panjiar said that although after last year's successful festival, initially they were planning to make it an annual event, but later decided on making it once in two years. "Artists across genres -- writers, poets, musicians etc take part and its first edition was quite a success in terms of engagement. However, it's a voluntary effort and it takes a lot to raise money. Now it will happen in 2022." Talk to Panjiar about the increasing number of artists from across the country moving to Goa, and he said that those who came around twenty years back were the ones who valued the privacy of the coastal region, and many invested in properties as a holiday home while they worked in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. "It was after the year 2000, when people who worked independently and did not have to be in one place started finding this place very attractive. Now the independent ones happened to the creative lot -- designers, musicians, artists, filmmakers. This was a younger lot but the difference was that they wanted to engage with Goa. They didn't want to lock themselves in one house and write that magnum opus." Adding that there was a lot of exchange happening, Panjiar said that the original younger lot of Goan artists came together to form the Goa Artists Collective. "Several things happened simultaneously. Subodh Kerkar had the Museum of Goa going. Now we are witnessing a lot of collaborations. We are looking forward to more engagement between artists living here and outside."
Athens, March 14 : The Greek public healthcare system is reaching its limits in the ongoing battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, as the numbers of new cases and hospitalisations were constantly increasing, officials and doctors warned.

The Greek government took more steps this week to strengthen the healthcare system with the mobilisation of private hospitals and clinics in the treatment of patients, reports Xinhua news agency.

"If you take into account that a middle-sized hospital in our country has about 200 beds, you will see that in the past few days almost all beds fill up in each emergency shift," Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias told the media.

Until two weeks ago, the average daily admissions were almost half.

Occupancy at intensive care units (ICUs) and regular wards for Covid-19 patients increases lately at alarming levels, officials and experts said.

Although the country is in a lockdown since November 7, 2020, the mutated Covid-19 strains which are more contagious than the initial strain and quarantine fatigue have led to an alarming situation, they explained.

In order to control the further spread of the virus, officials announced on Friday that the lockdown will be further extended to March 29 and the few schools which had remained open will also go back to online learning for the next two weeks.

The situation is bleak, two doctors at public hospitals told Xinhua, suggesting additional measures to boost defence.

"In the past few months, a few steps have been taken to increase the number of available beds. However, the total across the country, which stands at about 1,500 beds (for COVID-19 patients in ICUs), is not enough," Panagiotis Papanikolaou, general secretary of the Federation of Hospital Doctors of Greece, told Xinhua.

For Papanikolaou, the mobilisation of private hospitals and clinics so far is a "drop of water in the ocean" and more support is needed.

Moreover, the federation has called for immediate hiring of more doctors and nurses.

"We want to get support at last by more doctors, nurses and other personnel. Those of us who are currently in the system are not enough to face the Covid-19 tsunami," Despoina Tosonidou, a radiologist at Asklepieio Voulas hospital in the southern suburbs of Athens, told Xinhua.

"Every day there are a few dozen patients who are intubated and are not treated inside ICUs. Beds in wards for Covid-19 patients in hospitals are constantly full," the doctor added.

Greece has so far reported more than 217,000 coronavirus cases and 6,986 deaths.
REGINA - Older residents in Saskatchewan's capital are being urged to stay home as health officials closely watch a rise in COVID-19 variant cases to see if more public health measures are needed.

A dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is given to a recipient at a vaccination site in Vancouver on Thursday, March 11, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

REGINA - Older residents in Saskatchewan's capital are being urged to stay home as health officials closely watch a rise in COVID-19 variant cases to see if more public health measures are needed.

The recommendation Friday came days after a ban on household guests was eased and on the one-year anniversary of the province announcing its first case of the novel coronavirus.

Another 77 presumed infections of the more contagious variants in the Regina area from this week were reported Friday.

That was in addition to 70 infectious variants confirmed in Saskatchewan over the past two months, most of them the B.1.1.7 strain, the mutation first detected in the United Kingdom.

To date, nearly all of the cases have been in and around Regina.The Saskatchewan Health Authority said it believes the virus in the community is likely from a more infectious strain.

"It's a race between the variants and the vaccine," said Nazeem Muhajarine, a professor of community health and epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

"And right now, it seems like in Regina, at least, the variants are getting the upper hand."

Health officials urged Regina residents 50 and older not to take advantage of the loosened restriction on household guests, to limit their shopping to essential items, to seek testing even with mild symptoms and to stay home if sick.

"Public health will be closely monitoring the situation regarding transmission  for the next two to three days and will (be) taking additional public health measures if the numbers of confirmed positive cases of variants of concern do not start to decline," the Ministry of Health said in a release.

Muhajarine suggested a short lockdown should be considered for Regina because of the rising variant cases.

The health authority said that starting Monday, people who are 64 years old will be able to get immunized against COVID-19 at the first vaccination drive-thru clinic in the city.

Muhajarine warned, however, that immunity doesn't happen overnight.

He also noted that even though vaccines have health experts and residents looking ahead to the next few months with optimism, it takes time to vaccinate enough of the population to achieve herd immunity.

"I fear for the short term," he said.

"What I fear now is that this is going to be followed by hospitalizations, ICU use and, unfortunately, deaths. We are almost like back to where we were in December."

Saskatchewan has the highest rate of active COVID-19 cases per capita in Canada. Another 176 new infections were recorded Friday, along with three additional deaths. The Regina area had 471 of the province's 1,437 active infections.

Also on Friday, a long-term care home in the city said public health officials had declared an outbreak of COVID-19 at the facility. An Extendicare spokeswoman said that as of Tuesday, four residents and two staff members had tested positive.

Laura Gallant said 95 per cent of Elmview residents had received the two required doses of vaccine. She said she couldn't reveal, due to privacy rules, if the four who became ill were immunized.

"COVID-19 vaccines are a powerful tool to strengthen our defence against the virus," she wrote in a statement to The Canadian Press.

"Until mass vaccination is completed and broader immunity is achieved in the community, the virus will continue to circulate and potentially enter homes. We must remain vigilant and use every available precaution to prevent the virus from reaching residents."

Gallant noted almost 90 per cent of the care home's staff had been given one shot, and about half had received both.

For weeks, COVID-19 rapid testing has been used on anyone entering the home, and all residents and staff are being tested, she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2021

 With files from CTV Regina
A quick-thinking doctor saved Brisbane from another snap lockdown by getting tested immediately after contracting Covid-19 from an infected hospital patient.

The infected person was staying on the same floor as at the Hotel Grand Chancellor as another infected traveller now at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

That patient had contact with a doctor who later became infected with coronavirus, forcing the hospital into lock down.

'Case one is the person brought into the hospital on the March 9, case two was the doctor who got it off the person who came in on the 9th,' Health Minister Yvette D'Ath told reporters on Sunday.

The Australian Medical Association said the outbreak was 'completely preventable' while slamming the Queensland Government for not vaccinating the doctor.

The infected person was staying on the same floor as at the Hotel Grand Chancellor as another infected traveller now at the Princess Alexandra Hospital

The infected doctor had contact with two patients in the early hours of Wednesday before testing positive on Friday. Pictured: Princess Alexandra Hospital

Exposure sites Morning After Cafe in West End - between 2pm and 3.15pm on Thursday Corporate Box Gym at Greenslopes - between 5.45pm and 7pm on Thursday Stones Corner Hotel - from 7pm to 7.45pm on Thursday Advertisement

'The Queensland doctor exposed to Covid did all the right things with no breach of PPE protocols and still tests positive,' AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said.

'Clearly PPE is inadequate. Covid transmission to quarantine and health workers is now COMPLETELY preventable with proper PPE and vaccines. No excuses.

'Even if the personal safety of healthcare workers isn't enough to motivate hospitals to enforce adequate PPE and get frontline staff vaccinated, surely it is worth preventing the enormous community impact of lockdowns, border closures and restrictions. QLD government needs to do much better.'

The infected doctor had contact with two patients in the early hours of Wednesday before testing positive on Friday - ending Queensland's 61-day streak of zero community transmission.

Health officials said the doctor getting tested as soon as she noticed symptoms has saved the city from going into lockdown.

The woman visited West End's Morning After Cafe between 2pm and 3.15pm on Thursday, before attending the Corporate Box Gym at Greenslopes from 5.45pm and 7pm.

That night she went to the Stones Corner Hotel from 7pm to 7.45pm.

Anyone who has visited those venues is advised to self isolate for 14 days and get tested immediately.

The doctor was asymptomatic when she went to the Stones Corner Hotel from 7pm to 7.45pm on Thursday

The doctor visited West End's Morning After Cafe between 2pm and 3.15pm on Thursday

The Morning After cafe in West End is seen closed after a doctor from Princess Alexandra Hospital visited the establishment while infected with Covid-19

She attended the Corporate Box Gym at Greenslopes from 5.45pm and 7pm on Thursday

Deputy Chief Health Officer Sonya Bennett said it's concerning that the doctor became infected despite wearing PPE while treating patients.

'The hospital will look into that and identify any particular cause that may need an improvement,' she said.

Meanwhile, 238 people linked to the infected doctor have been traced, with virus test results due back in the coming days, Deputy Chief Health Officer Sonya Bennett said.

This includes 61 staff and seven patients at the hospital. Three close contacts of the doctor have all tested negative.

The infected doctor had contact with two patients in the early hours of Wednesday before testing positive on Friday.

One of the patients is likely to have passed on the highly contagious UK strain of the virus, Deputy Chief Health Officer Sonya Bennett said.

She said genomic testing also showed one of the patients may be linked to the case being investigated at the hotel, which was diagnosed on day 12 of the traveller's 14-day quarantine period.

'They both travelled through the same area on the way,' Dr Bennett said.

'The information is all a little bit unusual and what we want to rule out is that there's been any transmission in the hotel.'

Meanwhile, 238 people linked to the infected doctor have been traced, with virus test results due back in the coming days

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said health officials will closely monitor the situation over the coming days to determine if the virus has spread any further

The infected person was staying on the same floor as at the Hotel Grand Chancellor as another infected traveller now at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Other guests are seen at the hotel in January

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said health officials will closely monitor the situation over the coming days to determine if the virus has spread any further.

'I don't want everyone to be alarmed at present we've got some detailed contract tracing happening,' she said.

No guests will leave the hotel and no new guests will be checked into the site until the health officials have completed their investigation.

About 240 people linked to the infected doctor have been traced, with virus test results due back in the coming days, Deputy Chief Health Officer Sonya Bennett said.

The PA remains in lockdown and all hospitals, aged care and disability facilities in the Greater Brisbane area are closed to visitors, and masks must be worn inside them.

Queensland on Sunday recorded one new locally transmitted case of Covid, but it is likely historical and not connected to the doctor.
A final decision on plans for a new 40 million meat factory is not expected for a number of weeks yet after the decision was delayed again.

A decision on Banagher Chilling Ltd's planning application, which was appealed to An Bord Pleanala last year, was expected on January 4 last. However, the decision has been delayed again with a final decision not expected until late April.

Offaly County Council granted permission for the massive Chinese backed development close to Banagher back in August. However, the decision was subsequently appealed to the planning appeals board. It is understood that a decision is not expected until late April.

Local TD, Carol Nolan has said there is considerable anger and frustration emerging following the confirmation from An Bord Pleanala (APB) that it is not in a position to determine the outcome of an appeal related to the Banagher meat processing plant in County Offaly.

Deputy Nolan went on to say that ABP have indicated they have yet to receive the Inspectors report on the appeal, which was due by March 1, and that this has now made it impossible for a determination to be made on the case.

This latest setback is totally unacceptable particularly as the board had been due to make a decision on January 4). Now here we are almost two months past that date and we have yet another delay.

This is only going to deepen the perception that any attempt to open up the meat market in the Midlands and in Offaly, will be subject to endless delays and bureaucratic nonsense. I have repeatedly made it clear just how important this new facility could be in terms of stimulating the local rural economy, expanding market competition and making Co. Offaly attractive as a site capable of generating inward investment.

However, none of that appears to be registering with An Bord Pleanala in the slightest. At this stage the entire process is actively working against, not only our local interest, but also the clear commitments in the Programme for Government that beef farmers and the beef sector would be supported.

The communities of Offaly and indeed the wider midlands region deserve clarity and commitment to this project. That is not being helped by this latest delay and I might add, the acceptance of grounds for appeal that have little if any relationship to reality, she concluded.

In response to recent articles on the issue, resident Des Kampff told the Tribune that the recent further extension by Bord Pleanala in coming to a decision is seen by the group as 'reflecting the serious substance in our appeal that required extensive adjudication'.

In the interim, many of the assertions in promoting the project were found wanting. Employment in meat process factories is universally taken up by up to 70 per cent migrant workers for whom there's no accommodation available in the area. The Competition Authority, in writing to us, has accepted the IIP statement that 'they didn't impose any additional barriers to market entry or exit (the Chinese investor in the project had been refused entry to the programme'. There was never clarification of the amount of the investors investment relative to the projects costs, which fluctuated from 25 to 40m

Assertions of support included the local community - yet Banagher Chilling Ltd remains an unknown entity and neither has had any public engagement with the community. Among the farming community only a handful of Offaly farmers supported a country wide petition for the Bord to deny the appeal. Bord Bia, in a statement to us, say that their remit is the promotion and marketing of Irish Food. 'The setting up of meat processing plants is outside their remit and therefore would not provide support or advise on this.

Those familiar with farming affairs will be aware of the 2030 agri-food strategy now having to focus on the environmental sustainability of the agri food sector. It's inevitable that a change from the current expansionary model will emerge, to meet our commitments on emissions. In this context, and in these times can there be justification in building a large scale meat processing plant where all the trends tell us that it will become more and more redundant as we go into a new future.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

In years past, members of the Tibetan Association of Santa Fe and their supporters would commemorate Tibetan National Uprising Day by marching from the associations home base to the state Capitol, where prayers were recited and a slate of speakers delivered messages promoting freedom and human rights in Chinese-occupied Tibet. Then, dozens of demonstrators would march down to the citys historic Plaza to spread their message to anyone within earshot, carrying signs and shouting out call-and-response slogans:

What do we want?

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Freedom!

What do we want?

Justice!

What do we want?

Human rights!

But not this year.

While cases of COVID-19 finally seem to be diminishing in New Mexico, the virus is still here and organizers of the annual march decided to tread more softly this year.

In the past, we had so many public supporters from all over the world. Because of COVID-19, we have to do it small, said Dorjee Gyaltsen, one of the organizers of the march, typically held on March 10 to mark the anniversary of the failed uprising in Tibet against Communist China in 1959.

That led to the Dalai Lamas exile, the exodus of tens of thousands of others and a crackdown on Tibetan independence movements by the Chinese government.

The anniversary is recognized each year in cities across the world. But, this year in Santa Fe, the commemoration was reduced to only about a dozen masked people confined to the courtyard of the Tibetan Association center on Hickox Street.

There, the small group gathered to shout out those same call-and-responses, and sing and pray that one day Tibet would be independent and free.

Sixty-two years after the uprising, theres still hope.

Gyaltsen is excited that, late last year, Congress passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, later signed into law by President Trump. It establishes a U.S. consulate in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and makes it U.S. policy that the succession of Tibetan leaders, including the Dalai Lama, be left up to Tibetan Buddists without interference from China.

Which is great support from the U.S.A., Gyaltsen said.

The U.S. and China are, however, at odds on many issues, though the Biden administration hopes to break the ice on some of them later this week when senior officials meet in Anchorage, Alaska.

In the courtyard of the Tibet center, incense burned from a chiminea while the group of mostly Tibetan descendants wearing traditional garments assembled for an informal ceremony.

Gyaltsen held the large photo of the 14th Dalai Lama mounted on a post he usually carries during the march. Others held Tibetan flags and there was one U.S. flag flapping in the wind alongside them Wednesday morning.

They began by singing the Den-tsik Monlam.

Its a prayer for the people who have risked their lives for freedom, Tashi Dolma, one of the women in the group, later explained.

Words of truth, added a man who identified himself as Gurmey, vice president of the Tibetan Association of Santa Fe, translating the title.

Gurmey came to the U.S. from Tibet about 20 years ago, he said, and has returned for visits several times since then.

While he loves his homeland, its different for him now as the Chinese government is keeping a watchful eye on what happens in the region.

When you go back, theres always someone behind you, he said. They dont want human rights.

The group also sang the Tibetan national anthem and said a prayer for protection, punctuated by the celebratory tossing of a pinch of barley  a staple crop in Tibet  into the air.

Its a small offering, Gyaltsen said of the good luck ritual also performed at weddings and to mark a new year.

He and the 150 others at the Tibetan Association pray that, some day, they can celebrate a free Tibet and that the U.S. can help make it happen.

The Washington Post reported last week that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet with their Chinese counterparts to discuss environmental issues, trade, intellectual property rights, cybersecurity and human rights.

Blinken last week accused China of committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims, a charge the Chinese refute.

Tibet is sure to come up in the conversations as, in advance of the meeting, a State Department spokesperson last week reiterated the updated U.S. policy regarding Tibet.

We believe that the Chinese government should have no role in the succession process of the Dalai Lama, Ned Price told reporters, adding that Chinese interference in selecting his eventual successor would be an outrageous abuse of religious freedom.
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State officials predict New Mexico will not return to pre-pandemic employment levels until late 2023. Even thats a rosy scenario. The Congressional Budget Office forecasts national employment wont regain pre-pandemic levels until 2024.

Despite those ominous projections, lawmakers are moving forward with a slew of anti-business and anti-consumer proposals that, if passed, will ensure it takes years to rebuild the states economy. Most of these bills are aimed at helping low-income New Mexicans and their families. But legislative leaders are failing to take into account the impact this bundle of bills would have on businesses of all sizes  and recognize that punishing businesses punishes New Mexicos recovery. A broken economy impacts all New Mexicans, regardless of their income level.

And so, bills like these are too alive and well:

 House Bill 291. Yes, expanding tax credits for low-income workers makes sense after all theyve endured in the past year. And many of the 150,000 New Mexicans who lost their jobs last year were low-income workers. They need all the help they can get. But funding tax-credit expansions by punishing other families, workers and small businesses via higher income taxes when there is a budget surplus is the wrong way to go about it.

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HB 291 was bad as written and gets even worse with amendments from Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe. Theres no tax reform about this bill; rather, it simply shifts tax burdens and under one Wirth amendment would start increasing the pain on those New Mexicans who have worked hard to be solidly middle class, earning $75K a year (married filing separately). They are hardly the much-maligned 1%-ers.

And while as originally written it would make it easier to qualify for the Low Income Comprehensive Tax Rebate by expanding the income threshold from $22,000 to $36,000, and expand eligibility for the Working Families Tax Credit to workers making over $15 an hour, it does so by creating new personal income tax brackets (when Texas has none) and virtually eliminating the capital gains tax deduction and removing a 3% cap on property taxes for residential properties that are not their owners primary place of residence. The sweeping language would undoubtedly mean higher property tax bills hit tenants with higher rents. Wirth rightly stripped out the property tax changes but also stripped corporate income tax reductions  one more reason businesses will opt to locate in other states. On Saturday he also withdrew his minuscule reduction in the states GRT rate, so theres no way to even try to justify this as tax reform.

The unintended consequences of HB 291 defeat the purpose of the bill and reveal a blatant cash grab when none is needed; senators including Bill Tallman, D-Albuquerque, were right to ask why when were so flush with revenue coming in.

 HB 20. Then theres the deeply flawed so-called Healthy Workplaces Act, which would impose mandatory sick leave requirements on businesses of all sizes. Bill-backers have ignored most pleas from business owners for common-sense compromises such as exempting the smallest businesses and providing remedies beyond assuming the employer is always in the wrong (though they did delay the start date a year, giving businesses a chance to start to recover from pandemic). Meanwhile, lawmakers would exempt state government agencies. Its a good sign of a bad bill when lawmakers pass legislation that doesnt apply to their own. Theres no good reason a paid leave bill cant both protect workers and acknowledge the very real concerns of small businesses.

 HB 50. This would allow anyone to sue everyone in the name of protecting the environment. This has the potential to upend a stable regulatory framework and spark lawsuits against people or organizations they simply might not like and want to shut down. This legislative session has been no disappointment to the plaintiffs bar, but it sure could stymie our economic recovery. HB 50 would make New Mexico an even more litigious state.

 HB 122 would raise the surtax on health insurance plans to the highest rate in the nation  by far  while raising private health care premiums paid by employers. In a state where close to half the population is already on Medicaid, if you think weve got a health care coverage crisis now. 

 HB 268 presumes an essential workers contraction of COVID occurred in the workplace for workers compensation purposes. The bill ignores the reality that family and social gatherings have been a key spreader during the pandemic and instead places the burden on businesses to prove that an employee couldnt have contracted COVID in the workplace.

 HB 110 would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2024 and strip away provisions in the Minimum Wage Act that allow a training wage for high schoolers, tipped wages and a subminimum wage for folks with physical or mental disabilities. Thankfully, the bill hasnt passed either chamber. But no employer who wants to stay at full staff or expand will be safe of its burdens until the session adjourns Saturday.

In an unusual move, the New Mexico Press Association  which represents newspapers big and small across the state  has also distributed an advertisement today asking legislators to Please consider the cumulative effect of permanent, long-term cost increases on New Mexico businesses  especially smaller ones that are the foundation of our economy.

Dont kid yourself. The cost of these bills ultimately gets passed along to consumers and makes it less attractive to live, work or do business here. Individually, each one is bad. In totality they would cripple our state economy as we try to emerge from the pandemic.

Fortunately, our governor has repeatedly voiced greater concerns about business health than our legislative leaders. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has said this might not be the right time to impose new requirements on businesses. She is absolutely right.

Break out those veto pens, Madam Governor, everyone  from our job creators to our lowest-income consumers  is counting on you.

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.
The EU dairy herd is shrinking (except for Ireland) because of increasing efficiency, while the EU beef herd is shrinking (except for Central Europe) due to unprofitability, according to US Department of Agriculture analysts.

On the other hand, their latest EU livestock report notes that the pig sector is breaking records, with unprecedented pork production and exports in 2020, and a new production record forecast for 2021.

Despite falling beef production, the EU became a net exporter in 2020, according to the USDA report.

With the reduction in the cattle herd, beef production is forecast to fall, and beef consumption will inevitably follow.

In 2020, EU beef imports fell due to lack of demand, while exports rose.

This year, imports are forecast to recover if the food service sector re-opens, but exports are also projected to increase.

The USDA says EU dairy herd shrinkage has been greatest since 2010, in absolute terms, in Poland (404,000 head less), France (284,000), and Germany (260,000), while the dairy cow herd in Ireland increased by 449,000.

Since 2010, EU beef cows reduced only 1% compared to 3.9% for dairy cattle.

In 2020, the beef herd expanded in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Baltic States, Spain and Portugal. Exports (mainly to Northern Africa and the Middle East) have become a main driver for holding beef cows in the EU.

But this trade declined in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic, except for Spanish exports to Libya and Turkey, Portuguese exports to Israel, and Hungarian exports to Kosovo.

In 2021, EU cattle exports are forecast to recover.

The USDA says Covid-19 in 2020 only had a minor effect on the EU dairy market.

The price for beef cattle, however, plummeted in March, 2020, and didnt fully recover, because demand for beef was reduced by the food service sector closure.

Worst hit were prominent veal producing countries, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium.

Major 2021 cuts to the beef herd are forecast in almost all EU Member States, most pronounced in France and Germany.

Low cattle prices are expected to encourage farmers to either stop farming or reduce their breeding herd.

However, expansion of the beef cow herd in Poland, Bulgaria, and Hungary could outweigh reductions in France, Germany, and Ireland.

With recent EU policy proposals such as the Green Deal, Farm to Fork, and Biodiversity Strategies, any chance for EU cattle herd growth appears unrealistic in the near-term, according to the USDA.

In 2020, African Swine Fever in wild boar in Germany closed off German pork exports, but the Netherlands and Spain were able to take over exports and relieve the EU market from oversupply.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 81F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Bahraini security forces have beaten children and threatened them with rape and electric shock, United Nations (UN) Human Rights Watch has said. All the children facing the horrendous treatment were detained last month, for participating in a protest to mark the 10 year anniversary of the country's democratic uprising. Bahrain, a small island state in the middle east, has often come under scrutiny for its authoritarian rule under King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and its zero-tolerance policy towards pro-democratic protests.

Meanwhile, HRW along with London based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) released a joint statement stating the torturous treatment that was meted out to children as young as 11 years of age. As per their report, nearly 13 children aged between 11 and 17 years were arrested in early to mid-February as authorities tried to dissuade protesters to gather later in the month.

Furthermore, they cited five children, all detained mid-February, stating that police officials not only beat and assaulted them but also threatened to give them electric shocks from the car battery. Additionally, another official reportedly hit a 13-year-old and threatened to rape him.

A police officer who threatens a 13-year-old with rape or electric shocks from a car battery is an abominable stain on Bahrains reputation. Bahraini police officers treated children as enemies who must be terrorized into confessing, while prosecutors and judges shut parents and lawyers out of proceedings, Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei, advocacy director at BIRD was quoted as saying in the report.

Four still remain in custody

Currently, four of the children remain in detention, including a 16-year-old with a serious medical condition, New York-based HRW and BIRD said in the statement. Police officials have arrested children based on accusations of vandalism, burning tires, planting fake bombs, blocking roads amongst other things. Bahrains US-backed, Sunni Muslim monarchy used force to suppress the 2011 uprising, led mostly by the Shiite Muslim community and cracked down on sporadic unrest and dissent later. It was the only Gulf state to experience one of the Arab Spring uprisings a decade ago.

Image credits: Associated Press


















New Delhi: The first Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) in-person meeting could happen on the sidelines of the G7 summit that is scheduled to take place in the United Kingdom from June 11 to June 13, 2021. The Quad has Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the United States President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japan's PM Yoshihide Suga as its members.

The G7 summit will be held in Carbis Bay, Cornwall and the UK PM Boris Johnson, who is the chair of the grouping for 2021, has invited PM Narendra Modi and Australian PM Scott Morrison to attend it.

The G7 will witness for the first time, the leaders of all these countries coming together physically. While the UK could see the Quad meet, the US is keen on hosting the first in-person meet as well.

The group, notably, met on March 12 at the leaders level for the first time, but the meet was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The leadership summit saw a major announcement with the Quad COVID-19 vaccine initiative, seen as major practical cooperation between the members of the grouping.

Basically, the American vaccines will be produced by India, financed by the US and Japan, and provided logistical support by Australia. These coronavirus vaccines will be given to countries in the Indo-Pacific region, the first being the countries in South-East Asia.

Japan, through JICA, is in discussions to provide concessional Yen loans for the Indian government to expand manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines for export.

The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will work with Hyderabad-based manufacturer Biological E to increase its capacity to produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022.

The group comes together at a time of increased Chinese aggressiveness -- from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) row with India, issues with Japan over the Senkaku Island, trade tiff with Australia and the US.

While China obviously wasn't mentioned in the first-ever joint statement, it did call for 'a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion.'

The statement mentioned prioritizing the 'role of international law in the maritime domain, particularly as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)' and 'to meet challenges to the rules-based maritime order in the East and South China Seas'.

China has been known to not only violate UNCLOS but also based on its nine-dash line policy claiming the entire South China Sea, much to the dismay of the members of the ASEAN grouping.
Ms. Hunts transition from publicist to D.J. was a slow metamorphosis. She grew up in Chesapeake, Va., and graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in English literature and African-American studies in 2003. Just after, she moved to Mexico City to teach. She hoped to become a D.J. there, too. But I bought this D.J. equipment online, and I ended up getting scammed out of all my money, she said. I moved to New York because I was broke.

Her sister, Kenya Hunt, was living in West Harlem. She moved in. I got a temp job and started interning and found myself in the PR world. The pull to play records never left her, though. Once she started playing music at the Fair Trade art parties organized by her artist friends Derrick Adams and Mickalene Thomas, she was in demand; she went on to play at benefits for the Public Art Fund and an Armory party at the Museum of Modern Art.

Ms. Berry knew nothing of the art world when they started dating. Im her mirage in the art desert, she said. But Ms. Hunt liked it that way. Before they met, both were briefly on Tinder. I cant stress enough how unlike me it was to go on Tinder, Ms. Hunt said. But I said to myself, I need to expand my network. Everything was becoming artworld-centric. I needed to open up a new arena.

She also needed to find a relationship that allowed her to fully inhabit the quality that she said best defines her: introversion. Even though I can wear the hat of extrovert when I need to, Im totally an introvert, she said. Longtime friends like Raven Carter, who met Ms. Hunt in college, say her shyness is genuine. Shes always had this way of making you feel cool by just being around her, Ms. Carter said. But shes one who creates silently. Then, when shes ready to reveal herself, its like, wow.

Once Ms. Berry and Ms. Hunt finally passed the friend zone in the summer of 2017, they formalized their relationship in July at a Central Park version of Sundae Sermon, a D.J. party normally held in Harlem. Ms. Hunt overheard Ms. Berry talking with someone who mentioned she preferred the term girlfriend to partner. I said, I like girlfriend, too, Ms. Hunt said. And that was it.
In January 2021 a Russian truck-mounted Pantsir S1 (SA-22) air-defense system captured in Libya was turned over to the U.S. at a German airbase. The UAE had, with assistance from American commandos and an American C-17 transport, obtained the Pantsir S1 and flown it out of an improvised landing strip west of Tripoli. The UAE had apparently arranged to buy the Pantsir S1 from one of the Libyan militias that captured the Pantsir when they accompanied Turkish mercenaries to capture an airfield,

This confirms rumors that the Americans had acquired a Pantsir in 2020 with the help of UAE. The Russians and the UAE had long supported the LNA (Libyan National Army) with weapons, air support and logistical services. This alliance had made it possible for the LNA to control over 80 percent of Libya by late 2020. Then the Turks agreed to provide military support, including thousands of Syrian Arab mercenaries, to help the GNA (Government of National Accord) push back the LNA forces that had besieged Tripoli since early 2019 and were on the verge of taking the city and eliminating the GNA in late 2019 when the Turkish forces began arriving.

By May 2020 Turkish and GNA forces had broken the LNA siege of Tripoli and the LNA forces began moving away from the city. This enabled the Turks to capture the al Watiya airbase 135 kilometers southeast of Tripoli. This had long been a major military airbase and the LNA captured it intact in 2014. The airbase served as a major logistical and air support base for the 2019 operation to capture Tripoli. The Turks launched a major effort to take al Watiya and this was supported by over fifty airstrikes carried out by Turkish UAVs. Several warplanes and at least one Russian Pantsir air defense vehicle were captured at the airbase. The Russian Pantsir systems have been remarkably ineffective against the many Turkish UAVs used in Libya. The Pantsir the Americans obtained was the same model as the one the Turks captured. It was also the same model that had performed so poorly against Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

Russia was aware of his poor performance of it its troubled Pantsir S1 anti-aircraft system and in 2019 announced a major Pantsir upgrade, Pantsir S1M, that would be available in 2021. The upgrade can be applied to existing older Pantsir S1 systems. It was specifically noted that the S1M model had changes based on combat experience in Syria and Libya. That combat experience was disastrous, with over twenty Pantsir S1 vehicles destroyed by Turkish and Israeli aircraft and electronic countermeasures. Most of the losses occurred in Libya where Russia supplied the LNA with over 20 Pantsir S1 vehicles. Most were lost to Turkish Bayraker TB2 UAVs firing laser-guided missiles after the Pantsir S1s had been blinded by Turkish Koral jammers. Israel used similar tactics in Syria.

The Pantsir S1M is a major upgrade that includes a new, 75-kilometer range, radar plus an advanced electro-optical target tracking system. Electro-optical systems cannot be blinded easily and certainly not by electronic jammers. The S1M is now equipped to detect and take down all manner of UAVs, no matter what their size or operating capabilities. S1M uses a new missile with a range of 30 kilometers and an improved internal guidance system.

At the same time, there has been a less publicized effort by the Russian army and navy to obtain a new system to replace Pantsir, which they have lost confidence in. Given the dismal state of the defense budget, it may be a while before a Pantsir replacement can be developed and delivered. Meanwhile, Russia is apparently going to put the S1M model to the test in actual combat. Turkey and Russia are allies, so they avoid killing each others personnel in Syria and Libya, but the new Pantsir S1M would only be out to destroy Turkish UAVs. That will cost Turkey some hardware and reputation if S1M works but wont do the kind of diplomatic damage Russians killing Turkish troops does.

Pantsir-S1 is a mobile, truck-mounted system. Each vehicle carries a radar, two 30mm cannon and twelve Tunguska missiles. The original 90 kg (198 pound) missiles had a twenty-kilometer range and the radar a 30-40-kilometer range. The missile can hit targets at up to 8,400 meters (26,000 feet). The new Tunguska is heavier, has a longer (30 kilometers) range and presumably can hit targets at higher altitudes.

The 30mm cannon is effective up to 3,200 meters (10,000 feet). The carrier vehicle can vary, but the most common one carrying all this weighs 20 tons and has a crew of three. Each Pantsir-S1 vehicle-mounted system costs about $15 million, and the S1M costs about a third more. Typically, four to six Pantsir vehicles are organized as a battalion along with a command post and support vehicles. Larger numbers of Pantsir vehicles are organized into a regiment of two or three battalions.

Support vehicles consist of electronic and mechanical repair vehicles as well as other vehicles carrying spare parts and missile reloads and 30mm ammunition. There is also a system simulator that is carried in a truck or trailer. Russia has made a tremendous investment in Pantsir and does not want to scrap the system. If S1M doesnt work in combat, Pantsir will have to go if only because its survival depends so much on export customers.

Russia had already gone to extraordinary lengths to protect Pantsir in the media. In a rare incidence of Russian damage control, Valery Slugin, the lead designer of the Pantsir-S1 air defense system, gave a media interview to a Russian newspaper in early 2020. Slugin explained how a Syrian Pantsir vehicle was destroyed by Israel forces in early 2019. The Israelis released a video of the incident. Slugin explained that it was the fault of the Syrian crew, which had fired all of their missiles and were waiting for the missile resupply vehicle. Meanwhile, the Israelis noted the missiles being fired, found the Pantsir and destroyed it with a missile. Slugin explained that if the Pantsir crew had moved the vehicle the Israelis might not have found and destroyed it. Slugin also stated that this Pantsir had just destroyed eight targets, presumably Israeli cruise missiles, while firing its twelve missiles. The Israelis reported that the target of their cruise missiles was destroyed and only two cruise missiles failed to hit the target. Nevertheless, the state-owned Russian firm that developed, manufactured and markets Pantsir to export customers felt it necessary to let the world know what they believe actually happened. Russian media also released a video of Pantsir missiles exploding in the air. In response, Israel revealed that the cause of this was that its Delilah cruise missiles carry a radar jammer that makes Pantsir to lose track of their target. When that happens Pantsir missiles self-destruct rather than hit the ground and risk friendly casualties. Russia implied that the missile was exploding near an unseen target. This was accurate, but not the way the Russians wanted it to be.

Another marketing effort in late 2019 publicized the fact that over 30 Pantsir-S1 systems had been sent to Syria, and implied that this many Pantsir-S1 vehicles could defend all of Syria from air (warplanes, UAVs, cruise and ballistic missiles) attack. The problem with Pantsir is that only Russia and Syria claim the system is effective. Its opponents (Israel, the United States and Turkey) have another perspective that contradicts Russian and Syrian claims. Moreover, the Russian air defense systems used by Syria have, since 2011, brought down only one aircraft, an elderly Turkish RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft shot down by accident in 2012. The Turkish aircraft was flying off the coast and apparently not expecting to be attacked. Syria was then using Cold War era Russian equipment. When the Russians intervened in 2015, they brought more modern air defense systems with them, including the Pantsir. The problem is that the much-hyped Pantsir has been a flop. No proof of any Pantsir kills has ever been presented and Israeli airstrikes consistently destroy their targets, even when Pantsir is present and firing lots of those Tunguska missiles.

Then there was an earlier incident where Russia was caught suppressing bad news about the performance of Pantsir-S1 in Syria. In one case the comments were from a Russian source. This took place in late 2018 when Islamic terrorists used multiple small, explosives-armed UAVs to launch several attacks on the Russian controlled Hmeimim (or Khmeimim) airbase in Syria. Russia reported that these attacks failed because Russian air defense systems shot down over fifty of the small UAVs. Unofficial reports, via the Internet, indicated that the two short-range anti-aircraft systems guarding the base performed very differently. The older Tor-M2U system used its missiles successfully to shoot down the UAVs while the more recent Pantsir-S1 missiles all missed. Russian Internet censors were quick to take down some of the negative comments but the news was now out and spreading. Around this time Russia was also given lots of publicity to new, much improved, Pantsir models. Most of the upgrades were in the radar and fire control systems. These new Pantsir S2, S2E and SM models entered service in late 2018 and early 2019. Not all Pantsir vehicles have been upgraded and the overall impact of the upgrades does not appear to have been dramatic.

The late 2018 incident was not the first time Pantsir-S1 has been described as a failure. The Hmeimim airbase incidents were important because they involved a Russian controlled airbase in a combat zone. Hmeimim was built by Russia in 2015 near the port city of Latakia, which is 85 kilometers north of the port of Tartus and 50 kilometers from the Turkish border. Russia brought in Pantsir-S1, Tor-M2U and S-400 air-defense systems to protect it from attack.

The irony of this is that the Tor-M system is much older, with development begun in the 1970s while Pantsir-S1 development began twenty years later. The major difference between the two was that Tor-M was more successful and more expensive. The cost factor was one reason for developing the Pantsir-S1 but at first only export customers could afford it because the Russian military procurement budgets were sharply cut in the 1990s. In 2010, three years after the first foreign customer (Syria) received the Pantsir-S1, the Russian Air Force began getting some. The Russian economy was recovering sufficiently to expand defense spending. Initially, the Russian Air Force received the S1E version, with an improved radar (36-kilometer range) and missile (more reliable). Curiously, the air force used their first ten Pantsir-S1s to guard S-300 anti-aircraft missile bases around Moscow. There was no explanation from the Russians as to why they felt a mobile, low level anti-aircraft system was needed to guard a larger, high altitude one. Perhaps as additional protection against cruise missiles.

These ten Pantsir vehicles for Moscow were supposed to arrive in 2008, but there were more technical problems. There's been a pattern of that with Pantsir-S1. Development began in the 1990s. Work was sporadic for nearly a decade because there was little cash available. Meanwhile, several Arab nations were persuaded to order a total of about 150 Pantsir-S1 vehicles and most of those have not yet been in combat. Russia does not want these customers to question Pantsir's reliability. After all the system has worked during test firings and is a very profitable export.

Yet the main problem with Pantsir-S1 is that in combat it doesnt work. Failures have been reported at least three times since 2007, and all occurred in Syria. Two months after Syria received Pantsir-S1s in 2007, Israel bombed a Syrian nuclear weapons development facility. The Syrians were very dismayed at how ineffective the new Pantsir-S1 systems were during the Israeli strike. The 2007 failure was attributed to Israelis figuring out how to blind these systems electronically. In 2017 Pantsir S1 again failed during an Israeli attack and the excuse this time was that the Pantsir-S1s were not turned on. The 2018 failure was with operational Pantsir systems firing missiles at UAVs and missing while Tor-M2U systems detected UAVs and regularly shot them down with missiles. The video of Israeli weapons destroying a Pantsir vehicle was something the Russians felt they had to explain away, or at least try to.

The Tor-M has been around since the 1980s and has no autocannon, just missiles. It has been frequently updated. A late 2015 upgrade for their 30-year-old Tor-M (SA-15) enabled the launcher vehicle to fire its guided missiles while on the move. The latest version of Tor is the Tor-M2U which can hit aircraft up to 12 kilometers away and cruise missiles at a distance of five kilometers. The missile launcher vehicle has a crew of three (commander, driver and missile systems operator). The 176 kg (378 pound) missiles are three meters (ten feet) long, 235mm (9.25 inches) in diameter and carry a 15 kg (33 pound) warhead. Each battery has search radar and command center vehicles controlling four launcher vehicles (each carrying eight missiles, and another radar.)

The original tracking radar on the missile vehicle could track one target at a time but the latest (Tor-M2) can track four at a time. Missiles can be launched from the vehicle at three second intervals. The original missile carrier/launcher vehicle was armored (against small arms and shell fragments), tracked and weighed 34 tons. Since then, a cheaper towed (on a wheeled trailer) version has appeared followed by a version on a 6x6 truck that proved more maneuverable, comfortable and cheaper than the armored version.

In 2018 a major upgrade was introduced; Tor-E2. With this model, the tracked vehicle was redesigned and upgraded to operate independently. The Tor-E2 carries sixteen missiles and its own search radar. The range of the missile has been increased to 15 kilometers.

Russia was the original user but Tor-M has also been exported to fourteen other countries including Greece, Venezuela, China, Iran and Egypt. Russia prefers to sell export customers the Pantsir but knowledgeable customers keep ordering the more expensive Tor-M because they know it works. Now Russia is trying to do for the Pantsir what they did with Tor-M, keep improving it until it works.

The U.S. has, for decades, monitored Russian progress in developing new military equipment. The American offered high prices for anyone who could provide access to current Russian systems. This included multi-million-dollar rewards and residence in the U.S. for pilots of Russian warplanes who would defect with their aircraft. A number of modern Russian fighters were obtained this way. An even more productive sources was Arab governments who had been rearmed by the Russians after the disastrous (for the Arabs) 1967 Six Day War with Israel. During this war the Israelis captured a lot of older Russian equipment the Arabs had obtained since the 1950s. After the 1967 defeat Russia offered to equip Arab states with the most modern Russian systems. This made a difference during the 1973 war, but the Arabs still lost. Israel captured a lot of new Russian gear and shared this bonanza with the United States, which was and still is a major supplier of military tech to Israel. The Americans obtained even more Russian military tech after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 and fourteen now countries were formed from the wreckage of the Soviet Union. The dissolution deal had each of these new nations inheriting any military gear on their territory at the time of dissolution. Troops could return to the part of former Soviet Union they came from but the weapons remained, including ICBMs, nukes and thousands of the most modern Russian aircraft and other weapons in service. American technical intelligence personnel spent most of the early 1990s examining and actually testing this stuff. When Russia began developing Pantsir in the 1990s the Americans had a good idea of what kind of tech would go into the new SA-22. Now they have a Pantsir S1 and they can confirm what they estimated it was all about.
In 1958, during the midst of the Space Race, Post-Standard reporter Dave OBrien went out to Oneida Lake, near South Bay and the Syracuse Yacht and Country Club, to ask residents if they remembered something which had happened there 27 years before.

Did they recall 21-year-old Syracuse University student Harry Bull and his rocket sled in March 1931?

Nearly all did, some chuckling.

One local resident remembered Bull as that crazy college student who nearly got himself killed on Oneida Lake in 1931.

But he was much more than that.

What they dont realize, OBrien wrote, is that Harrys claim to fame today lies in his reputation as a pioneer developer of the rocket fuels now used so widely.

A 1989 paper written by the American Astronautical Society, about the History of Rocketry and Astronautics, included the following:

It suffices to say that it was not until the pioneering work of Harry Bull, a young engineering student of Syracuse University, that the United States first partially regeneratively-cooled rocket motor was actually built and successfully fired.

Bull was born in Syracuse on April 4, 1909. He grew up at 511 Euclid Avenue.

In 1927, while still in high school, he began drawing out his first thoughts on interplanetary travel and wrote letters to his idol, Dr. Robert Goddard, known as the father of rocket propulsion.

One of the first times his name appeared in a Syracuse newspaper was on April 16, 1927 when he told the Syracuse Journal that he had witnessed a meteor, a glowing green and white mass, in the southern sky over Syracuse.

In 1928, he entered the L.C. Smith College of Applied Science at Syracuse University and majored in mechanical engineering.

To finance his studies, Bull worked as a part-time photographer with the Post-Standard, where his father was a managing editor.

During my junior year, in the midst of the Depression, money was scarce and everything I made went for tuition, he later wrote. To increase my earnings, I decided to build a rocket sled. Money I planned (to earn) was to come from three sources: copyrighted news photos, talks to many organizations in the city and a booklet telling how to build a sled.

Work on what he called the Bull Rocket 1 (BR-1) started in late 1930. Bull tinkered with it whenever he had some spare time.

It was about 14 feet long and had three steel runners. It looked much like a wingless airplane, with a detachable regulation windshield and headrest in the cockpit.

The rocket sled was built with a wooden framework, wrapped in steel, which was partially donated by the University, and airplane cloth, which was sewed by Bulls mother and sister, Jane.

Bulls helmet and googles were donated by a friend.

The entire project cost just $22, roughly $379 today.

(In 1958, Bull said this about the cost: When I realized during World War II that the German government spent about $230 million dollars on the V-2 rocket, I thought the $22 certainly went a long way.)

Most of the funds went to the Rochester Fireworks Company, which supplied the firepower.

His sled required 36 six-pound caliber black powder skyrockets. If ignited simultaneously they would produce at least 540 pounds of thrust for 3 seconds.

In addition to these, the sled would be powered by the inventors own private mixture of potential explosives with which he has experimented.

The composition was a secret.

On March 7, 1931, Bull brought the BR-1 to the ice on Oneida Lake for the first ever rocket sled run in the United States. The weather was perfect that Saturday afternoon with moderate temperatures and light winds.

More than 1,500 people came to see the sleds first test, kept back at a safe distance from the rocket sled.

And the media was there in droves.

Three newsreel camera outfits and 10 newspaper and news service photographers were on hand for the trial run, the Syracuse Journal reported.

The newsreels, from such entities as Fox Movietone and Paramount, ground out hundreds of feet of talkies as Bull appeared at his sled.

He described BR-1 and what he expected it to do.

I hope to accelerate four times faster than the fastest accelerating automobile, he said.

But when he fired the rockets, nothing happened. After six attempts, everyone went home disappointed.

Working until midnight, Bull learned that a short circuit had been the result of the sleds bumpy trip to the lake from SU while on the roof of a moving automobile. He rewired the rockets, changed batteries, and installed more powerful fuses for another attempt the next day.

The crowds and media returned to Oneida Lake. But so too did high winds, canceling the launch again.

Only 300 people were there on Monday, March 9, when Harry Bull tried again.

That might have been a good thing, because this time when the college student flipped the contact switch the sled was enveloped in smoke and flame as the sled launched into action.

The Herald reported:

A score of spectators standing near the sled in confusion as the rockets belched flame and churned powder-laden smoke in a dense cloud that completely hid the sled from view.

Charles Canfield and Andrew Paucek, a pair of SU classmates of Bulls, standing directly behind the sled, escaped with minor burns on their hands and face. Their clothes were badly scorched.

Nevertheless, the sled motored 50 feet in the late winter slush and ice, in just under a half-second. That was calculated to about 87 miles per hour.

Bull said he had felt no ill-effects from the ride and proclaimed it was entirely satisfactory.

The Post-Standard review of the ride was triumphant.

A silvery craft that roared and spat fire leaped 50 feet in two-fifths of a second over the mushy ice of Oneida Lake, and Harry W. Bull, 21-year-old Syracuse University student, crouched in its tiny cockpit between two streams of flame, had made the first rocket sled run on record.

- This clipping from a 1958 Post-Standard story shows Harry Bull in 1931 with a model of rocket ship he developed. Courtesy of Onondaga Historical AssociationCourtesy of Onondaga Historical

Harry Bull proved, the story said, that the principle of rocket propulsion can be successfully applied to an ice boat.

Syracuse University Chancellor Dr. Charles Flint sent Bull his congratulations and the young student was honored at a dinner for SUs engineers at the Hotel Onondaga on March 12.

He collected more than 1,500 newspaper clippings on his achievement.

While the article focused on him making the countrys first rocket sled, Bulls attentions were towards something bigger.

The ultimate aim of these experiments, he wrote later, is the development of a motor suitable to propel airplanes capable of flying in the stratosphere.

Its rather interesting to remember that at the time we were making some of those tests at college, particularly the ones with liquid oxygen and hydrocarbons, it appeared that the future possibilities were indeed there, he told the Post-Standard in 1958.

What he was trying to do in his experiments, Bull explained, was to eventually send a rocket 100 miles into the air, under power of the fuel we were trying to develop.

Following graduation, Bull went to work with the Tennessee Valley Authority before joining Dow Chemical in 1937 as a design engineer. In 1962 he was named the companys Director of Packaging.

He retired in 1968 suffering from poor health and died on July 2, 1971.

Harry Bull is buried in Midland, Michigan.

Read more

1911: After the resignation of a popular principal, Baldwinsville students go on strike

1921: The day Syracuse took a stand against dancing by banning the camel walk, the toddle and the shimmy

1911: To make city safer, Syracuse considers taking on a public menace: bristling hat pins

July 20, 1969: Watching from 240,000 miles away, Syracuse is awed by moon landing

Stuck inside? Check out our true-crime podcast

An invention from Upstate NY soon became the preferred method of execution across the United States -- the electric chair. In The Condemned, we trace the history of the chair through the stories of five men who were sentenced to death for their crimes. Explore our series here.

This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle at jcroyle@syracuse.com or call 315-427-3958.
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in May 2018, entrepreneur Rose Hulse perhaps understood better than most the extraordinary journey the Californian actress was about to embark on.

Like Meghan, Rose was also an independent, dynamic, successful and beautiful African-American thirtysomething woman who fell for a thoroughly blue-blooded Brit.

The year before the Royal Wedding, Rose  CEO and founder of ScreenHits TV  had married into the British aristocracy; and the wedding was an elegantly grand affair which featured in the pages of society bible Tatler magazine.

The ceremony at St Georges Church in Londons Hanover Square was followed by a gloriously multi-cultural reception at Spencer House, which is owned by the late Princess Dianas brother, Charles.

Rose Hulse (pictured) from Santa Monica, reflects on her experience of marrying a British aristocrat, as she admits to feeling sadness for Harry and Meghan

If anyone knew the challenges of adapting to a new world shaped by centuries-old tradition, etiquette and unspoken rules it was Rose.

More than that, she also understood the huge responsibility Meghan was taking on  and the pressures she would face  making history by becoming the first woman of colour to marry into the Royal Family.

I was so happy for Meghan and Harry, and felt honoured that someone of African descent had been provided with one of the largest platforms in the world, says Rose, who in 2017 married George Hulse, the grandson of a baronet.

I thought Meghan would have a voice to reach every person on this planet and that they would listen and over time would incite change and influence policy.

Finally, I believed, someone with African-American roots could be a voice for all people of colour and help to educate people. It was a very powerful thing for me.

So it was with a sense of overwhelming sadness that Rose last week watched the Duchess of Sussexs nuclear interview with U.S. interviewer Oprah Winfrey.

Meghan  pregnant with her second child  stunned the world as she laid bare the reasons behind the royal couples escape from the seemingly gilded cage of royal life.

Not only did Meghan claim that the lack of support she received from the Firm had left her suicidal, but  most damaging of all  that she had been the victim of racism.

The Duchess of Sussex claimed she had been a victim of racism in an interview with Oprah Winfrey last week. Pictured: Harry and Meghan on their wedding day in 2018

Damningly, she claimed an unnamed member of the Royal Family had, in a conversation with her husband, asked how dark any future child of theirs might be.

The Queen said in a statement last week that  though recollections may vary  she took the accusation of racism seriously and would personally investigate the matter.

I was sad for Harry. Sad for Meghan, for the Royal Family and for the British people. Everyones hopes and dreams for them came crashing down, says Rose, who today offers a unique insight into what went so wrong for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

She is also perhaps better placed than many to give her opinion on what is racist or not.

Growing up, I had always heard that the Royal Family and the institution was racist and that no royal would ever allow their bloodline to be muddied, she says.

Well, they proved that wrong with blessing Harrys marriage to Meghan with their full support.

There may have been some that felt it was too soon and that Harry should take his time, but when he made it clear he was truly in love, his entire family was there to support him and Prince Charles even walked Meghan down the aisle.

Not only was she unequivocally supported by people of colour, but by so many others as well. You could see this by the love shown from everyone who came out to support her and Harry on their tours of the UK, Commonwealth and South Africa.

Yes, there may have been naysayers and haters, but there was also a huge amount of love shown towards them. They were so very popular.

Rose is sure that Meghan would have received some excellent advice from people in the Royal Family. But  based on her own experiences  this is what she, as a fellow African-American, would have suggested, if asked, to ease the transition.

My advice would have been to understand the structure in which the Royal Family operates in and to do your best not to take anything personally, she says.

I would have encouraged her to understand the sensitivities around primogeniture, second sons, service and duty and to seriously consider all she would be giving up for love.

She would have been the first acknowledged member of the Royal Family with African descent and with that comes great responsibility, followed by anger, jealousy and people trying to push her to fail just to prove that everyones concerns were correct.

She would have to always be one step ahead and to rise above all the challenges and represent with dignity and prove everyone wrong who doubts that she is not suited for this role and position.

Finally, Rose adds: I would have suggested she finds a confidant inside the family that she could trust and always speak to if things became too difficult, and to prepare herself to set aside her political voice, her opinions and life she previously knew, to serve the Queen with humility, dignity and duty.

While the Sussexes enjoy a new life in their 11 million mansion in California, Rose couldnt be happier here  far from the beaches of Santa Monica, where she grew up.

Happily married with two young daughters, she loves this country so much, including rainy holidays in the Scottish Highlands, that last year she became a British citizen.

A former figure-skater, accomplished youth classical musician and studio executive, she credits her parents for her strong self-worth and refusal to live in the shadows of victimhood.

At home, they closed out the noise of negativity from the world. We were made to feel as though we could do anything, says Rose, whose parents have been married for more than 50 years.

That gave me the backbone to let certain comments not affect me. I remember someone once called me a very derogatory word in front of a friend. I was so embarrassed and ashamed, but when I told my mother and father, they said: Dont pay any mind to meaningless words from meaningless people. Surround yourself with those who will support and love you and you will amount to great things.

So it was with confidence and plenty of drive that Rose arrived in the UK  where, in 2012, she would launch her business ScreenHits and fall in love with an aristocrat.

George Hulses family  whose seat, Breamore House, is in Hampshire  couldnt be more illustrious. The 1st Baronet Hulse, Sir Edward Hulse, born in 1682, was physician to Queen Anne and Georges I and II.

Not only did I feel welcomed when I came here, but I felt respected by my English friends, says Rose.

There was the odd remark or snobbery shown towards me, but I chose to take the higher ground and give these people an opportunity to truly get to know me so they could shape their opinions on fact, versus preconceived notions.

Racism is a global problem: there is no escaping the reality of it. Ive had a few shocking experiences, but they do not reflect the majority of people Ive met here. Sometimes it just comes down to someone not liking you for something that has nothing to do with your skin colour.

Rose remembers that her future husbands family and friends were very protective of him in the early days of their romance  but not because of her colour.

I didnt grow up here, they didnt know me, I didnt go to their schools and most of my husbands friends had known each other since they were seven, she says. I remember going to Scotland for a weekend and every one of his friends asked me very direct questions to try to get to know me.

I wasnt offended and took it as an opportunity to get to know them, too. I had to adjust to their way of life and their dry English humour, but I have come to appreciate it and embrace differences.

As well as a high-flying career and happy marriage, Rose is the proud mother of two daughters, whom she describes as their two little English-African Opals.

While she understands the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs upset over questions that were raised about the colour of their unborn childrens skin, she says: I think theres a big difference between racism and ignorance. I also think there is a big difference between racism and concerns.

What I remember from my own experiences is a valid concern that people had regarding a future member of our family and how racism would affect them if the child came out more like me  which is a beautiful, deep-brown, cinnamon colour.

The questions asked were, How will they be perceived? How will they be treated? What will people say? How will you protect them from this unfair world we live in?

Now is that racist or is that someone who is concerned for the wellbeing of a future family member? For someone who has never experienced racism, they may have concerns on how this will affect the young childs life, and what they could do to protect them.

Id be more concerned if they didnt ask these questions, because they would not be prepared for what to expect.

Rose adds: Theres no point not talking about the elephant in the room and hiding behind politically correct statements.

We all know that the world treats people differently based on their skin tones, and in the privacy of ones home, people have the right to bring up their concerns for what to expect.

African-American families often ask the same questions on what the texture of hair will be, their facial features and skin colour.

Its rooted in the belief that the lighter they are, the less abuse they will have to face.

These questions also annoy me and can leave one feeling that all the beautiful things I possess that my ancestors gave me are somehow not valued in this world . . . The problem is not the question  its the world we have created for ourselves.

Though Rose would have dearly loved to see Meghan shine in her royal role, she now believes the Duchess ultimately made the right decision to take a step back.

Meghan says she suffered with mental health issues and had thoughts of taking her own life. This is something we all have to respect and support, Rose says.

By taking a step back, she is in a better position to protect and care for herself so she can be the best mother and wife she can be.

I dont think Meghan was suited for any role as a working royal, as she couldnt handle the outside pressures and what was expected of her. Shed have had to give up a core part of herself that was proving too difficult. The monarchy has survived more than 1,000 years because they have certain protocols in place to ensure the successful running of the institution. One either steps in line or politely and quietly steps aside.

More than 2,500 people are employed by the Royal Household. In 2017 alone they brought in more than 1.8 billion for the British economy. Lets not underestimate the power and influence of the Royal Family and all that they provide to Britain.

Too much is at stake, and when one starts to pick away at the fabric and foundations of such a massive institution, everything comes crashing down.

They have an amazing platform to bring awareness to the causes that are important to them.

Meghan, too, has a platform and her words are very powerful . . . She needs to use them wisely, for they can unite or create great divide. When life gives you a platform, we should always use it to unite.

https://screenhits.tv
Vietnams tourism promoted in India's northern city

The Embassy of Vietnam in India, together with ASIA DMC Vietnam and Indias Allena Group, held a conference on March 12 to promote Vietnams tourism and images in Chandigarh - the capital city of both northern Haryana and Punjab states.



The event, themed Vietnam - A dream destination, introduced high-end resort tourism products suitable for customers from Chandigarh city, which has the highest per capita income in India.

At the event (Photo: VNA)





Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau informed participants of Vietnams potential and capacity to host major events, citing that several grand weddings of Indian nationals were held in the Southeast Asian country.



He voiced his hope that the event would help connect businesses of the two countries and prepare for the recovery period this year.



In addition to tourism and medical tourism, the diplomat also wished the two nations would bolster further cooperation in the fields of highly-skilled workers, information technology and education.



The participants expressed their delight that Vietnam and India have opened many direct flights, as well as spoke highly of bilateral economic and trade collaboration.



Some businesses voiced their hope that a direct air route linking Chandigarh and Vietnam will be launched in the coming time to capitalise on potential in economic and tourism development.



The event was held in both forms of in-person and video conference amid travel restrictions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. It aimed to attract international holidaymakers once tourism is reopened in the post-pandemic period, especially as couples in India are planning their weddings at the years end.
Mayfield Man Jailed on Marijuana, Meth Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MAYFIELD - A Mayfield man wanted on a warrant was arrested over the weekend on drug charges.The Mayfield Police Department said 37-year-old Arthur Eaton was arrested Friday on a bench warrant out of Graves County.During the arrest, police said Eaton was found in possession of illegal drugs, resulting in additional charges.Eaton was lodged in the Graves County Jail on charges of failure to appear, possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
RTHK: Martial law declared in part of Yangon

Myanmar state television said martial law had been imposed in Yangon's Hlaingthaya district, where domestic media had reported that at least 14 protesters were killed by security forces earlier on Sunday.

State television said the implementation of martial law was up to the commander on the ground. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.






The Observation Unit is an outpatient setting for patients who require additional monitoring and intervention after their visit to the Emergency Department. Within 24 hours of arrival, patients transition to home. If you are looking for a more challenging pace than an inpatient unit- the Observation Unit is for you. It is also a great entry point from the inpatient setting to an eventual transition into the Emergency Department as a professional nurse. Position Objective: Contributes to the provision of high-quality, cost-effective healthcare as a provider of direct and indirect patient care and by effective of the health care team. Functions as a competent member of the health care team. Essentional Job Duties: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 1. Clinical Decision Making/Judgment Demonstrates clinical nursing knowledge and skill in the specialization of the unit.

Demonstrates the ability to apply the nursing process effectively in the care of culturally diverse patients and families. Demonstrates the ability to utilize all applicable laws, policies, standards, guidelines and evidence-based practice in the provision of patient/family care.

Organizes and reprioritizes patient care activities based on subtle and overt and/or environmental changes.

Consistently and thoroughly assesses patients to collect data and identify learning needs according to established standards and policies.

Utilizes a systematic, continuous and complete analysis of assessment data to develop individualized problem lists for assigned patients.

Develops and individualizes a plan of care for each patient in accordance with established standards, appropriate prioritization of problems/needs, and mutually agreed upon goals.

Efficiently implements the patient's plan of care in accordance with applicable standards, policies, procedures and guidelines.

Demonstrates proficiency in medication administration, pain management and other unit or initiative specific skills.

Continuously evaluates the effectiveness of the plan(s) of care, making revisions and recommendations based on analysis of patient responses to interventions. 2. Nurse-Patient Family Relationships Demonstrates the ability to assess the patient's/family's learning needs, readiness to learn, learning style, and presence of barriers to learning.

Demonstrates the ability to develop, implement and evaluate teaching plans for patient populations in unit specialty in accordance with applicable standards.

Demonstrates the ability to apply knowledge of growth and development across the life span to the care of patients.

Provides direct patient care to patients and families in a culturally, developmentally and ethically appropriate manner.

Plans of care address the physical, psychosocial, spiritual and learning needs of the patient/family. 3. Clinical Scholarship Participates in QI, CPI and risk management activities at the unit, department or organizational level.

Demonstrates the ability to effectively perform and improve all processes in order to achieve excellence with regard to AAMC's quality standards and benchmarks.

Supports the use of evidence based guidelines and organizational policies and procedures to promote safe patient care and a safe practice environment. 4. Clinical Leadership Participates in unit shared governance according to departmental standards.

Participates in the education and orientation of new staff.

Delegates patient care activities as appropriate; evaluates delegated activities for expected patient care outcomes.

Employs real time computer documentation when completing patient record. Educational/Experience Requirements: Graduate of an accredited school of nursing

Adherence to the credentialing requirements of AAMC as stated in the nursing bylaws. Required License/Certifications: Current licensure as a registered nurse by the Maryland Board of Nursing.

CPR - American Heart Association Healthcare Provider certification

ACLS required within one (1) year of hire. Working Conditions, Equipment, Physical Demands: There is a reasonable expectation that employees in this position will be exposed to blood-borne pathogens. Physical Demands - Medium work. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. The physical demands and work environment that have been described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The above job description is an overview of the functions and requirements for this position. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of this position; your supervisor may assign other duties as deemed necessary.


WASHINGTON - Commercial air travel appears to be on the upswing despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The Transportation Security Administration said its agents screened more than 1.3 million passengers at airport security checkpoints nationwide on Friday.

THINK TWICE BEFORE FLYING HERE: Texas makes travel warning lists in the US

Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in a tweet that the last time the number was that high was March 15, 2020  about a year ago.

Public health officials generally have cautioned against commercial travel.

Farbstein included a reminder in her tweet, saying if you choose to fly, wear that mask!

President Joe Biden marked Thursdays first anniversary of the pandemic with a prime-time address to the nation in which he said he expects to have enough coronavirus vaccine for all Americans by May 1.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

 Virus tolls have been similar in U.S. states despite governors' contrasting actions

 By some measures, the panedemic's been more costly for U.S. than World War II

 Rules have put medically vulnerable near the end of vaccine lines in many places

 IRS says new round of COVID relief payments on the way

 After a long pandemic year, a changed New York shows signs of revival

 Most of California to reopen as vaccine eligibility expands

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Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BUDAPEST Hungary reported a record-breaking day of new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, and the number of patients being treated in the countrys hospitals also reached a new high.

Health authorities announced 9,444 new confirmed cases, more than 1,000 more than the previous record set on Friday. The jump came amid a rapid spread of a coronavirus variant first discovered in the United Kingdom.

The outbreak has put a strain on Hungarys health care system. Officials reported the hospitalization of 179 more COVID-19 patients, bringing the national total to a record high of 8,897

Hungary has the second-highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the 27-nation European Union, underpinned by the acquisition of vaccines from Russia and China as well as the EU. The number of people who have received at least one dose of a vaccine climbed to nearly 1.3 million in the country of fewer than 10 million.

Officials say they plan to have all people over age 60 vaccinated by Easter.

As of Saturday, Hungary reported 16,790 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, giving the country the seventh-worst death rate per 1 million people in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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TBILISI, Georgia  Georgia received its first batch of coronavirus vaccines on Saturday and is set to become the last European country to launch a COVID-19 vaccination drive.

The ex-Soviet nation received 43,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX program, a United Nations=backed initiative aimed at ensuring equal access to vaccines. Georgia's second shipment of 87,000 vaccines is expected next month.

Georgian Health Minister Ekaterina Tikaradze said the country will start administering the vaccine on Monday, with the first shots given to medical workers.

Georgia hopes to vaccinate 60% of its population of 3.7 million this year.

The country has engaged in talks to receive additional batches of the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines. Georgia is also negotiating with China to receive the Sinovac vaccine.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  Police in France have arrested a Dutch man and an American man suspected of involvement in the stabbing of two Dutch police officers in the northern Dutch city of Groningen.

The incident happened after the officers questioned two men who were outdoors during the Netherlands coronavirus curfew on Wednesday night.

One of the police officers suffered serious injuries to his face and neck in the stabbing.

Police in Groningen say that French officers detained the suspects Saturday morning in northern France.

One was a 20-year-old Dutch man and the other a 32-year-old American national. Their identities have not been released.

Police say procedures are underway to have the suspects sent back to the Netherlands.

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VIENNA  Police in Austria are enforcing new rules requiring people to show a negative coronavirus test to leave Wiener Neustadt, a city of more than 45,000 people.

The system that took effect Saturday involves police and other officials controlling 26 exit roads from the city south of Vienna around the clock. Wiener Neustadt has an exceptionally high level of coronavirus infections -- more than 500 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days, compared with a national average of 198 per 100,000.

Fines of up to 1,450 euros ($1,730) are foreseen for people who violate the rules.

Mayor Klaus Schneeberger said testing stations set up in recent days have a capacity to test 15,000 people per day. He said he didnt understand why Austrias health ministry doesnt use this occasion to start a vaccination campaign here so we get this under control.

A targeted campaign to vaccinate the entire adult population is underway in the Schwaz district in western Austria, which has seen a significant number of cases of the more contagious virus variant first detected in South Africa.

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BERLIN  The leaders of Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Bulgaria are calling for talks among European Union leaders about the distribution of vaccines within the 27-nation bloc.

Austrian media reported Saturday that the five leaders wrote a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel. That came after Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz complained on Friday that, even though the EU had agreed on distribution of the vaccines on a per-capita basis, some countries were receiving considerably more than others.

The letter asserted that if this system were to carry on, it would continue creating and exacerbating huge disparities among Member States by this summer.

Officials elsewhere have noted that countries have wanted differing amounts of various vaccines and have not always taken up their full allocation.

Austrias health ministry  which is run by Kurzs junior coalition partner  was among those rejecting Kurzs criticism. Oe1 radio reported that its general secretary, Ines Stilling, said negotiations on distributing the vaccines had been balanced and transparent.

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AMMAN  Jordan has become the first country in the Middle East to receive coronavirus vaccines through the global COVAX initiative.

A plane carrying 144,000 shots of AstraZeneca vaccine landed in Ammans airport late Friday and was greeted by representatives of the agencies supporting the COVAX program  the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the European Union.

The COVAX alliance aims to share COVID-19 vaccines with more than 90 lower and middle-income nations. However, the program is facing delays, underfunding and limited supply.

The EU has allocated 8 million euros to support Jordans purchase of vaccines. A second shipment from COVAX is expected in April.

Jordan launched its vaccination drive in mid-January with plans to inoculate over 4 million residents in 2021, according to Health Minister Nathir Obeidat.

The kingdom, home to nearly 10 million people, has approved five vaccine types, including Russian and Chinese ones. The vaccination campaign also targets some of the 650,000 Syrian refugees.

The country is struggling to contain the surge of infections. It has reported over 465,000 cases and more than 5,200 deaths.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan health authorities said on Saturday that they will continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine and that health workers have begun inoculating people over 60.

Sri Lanka has so far received 1.264 million doses of the vaccine and, by Saturday, 760,765 Sri Lankans had received a shot.

The Health Ministry said on Saturday that it is continuing to use the AstraZeneca vaccine despite it being suspended in some countries, including Denmark.

According to State Minister Channa Jayasumana who oversees pharmaceutical production, supply and regulation, Sri Lanka has not yet taken a decision to suspend the vaccine.

Sri Lanka received 500,000 doses of the vaccine from India as a donation, while the island nation bought the same number again from the Serum Institute of India. It received another 264,000 doses from the COVAX facility.

Sri Lanka has also planned to purchase some 13 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines directly.

By Saturday, Sri Lankas total positive cases stood at 87,285, with 525 fatalities.

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ISLAMABAD  The provincial government in Pakistans largest province, Punjab, has announced the shutting of 15 famous shrines, including that of the Sufi saint famously known as Data Ganj Bakhsh in Lahore, amid the third wave of the coronavirus.

Federal authorities earlier announced the closing of educational institutions for two weeks in seven cities in Punjab and some in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan has reported 602,536 cases, including 13,476 deaths.

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WASHINGTON  U.S. health officials are warning health professionals about the risk of false positive results with a widely used laboratory test for COVID-19 and flu.

The Food and Drug Administration issued the alert to Friday for health facilities using Roches cobas test for coronavirus and seasonal flu. The agency warned that problems with the tests processing tubes could result in false diagnosis in people who are not actually infected.

Roches testing system is widely used to screen large batches of patient samples in hospitals and laboratories.

The FDA recommends health workers test samples multiple times to help assure accuracy. If the test delivers conflicting results it may indicate a problem and use should be discontinued, the agency says.
Salihu Tanko Yakasai, a former Special Adviser on Media to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari ...





Salihu Tanko Yakasai, a former Special Adviser on Media to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is confusing bandits with conflicting ultimatums.

Yakasai was fired last month for criticising Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) government, over the Presidents inability to secure the country.

Last Friday, unknown gunmen stormed the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Kaduna State. Security forces were said to have rescued 180 of the abductees, but 39 students are still in the den of the kidnappers.

On Saturday, Buharis spokesman, Garba Shehu, said the president issued a stern warning to would-be terrorists and bandits targeting schools, saying the country will not allow the destruction of the school system.

Reacting to the tweet by the Presidential spokesman, Yakasai wrote, To be honest, youre confusing these bandits/terrorists. Last week in Zamfara, you gave them two months notice, today na stern warning, which one should they take seriously Mallam Garba? If Im a father with a kid in boarding school in the affected states, Ill withdraw them kawai.

Yakasai was also detained last month by the Department of State Services (DSS) over his criticisms of Buhari.
Mar. 14A Maine man accused of killing an 11-year-old Connecticut girl on her way home from school in 1986 has been indicted on a charge of possession of child pornography.

Marc J. Karun, 55, of Stetson was indicted Wednesday by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Bangor on one count of possession of child pornography. Stetson is a Penobscot County town about 20 miles west of Bangor.

Court documents allege Karun knowingly possessed one or more computer drives containing images of child pornography including images of at least one child who had not yet reached 12 years of age. The charge comes with a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 upon conviction.

Karun is currently in the custody of the Connecticut Department of Corrections. He was arrested in June 2019 and is facing charges of murder and kidnapping in connection with the death of Kathleen Flynn, an 11-year-old girl who was raped and strangled as she walked home from school in Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1986.

Karun has pleaded not guilty to both charges and is awaiting a May 13 court date, according to the Connecticut judicial branch. He is being held on a $5 million bond.

Flynn attended Ponus Ridge Middle School and her mother reported her missing when she hadn't returned home from school by around 5 p.m. Sept. 23, 1986. Her body was found early the next morning and evidence indicated she had been sexually assaulted, according to court documents.

Karun, who was 21 at the time and lived about two miles from the scene, was identified as a suspect by October 1986 but it wasn't until 2019 that police obtained a warrant to search Karun and his home in Maine. The Connecticut Post reported in 2019 that Karun moved to the state around 2012.

Karun is also facing federal charges of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number in Maine due to his possession of dozens of firearms despite previous convictions for sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, burglary and larceny.

The court documents filed this past week do not list an attorney for Karun in the child pornography case. Todd Bussert, a Connecticut attorney representing Karun on the murder and kidnapping charges, did not respond to a phone message or email Saturday evening. Harris Mattson, a Bangor attorney representing Karun on the firearms charges, also could not be reached by phone or email Saturday night.
Joanna Lumley revealed she 'feels terribly sorry' for the Royal Family as she said Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's explosive interview on Oprah spread 'uneasy' feelings and 'unhappiness'.

The actress, 74, admitted she tried to avoid watching the extraordinary two-hour tell-all - viewed by 50 million so far - due to the sensitive nature of the matter, but nevertheless felt the couple's comments were 'one-sided.'

She explained on The Jeremy Vine show: 'I don't want to get in too deep because I know people have gone very sensitive on all sides about this, but it did seem to me a bit one-sided because everybody knows that the Royal Family can't really answer back.'

Honest: Joanna Lumley revealed she 'feels terribly sorry' for the Royal Family as she said Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Oprah interview spread 'uneasy' feelings and 'unhappiness' in addition to being 'one-sided'

'So no matter what you say, they can't answer back. So I was anxious not to watch it, actually. I didn't want to watch it and I didn't watch it, the interview.

'But you can't avoid it because everybody's talking about it, it's on all the news things and on all the papers. I feel terribly sorry about the whole thing.

'I'm so sorry for that whole family, who we love so much. Everybody was so happy at the wedding and I just think it's spread a bit of uneasy and unhappiness just when we should be spreading unity and positivism and lots of love.'

In the biggest royal interview for decades, Meghan, 39, made racism claims about Harry's, 36, family whom she claims were worried about how 'dark' their child's skin would be.

Look away now: The actress, 74, admitted she tried to avoid watching the extraordinary two-hour tell-all - viewed by 50 million so far - due to the sensitive nature of the matter

Meghan refused to say which royal had the conversation with Harry about Archie's skin colour, claiming it would be 'damaging' to the person in her husband's family who raised it.

When Oprah asked if she was denied the title because he is mixed-race, Meghan replied: 'In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, we have in tandem, the conversation of, "he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title," and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born.'

Oprah then interrupted and said: 'Hold on. Hold up. Stop right now. There's a conversation... about how dark your baby is going to be?' Meghan replied: 'Potentially, and what that would mean or look like.'

Honest: She explained on The Jeremy Vine show: 'I don't want to get in too deep because I know people have gone very sensitive on all sides about this, but it did seem to me a bit one-sided '

'And you're not going to tell me who had the conversation?', Oprah asked. To which Meghan replied: 'I think that would be very damaging to them. That was relayed to me from Harry. Those were conversations that family had with him.'

The Duchess of Sussex also claimed Kate Middleton made her cry before she married Harry in a row over flowergirl dresses, while Harry said his father Charles stopped taking his calls after he began 'taking matters into his own hands'.

Harry also branded the institution a 'trapping' environment and claimed he felt he had 'no where to turn to' when Meghan admitted she was struggling and having suicidal thoughts while pregnant.

The Duchess was on the verge of tears when she told Oprah: 'I didn't want to be alive anymore.'

Reflect: Joanna added: 'Everybody was so happy at the wedding and I just think it's spread a bit of uneasy and unhappiness just when we should be spreading unity and positivism and lots of love'

Bombshell: In the biggest royal interview for decades, Meghan, 39, made racism claims about Harry's, 36, family whom she claims were worried about how 'dark' their child's skin would be

During the interview the couple were full of praise for the Queen, whom Meghan said has 'always been wonderful' to her. She revealed she called Her Majesty when she found out Prince Philip was in hospital to 'check in'.

Meghan also said she was 'silenced' by Buckingham Palace officials and felt lonely in London. She added that she was welcomed by the Royals, but then claimed it became more difficult in the run up to the wedding.

The Duke of Sussex also said his family had 'cut him off' financially in early 2020, claiming that they had to sign multi-million dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify because he was relying on spending his inheritance from Princess Diana.

Harry added that the couple left because of the media in Britain and because of a 'lack of support and lack of understanding' from his family.
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March is the one-year mark of COVID-19 radically altering normal life. In the past 12 months, states instituted lockdowns, businesses closed and people stayed home to slow the pandemics spread and protect elderly and vulnerable loved ones. However, we cannot allow these restrictions to go on forever. As vaccine access grows by the day, its imperative that we get our kids back to school safely and quickly.

Some students have made an easy transition to learning from home. Many others have been disproportionally impacted, with parents who cant work from home, unreliable internet connections, lack of in-person interaction and much more. Its imperative we get these students back into classrooms so their learning isnt permanently stunted.

Unfortunately, President Bidens executive orders on climate are making this increasingly difficult. The link between schools and climate executive orders might not be immediately obvious, but if you look at New Mexicos data, it couldnt be clearer.

New Mexicos K-12 public education system received more than $1 billion in funding from the oil and gas industry last year  $60,062 per teacher and $3,788 per student. A record-breaking Bureau of Land Management lease sale also generated $467 million for New Mexico, enabling a major raise for the states schoolteachers in 2019.

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With the U.S. government owning a full 31% of land in the state, much of this energy production takes place on federal land. However, President Biden has put this domestic energy production squarely in his crosshairs. His Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad executive order has halted new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters for an indefinite period. Not only will this ban directly impact the 42,000 New Mexico residents employed by the oil and gas industry, but it will also cut off a critical funding stream for our public schools at a time when its needed the most.

School administrators who are already strapped for cash desperately need these energy revenues to implement safety precautions and get students back in classrooms. Everything from purchasing more personal protective equipment to expanding classroom spaces will be essential to make teachers, students and parents feel comfortable with new operations.

Its shameful that, 12 months into a pandemic, President Bidens first actions in office put thousands of Americans out of work and made it harder for states to bounce back to a new normal. Now our students will bear the brunt of these orders. The trickle-down effect is significant, and we cant afford to waste any more time.

As Republicans on the House Committee on Natural Resources, we are working on all-of-the-above energy solutions that create jobs, incentivize creative approaches and innovate new technologies. Democrats top-down, regulatory approach only hurts Americans in the long run, including our students who havent had equal access to online learning.

Remote classes were fine at the start of the pandemic, as states figured out the best way to finish out the school year and keep everyone safe. We cant allow this to become the new normal. Our students deserve better.

Energy revenue from the oil and gas industry is a reliable, proven way to get New Mexican schools critical funding to reopen safely and effectively. We hope President Biden will let us use it.

Rep. Herrell is on the Natural Resources Committee, where shes Vice Ranking Member of the Energy & Mineral Resources Subcommittee, as well as the Oversight and Reform Committee. Rep. Westerman is ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources
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'Metroman' will make his electoral debut from Palakkad in the April 6 assembly polls, while BJP state president K Surendran will contest from two constituencies, including Konni, the epicentre of the Sabarimala stir in 2018.

The BJP, which willbe contesting in 115 of the 140 constituencies, released its candidates list for 112 seats in New Delhi on Sunday.

Twenty five seats have been given to its four NDA allies--BDJS (Bharath Dharma Jana Sena), AIADMK,Janadhipathya Rashtriya Sabha (JRS) and Kamaraj Congress, party general secretary Arun Singh told the mediain Delhi.

'Metroman' Sreedharan had joined the BJP recently.

Two film actors-- Suresh Gopi (Thrissur), who is a Rajya Sabha MP and Krishnakumar (Thiruvananthapuram central)are also in the fray.

Former Union minister K J Alphons will try his luck from Kanjirapallyand former DGP Jacob Thomas from Irinjalakuda.

Firebrand BJP leader Surendran,who had led the Sabarimala agitation in 2018 against entry ofwomen of all ages to the Lord Ayyappa temple following the Supreme Court verdict, has been fielded from Manjeshwaram in Kasaragod district and Konni in Pathanamthitta district.

He had unsuccessfully contested the 2016 assembly polls from Manjeshwaram and had lost by a meagre 89 votes.

Former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajashekharan has been fielded from Nemom, the lone seat won by the BJP in the 2016 assembly polls when former Union minister O Rajagopal was elected.

Senior leaders C K Padmanabhan will take on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Dharmadam in Kannur, while P K Krishnadas will battle it out at Kattakada in Thiruvananthapuram.

Well knownacademicianand retired Calicut University Vice Chancellor Dr Abdul Salam has been fielded from Tirur and Manikuttan, the first tribal engineer,will be in the fray from Mananthavady (reserved) seat.

The saffron party, which has fielded 12 women candidates, has not given a seat tosenior leader Shobha Surendran.

Rajashekharan, a former BJP state president, told reporters here that people in Kerala are yearning for a change from the alternate governments being formed over the years by the CPI(M) led LDF and Congress led UDF.

"Many known personalities are fighting on behalf of BJP in this election. The people are done with both the fronts.

The wind is blowing in favour of the NDA.

The list of candidates is a representation of those who have made their mark in society.

I am really confident about my candidature in the Nemom constituency," Rajashekharan told the media.

BJP state chief Surendran said the party lost Manjeshwaram constituency last time due to the 'adjustment politics' between the Congress and the BJP.

"We lost Manjeshwaram last time because of the adjustment politics between the Congress and the CPI(M). We will fight to get back that constituency.

Konni is dear to me due to the Sabarimala issue,"he said.

He evaded a direct reply when asked which constituency he would leave if elected from both seats, saying many leaders in the country have followed this format.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha, who has emerged as a vocal critic of his former party, on Saturday joined Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress (TMC). Election in West Bengal is to be held in eight phases starting March 27.

The octogenarian who served as Union Finance Minister and Foreign Minister in the erstwhile Chandrashekhar and Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration, took the TMC membership in the presence of senior party leaders Derek O Brien, Sudip Bandopadhyay, and Subrata Mukherjee.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not able to attend the ceremony due to her leg injury that she incurred when she was assaulted by her political enemies in Kolkata a few days ago, TMC leaders said.

Without mincing words, Sinha, originally from pre-Jharkhand Bihar, said that India was faced with an unique situation under Modi-Shah regime where democratic principles had taken a back seat and authoritarianism had become the new way of life.

The democratic institutions, including the judiciary and election commission, have lost their credibility since the Modi government came into power. There is no one that can control this government. The Modi administration now believes in crush and conquer. Even the Election Commission is not unbiased any longer, he said.

Interestingly, while Yashwant Sinha has remained a strong critic of the Modi government voicing his opinion through press release, op-eds, and social media, another former BJP leader and Union Minister from Bihar, Shatrughan Sinha, has mostly faded away after losing his MP bid from Patna Saheb in the last Lok Sabha elections which he contested on a Congress Party ticket after walking out of the BJP.
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The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, revealing a global failure to invest in pandemic preparedness and thus teaching the global health community a lot of health security lessons.

While Nigeria, like most African countries, has not suffered from the worst effect of the pandemic, unlike its European and American counterparts, the Nigerian government has made some blunders and faced some challenges in managing the virus.

PREMIUM TIMES highlighted five of those challenges in an earlier published report.

This has prompted calls for national leaders and actors to urgently consider strategies to rebuild resilience to such crises, especially by raising the bar for health security financing and accountability mechanisms for coordinated, well-planned responses.

Nigeria is particularly a hotbed of infectious diseases. The countrys tropical climate, population density, socioeconomic realities and high cross-border movement provide a conducive environment for such diseases to thrive.

In view of these ever-present threats, the Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development (LISDEL) recently hosted a one-day multi-sectoral forum on Epidemic Preparedness and Response (EPR) Financing.

With the theme: Raising the accountability bar for health security financing in Nigeria, the workshop was part of LISDELs Prevent Epidemics (PE) project; funded by Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) with the aim of boosting domestic spending on EPR.

Held in Abuja, the highlights of the event include two panel sessions: raising the accountability bar for public, private sector and donor investment in EPR; and improving Investment in EPR.

According to the organisers, some key objectives of the programme are to deepen the knowledge of key stakeholders on National Action Plan on Health Security (NAPHS) in Nigeria; and to engender an enabling environment for health security policy and financing in Nigeria through effective stakeholder engagement.

Health security

Two years before the COVID-19 arrived in Nigeria and four years after the Ebola outbreak, Nigerian authorities began developing a NAPHS with the signing of the International Health Regulations (IHR).

NAPHS is a comprehensive multi-sectoral document that sets out a strategy for strengthening health security of the country. Developed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in collaboration with other relevant government agencies, NAPHS is a five-year strategic plan to be executed from 2018 to 2022.

During the launch of the NAHPS action plan in December 2018, the NCDC director, Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated that Nigeria needs to mobilise N134 billion over the next five years to enhance national health security in line with global standard.

While funds have been raised for tackling recurrent infectious diseases such as yellow fever and Lassa fever, there was no basket of fund for an unprepared situation such as COVID-19.

Some of the key issues raised and action plans activated during the LISDEL workshop were centred on raising the N134billion required for implementing the NAHPS.

Panellists and attendees proffered solutions on how legislations can be channelled towards increasing investment in health security with the private sector complimenting governments effort.

Gafar Alawode, the programme director of the PE Project, in his opening remark, said the COVID-19 pandemic had shown that building a strong health security system should be prioritised as epidemics could break out unexpectedly.

He noted that an improved budgetary allocation and sustained preparedness response to epidemics would result in a drastic reduction in mortality during epidemic outbreaks.

We must strengthen our health system by putting more money into the budget, said Mohammed Usman, a former lawmaker and panellist at the event.

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Raising accountability bar

Raising accountability and transparency in the use of funds for health security was the topic for the second panel during the workshop with key stakeholders sharing experiences and lessons learnt from the COVID-19 response.

Apart from the local and international support Nigeria received for the fight against COVID-19, one response many Nigerians paid attention to was the philanthropic donations by big companies, organisations and individual Nigerians.

As of May 2020, about N36.3 billion had been raised. Meanwhile, details of how the funds were spent have remained sketchy.

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, last September, stated that over N30 billion, representing 84 per cent of the N36.3 billon, was expended between April 1, 2020, and July 31, 2020, leaving the balance of N5.9 billion.

Responding to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated August 10, 2020, and sent to him by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Connected Development (CODE), the AGF said the PTF spent N22 billion, and 36 states spent N7 billion to support their COVID-19 initiatives.

He, however, did not disclose significant details and or give a breakdown of the number of Nigerians who directly or indirectly have benefited from the spending as well as details on plans to spend the balance of N5.9 billion.

Reports of lopsided distribution of palliatives based on political and sectional prejudices were further exposed in the aftermath of the #ENDSARS protests in October 2020, when warehouses filled with palliative were discovered and raided by hungry Nigerians.

There has been general mistrust by many Nigerians due to the opaque handling of the COVID-19 funds by the government and this is not a good example for advocacies towards health security, according to Mr Usman.

A lot of money has been pumped into the system but the reality is that Nigerians are not seeing the impact which is why we are still having grim health indices, he noted.

One of the key outcomes of the workshop include transparency on specific activities that allocated funds will be used for from the onset; involving the community in budget public hearing to get their inputs; and result sharing to build confidence.

Role of the media

Organisers of the event recognised the media as a key stakeholder in raising the accountability for EPR financing.

Brave, critical, and balanced reporting on the use of funds for EPR will generate conversations capable of putting the government under pressure to improve transparency and funding, Mr Alowode noted in his closing remark.

He, however, noted that investigative journalism is not only about negative reports about the government.

Lessons from Kano

One of the major highlights of the event was a standing ovation given to the Kano State government for earmarking N300 million for health security.

Speaking to journalists during tea break, Mr Alawode said the creation of N300 million budget line by the Kano State Government was good example for the way forward in terms of health security and EPR financing.

We are not going to relent until the funds are fully released and actively utilized. We are the one following trends and I believe members of the media have a role to play in terms of follow up and ensuring transparency, he said.

Some Nigerians who have played major roles in advancing health security were awarded at the event.

One of them was Aminu Tsanyaura, Kano State health commissioner.

Mr Tsanyaura expressed delight in receiving the award and noted that Kano State will continue to put the right mechanisms in place to drive health security.

Bengaluru, March 14 : Bengaluru police would provide security to the young woman allegedly involved in the sleaze CD case and and now seeking protection as she fears for her life, a top official said on Sunday.

"Security will be provided to the woman as sought by her once we identify her and her location," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant told IANS here.

The decision follows a directive from Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai to whom she appealed for protection through a video clip in Kannada that went viral on the social media on Saturday night and was shown on local news channels.

Bommai said: "I have ordered the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has been set up to investigate the CD case, to provide security to the unidentified woman who made the appeal to me in the video clip." The woman, however, did not disclose in the video her name or whereabouts though the police suspect she resides in the city only.

In the 34-second video clip, the young woman claimed Jarkiholi had promised her a government job and got the sleaze CD made to defame her and her family.

Her video came to light soon after former state Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi filed a complaint in a local police station on Saturday against unnamed people for allegedly conspiring against him and making the CD in which he was seen in an intimate relationship with the woman. He was forced to resign on March 3 after the CD was aired on news channels on March 2.

In the complaint through his friend and former BJP legislator V. Nagaraju, he said: "Unknown persons have conspired to humiliate me politically, finish my political career and extort money from me." "We have registered an FIR against unknown persons based on the complaint and transferred it to the SIT to investigate," Pant told reporters earlier in the day.

Jarkiholi defected to the ruling BJP in November 2019 and became minister in February 2020 after winning the by-election. A minister in the previous Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress government, he had resigned in July 2019 along with 13 Congress and 3 JD-S rebels, leading to the fall of the 14-month-old coalition ministry on July 23, 2019 and return of the BJP to power under Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.
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FREDERICTON - New Brunswick says it hopes to immunize all residents with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by Canada Day.

A dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is pictured at a vaccination site in Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, March 11, 2021. Health officials in New Brunswick say the province is moving forward with a revised vaccination plan that aims to immunize all residents with at least one dose of the vaccine before Canada Day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick says it hopes to immunize all residents with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by Canada Day.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell told reporters Friday an increase in the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and new evidence supporting the delay of the second shot is allowing the province to accelerate its plans for vaccinating the population.

"In the weeks ahead, we will make a giant leap forward in our journey to our new normal," Russell said. "We do have a plan to get a dose of protection against the COVID-19 virus into every New Brunswicker between now and Canada Day."

Health officials said they expect all residents in long-term care facilities will have received their first dose of vaccine by Wednesday. Also starting next week, more than 200 pharmacies will be a part of the province's vaccine rollout open to people aged 85 and older.

Other groups will be eligible for vaccinations before the end of March, including rotational workers, commercial truck drivers and commuters who regularly travel across provincial boundaries.

Residents and staff of shelters, homecare workers and people aged 40 to 59 with three or more select chronic conditions will have access to vaccines in April or May. The rest of the population is scheduled to begin getting vaccinated by June.

From April to June, New Brunswick is expected to receive 264,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, health officials said. Shipment amounts for the Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines will be known in the coming weeks.

The vaccine news came as New Brunswick reported its 30th COVID-19-related death. Health officials said a person in their 40s in the Moncton area died "as a result of underlying complications, including COVID-19."

The province reported three new infections Friday, all in the Moncton region  one person in their 20s, one in their 30s and one in their 60s. There are 33 active cases, with one person in hospital.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2021.

  

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
(Natural News) Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen has asked his constituents to conserve water and prepare for shortages as the country faces its worst drought in over five decades, according to a recent report from Strange Sounds.

In a Facebook post on March 7, Tsai said Taiwan is now facing its worst water crisis in 56 years. Typhoons produce large amounts of rainfall that fill up Taiwans dams and reservoirs, but not a single typhoon hit the country last year. It also only had scant rainfall in recent months.

Tsai said the government has set up an emergency response center to deal with the drought. She said they are also monitoring water conditions throughout the island.

Meanwhile, Center Weather Bureau (CWB) Director-General Cheng Ming-dean said a high-pressure system is blanketing southern Taiwan, creating an atmosphere that prevents rain from falling in the region. The shortages there are particularly severe.

Northern Taiwan has seen more precipitation in recent weeks. However, it has been of little help to the overall situation, said Cheng.

Peng Chi-ming, founder and chief executive officer of the private weather company WeatherRisk, told Central News Agency (CNA) over the weekend that rainfall would be scarce across Taiwan from March through April. The situation is also expected to continue into May and June, which typically have the most rainy days.

Peng also said there are no signs indicating that tropical storms might form ahead of Taiwans usual rainy season. There is no room for optimism.

However, he noted that it is still too soon to tell. He said Taiwan has never gone two consecutive years without being hit by a typhoon.

Possible water shortage could impact chipmakers

The lack of rain means Taiwan might be facing a water crisis soon. According to local reports last month, authorities have already stepped up nationwide water restrictions and utilized emergency water resources, such as the desalination plant in Hsinchu County in northwestern Taiwan.

In her post, Tsai said the government dispatched a military transport aircraft to carry out cloud seeding in northern Taiwan, which has one of the countrys largest water catchment areas. However, that reservoir is at 49.13 percent storage capacity only. Several reservoirs are also at record-low levels of storage capacity.

Cloud seeding involves introducing small liquid droplets called aerosols into clouds to make them rain. Last year, Taiwan carried out cloud seeding operations to aid the arrival of a cold front that brought spring rain. The operations were expected to add more than 16.6 million tons of rainwater to the countrys reservoirs.

With the countrys reservoirs once again riding on the success of cloud seeding operations, Taiwans semiconductor industry is not leaving anything to chance.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), the worlds largest contract chipmaker, was reportedly buying water as a pressure test.

Semiconductor chips are needed to produce modern vehicles, tablets, smartphones, computers and the like. If the water shortage disrupts Taiwans semiconductor sector, the multi-billion dollar tech and auto industries could suffer greatly. (Related: US government proposes CUTTING OFF Chinas access to chip technology.)

The good news is that the current water scarcity has not had any major impact on the semiconductor sector, noted Gokul Hariharan, managing director of the global financial services holding company JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Meanwhile, Taiwans Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, told reporters on Monday, March 8, that Taiwan has enough water to supply both the public and the islands industries. She said that the drought has so far exerted no impact on TSMC or other companies.

Go to CleanWater.news to learn more about the possible water shortage facing Taiwan and other water crises.

Sources include:

StrangeSounds.org

FocusTaiwan.tw

TaipeiTimes.com

Bloomberg.com
Conservatives are almost incapable of thinking outside the box, much less even seeing the box. But unless conservatives manage to fire their Neville Chamberlins and hire Winston Churchills, we will lose, like the British lost the American Revolution.

In fact, it is this shortcoming that is the reason why we are getting our butts kicked so profoundly. It is 750 in the first quarter and we dont hold a single hill.

And yet, we are at least half the population. Unless we learn how to fight smarter, there is just no chance. David better find a slingshot fast. For this reason, I implore someone somewhere in the conservative population to hear what I am saying.

There is only one way to take back power from a system so thoroughly corrupt that the Supreme Court refused to acknowledge or rule on blatant election theft. And that is through the Constitutional referendum process. The beauty of this process is that it is not an absolute majority kind of process. It is a majority of two thirds of the states, which fortunately, is what we currently have. But unless conservatives act quickly, accelerated immigration will remove the window of opportunity. We dont even have to concern ourselves with lost states like California, New York, Massachusetts, etc. We only have to win initiative petitions in our states.

The initiative we need to add to the Constitution would transition our current republic of representative government to a sort of parlimentary, everyone-can-vote, computer-based, apportioned-power type of system. It's a system where, instead of cheaters and crooks-take-all, every single voter has a 1/200 millionth say in how the public purse is spent and policies are only binding on a county-by-county basis.

Imagine if groups as small as a percent of the population were able to spend their 1% of the discretionary budget the way they saw fit. Just imagine.

The fact is that this proposed system is the most egalitarian system possible, it is simply true-democracy, and it is the only way a country as diverse as the United States can remain united. Unless we can figure out a way to effectively share power fairly, it will not end well. If our current cheater-take-all, criminal syndicate system is not addressed, the ongoing process of balkanization will simply proceed to its ultimate conclusion and the odds are, it wont be pretty or peaceful.

Perhaps the strongest case for this proposal is that although it might be possible to achieve without Democrat support, it is very likely that historically liberal Democrats and even many Millennials would be strong supporters, in which case, popular majorities of 70+% are possible if not likely. If through this effort, we are able to actually unite a country as diverse as this simply by proposing the fairest power sharing-system ever conceived, not only will we be able to rid our country of its criminal political class, but we can usher in an example of how all future governments can do the same.

Image: Mohamed Hasan / Pixabay // Pixabay License
Weve all experienced the most significant communications event of the past year and its time to re-examine it. No, were not going to review the Meghan and Harry interview with Oprah, although I certainly do have opinions about it and if youd like to know what I think, youre welcome to drop me a line.

Instead of hopping onto the royal commentary bandwagon, Im going to climb aboard the one-year-anniversary of the pandemic observation bus. Over the past year, each of us has been touched by the unprecedented upheaval. Not only in the way we work, but also in the way we study, shop, date, gather, eat and nearly every other form of social interaction.

For today, Id like to reflect on some positive changes in communications we can adapt through the story of Mohammed Rashid, CEO of Safco Fine Foods. Mohammed founded the company, which specializes in vegan and gluten-free sauces and food, in 2012. Earlier this month, he won the Entrepreneurial Spirit category during the Local Enterprise Awards.

Reinvigorate your ambition during this time

But its been a long journey to that distinction, beginning when Mohammed left his home of Bangladesh in 1997 to take up his first job in Ireland at a restaurant in Galway. From server to bar-tender to chef to running his own restaurant, in 2002, a customer advised him to expand even further.

A restaurant only feeds a few. Why dont you expand more wide-range? What more could you do? Mohammed recalled the diner asking him. That diner was iconic broadcaster Marian Finucane. She was a great influence on my ambition. I went into manufacturing. I am now proud to say my products are distributed all over the country as well as to parts of the UK and France. Ive actually expanded during this year, he added.

Mohammed shared that one of his secrets to success, and perhaps one of yours too if you adapt this approach, is to make the best use of the quiet times, when situations are difficult.

I am always thinking about how to grow, he explained. And during Covid time, I thought, I can get a better deal on a bigger manufacturing facility. When I made the bid, I was full of confidence that I had more bargaining power and I achieved my goal.

Whether your vision is inspired by the words of someone else or growing from within you, becoming relentless and strategic in your pursuit can pay dividends.

Focus your online networking and connecting

For Mohammed, making meaningful and lasting friendships is another key part of growing his business and a treasured part of the legacy left to him by his father. My father was also in the food business. He encouraged me to welcome learning new things and meeting new people. I love friends, he summed up.

Like Mohammed, I enjoy making friends too. But once social distancing and lockdown hit, there were no more in-person networking events to attend or business conferences to fly to. It felt like opening a time capsule as I re-read my first pandemic triggered cancellation email sent by a client one year ago. Coronavirus has impacted our planned events for much of the coming months, and the sessions our speakers were scheduled for have now been cancelled. We are hopeful that they will be rescheduled for later in the year. Of course, they were not. Not in-person anyway.

Our offices (and schools) moved into our living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms. We became dependent on devices for team meetings, prospect calls, interviews and conferences. Accordingly, usage of online devices to support these activities went up. But so have the numbers on social networks. Not just to spread fake news, but also to establish new friends and professional relationships.

Mohammed said he expanded his reach as he dedicated more focus to social media.

I look on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for people and groups who appear to be helping somebody, Mohammed said. I tell them Im happy to help out and donate my time and my food. People are delighted to connect.

Recommit to supporting community

For instance, during the pandemic, Mohammed reached out to the Muslim Sisters of Eire, a voluntary organisation dedicated to promoting integration.

I found them on Facebook and throughout the lockdown they have been providing free meals for homeless people every Friday evening in front of Dublins GPO. I donate soups, wraps and veggie burgers.

One night, they asked me if I could bring a special food box for a family who had Covid and I did. Then I also stayed and served food from around 6:30pm until 9pm. I saw so many young children and I thought, This is only one day. I wonder where they are the rest of the week.

Obviously, it was this kind of caring heart that earned Mohammed the LEO Spirit Award. I asked him who guided him into this area of community communications.

I always see my dad during these times, said Mohammed. He was also a great social worker. He helped build schools. I was the youngest in the family and I always remember him helping out in the community.

My belief is that if I am helping someone, its an investment to God and it will come back to me. I dont care about race or religion. Were all human on the same one planet.

Mr Morrison said he did not usually attend protest marches in Canberra because his days were too busy. But Im very happy to receive a delegation and Ill respectfully receive that as Im sure they will respectfully engage with me, he said. I think thats the right way to do this. The most senior woman in the Morrison government, Senator Marise Payne, also declined to attend the march, telling organisers she would instead receive their petition. Janine Hendry, one of the march organisers, said they had declined a meeting with Senator Payne on Monday morning because they already had commitments. She said they were considering Mr Morrisons invitation to meet with a delegation of three or four people. March4Justice organiser Janine Hendry. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The government and opposition have also agreed not to call divisions  a method of taking a vote that physically counts members voting  between midday and 1.30pm to allow MPs and senators to attend the march.

Ms Archer said the Prime Ministers office was aware she wanted to attend the march. The Prime Minister has personally been open to my view on this issue now and for some time. In her maiden speech in 2019, Ms Archer, a mother-of-five and former mayor of George Town Council, said her own childhood story was painful and difficult to tell. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Like many other Australians, I have faced the challenges of living with childhood trauma, and that is a priority for me to address in my time in this place, she said at the time. I share a small part of this deeply personal story today because I believe we must do more as a society to keep our children and families safe. I am proud to stand as a member of this government that has committed to do more to address the scourge of family, domestic and sexual violence.

The marches, organised over the last two weeks, will span the country. They will be held in capital cities and country towns from Gosford to Katharine, Shearwater to Woombah. An event will also take place in London. Speakers at the Melbourne rally will include former state Greens MP Huong Truong, who has experienced domestic violence and former federal Liberal MP Julia Banks, who left politics after raising concerns about the bullying and intimidation of women. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has issued an open invitation for a delegation from the Womens March 4 Justice to meet with him in Canberra but has refused to address Mondays planned rally in person. Credit:Edwina Pickles, Alex Ellinghausen One organiser of the event, activist Marcella Brassett, said she got involved in the wake of Attorney-General Christian Porters press conference, in which he strenuously denied raping a woman. I was deeply offended and deeply upset and angry and hurt, as a survivor, to see how our leaders spoke about victims of gendered violence, and dismissed them, without any humanity. Avan Daruwalla, 20, who is a student at ANU and works with sexual assault survivors, said it was never an option to say nothing.

A lot of the work I do is about supporting survivors, Ms Daruwalla said, so it was never an option to say nothing. Im marching tomorrow and also speaking tomorrow because I think its time we take an active stand against gendered violence and stand up against institutional betrayal. The grassroots movement started with a tweet by Ms Hendry, a 58-year-old academic and designer, who pondered how many extremely disgruntled women it would take to link arms around Parliament House and stand in silent protest against discrimination and alleged sexual abuse in the nations Parliament. Ms Hendry said her tweet had been sparked by the governments handling of the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and the disturbing testimonies of harassment and assault from former schoolgirls collected by Chanel Contos, who is petitioning for consent to be taught earlier in schools. Speakers at other rallies include Australian of the Year Grace Tame in Hobart, Aboriginal elder Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng in Canberra and Michael Bradley, the lawyer for the late woman who accused Mr Porter of raping her, in Sydney.

Loading The Canberra event, to be hosted by Australian TV presenter Julia Zemiro, will no longer involve protesters linking arms around Parliament House, as had originally been planned, due to COVID restrictions. However, Ms Hendry tweeted they would still make an impact by showing up in their thousands. Dozens of Greens and Labor MPs are expected to attend the rally in Canberra including Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Labors spokeswoman for women and education Tanya Plibersek. We are pleased the government agreed to our request to suspend votes for an hour and a half so parliamentarians can attend the march, Ms Plibersek said. Many Labor MPs and senators and our staff will be attending and we hope members of the government and crossbench will too.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack will not attend the march, saying he had prior commitments. He said he appreciated it was an important issue. Nationals MP Dr Anne Webster, the federal MP for Mallee in Victoria, said she would attend the march if she could but it was not looking promising because her diary was full. She said it was very wise of the Prime Minister to offer to meet with a delegation of women from the march. I believe what women frequently feel is we are not heard and being heard is incredibly important to us, Dr Webster said. This is one way he can show he is listening and is hearing. Liberal MP for Higgins, Dr Katie Allen, was not attending the march but said she was very pleased that Senator Payne would be receiving the petition and the Prime Minister would be meeting with the organisers. This issue is above politics, Dr Allen said. It is time for change and the petition has four very reasonable requests including accepting the 55 recommendations from the respect@work report from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, who is also leading the independent inquiry into the culture of Parliament House.

Loading Dr Allen said she had been elected to be a strong voice inside the tent and thats what I intend to keep doing. Dr Goreng Goreng said she believed Mr Morrison offered to meet with a delegation after figuring out the nation-wide marches were a big deal. This big mob of women have decided to come together which shows there is a huge amount of feeling and emotion about recent events in Australia, Dr Goreng Goreng said. Thousands of people also gathered in London on Saturday for a vigil in tribute to murder victim Sarah Everard, whose death has sparked widespread anger and fear about womens safety in Britain. The 2017 Womens March  held throughout the world the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump to support gender equality and civil rights  is widely believed to be the largest single-day demonstration in US history.

Loading Another speaker at the Melbourne rally, Wurundjeri woman and social worker Sue-Anne Hunter, said sexual assault was rife in the community, particularly against Indigenous women, and there needed to be changes in how women were treated, particularly by males in government. More women were needed in positions where they can make decisions around the systems that are around for women. Victorian Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams said the royal commission into family violence had brought the issue out into the open. But a public discussion about sexual assault and abuse in our community has been slower to emerge. Thats why the march is so important. With Paul Sakkal and Rob Harris National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line: 1800 737 732. Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: (13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467 and suicidecallbackservice.org.au) and beyondblue (1300 22 4636 and beyondblue.org.au).
Russia has opened an extraordinary posthumous criminal investigation into whether a father killed by his three daughters was  as they claim  an evil sex abuser and torturer.

The sisters have claimed they were raped and violated by Mikhail Khachaturyan, 57.

A campaign is underway to drop murder accusations against the two older siblings, who were all in their teens when their father was killed with his own hunting knife as he slept.

Krestina and Angelina Khachaturyan, then 19 and 18, along with younger sister Maria, 17, admitted to killing the tyrant after facing years of abuse.

Now, other relatives of the dead father have won the right to open a full-scale posthumous criminal case to examine whether Khachaturyan was a sex attacker.

The sisters have claimed they were raped and violated by Mikhail Khachaturyan, 57. Source: EAST2WEST/Australscope

Complex case grips country

The investigation - a new twist in the complex high-profile case which has gripped Russians - is seen as a setback to the sisters.

This new probe will go ahead before a trial resumes into murder allegations against Krestina and Angelina .

There will also be a new probe under a replacement investigator into the knife attack by the girls, as earlier reported.

Their sister Maria is being dealt with separately by the legal system and faces time in a psychiatric hospital rather than jail after being judged temporarily insane at the moment her dad was killed.

The sisters want to be designated as victims of their father, but the court has not backed this.

Krestina and Angelina Khachaturyan, then 19 and 18, along with younger sister Maria, 17, admitted to killing the tyrant after facing years of abuse. Source: EAST2WEST/Australscope

Relatives demand investigation into sex attack claims

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened the posthumous criminal case in line with the relatives demand, reported RIA Novosti, citing its sources.

Alexey Parshin, Angelinas lawyer, told Open Media: The relatives want to achieve the rehabilitation of Mikhail Khachaturyan.

For this purpose they are asking for a full-fledged investigation to prove that he did not commit a crime.

Olga Khalikova, a lawyer for Khachaturyan's relatives, told 360 TV: "We were aware that a criminal case would be opened."

Story continues

The case has been seen as a test in Russia for how the law deals with domestic sexual abuse, with almost one million signing petitions calling for the sisters to go free.

Angelina and Krestina can be seen with bruises on their faces. Source: EAST2WEST/Australscope

Teens 'faced physical and mental suffering'

The investigation earlier found the sisters faced physical and mental suffering...over a long period of time.

Evidence showed the father threatened one of his terrified daughters: You will take the place of your mother.

I will marry you and you will give birth to my baby.

An experts report said: He ordered them to get undressed in front of him, saying that he wanted to check them.

Then ordered them to masturbate him, saying that he had problems with his prostate and it would be a cure.

He abused and humiliated them with various weapons, the report said.

Angelina had blood streaming from her face after one attack by her dad, who had links both to senior Russian officials and underworld kings, reports say.

Krestina Khachaturyan is seen. Source: EAST2WEST/Australscope

Family claims sisters conspired to kill

But the sisters aunt, Naira Khachaturyan, claimed the earlier official investigation found no evidence of sexual violence against the teens.

Medical tests showed two of the three were virgins, she claimed, while the third had a secret boyfriend.

They knew they could live the way they wanted if they got rid of their father, she told a TV program.

They wanted to delete him from their lives and enjoy a riotous lifestyle.

The dead mans nephew Arsen Khachaturyan claimed that one of the sisters had inflicted wounds on the other two, which they later blamed on violence by their father.

"Sexual violence, other violence, there was nothing of that, he told viewers.

The girls decided to kill their father, they conspired a while ago.

A family friend said Khachaturyan was linked to the criminal world, he was a kind of mafia boss.

He never worked, and just received some payments on his credit card.

Krestina (left), Maria (centre) and Angelina Khachaturyan. Source: Getty

Australscope

In Australia, call 1800 RESPECT (737 732) for the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service.

Sexual Assault Support Services on 6231 1811, or after hours 6231 1817

Family Violence Crisis and Support Service on 1800 608 122

Bravehearts  Sexual Assault Support for Children on 1800 BRAVE 1

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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Catholic priest James Martin stands by retweet of post calling God 'Her'

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A Catholic priest has responded to criticisms from Christians who rebuked him for retweeting a post referring to God as Her and suggesting that using female imagery as a representation of God is theologically correct.

Fr. James Martin, who has developed a reputation as a progressive Catholic and serves as an editor at large for the Jesuit publication America magazine, wrote an article for International Womens Day titled, God is not a man (or a woman).

Martin began the piece by noting that he inadvertently caused controversy after he shared a reflection from the director of a campus ministry at a Catholic high school in Cleveland, Ohio, on social media on Feb. 28. In the reflection, Vickey McBride referred to God as Her.

Following accusations of heresy, apostasy, and blasphemy, Martin said that he considered leaving a comment asserting that I was simply reposting the summary from Catholic Women Preach. He ultimately decided not to because that would imply that I had a problem calling God Her. And I dont.

God is not a man, he declared. And while Jesus Christ was (and is) a man and invites us to call God the Father, that does not mean that God is male or that God is only masculine.

Vickey McBride Preaches for the Second Sunday of Lent https://t.co/bNtzzyrZ8gpic.twitter.com/lRvtoBmf32  CatholicWomenPreach (@CWP112716) February 27, 2021

Describing it as just as theologically correct to use feminine imagery about God as it is to use masculine imagery, Martin pushed back on the belief among most Christians that referring to God using female pronouns is contrary to our faith.

He claimed that it's damaging to envision God as solely one gender and argued that in predominantly patriarchal cultures, Christians have been conditioned to think of God as not only male, but exclusively male.

This has wide-ranging consequences for our theology, the way that we worship in common, how we pray on our own and the manner in which we lead our lives as Christians. It also has profound consequences for how we see women. If God is male, as the saying goes, then the male is God.

Martin attributed his views about the gender of God to a book titled, She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse, written by Sister Elizabeth Johnson, a Catholic nun who now works as a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Theology at Fordham University.

The book concludes that conceptions of God as an earthly monarch, to take just one image, gave rise to an oppressive and idolatrous image of God as a literal patriarch.

As Martin explained, Johnson pointed to several passages from the Bible when making the case that God is our Mother-Creator as much as Our Father.

She considers the maternal image of the God who gave you birth in Deuteronomy (32:18) which recurs in Isaiah, with God saying, Now I will cry out like a woman in labor/I will gasp and pant (42:14).

Martins contention that God is female is not the first time the Jesuit priest has attracted controversy. Earlier this year, Martin tweeted a picture of the Black Madonna painting with rainbow-colored halos surrounding Mary and Jesus as opposed to the golden halos in the original Black Madonna painting.

The website Life Petitions began circulating a petition urging the Jesuit Order to censure Martin for the tweet in light of the fact that the Black Madonna painting, also known as Our Lady of Czestochowa, is venerated and revered in Poland as representing the Virgin Mary, who is the patroness and protectress of the country. The petition gathered more than 22,200 signatures.

Martin, who is one of the most ardent supporters of LGBT advocacy within the Catholic Church, tweeted the altered picture of the Black Madonna when claiming that homophobia is rampant in Poland. Martin is not the only progressive who has referred to God using female pronouns.

After congressional Democrats unsuccessfully tried to convict former President Donald Trump of inciting an insurrection, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., one of the impeachment managers who worked to make the case against Trump, remarked that We could have called God herself and the Republicans werent going to be willing to convict.

Similarly, as the 117th U.S. Congress began its first session in January, Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., concluded a prayer by saying, Amen and awoman in an attempt to come across as gender-inclusive, as opposed to Amen. The word Amen has nothing to do with gender, it simply means so be it. Cleaver also prayed to the Hindu god Brahma instead of the Christian God.
Finance minister has made it clear that there will not be a complete ban on cryptocurrencies or at least the technology part of it.

From our side, we are very clear that we are not shutting all options. We will allow certain windows for people to do experiments on blockchain, bitcoins or cryptocurrency, Sitharaman had said at an India Today conclave.

She said fintech depends on such experiments and it will have that window available. We are not going to shut it off, she said.

But it is the Cabinet note which will detail the kind of formulation, she said, adding the note will get ready soon. It is nearing completion, and then it will be taken to the Cabinet. The Supreme Court had commented on We are very clear that the (RBI) will take a call on an official cryptocurrency, she said.

On technology, she said it is a big area and India has a lead advantage in it. A lot of fintech companies have made a lot of progress on it. We have got several presentations. Much work at the state level is happening. And, we want to take it in a big way in or Gift City in Gandhinagar, the FM said.

She said the ministry is planning to have a start-up meet essentially on fintech in Gift City. Once Parliament is over, I will probably spend more time executing and planning that. On fintech and blockchain, there is a lot of work going on in India and we will certainly encourage that, the FM said.

Earlier, MoS for finance Anurag Thakur had said in Parliament that there are different definitions for cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies the world over. The inter-ministerial committee (IMC), headed by former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, had first suggested a draft Bill to ban cryptocurrencies. The government will take a decision on recommendations of the IMC, Sitharaman had said in a written response to a question in Parliament.

Existing laws are inadequate to deal with the subject, Thakur had said. The government formed the IMC, and it has furnished its report, he said, adding there was also a meeting of an empowered technology group, which took place earlier.

Thakur said the committee of secretaries, chaired by the Cabinet secretary, has also given its report, and the Bill is being finalised. It will be sent to the Cabinet soon.

The SC, in March 2020, had struck down the RBIs instructions on banks to stop providing services to crypto trading platforms, leading to uncertainty about the status of virtual currencies in India.

The new legislation will clear the governments stand on cryptocurrencies.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 14:18:24|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- China allocated 931.6 billion yuan (about 143.7 billion U.S. dollars) for advancing the balanced development of compulsory education during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period, the country's finance ministry said.

The country distributed a total of 587.7 billion yuan under the urban and rural compulsory educational expenditure assurance mechanism over the past five years.

In 2020, about 154 million students receiving compulsory education were exempt from tuition fees and other charges at school, while 25 million students from poor families were offered living subsidies.

From 2016 to 2020, a total of 163.9 billion yuan was allocated to improve conditions of schools in poor areas including on education informatization.

During the period, another 103 billion yuan was distributed to pilot districts as incentives amid the country's efforts to improve the nutritional status of children in poor areas. Enditem
There are so many different ways that you can hug a person. Obviously, each type of hug is going to have a little different meaning to it,...
Police detain Patsy Stevenson at the memorial site for Sarah Everard in Clapham Common - Reuters

A woman who was pinned down and arrested by police at the Sarah Everard protest has called on activists to rally the troops for a larger demonstration outside Parliament on Monday.

Patsy Stevenson was pictured being held down on the Clapham Common bandstand before officers hauled her and other women into a police van.

Speaking after the Reclaim These Streets protest on Saturday night, Ms Stevenson said the actions of the Metropolitan Police had been disgraceful and questioned their heavy-handed tactics.

The physics student at Royal Holloway, University of London and part-time actress called for another bigger protest in Londons Parliament Square at 5pm on Monday.

She told the left-wing blog Counterfire: The fact that the police turned up was just disgraceful, because before then it was a peaceful process.

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I was arrested by police for standing there. I wasnt doing anything, they threw me to the floor. I'm 5ft2 and I weigh nothing, and several police were on my back trying to arrest me.

They arrested me in cuffs, dragged me away, surrounded by like 10 police officers and when we got in the van they said we just need your name and your address and we'll let you go with a fine.

So I don't see the point of the arrest to be honest.

When asked what demonstrators should do next, she said bigger protest, adding: We need to rally the troops.

In a later video posted on her own Twitter account, Ms Stevenson said:

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She also retweeted a Twitter post suggesting a photo of her arrest had burn the witch vibes.

A poster for tomorrows planned protest has been shared hundreds of times and promoted by leading activists from Stop the War Coalition and Black Lives Matter.

Meanwhile one of the organisers of the vigil in Clapham has accused the Metropolitan Police of "systemic ignoring and oppressing of women".

Police officers attend a vigil on Clapham Common, - Getty Images

"I think we were shocked and really, really sad and to see videos of policemen handling women at a vigil about violence against women by men. I think it was it was painful and pretty triggering to see," Jamie Klingler told the PA news agency the morning after officers were seen tussling with some of those in attendance.

Story continues

"The fact that nobody stepped in and said: 'do you see how this looks?'. The fact that Thursday and Friday they wasted our organising time by dragging us to the High Court for our human rights to protest and we were going to have a silent vigil."

She added: "I was bringing my tiny dog, and we were absolutely doing it to have a silent, respectful protest for Sarah Everard, and for all the women affected by violence at the hands of men.

"Especially today, it's Mother's Day. It's the week of International Women's Day. And instead of allowing and facilitating it like the Lambeth police wanted to - and that police force was so supportive - Scotland Yard quashed us and in doing so silenced us and got the reaction they got last night."

The Met Police have since confirmed that four people were arrested during the clashes.

Police were "placed in a position where enforcement was necessary", Scotland Yard said amid pressure to explain its handling of the event.

Police officers form a cordon as well-wishers turn on their phone torches as they gather at a band-stand where a planned vigil in honour of murder victim Sarah Everard was cancelled - AFP

In the early hours of Sunday, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said police were put into a position "where enforcement action was necessary".

She said: "Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19.

"Police must act for people's safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe.

"Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items."
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
TEL AVIV (JTA)  The murder of Diana Raz was almost too horrific to describe.

Raz, 35, an Israeli couples counselor who helped women in abusive relationships, got into an argument with her husband, Amir, on Feb. 5, according to the police indictment against her husband. Amir, a police officer, proceeded to tie up three of their four young children. The youngest, a baby, was in his high chair beside them.

Amir then began to beat, strangle and stab their mother before their eyes as she screamed for help. When their oldest child, a 7-year-old, broke free and ran for the door of their home in the West Bank settlement of Naale, Amir grabbed her and hurled her down the stairs. When Diana tried to flee, he shot and killed her.

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The murder sent chills throughout the country, including among the thousands of women who had turned to Raz for relationship guidance online and in person.

Like other countries, Israel has experienced a rise in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, as women have been forced to stay home under lockdown with abusive partners. But the murders of Raz and other women have sparked an outcry in Israel.

Demonstrations and candlelight vigils across the country have drawn public attention to the issue of domestic violence, and even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened his weekly Cabinet meeting following Razs death by saying that she was a source of inspiration to very many women.

We will make every effort to ensure the peace and safety of every woman in Israel, he pledged.

Israeli womens rights activists have long said that the country pays too little attention to domestic violence and warn that things have worsened over the past year. In response, the government has taken a series of steps to counter domestic abuse  including opening new womens shelters and making it easier to report abuse. Activists say still more must be done.

Many of the men are unemployed, theyre at home, theres friction, theres tension, said Ruth Rasnic, who founded the organization No2Violence Against Women in 1977. When violent men or men with violent potential feel helpless, they let it out on women and children.

A string of statistics shows that domestic abuse in Israel has spiked since the pandemic began. Calls to the hotline run by Rasnics organization have increased by over 300% over that period, and calls to a government domestic violence hotline have more than doubled. Police say they have also opened more domestic violence cases than in past years.

During the same time frame, cases of sexual abuse have risen by 33% and reports of sexual abuse of children by family members have nearly doubled, according to the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel.

We knew we would get an increase in calls regarding domestic violence because families are closed inside their homes, said Ayala Meir, who heads the Welfare Ministrys Department of Family, Children and Youth. The house turns into a pressure cooker that can be very dangerous for women and children.

Rasnic, who received the Israel Prize in 2009 for her work combating domestic violence, estimates that approximately 25% of Israeli women have been or are in an abusive relationship. Thats about the same as the proportion in the United States, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Raz was one of four Israeli women killed by a partner or family member since the start of 2021. Last year, 25 women in Israel were killed by their domestic partner or someone close to them.

Womens shelters have been full throughout the pandemic, said Yael Levin, a social worker and shelter manager at Naamat, Israels leading womens rights organization.

Advocates against domestic violence say the state hasnt done enough to protect victims. According to government data, a third of women killed by their partners in 2018 and 2019 had previously filed police complaints against the men accused of killing them. Six of the suspects in such murders between 2018 and 2020 had previous convictions related to domestic violence.

Government data also show that of the 30,000 cases of domestic violence opened by police from 2018 to 2019, 75% were closed for lack of evidence. Just 10% went to trial, and 89% of the trials ended in convictions.

Israel considers itself very modern and forward thinking, but at its heart this is a very conservative and religious society, said Yael Sherer, director of the Survivors of Sexual Violence Advocacy Group. We just dont deal with it as well as other countries.

Sherer, a survivor of child sex abuse by her father, has called for longer prison sentences in sexual abuse and domestic violence convictions. Currently there is no minimum prison sentence for rapists in Israel, and the maximum sentence is 16 years. Sherers own father served just two years of a three-year sentence for abusing her.

When Sherer took her father to court in 2008, the state did not allow the publication of the names of sexual abuse victims without the permission of a judge. That prevented Sherer and others like her from speaking out or giving interviews to the press. The law was changed some three years ago following a campaign by activists.

For us to say who we are and what we are is a very big deal, Sherer said. If its illegal for us to speak, then its quite logical for people to think this does not exist in Israel. Victims should not be shamed.

This isnt the first time that domestic abuse has been on Israels national radar. Following a wave of domestic murders in 2018, thousands of women across Israel protested and went on strike to protest the governments failure to adequately confront the crisis. At the time, Netanyahu told lawmakers he was surprised to learn that almost nothing is done to punish domestic abusers, but he also voted against a parliamentary effort to investigate violence against women because it had been introduced by his political opponents.

A government plan to tackle domestic violence had been approved in 2017 with a budget of about $75 million. But as of June 2020, the vast majority of that money had not yet been transferred to the relevant government agencies.

Anita Friedman, chair of the Womens International Zionist Organization, said combating domestic violence has historically been a low priority for Israels government, which prioritizes national security.

We are a very young society with very many problems, and this is the result, she said. In Israeli society, security is the No. 1 issue. We live in a hostile place and so security comes first. The remaining budget goes to issues with powerful people behind them.In the year since the pandemic began, the government has appeared to take violence against women more seriously. Israelis are now able to file police complaints online, and domestic violence complaints are prioritized to be treated immediately. According to Dana Ben Zvi, head of the Israel Police domestic violence squad, social workers now assist officers in cases of domestic violence, and special family affairs units have been created within police departments to treat those involved.

As of October, a woman is placed on an at-risk list if the man who abused her is released from prison.

We call her every week or two, as does the Welfare Ministry, and she stays on this list for at least three months, Ben Zvi said.

The Welfare Ministry has opened two new shelters for women since the onset of COVID, bringing the total across Israel to 16, a number activists say is still not high enough. Each shelter can house up to 12 women and their children.

The ministry has also opened 60 new domestic violence departments in community centers throughout Israel, bringing the total of such centers run by the Welfare Ministry to 170.

The Welfare Ministry also made it possible during the pandemic for women to reach the domestic violence hotline by text message rather than calling, since in many cases their abuser is within earshot. The ministry also launched i-Risk, a digital questionnaire to help people in abusive relationships assess their risk and receive guidance.

The goal of the ministry is not to put women in shelters, but to prevent the violence that endangers women so much that they need to go to a shelter, said Meir, the Welfare Ministry official, adding that shelters are typically a last option for women in cases of life or death, and that the community centers are staffed by social workers who treat men, women and children.

But she added that there is only so much her department and other government agencies can do.

Whenever a woman is murdered, immediately everyone says, Where was the police? Where were the welfare authorities? she said, adding that half of the women who were murdered by their partners in previous years were unknown to the authorities.

Even a woman like Diana, who knew all the red flags, who knew all you need to know, who referred other women to treatment, couldnt foresee the danger she was in, Meir said. From this case you can really see how difficult it is for many women to see that they themselves are in danger.

Naamats Levin wants the country to do more to treat abusers as well as victims. She said Israel should take the lead of other countries in requiring men who have abused their partners to enter counseling.

You cant treat this problem without treating the man, she said. For most men and women who suffer domestic violence, its a transgenerational problem. They grew up in homes with domestic violence. And the children suffer so much, they cant sleep because theyre worried about their mother, theyre afraid of their father and they live forever with this trauma.
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - State legislators gathered via zoom this morning to talk about various topics in the latest Crackerbarrel session.

The public was able to ask four state leaders questions virtually earlier Sunday.

Those leaders include state representatives Tonya Pfaff, Bob Heaten, and Bruce Borders.

Senator Jon Ford was also in attendance.

They talked about several hot topics.

The most discussion came in reference to an incident that happened at Indiana's capitol on February 28th.

That's when two black legislators say they were speaking in opposition of a proposed bill on the house floor.

They say people heckled and booed them.

The league of women voters and the Terre Haute branch of the NAACP decried the actions as racist and asked the local legislators to do the same.

Representative Borders says he was there and shared his account.

"We all need to put on our big boy pants and get past it. Just because somebody points their finger at you and calls you racist, that doesn't mean it's true. It's just simply a lie," says Borders.

"I was very embarrassed to hear members of the general assembly boo the speakers. So whatever the situation is, I was so embarrassed to be a member of the general assembly that day," says Pfaff.

The final Crackerbarrel session will be on April 10th at 10 am.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-13 22:33:48|Editor: huaxia

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A woman gives a thumbs up as she receives the COVID-19 vaccine in Tunis, Tunisia, on March 13, 2021. The national vaccination campaign against COVID-19 officially started Saturday in the 25 regional centers across Tunisia. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

TUNIS, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The national vaccination campaign against COVID-19 officially started Saturday in the 25 regional centers across the country.

"The vaccination campaign started around 8:00 a.m. (local time) and continued to 5:00 p.m. across all 24 provinces," the Minister of Health Faouzi Mehdi said during a visit to the province of Bizerte to kick off the campaign.

"People not registered on the vaccination platform, Evax, will not be accepted," the minister said, adding that the number of registered people on this platform is around 524,000.

According to official figures released by the Tunisian minister of health, 530,000 doses of anti-coronavirus vaccines will be available in Tunisia by March.

The objective of the vaccination campaign in Tunisia is to administer the vaccine to 50 percent of the population, according to a ministry statement.
Houston, March 14 : Indian-American community-led fundraising effort, the 'HungerMitao' movement, has served 10 million meals for the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB), in just over three years since its inception, a media report said.

The American Bazaar report on Saturday said the HungerMitao team has also launched a Spring Food Drive, which will run through the end of March.

The Indian-American community actively supports the work of Food Bank through advocacy, volunteering, and donating food and critical funds, according to a statement from HungerMitao.

"If only a 100 people join the Spring Food Drive and raise just $1,000 each, the Indian-American community of North Texas will have enabled 300,000 nutritious meals, in just one month," said Aradhana Asava, Co-founder HungerMitao.

"The reason HungerMitao supports local food banks for hunger relief is for the efficiency, reach, consistency, reliability and urgency with which they are able to act," said Raj Asava, Co-founder HungerMitao.

Thanking the movement for its endeavour, Erica Yaeger, Chief External Affairs Officer for the NTFB, said: "The HungerMitao movement has provided energy, awareness and support that has in turn created millions of meals for hungry North Texans. We are humbled and appreciative." Since its launch in 2017, HungerMitao, a volunteer-driven grassroots movement focused on raising awareness about hunger in the US, has enabled over 30 million meals through Feeding America and Food Banks in North Texas, Houston, New York City, Atlanta, and Seattle.
The Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) under the Indian Railways has released the KRCL Notification 2021 invited offline applications from eligible and interested candidates for filling Eighteen (18) vacancies to the post Jr. Technical Assistants (Signal &Telecommunication) in KRCL through a Walk-in-Interview process to be held between April 20, 2021 to April 23, 2021 at Jammu from 9:00 am onwards to be posted in the U.T of Jammu and Kashmir in India on a fulltime basis.

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Jr. Technical Assistants (Signal &Telecommunication) posts in KRCL Organisation Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) Educational Qualification B.E/B.Tech in Electronics, Electrical & Electronics, Electronics & Telecommunication, Communication and Instrumentation Engineering disciplines with not less than 60% marks Experience Freshers can apply Job Responsibilities null Skills Required null Job Location U.T of Jammu and Kashmir Salary Scale Rs. 30,000 per month Industry Indian Railways Application Start Date April 20, 2021 Application End Date April 23, 2021

Konkan Railway Recruitment 2021: Age Criteria And Fees

Candidates interested in applying for Konkan Railway Jobs 2021 through Konkan Railway Recruitment 2021 must not have exceeded 25 years of age as on February 01, 2021 with relaxation (upper age limit) up to 3 years (OBC) and 5 years (SC/ST) respectively as specified in the KRCL Recruitment 2021 Notification.

For details regarding application fee for Konkan Railway Jobs 2021 through Konkan Railway Recruitment 2021, refer to the official KRCL Notification 2021 given at the end of the article.

Also Read: CBSE Launches AI Student Community Platform, Check CBSE AISC Registration And Other Details Here

Konkan Railway Recruitment 2021: Eligibility

Desirous candidates applying for KRCL Jobs 2021 through Konkan Railway Recruitment 2021 must possess a B.E/B.Tech in Electronics, Electrical & Electronics, Electronics & Telecommunication, Communication and Instrumentation Engineering disciplines with not less than 60% marks as detailed in the KRCL Notification 2021.

KRCL Recruitment 2021: Selection And Pay Scale

The selection of candidates for KRCL Jobs 2021 through KRCL Recruitment 2021 will be done through a Walk-in-Interview process to be held between April 20, 2021 to April 23, 2021 at Jammu as mentioned in the Konkan Railway Recruitment 2021 Notification.

Candidates selected for KRCL Technical Assistant Jobs 2020 through KRCL Recruitment 2021 will be paid an emolument of Rs. 30,000 per month.

Also Read: UPSC Recruitment 2021 For Lady Medical Officer And Other Posts, Apply Online Before April 1

Konkan Railway Recruitment 2021: How To Apply

Candidates applying for Konkan Railway Technical Assistant Jobs 2021 through KRCL Recruitment 2021 must fill the application form attached with the KRCL Notification 2021 and appear for the Walk-in-Interview at the "USBRL Project Head Office, Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd., Satyam Complex, Marble Market, Extension- Trikuta Nagar, Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir - 180011" scheduled between April 20, 2021 to April 23, 2021 from 9:00 am onwards.

Download KRCL Notification 2021 PDF for Jr. Technical Assistant posts
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Philadelphia calls for lights out after skyscrapers cause hundreds of bird deaths Guardian

102-year-old woman goes viral after joining great-grandsons virtual gym class NY Post

Review | Liars: Falsehoods and Free Speech in an Age of Deception by Cass R. Sunstein on how to live with lies SCMP

Pakistans beloved poor mans burger BBC

Eli Lilly releases detailed results on Alzheimers drug, as data divide researchers Stat

What Can We Learn From the Terrible Fate of Sarah Everard? Craig Murray

Impossible travel conditions as spring storm delivers historic snow and severe storms CNN

Graham Greene Against the World The New Republic. Big GG fan. Ive read all the novels, the collected film criticism, much else besides, but somehow missed the short stories, which Ill turn to later today, following a friends recommendation to read one.

The Short Story Priesthood The Baffler

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Cuomogate

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This entire outburst of harassment discourse is designed to place journalists off limits from public critique. Pay no attention to it. Journalists exert a lot of influence  they can ruin peoples lives and reputations, among other things  and are 100% fair game for criticism. https://t.co/snvo5BqlE1  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 13, 2021



Class Warfare

Antitrust Is Back in America Project Syndicate

1. Theres an important debate w/in the Federalist Society over the conservative legal movement. The alliance between social conservatives and libertarians is breaking down. A few observations about this wonderful @jacklgoldsmith essay on the tension. https://t.co/z5eIxeUUNC  Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) March 13, 2021

Black Lives Matter

US protesters demand justice a year after Breonna Taylor killing Al Jazeera

Germany

Germany kicks off general election year with state polls Deutsche Welle

Brazil

Lava Jato Hacker Walter Delgatti speaks Brasilwire

India

How schoolchildren built a library network for students without access to books during the lockdown Scroll

Myanmar

China?

Antidote du Jour (via):

And a bonus video (Chuck L):

Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) pic.twitter.com/BX6Z8k6AD4  World birds (@worldbirds32) January 5, 2021

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Samer became paralysed, Bakri had a leg amputated and Rukaia fled to France: a decade of civil war in Syria has devastated millions of lives.

As the conflict enters its 11th year this month, 10 Syrians shared with AFP pictures of themselves before the start of the 2011 war, and recounted how their lives have been changed by the fighting.

Speaking from across fragmented Syria or even abroad, they give a personal account of a war that has killed more than 387,000 people and displaced millions from their homes.

In the capital Damascus, 33-year-old Samer Sawwan holds up a picture of himself standing on a beach in the coastal resort of Latakia.

That was before a bullet shot through his car while he was driving in 2011, sending the vehicle into a barrel roll that paralysed him forever.

"I passed out with two legs, and woke up in a wheelchair," he says. "My ambitions and dreams have changed."

At least 1.5 million Syrians have suffered a disability as a result of the war, the United Nations says.

In the last major rebel bastion of Idlib, 29-year-old Bakri al-Debs rests on stone steps with one leg amputated above the knee, his artificial leg resting beside him.

The former medic holds a picture of himself in a similar position at university a decade ago in Latakia where he studied sociology, before he was maimed in what he says was a government barrel bomb strike.

- Battle wounds -

In Idlib city, former rebel fighter 28-year-old Mohammed al-Hamid leans on crutches, holding a large picture showing him before the war in a military uniform and holding a weapon.

He says he was wounded in a 2016 battle against government forces in Latakia, where his brother also died in his arms.

That same year, he learnt that three other siblings had died in prison.

In 2017, warplanes bombarded his home in Idlib, killing his daughter.

Also in Idlib, Abu Anas, 26, holds an image of himself when he was 16 years old.

A native of the Damascus countryside, Abu Anas was displaced to Idlib in 2018 where artillery shelling two years later caused him to lose his eyesight.

Story continues

In the northern city of Aleppo, retaken by government forces from rebels in late 2018, Ahmad Nashawi posed in front of his destroyed house.

The man in his fifties, once one of the city's most popular fishmongers, said his home and shop were obliterated in clashes between rebels and pro-government fighters in 2015.

- Exile -

The war has also flung journalists into exile.

Rukaia Alabadi, 32, arrived in Paris as a refugee in 2018 after escaping threats over her reporting about the reality of life in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor under the Islamic State jihadist group.

Before that, the young woman had been jailed for months by the regime and accused of being a media activist.

The picture she shares with AFP shows her wearing a chador and a face veil in 2011 when she was studying economics at university.

Anas Ali, 27, has lived in France as a refugee since 2019.

Before that he was in the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on the doorstep of Damascus until government forces seized it in early 2018 following years of bombardment and a devastating siege.

A citizen journalist, Anas covered fighting between both sides and in 2013 was wounded, sustaining face injuries, according to the picture he showed AFP.

- 'Changing the world' -

In Iraqi Kurdistan, Dima al-Kaed, 29, clutched a memento of her graduation, one of the few belongings she kept after her family moved from Damascus and sold their home.

"I dreamt of changing the world, but instead the war changed mine," she said.

Life in exile has at times been tough.

Fahad al-Routayban, 30, works as a building concierge in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

On his smartphone, he pulled up an image showing him in uniform during his military service in 2010.

In the ravaged Palestinian neighbourhood of Yarmouk south of Damascus, 70-year-old Palestinian painter Mohammed al-Rakouia stood on top of the ruins of his gutted studio.

"Nothing can make up for my losses," he said.

"My studio has been destroyed, my paintings have been stolen, and my colours have been scattered all over the place."

mam/lar/ah/ho/hkb
LANGLEY, B.C. - A new COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at a glass manufacturing company in Langley, B.C.

A LifeLabs employee helps set up a COVID-19 screening centre at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C. Friday, February 19, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

LANGLEY, B.C. - A new COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at a glass manufacturing company in Langley, B.C.

Fraser Health says 44 employees of the facility have tested positive for the virus at Vitrum Glass.

The health authority says both testing and immunizations have been provided on site, and those identified as cases and close contacts have been instructed to self-isolate.

Fraser Health says it's using immunizations for cluster and outbreak control in high-risk work settings as part of an aggressive response to COVID-19.

Further north, the Yukon government is warning of a COVID-19 exposure at Coeur Mining's Silvertip mine just south of its border with British Columbia.

It says health officials have been informed of transmission at the mine, which draws workers from areas including Lower Post, B.C., Whitehorse and Watson Lake, Yukon.

"All Yukon and Lower Post workers who were at the mine since this time are being individually notified by the company, their employer or by Yukon Communicable Disease Control," the government said in a statement.

Fraser Health also declared outbreaks at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, B.C., and Chartwell Carrington House Retirement Residence in Mission, B.C., as over.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2021.
LG Energy Solution employees hold the company's batteries in its Michigan factory in the U.S. Courtesy of LG Energy Solution



Georgia governor asks President Biden to overturn USITC decision against SKI



By Baek Byung-yeul



With LG Energy Solution (LGES) and SK Innovation (SKI) still not able to settle their battery dispute even after a United States International Trade Commission (USITC) ruling, LG has expressed its intention to expand battery investment in the U.S. state of Georgia, while SK is hoping for President Joe Biden to veto the ruling.



In February, the USITC gave a final ruling in favor of LGES, which had accused SKI of intellectual property theft related to electric vehicle (EV) battery technology. The commission also issued a 10-year exclusion order banning SK from importing some batteries into the U.S.



SKI is counting on President Biden to exercise his veto power on the ruling, banking on its massive investment plan in a battery-manufacturing factory in the state of Georgia, which also could bring large-scale job creation. The U.S. president has until April 11 to review the ruling and alter or block the decision.



On a related note, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp asked President Biden to overturn the USITC's decision against SKI, Friday (local time), in a bid to save thousands of jobs in the state. SKI is constructing its first plant there with an aim to start mass production in 2022. It is also building a second plant which is expected to be in full operation in 2023.



"The livelihoods of thousands of Georgians are now in your hands," Kemp said in a letter to Biden.



As SKI could be cornered to scrap its investment plan in Georgia, if the USITC's ruling is finalized, the governor added, "It is contrary to the public interest and will seriously jeopardize your administration's environmental and economic goals."





The construction site of SK Innovation's battery plant in the U.S. state of Georgia, left, and LG Energy Solution's battery plant in Michigan. Courtesy of each company
Angela Scanlon, 37, is a TV presenter on BBCs The One Show and BBC Twos Your Home Made Perfect. She lives in North London with her husband, Roy Horgan, 42, and their daughter Ruby, three.

Living in London during lockdown means I have been separated from my family in Ireland. Its the longest period Ive ever been away from them and things are, of course, already much trickier than usual. My husband, Roy, and I are literally tag-team parenting.

Ive had to draw on one of the biggest lessons I learned during motherhood  to ask for help.

I was so reluctant to do that when my daughter Ruby was born three years ago, even when I realised that I couldnt do everything myself. It made me feel wildly vulnerable and incapable because I was so used to getting things done. Suddenly I was a mess.

Angela Scanlon, 37, (pictured) who lives in North London, reveals how motherhood taught her the lesson of asking for help and accepting it when offered

No one can prepare you for becoming a mother. I have a ton of nieces and nephews and genuinely thought I knew what was coming, but its completely different. There is no manual you get given when leaving the hospital.

Motherhood is a huge gear change. So much of my identity was tied to my career  having a baby and taking time off work meant I didnt know who the hell I was any more.

After I gave birth, my returning TV presenting role with Dara OBriain on Robot Wars fell through. That felt devastating. But I looked down at this little human I had pushed out and I thought, OK, you know what, I can survive.

I ended up going back to work earlier than Id hoped, on a different project. Just 12 weeks after giving birth I started presenting Your Home Made Perfect. I was like a deer in the headlights, fuelled by caffeine and suffering insomnia.

Often I would beat myself up if I had to travel for work or if I wasnt around for bedtime. But I learned to ask for help  and to take it when it was offered. That isnt being weak, its human.

Its a strength to understand when you need support, not a weakness. And you have to offer help in return, too, because none of us can do it all on our own.

Angela Scanlon is the ambassador of Olays brand new Collagen Peptide24 collection in the UK and Ireland.

Priti Patel has been ordered by a secretive tribunal to review the ban on one of the world's most dangerous terrorist groups.

The Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission (POAC), an independent body set up under the 2000 Terrorism Act, ruled that the Home Secretary must consider taking the Tamil Tigers off the Government's list of outlawed bodies.

The separatist group, founded in Sri Lanka in 1976, is widely credited with devising the suicide vest.

The UK banned the group, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in 2001.

A Sri Lankan Buddhist monk holds a cover of a document detailing war crimes committed in the island by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

The POAC ruled that Priti Patel must review the ban, saying the grounds for renewing it were flawed

But another group, the Trans-national Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)  the self-styled government of exiled Tamils around the world  brought a case against the Home Secretary over the ban, saying the Tamil Tigers are no longer engaged in terrorism.

However, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), which assesses the terrorist threat in the UK, said the Tamil Tigers should stay banned because they have failed to renounce violence.

The POAC ruled that Ms Patel must review the ban, saying the grounds for renewing it were flawed.

The TGTE has mounted a separate bid in the Court of Appeal to get the ban automatically lifted.

The Home Office said: 'We accept POAC's judgment ... and await the appellant's final response on this. The LTTE remains a proscribed organisation at this time.'
MIAMI (AP)  Three Venezuelan men pleaded guilty to helping organize an ill-conceived invasion last year to remove President Nicolas Maduro.

In Fridays hearing before a Colombian court, the men acknowledged their role alongside Jordan Goudreau, a former American Green Beret and Iraq war veteran, in organizing a rag tag army of a few dozen Venezuelan military deserters intent on overthrowing Venezuelas socialist leadership. Plans included raiding military installations as well as the presidential palace.

I apologize to the Colombian government, one of the men, National Guard Maj. Juvenal Sequea, told a judge in Bogota on Friday as he and two other accepted lighter charges of providing advice and logistical support to illegal armed groups. I accept responsibility for my actions but want people to understand that this is all the result of the consequences of what we Venezuelans are living through.

The so-called Operation Gideon  or the Bay of Piglets, as the bloody fiasco came to be known  ended in disaster, with six insurgents dead and two of Goudreaus former Special Forces buddies behind bars in Caracas. But the plot really never stood a chance of succeeding against Maduros loyal and heavily armed military after having been thoroughly infiltrated months earlier.

Sequea and his co-defendant Capt. Juven Sequea are the older brothers of the confessed commander of the failed May 3 incursion, Capt. Antonio Sequea, who is jailed in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. The third person pleading guilty, Rayder Russo, is a civilian who has long sought Maduros armed overthrow.

As part of the plea bargain agreement  which the judge is expected to ratify later this month  the men have accepted a single charge that is punishable from 6 to 10 years in prison. But under Colombian law they can be released on parole or placed under house arrest if sentenced to lesser than 8 years, meaning the men could be freed in exchange for cooperation. Previously the men, who have been jailed since their arrest six months ago, had been charged with providing military training to illegal armed groups, a more serious offense punishable of up to 30 years in jail.

Story continues

None of the men participated in the failed raid, having abandoned the secret camps in northern Colombia where the rebels were gathering, in some cases months before it was launched. Testimony from other Venezuelan deserters, one of whom was arrested transporting a weapon and a large number of cellular phones, nonetheless placed each of the men in leadership positions of the plot alongside Goudreau and the plot's ringleader, retired Venezuelan Army Gen. Cliver Alcala.

A fourth defendant in the Colombian investigation, Yacsy Alvarez, has repeatedly professed her innocence and accused Colombian authorities of being in constant contact with Alcala. But she faces an additional charge of arms trafficking for allegedly helping smuggle weapons to the volunteer army.

Alvarez served as Goudreaus translator during his visits to Colombia and the two opened an affiliate of his small Florida security firm Silvercorp, in mid-2019. It listed its address at an upscale hotel in Barranquilla, according to Colombian public records.

She also flew with Goudreau and the two other former Green Berets  Luke Denman and Airan Berry  to Barranquilla aboard a Cessna jet belonging to her boss, businessman Franklin Duran, who has a long history of deal-making with the Venezuelan government. At the time, Alvarez was living in the Caribbean coastal city and working as a director in a unit of Durans auto lubricants company.

According to the plea agreement read by prosecutors in court, the Colombian investigation was prompted by the March 23, 2020 seizure of a cache of 26 assault rifles and tactical equipment it was later revealed were dispatched by Alvarez and destined for the rebels in the desert-like La Guajira peninsula that Colombia shares with Venezuela.

The man coordinating the clandestine effort, Alcala, took responsibility for the weapons hours before turning himself in on March 26 to face U.S. drug charges.

Alcala, who is now awaiting trial in New York, said the weapons belonged to the Venezuelan people. He also lashed out against opposition leader Juan Guaido, accusing him of betraying a contract he had signed with American advisers to remove Maduro.

The U.S. has denied any direct role in the attempted raid just as Venezuelas opposition has taken distance from Goudreau, despite having previously signed with him an agreement to conduct a snatch and grab operation inside Venezuela.

Other than a $50,000 payment for expenses Silvercorp was never paid. And Goudreau during the raid acknowledged going ahead with the invasion without Guaido's support even though he later sued one of Guaidos aides, Miami-based political analyst J.J. Rendon, for breach of contract.

___

Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
The kidnapping and murder of Italy's former Prime Minister Aldo Moro by the terrorist group Brigate Rosse.

On 16 March 1978, Aldo Moro, former Italian Prime Minister and president of the Christian Democracy, was kidnapped. The kidnapping occurred in Via Mario Fani in Rome, by far-left terrorist organization the Red Brigades.

The attackers gunned down Moro's five personal bodyguards before taking him hostage. Then, on 9 May 1978, after 55 days of disputes, extensive searches, and proposed compromises, Moro was killed. His body was found in the back of a red Renault 4 in Via Michelangelo Caetani in the historic center of Rome, very close to both the Christian Democrat and Italian Communist Party headquarters.

Over forty years later, many of the details of Moro's kidnapping are still heavily disputed and there is much that remains unknown. The event remains one of the seminal moments in the history of Italian politics and the infamous Anni di piombo (years of lead).

To fully grasp the significance of this event it is important to understand who Aldo Moro was and why a far-left terrorist organization such as the Red Brigade would target him in particular. It is also necessary to dive into the still hazy details to gain an understanding as to how the kidnappers managed to elude some of the world's top intelligence agencies for 55 days, and so well, that many of the details remain unknown even today.

Moro, the Historic Compromise, and the situation in Italy

Aldo Moro was Italy's 38th Prime Minister, holding office from December 1963 to June 1968 and again from November 1974 to July 1976. He is one of Italy's longest-serving post-war Prime Ministers and is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most popular leaders in the history of the Italian Republic. In addition, Moro also served as Minister of Justice and Public Education during the 1950s as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is considered one of the fathers of Italy's center-left political movement. Known as an intellectual and patient mediator, Moro implemented several social and economic reforms that helped modernize the country.

In March 1959, he became secretary of the Christian Democracy (DC), a position he would hold until 1964. Founded in 1943 in Nazi-occupied Italy, the DC was the successor of the Italian People's Party. The centrist, catch-all, Catholic-inspired party featured both left and right-leaning political groups and would remain one of Italy's dominant political parties until its demise in 1994. The Italian Communist Party (PCI) was one of the largest opposition parties to the DC.

In the 1970s, after watching the Marxist Allende Government get overthrown in Chile, PCI General Secretary Enrico Berlinguer was convinced that far-left governments could only survive in democratic countries if they made alliances with more moderate parties. This lead to Berlinguer proposing a political alliance between the DC and PCI in 1973. The proposal was launched in communist magazine Rinascita and was embraced by Moro. Berlinguer wanted to distance the PCI from the USSR and create Eurocommunism.

Although the proposal was embraced by Moro, other center-left groups like the Italian Republican Party (PRI) and the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), strongly opposed the alliance. Some saw the "Historic Compromise" as nothing more than a way for two of the most widely supported parties to maintain a firm grip on power in the country.

Several members of the DC left the party as a result of the compromise. The PCI also saw several radical communists boycott the government in protest. Following the compromise, there was an increase in far-left terrorism, mostly by the Red Brigades (BR).

It is also important to remember that this was at the height of the Cold War. While most other Western Democratic countries had landed on the capitalist side of the divide, Italy remained on the fringe. The widespread support for the PCI worried many western countries and the fact that they would now hold a legitimate government seat in one of Europe's most powerful countries only intensified the situation.

The Italian government's lack of acknowledgment of the threat of far-left terrorist organizations was another worrying prospect. In the decade leading up to the Moro case, Italy had seen a drastic rise in domestic terrorism, but the government and country as a whole had adopted a feeling of resignation towards it. Some far-left terrorist organizations were not even regarded as such.

Terrorist group Prima Linea, for example, was not considered an armed gang, but simply a subversive association. The BR was also not considered a threat in the country, many even believed that the group had more or less ceased to exist in 1976 as a result of police intervention and counter-terrorist measures. However, this was a drastic undersight to the true threat the country faced. This was made clear on 16 March 1978, when the BR kidnapped Aldo Moro.

The Assault

Moro left his house just before 9:00 am on the 16th. He was in a blue Fiat 130 and accompanied by his usual group of five bodyguards, two Carabinieri, and three police officers. The two Carabinieri, Domenico Ricci and Oreste Leonardi, were in the car with Moro. Ricci drove and Leonardi, the head of the bodyguard team, was in the passenger seat. The three police officers, Francesco Zizzi, Giulio Rivera, and Raffaele Iozzino followed in a white Alfetta.

The Red Brigade members had set a trap in Via Michelangelo Fani, a downhill street in a northern quarter of Rome. Mario Moretti sat in a Fiat 128 with a fake diplomatic license plate, while Alvaro Lojacono and Alessio Casimirri were a few meters ahead of him in another Fiat 128. On the opposite side was Barbara Balzerani in another Fiat 128, and a fourth car, a Fiat 132 occupied by Bruno Seghetti, was positioned at the crossroads where the street ended.

When Moro's convoy entered via Fani, Rita Algranati alerted the terrorists by waving a bunch of flowers and then rode away on a moped. With the signal that their target had arrived, the Red Brigade members sprung into action. Moretti cut off the road in front with his car, then Ricci's attempt at an escape maneuver was thwarted by a Mini Minor parked in the way. At this point, four gunmen identified as Valerio Morucci, Raffaele Fiore, Prospero Gallinari, and Franco Bonisoli jumped out of the bushes armed with machine pistols. All four of the gunmen were wearing Alitalia airline crew uniforms to avoid friendly fire since not all of them had worked together before. Within minutes, all five bodyguards were killed with only Iozzino being able to react by firing two shots before he was killed. Almost as soon as the assault started, Moro was forced into a Fiat 132 next to his car before being taken away.

The Days of Imprisonment

Shortly after the assault, the BR claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in a phone call to the Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA). The significance of the timing and date chosen by the BR to carry out the kidnapping should not be ignored. At ten oclock that same day, Moro was scheduled to go to the Chamber of Deputies where a new government, led by Giulio Andreotti, was to announce its policies. The Fourth Andreotti cabinet was the first Christian Democratic Government to have the support of the Italian Communist Party, thanks to Moros Historic Compromise. It would be the first time that the Communist Party had a position in government since 1947.

At ten o'clock, the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Pietro Ingrao, stopped the session to announce the kidnapping. The emergency created by the situation meant that the PCI would no longer hold a position in government. Instead, another right-center cabinet under the firm control of the DC would be installed. Later that day, one of the cars used by the terrorists was found in via Lucinio Calvo, about a hundred meters from via Fani.

The next day, the police arrested a young clerk who they suspected was involved in the kidnapping, only to release him two days later. It is worth noting that this was a blunder made by the police for not thoroughly investigating and shadowing the suspect in question before arresting him. It was not the last mistake made by the police during the hunt for Moro.

That same day, another car used by the terrorists in the assault was found in via Lucinio Calvo. This raised questions about whether the car was there before, or if the BR planted it there. At this point, the area around where the assault took place was highly guarded and was under twenty-four-hour police surveillance, making it hard to imagine the car could have been planted there. However, it is also equally hard to imagine that the car could have evaded police detection for this long.

Throughout Moro's imprisonment, he would write 86 letters, of which between 50 to 60 were delivered to their intended destination. The letters were addressed to the main members of the Christian Democracy, his family, and Pope Paul VI. The BR would also put out nine "communications" in which they revealed their motivation for kidnapping Moro, as well as inform the public of how Moro's trial in the "Peoples Court of Justice" was transpiring.

On the 18th of March, the first communication from the BR was received. In it, they claimed full responsibility for Moro's abduction and murder of his escort. They also explained their intentions for putting him on trial in the "Peoples Court of Justice". According to many, the BR aimed to strike at the whole DC who, they said in their first communication, had been suppressing the Italian people for years. Also enclosed in the first communication was a picture of Moro in the Peoples Prison.

On 25 March, the Red Brigades' second communication was received and detailed the list of charges against Moro. Four days later, on the 29th, the third communication was received by Cossiga along with a letter from Moro. In the communication, the BR claimed that the trial "is proceeding with the prisoner's total collaboration." In the letter, Moro informs his colleagues of his condition, but also remained strictly professional, instructing them to "think fully, before you create an emotional or irrational situation."

Moro's plead

While he does not state it directly in the letter, it is unmistakable that Moro is pleading with Italian authorities to bargain with the BR for his release. In the letter, Moro argued, "the doctrine according to which advantage must not accrue to kidnapping does not apply to political circumstances where a sure and incalculable damage is done not only to the person but to the state itself.

It is worth noting that at this point the BR had not given any detail or presented any terms for Moro's release. It should also be assumed that while the letter bore his signature and his style of writing was recognizable, he did not enjoy full freedom to write. Whether or not his captors instructed him to suggest negotiating for his release at this point is anyone's best guess. At the time, however, fifteen members of the BR were on trial in Turin. Though the trial had been halted due to the initial shock of the kidnapping, by now it had resumed and was proceeding as scheduled.

Moro also implicitly stated that the Church could be used as an intermediary in any potential negotiations, as they had done in other terrorist cases in the past. The Holy See would, on several occasions, send pleads to the BR to release Moro. In addition to his plea for authorities to bargain for his life, Moro also warned of the damage that could come to the state should he be forced to disclose secrets. "There is the risk that I will be induced to talk in a manner that could be dangerous" However, despite Moro's and the terrorists' best efforts to negotiate for his freedom, Italian authorities, after much deliberation, decided that they would not meet the terrorist demands.

The Red Brigades' fourth communication was received on the 4th of April along with a letter from Moro to Zaccagnini. In the communication, the BR states that the idea that Moro's previous letter to Cossiga was written under their dictation "are as treacherous as they are stupid" as it included a belief that the BR does not hold.

In the letter, Moro once again pleaded with Italian authorities to seek a compromise and negotiate for his freedom. At the time when it was written, Moro had been imprisoned for fifteen days and was beginning to become anxious by the inaction of those in a position to negotiate. This was made clear when he states "Time runs fast and unfortunately there is not enough. Any moment may be too late."

He is also aware of the consequences that not only he, but the DC and state as a whole will face should they fail to come to a peaceful resolution stating "another more terrible and equally dead-end cycle will begin." Towards the end of the letter, Moro writes "in truth, I also feel a little abandoned by you." However, while in this letter Moro clearly states his desire to negotiate for his freedom, the state continued to stand against coming to any kind of compromise. If it is to be assumed that this letter was written under the dictation of the BR, we now have reason to believe they were willing to negotiate.

On the 6th of April, the BR's fifth communication was received along with an autographed attack by Moro on Taviani, Cossiga, Zaccagnini, as well as the whole of his party. In the letter, Moro writes "Of course, I cannot prevent myself from underlining the wickedness of all the Christian Democrats who did not agree with my position And Zaccagnini? How can he stay tranquil in his position? And Cossiga could not devise any possible defense? My blood will fall over them." Moro had at this point run out of patience, and his and the BR's attempts to coax the state into negotiations had failed. Thus, they decided to try a different tactic.

On the 15th of April, the BR released their sixth communication in which they stated Aldo Moro has been found guilty and has been condemned to death. Despite this frightening revelation from the BR, Italian authorities refused to budge, believing it to be just another ploy by the terrorists to coax them into action.

The Brigate Rosse's apartment

The 18th of April was perhaps the most important day during this saga since Moro was kidnapped just over a month prior. Two key events would come to define this day. The first was the release of what was supposedly the BR's seventh communication. It announced they had gone ahead with Moro's execution and that his body had been thrown into the Lago Duchessa, a small mountain lake to the northeast of Rome. Authorities searched the icy waters, but no sign of Moros body was found. It turned out that this message had been forged.

The second pivotal event was the discovery of a BR base in an apartment in via Gradoli in Rome. It was the private residence of BR national leader Mario Moretti and was discovered after firemen responded to a water leak by the tenant below the apartment. The cause of the water leak was mysterious and authorities found around one-thousand pieces of incriminating evidence inside the apartment. (More on both of these events later)

Moro is still alive

After five days of uncertainty as to Moro's condition, an ultimatum was presented on the 20th of April when the BR released its seventh communication. In it, they declare that Moro is alive and they are prepared to release him in exchange for "Communist prisoners." They set the deadline for the 22nd at 3 p.m. and delivered a photograph of Moro holding the previous days' La Republica to the above paper. This is the first time that the BR openly states that they are willing to negotiate for Moros freedom and offer their terms.

The Italian authorities, once again, did not respond to the demands of the BR. Then on the 24th of April, the BR released their eighth communication in which they name all thirteen Communist prisoners that they want to be released in exchange for Moro. All thirteen prisoners were currently on trial in Turin. The BR and other far-left terrorist groups had been carrying out numerous terrorist attacks in Turin as well as other cities in the north such as Genoa and Milan since the start of the trial and the Moro saga. The attacks which were targeted at politicians, prison wardens, and police officers were intended to coax authorities into negotiating.

Andreotti's message

Andreotti, one of Italy's former Prime Ministers, delivered a message on television on the 28th of April. "How would the Carabinieri, the police, and the prison guards respond to the Government's negotiating - behind their backs and in violation of the law - with those who have made havoc of that law? And what would the wives, orphans, and mothers of those who have fallen while accomplishing their duty have to say?" This sent a clear message that Andreotti and the Italian government had no intention of negotiating with the BR for Moro. He would later confirm the government's refusal to negotiate on the 3rd of May.

The Red Brigades would send their ninth and final communication on 5 May. The cryptic message from them read We conclude the battle started on 16 March with the executing of the sentence to which Moro was condemned. Interpretations of this message were mixed.

Aldo Moro's dead body

Then, on 9 May, Aldo Moro's body was discovered in the trunk of a red Renault 4 in via Michelangelo Caetani in the city center of Rome. According to accounts from the subsequent trials of BR members, a night meeting had been held in Milan a few days before. There, high-ranking members of the BR held a final vote to decide Moro's fate. Several members including Adriana Faranda, Valerio Marucci, and Franco Bonisoli voted against killing Moro. However, the vote passed and on the morning of May the 9th, Moro was shot by the BR's national leader Mario Moretti after being placed in a wicker basket and having allegedly been told he was to be pardoned.

The next day, a private funeral was held in Torrita Tiberina, a small town north of Rome where Moro owned a small residence. He was buried in the local cemetery. On the 13th, a funeral ceremony presided by Pope Paul VI was held at the Basilica of San Giovani in Laterano with members of the Government present. The Pope said: Oh Lord, You have not answered our prayers.

Subsequent hypotheses, aftermath, trials, theories, and further findings and information.

In the aftermath of the event, the country yearned for answers. Though Moros fate was now sealed, there was no feeling of closure as so much remained unknown. Italian authorities would name ten members of the BR who they sought to capture and put on trial for the abduction and murder. Of the ten, only two managed to evade capture, Alvaro Lojacono who fled to Switzerland, and Alessio Casimirri who fled to Nicaragua.

The others, Corrado Alunni and Marina Zoni were arrested in 1978, Valerio Morucci, Adriana Faranda, and Prospero Gallinari in 1979, Mario Moretti in 1981, and Barbara Balzerani in 1985. Rita Algranati was the last to be arrested when she was captured in Cairo in 2004. Algranati remains the only one still living who is behind bars. The others were all subsequently released on parole, or due to disassociation and collaboration. Even Mario Moretti, former national leader of the BR who later admitted to killing Moro was semi-freed in 1997 and is still alive today.

The trials that followed provided some answers to the Moro case, however, we are still left with more questions than answers. One important piece of information that has never been revealed is the location of Moro's prison. Another commonly held assumption is that the BR didn't act alone in kidnapping Moro. While they certainly could have had help from other domestic far-left terrorist organizations, there is reason to suspect that much larger and more powerful forces and organizations had a hand in it. Although there are no conclusive answers to either of these questions, there has been no shortage of theories.

Crisis Committees

On the same day Moro was kidnapped, Francesco Cossiga formed two Crisis Committees. The first, chaired by Cossiga himself, was a technical-operational-political committee. It included members of Italys military and intelligence services (SISMI and SISDE) as well as secret information agency CESIS, UCIGOS, the police prefect of Rome, and top commanders from the Italian Police Forces, Carabinieri, and Guardia di Finanza. The second group was an information committee, which included members from CESIS, SISDE, SISMI, and SIOS.

These new committees, while good in principle, were ineffective in fighting Italys modern terrorist threat. Even with the alarming growth of terrorism in the country over the last decade, the committees were operating according to old standards dating back to the 1950s. This was largely due to the countrys resignation towards left-wing terrorism, with many groups not even being labeled accordingly.

Theories of the Assault

The assault itself has been the subject of much speculation and debate. Official reconstructions of the trials indicate that eleven people took part in the assault, however, this number, as well as the identities of those involved, are widely disputed. The coordination and precision with which the assault was carried out have cast further doubt on the accounts given by the terrorists during their subsequent trials.

The knowledge of where and when Moro would be that morning is another messy detail. Moretti claimed that he had been studying Moro's daily moves since 1976. However, Moro's escort changed the route daily. Whether or not they followed a pattern for changing their route is unknown. The terrorists involved in the assault also took several precautions beforehand, such as slashing the tires of a florist to remove a key witness. This does however show that they did know the exact route Moro would take, how they managed to acquire that knowledge has raised many questions.

The identities and number of terrorists involved as well as the precision with which the assault was conducted raise even more suspicions. Investigators recovered 93 bullets at the scene of the assault, 49 of which had hit their targets. The bullets recovered indicated that the gunmen were armed with two different submachine guns, an FNAB-43, and a Beretta M12. However, one question that remains is how Moro was almost completely unharmed, only suffering a small wound in his thigh. This is what many holds as clear evidence of the presence of a marksman at the assault. Further evidence that strengthens this theory comes when several members of the BR, including Valerio Morucci, claimed that they had practiced only rough shooting training before the attack.

Several sources identify Giustino De Vuono, an Italian intelligence member and former marksman for the French Foreign Legion, as being present during the assault. De Vuono was also affiliated with the Calabrian mafia organization 'Ndrangheta, several BR members claimed that the weapons used were acquired through them. Of the 93 bullets fired during the assault, 45 of them came from one weapon. In a reconstruction of the assault done by Italian magazine lespresso these bullets, which include the majority found in the bodyguards, were fired by De Vuono.

Another theory of the identity of the alleged marksman is that he was a German who was affiliated with the far-left terrorist group RAF. One witness from via Fani reported that about thirty minutes before the assault a man with a German accent told him to leave the area. How the assault was carried out was also similar to one conducted by the RAF.

The number of terrorists present for the assault is also disputed. Originally, during the subsequent trials, BR terrorists said nine people took part in the assault, but later changed that number to eleven. Alberto Franceschini, co-founder of the BR believes both of these numbers to be too low to kidnap such a high-profile figure.

Along with the theories of a marksman, there are also multiple theories about foreign powers aiding, or having a hand in Moro's kidnapping, the most notable of them being the U.S. This of course took place during the height of the Cold War, and the US was not particularly fond of Moro because of his hand in helping the PCI secure a seat in the government of a democratic country. One theory surrounding the assault is the presence of what some believe to be two CIA agents. Witness reports recall the presence of two unidentified men on scooters who watched the assault take place. At the time several American Secret Service agents were living in the city, not particularly surprising considering Rome is the capital of a major European country. However, these two men have never been identified, and so their presence remains a mystery.

Location of Moros Prison

The exact location of Aldo Moro's prison is unknown and has been the subject of much dispute. There are two likely locations where many believe he was held. The first is an apartment in Via Camillo Montalcini 8 in Rome. This is the location where Moro was eventually killed, in the parking garage of the building. The apartment in question had been owned by the BR for years and was subsequently abandoned after it was put under investigation.

The second likely location is considered to be on the seaside, though, no exact location has ever been mentioned. When Moro's body was discovered, traces of sand and vegetable remains were found in the car. Terrorists later claimed that this was planted on his body to mislead investigators as to the true location of his prison. However, investigators doubt that the BR would know that they would investigate such minor details. Subsequent geologist investigations of the sand found it must have come from an artificial river rather than a natural body of water. This has led many to believe that Moro was kept somewhere along the Tiber.

April 18th: A seance, False Communication #7, and the base at via Gradoli

Several strange and controversial events occurred on April 18th. The first was the supposed announcement of Moro's death in the BR's seventh communication. According to the communication, Moro's body had been dumped in Lago Della Duchessa, a very small mountain lake northeast of Rome in the province of Rieti.

However, the Italian police found no trace of Moro's body under the lake's icey surface. One of the authors of this false communication was notorious forger Antonio Chichiarelli who was connected to the Banda della Magliana gang in Rome. Chichiarelli would go on to release more false communications from the BR before being killed in September of 1984 in mysterious circumstances. His death came before the truth about the false communications was fully disclosed.

The second event occurred that same day when the police discovered an apartment on via Gradoli that the BR had been using as a base. Allegedly, the discovery was made when a neighbor had called the firemen because of a water leak. Inside the apartment, police found a flexible shower nozzle that had been placed on a toilet brush stand, with water being directed at a crack in the wall, along with over 1,000 pieces of incriminating evidence. These pieces of evidence included the Alitalia flight crew uniforms that the attackers had worn on the day of the assault. The apartment, number 11 at via Gradoli 96, was the residence of Mario Moretti, considered the top leader of the Red Brigades. Moretti interrogated Moro almost daily and could have been tailed to find the location of his prison.

The seance

What makes this discovery particularly strange, however, is that authorities had reason to suspect this apartment weeks, and even years before the discovery was made. Moretti's apartment had been under observation for several years as it was also frequented by members of other far-left organizations. Then, on April 2nd, twelve people, including future Prime Minister Romano Prodi, allegedly took part in a seance in the city of Bologna. Using a Ouija board, the group tried to contact the spirit world to gain information about the location where Moro was being held. The details of the alleged seance are widely disputed and there is reason to believe that it never did take place. Those who participated reported it was raining in Bologna on the day of the session, however, several accounts recall that there was no rain in the city that day. The session did however produce one interesting name, Gradoli.

Cossiga was made aware of the details of the seance by Prodi and investigators turned their attention towards the town of Gradoli north of Rome. Cossiga ordered 450 military personnel to conduct a thorough search of the town, but no evidence of any Red Brigade presence was ever found. The details of the search were also disputed by many witnesses who stated that the military personnel conducted a very brief search of the town. With the search yielding no results, officials discounted any credibility of the seance. However, Moro's wife Eleonora suggested that perhaps the name Gradoli was actually in reference to the street in Rome, but Cossiga insisted that no such street existed.

But of course, via Gradoli did exist, in a quiet neighborhood in the north of Rome, not far from where Moro was abducted. The neighborhood was home to many domestic and foreign secret service agents who used some apartments as safe houses. What makes the case even stranger is that authorities had reason to suspect via Gradoli because of suspicious activities being reported there as far back as March 18th. One witness reported to the police of three suspicious-looking men lingering outside of via Gradoli 96 as if checking who came in and who came out. Another neighbor reported hearing strange noises coming from apartment 11 that sounded like the tapping of morse code, the police report on this is nowhere to be found. Eventually, authorities could no longer deny the existence of via Gradoli 96, and police were instructed to conduct a thorough search of the building. Police searched every apartment except number 11 because no one answered the door and neighbors all vouched for the inhabitant, a claim that some of them deny.

Years later it was revealed that DC parliament member Benito Cazora had been tipped off to via Gradoli thanks to contact with the Ndrangheta Calabrian mafia organization while trying to find information on Moros location. Cazora was told that via Gradoli was a hot zone and reported this information to the police. Why the Italian authorities failed to act when they had plenty of reason to suspect via Gradoli remains unknown.

P2, Gladio, Italian Intelligence Services, and the involvement of Foreign Powers

Propaganda 2 (P2) was a mysterious masonic lodge that was involved in several political and financial scandals during the 70s and 80s. P2 had a diverse group of members which included entrepreneurs, journalists, high-ranking members of right-wing political parties, and Italian police and military forces. Many have suggested that P2 had a hand in Moro's kidnapping and played a role in keeping the location of his prison secret.

This largely stems from the discovery of a list of lodge members on 17 March 1981. The list revealed just how great and diverse a presence the lodge had, as many of their members occupied powerful positions. These include: Giuseppe Santovito, director of SISMI; prefect Walter Pelosi, director of CESIS; general Giulio Grassini of SISDE; admiral Antonino Geraci, commander of SIOS; Federico Umberto DAmato, director of the Office of Reserved Affairs of the Ministry of the Interiors; generale Raffaele Giudice and Donato Lo Prete, respectively commander and chief-of-staff of the Guardia di Finanza; and Carabinieri general Giuseppe Siracusano. Carabinieri general Siracusano was the one responsible for all the roadblocks around the city during the time Moro was imprisoned.

Considering the BR likely planted the cars used in the assault over the course of three days right after it had taken place is strange, to say the least. Especially considering they did so in such a heavily guarded section of the city, and police never picked up on it. This could be an indication that Siracusano and P2 had a hand in the whole affair. On the day of Moro's kidnapping, some of the most powerful members of P2 met at the Hotel Excelsior in Rome. Upon leaving the meeting, Gelli proclaimed "the most difficult part is done" supposedly in reference to Moro's kidnapping.

Members of P2 were also present during the discovery of the base at via Gradoli. Weeks before the base was discovered, an informer for the SISDE and neighbor of Moretti Lucia Mokbel claimed she was hearing a ticking noise that resembled MORSE messages coming from Moretti's apartment. She informed police commissioner and P2 member Elio Coppa, however, when no one answered the door of the apartment, Coppa did not attempt to enter and investigate. It was later deduced that the noises coming from the apartment were likely from an eclectic typewriter, which many suspect Moretti was using to write the BR's demands and communications.

Another commonly held theory is that the BR had been infiltrated by several different foreign and domestic intelligence agencies. The most prominent organizations being the CIA, Israeli intelligence agents, and Organizzazione Gladio, a NATO-headed paramilitary group tasked with opposing Soviet influence in western Europe.

In 1990 it was disclosed that Camillo Guglielmi, a colonel of SISMIs 7th division which controlled Operation Gladio, was present in via Stresa, near the location of the ambush when it took place. He admitted to being in via Stresa at the time of the ambush but stated he had been invited for lunch. This was later debunked as his colleague said he arrived uninvited and considering the ambush took place at 9:00am it was far too early to be arriving for lunch.

It also comes as no surprise that United States Republicans were not fond of Moro thanks to his involvement in the Historic Compromise. During the 1983 trial against the BR, Moro's widow Eleonora Chiavarelli stated that her husband was unpopular in the United States for this very reason. She alleged that Moro had been repeatedly warned by American politicians to stop disrupting the political situation established in the Yalta Conference and that he would be "badly punished" if he did not.

In 2005, former national vice-secretary of the DC Giovanni Galloni said that during a discussion with Moro about the difficulty of finding BR bases, Moro informed him that he knew of U.S. and Israeli intelligence agents who had infiltrated the BR. This allegation was echoed by none other than Alberto Franceschini, one of the founders of the BR. Franceschini stated that the BR had been infiltrated by Israeli agents as early as 1974, and also reported that BR co-founder Renato Curcio informed him that Mario Moretti would be an infiltrated agent. Franceschini and Curcio were both arrested in the mid-70s, after which Moretti took control and introduced a far more militarized approach to operations.

Role of Steve Pieczenik

At the request of Cossiga, the US State Department sent American negotiator and expert on terrorism Steve Pieczenik to Italy to assist in the hunt for Moro. Pieczenik would remain in Italy for the first three weeks of Moro's imprisonment. He initially wanted to show the will to negotiate for Moro's release in the hope that it would buy time and that the terrorists would make some error that they could detect.

However, Pieczenik quickly discovered how difficult the task would be. Many discussions he had with leading politicians and intelligence members were leaked, making it almost impossible for them to gain any ground in the hunt for Moro. After returning to the US, Pieczenik said he met an Argentinian agent who knew of the leaks thanks to numerous members of the P2 lodge. In a later interview, Pieczenik discussed the difficulty of the situation in Italy: "I found myself in a room with numerous generals and politicians, all people who knew [Moro] well, and... Well, I felt that not one of them liked Moro or appreciated him as a person, including Cossiga.

Pieczenik also spoke about the political game that was being played amongst those that were searching for Moro. He said that those on the right "wanted the death of Moro, the Red Brigades wanted him alive, while the Communist Party, due to its hardline political position, was not going to negotiate." Cossiga's position in all of this was difficult. He wanted Moro alive but he was dealing with forces far outside his control. Pieczenik was also stunned by the number of fascists in the Italian intelligence service. He also declared that he was involved in the decision to issue the false "Communication #7" to push the BR to kill Moro. He did so once it became clear that Italian politicians were not interested in negotiating for Moro's liberation and hoped that killing Moro would delegitimize the BR.

Role of Carmine Pecorelli

Carmine Pecorelli was a notorious Italian journalist who wrote about the kidnapping of Moro in his magazine Osservatorio Politico (OP). Pecorelli allegedly had numerous contacts in the Italian secret services. The day before Moro was abducted, OP published an article that cited the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar and mentioned the possibility that a new Brutus would appear in reference to the new Andreotti cabinet that was set to take power the next day. Some articles written during Moro's imprisonment suggest that Pecorelli knew of some of the unpublished letters. Pecorelli also suggested that there were two different factions within the BR, one intent on killing Moro, and one that wanted to negotiate for his release.

Pecorelli would later be murdered in front of his house on the 20th of March 1979, just over one year after Moro was abducted. Mafia informant Tommaso Buscetta stated in 1992 that Pecorelli had been killed as "a favor to Andreotti." It was alleged that Pecorelli had some sensitive information about Moro, including a letter from Moro.

The day of his murder, Pecorelli had written an article in which he hinted at the role of opera composer Igor Markevitch in Moro's kidnapping. Markevitch had housed several BR terrorists in his estate in Florence. His residence in Rome was on via Caetani, where Moro's body was discovered. In the article written on the day he was killed, Pecorelli wrote about "the people's prison" in which Moro was held. In it, he mentioned a palace in the center of Rome with lions. Markevitch's palace in Rome had a bas-relief of two lions biting two horses.

Theories of Alternate Kidnapping

One last strange theory suggests that Moro was not present for the assault in via Fani. Journalist Rita di Giovacchino suggested that he had been taken prisoner by another organization and that the BR had only acted as a distraction. According to Giovacchino, this theory would explain the remark made by the first secretary of Moro, Sereno Freato, after Carmine Pecorelli was also found dead: "Investigate on the investigators of Pecorelli's murder, and would find the instigators of Moro's murder." The BR also used printing machines once owned by Italian intelligence, who Giovacchino considered the likely instigators of the kidnapping. However, this theory, like so many details of this case, remains shrouded in mystery.
The government has never threatened employees of any platform, such as Twitter, of jail term, the IT Ministry has said.

Reacting to reports that alluded to Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter employees being threatened with jail term, the Ministry said platforms are "obliged to follow the laws of India and the Constitution of India, just like all other businesses in India have to."



"As has been conveyed on the floor of Parliament, users of can criticise the government, the Prime Minister or any Minister but promotion of violence, rampant communal divide and stoking the flames of terrorism will have to be reflected upon," it said.

The government had ordered Twitter to take down hundreds of posts, accounts and hashtags, that it saw violating rules. Twitter initially did not fully comply but fell in line after the government showed the rule book that contained penal provisions.

The IT Ministry went on to state that the recent guidelines pertaining to social media simply require the platforms to put in place a robust grievance redressal mechanism for users.

"None of the government communications, either written or oral, have ever threatened the employees of any of the social media platforms of jail term," it said.

"The government welcomes criticism and dissent. However, of late, repeated instances of abuse of social media to foment hate, discord and violence by terrorist groups from outside India and circulation of morphed images of women, revenge porn posing threat to the safety of users especially women users have become grave concerns," it 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.)
Mosque leader plotted rape of pastors relatives after wife converts to Christianity: report

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The leader of a mosque in western Uganda allegedly sent men to rape three female relatives of a church pastor last month as a warning after the imams wife converted from Islam to Christianity, according to a report.

Sources told Morning Star News that three relatives of Rev. Nelson Walina, the pastor of All Saints Cathedral, were raped in Mussa village of Kasese district on Feb. 16. The incident came two days after imam Caled Bwambale Hussein was enraged after learning that his wife, Mariam Mbambu, converted to Christianity.

The ages of the three girls allegedly victimized by rape are 19, 17 and 16.

Church members told the United States-based nonprofit persecution news outlet that they learned of the imams orders from a Muslim who was sent to the churchs worship services on Feb. 21 and Feb. 28 allegedly to help plan an attack on the church.

The church leaders surrounded the stranger, known as Ali Masereka, who feared the possibility of mob justice by the members of the church, a church member was quoted as saying.

He pleaded for mercy and revealed that he had been sent on a mission by an imam of Kasese masjid [mosque] to inflict suffering on the Christians for the conversion of his wife to Christianity together with his five children.

Masereka also confessed that the imam had sent the men to rape the pastors relatives and was also planning an attack on the church. The mosque leader had also paid about $815 to 13 teenaged Muslims to attack the church, the man alleged.

Masereka was reportedly arrested on Feb. 29.

Pastor Walina told Morning Star News that he received a text message last Wednesday from the imam. According to the pastor, the imams text message warned that he only had two weeks to send back my wife and children to me.

If not, we are going to teach you a lesson that will make you regret for the rest of your life, the message allegedly stated. Your church also stands at a high risk.

The imams wife, Mbambu, said she ran from home because her husband intended to kill her after learning of her conversion on Feb. 14.

When my husband interrogated me about being a Christian, I refused to answer him, she told Morning Star News East Africa Correspondent. Soon, a Christian neighbor told me that my husband was out to kill me; hence I should escape with my children. That particular day in the evening hours, I escaped with my five children. I am thankful that the church received us.

The pastor says the church will not reveal the whereabouts of Mbambu.

We need prayers. I have reported the threats to the police who recently arrested Masereka, he said. One thing that is clear to us as a church is that we are not going to reveal the whereabouts of our hiding sister because we know that they are out to kill her and the children.

While most people in Uganda are Christian, some eastern and central regions have higher concentrations of Muslims.

The Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project shows that about 11.5% of Ugandas population is Muslim. Muslims in Uganda are primarily Sunni. The murder of and attacks on converts are not uncommon in the region.

According to World Watch Monitor, a homegrown Islamist rebel movement taking place in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo has emboldened Ugandan radicals to persecute Christians.

Voice of the Martyrs notes that Ugandas history has made it vulnerable to the influence of Islam as Arab countries also continue to invest significant resources into furthering Muslim interests in the country.

In Uganda, persecution is mainly seen in the form of local Islamists persecuting Christians, mostly in areas where radicals have been steadily encroaching.

Radical Islams influence has grown steadily, and many Christians within the majority-Muslim border regions are facing severe persecution, especially those who convert from Islam, a Voice of the Martyrs factsheet explains.

Despite the risks, evangelical churches in Uganda have responded by reaching out to their neighbors; many churches are training leaders how to share the gospel with Muslims and care for those who are persecuted after they become Christians.



Last December, a mob of Muslim extremists in Uganda reportedly killed 41-year-old former imam Yusuf Kintu a week after he converted to Christianity.
Vote Percentage of Parties in Puducherry2021: How did the parties fare

Drama prevails at Cong office in Pondy after party workers oppose allocation of 'key' seats to DMK

India

pti-Deepika S

Puducherry, Mar 14: High drama unfolded at the Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee office here on Sunday during a meeting to finalize the candidates' list for the April 6 assembly poll, when some party men opposed the allocation of 'key' seats to the DMK.

Noisy scenes were witnessed at the screening committee meeting for a while and senior party leaders including former Chief Minister V Narayanasamy intervened to pacify the disgruntled workers.

A delegation of AICC including Digvijay Singh, Pallam Raju, Sanjay Dutt and Dinesh Gundu Rao were deputed by the high command to hold discussions with the local leaders and prepare the list of candidates of the party.

The Congress has been earmarked 15 seats while its alliance partner the DMK has been allotted 13 seats.

Cadres from Mangalam constituency and Tirubhuvani and Mannadipet segments, who gathered at the party office, registered their protest against these seats being given to the DMK, a constituent of the Secular Democratic Alliance.

Puducherry Polls: Full DMK candidates list

They were also up in arms against Congress being allotted six seats less this time than the previous poll held in 2016.

During the meeting, one of the functionaries of the party from Mangalam constituency attempted to present a DMK flag to the party president A V Subramanianto symbolically show that Congress has bartered away key constituencies of the party to DMK, which set in motion heated arguments.

A spokesman of the block level committee of the Mannadipet Assembly constituency told media that it is a 'big injustice' the Congress meted out to its party men by letting DMK field its candidates in certain key constituencies, from where the victory of the national party would be a certainty.

Police and the central armed police force personnel rushed to the Congress party office and stood guard outside.

Talks held by AICC delegates came to a halt when the protest by those feeling disappointed over the allocation of the Mannadipet, Mangalam and Tirubhuvanai (reserved) segments to DMK erupted inside the party office.

After restoration of order, the venue of the deliberations was shifted to the first floor from the ground floor.

According to party sources, the list of candidates for all the 15 seats for the forthcoming poll would be finalized by this evening.

The DMK which has been allotted 13 constituencies has finalized names of its candidates for 12 seats and would announce the nominee for Bahoor soon.
The New York Times

Whoever wins the race to become the next Manhattan district attorney will take over one of the most contentious, highest-profile criminal investigations in the offices history: the inquiry into former President Donald Trump and his business. Two of the leading candidates in the Democratic primary field, Alvin Bragg and Tali Farhadian Weinstein, have had past contacts with Trumps administration  dealings that could become an issue if one of them becomes district attorney. Sign up for The Morni
The US Air Force Choose the F-15EX Eagle to mount hypersonic missiles instead of the expensive F-35 or F-22. Veteran designs like the Eagle can carry more weapons working with other fighters in tandem.

US Air Force Chooses F-15EX Eagle to Mount Hypersonic Missiles

Carrying a super-fast missile in the underside of a plane is a big thing. How much the plane will cost to operate is another important factor.

On March 10, the US Air Force got their first EX Eagle to carry and fire a super-fast missile. It was bought by the USAF to replace its aging F-15s, reported Eurasian Times. USAF officials accepted the first new airframe EX Eagle at Boeing's St. Louis production facility in Missouri.

Stealth fighters are important for today's militaries, so a 4th-generation fighter plane peaking at 40 years old and still unbeaten in air-to-air combat with 104 kills is a good thing. Compared to Stealth F-35 Lighting IIs, it should have been the choice. However, Air Force planners realize not all combats will need a near radar invisible jet.

One more issue with the F-35 is the cost to fly it for relatively few stealth fighters which will cost more to keep in the air. The EX-Eagle is cheaper and with fewer operation costs to keep them flying. In the end, war is about economics, and the more upgraded and advanced F-15s are far better than fewer stealth jets.

On top of that, the change to the EX-Eagle is cheaper and faster for units with the F-15C/D variant. It would take longer and more expensive to shift to the F-35. Still a superior fighter, the F-15 holds the edge in a heated dogfight that an F-35 carrying hypersonic missiles.

Also read: F-15EX offered to India by the US, Even Better than F-35s in Dogfights

Spotted flying the EX-Eagle has the serial number 20-001 with the Air Force paint scheme, with tail marking identified with the Florida-based Eglin Air Force Base. Besides the first one, the USAF will get 144 of them to replace the older F-15C/D variants. Another plan is to buy them to replace its older E-variants of the Eagles.

According to Colonel Sean Dorey, the F-15 EX Program Manager is tasked with keeping the USAF planes up to date. This is why getting the new Eagle airframes is important to replace those with the danger of getting fatigued by long service.

Still, a good fighter in all-weather roles, the twin engines of the advanced F-15 are no accident. Two engines instead of one is an advantage for flying in any weather. A big and burly plane that has the Su-30 MKI with the same features.

Missions an advanced F-15 can do are to operate in homeland and airbase defense, combat air patrols (CAP), and firing a variety of missiles and bombs. It is used to shoot down enemy planes in air superiority and intercept attackers, bombing, and other missions. It can carry the most weapons in the US arsenal.

Made to carry super-fast missiles

Missiles that travel faster than Mach 5 are the next arms race, giving less time to react and shoot it down. Even how they approach their targets is tricky for defenders and attackers. It is a combo ballistic missile and cruise missile or double trouble. Defense against them is one problematic concern.

One solution is to add hypersonic missiles to F-15 EX-Eagles to its payload as a cost-effective launch platform. The missile will be loaded on its centerline pylon, with a range of 1,100 miles is hard to pass up.

Related article: F-15 E-Strike Eagle Mounts Extra JDAMs on Undercarriage for Bombing Iraq Targets

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Poverty in America disproportionately affects women and people of color, and that is precisely what hinders political action to address iteven when solutions abound.

by Sonali Kolhatkar

An ongoing study conducted in Stockton, California, examines how the lives of low-income Americans can improve if they are simply given moneya modest, but reliable source of income with no strings attached. The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) randomly chose 125 participants from poverty-stricken residential areas and gave them $500 per month to simply use for whatever they wanted over the last two years. A majority of the participants were women (69 percent) and people of color (53 percent). Preliminary results from the first year are tantalizing for anyone interested in solutions to address rising inequality in the United States, especially as they manifest along racial and gender lines. Within the first year, the studys participants obtained jobs at twice the rate of the control group. At the beginning of the study, 28 percent of the participants had full-time employment, and after the first year, that number rose to 40 percent.

Sukhi Samra, the director of SEED, explained to me in an interview that although Andrew Yang, the former presidential candidate now running for mayor of New York City, helped popularize the idea of a universal basic income (UBI), the Stockton study of a guaranteed basic income (GBI) is subtly different from Yangs proposal. Where guaranteed income differs, said Samra, is that its usually targeted along income lines, rather than given to everyone. Its more often touted as a tool for equity, especially racial and gender equity, she added.

Samra said it was important to frame the idea of GBI within the racial justice and social justice movements of the 1960s when you had Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the National Welfare Rights Organization and the Black Panthers all advocating for a guaranteed income as the simplest and most effective way to abolish poverty. Indeed, Dr. King wrote in his last book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, that he was convinced that the simplest approach will prove to be the most effectivethe solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income.

Stockton is a fitting location for an experiment such as this. Known as Americas most diverse city, Stockton was economically devastated by market forces more than a decade ago during the national housing crisis and declared bankruptcy in 2012. Race-based inequality is rampant, with the citys white minority enjoying a median income that is roughly twice that of Black incomes. This microcosm of larger American cities also suffers from ill-health, crime, and over-policing, so much so that it earned another nickname, as one of Americas most miserable cities. Then in 2016, the city elected its first Black mayor, Michael Tubbs, who happened to also be the youngest person ever elected to that office.

The idea for the Stockton demonstration of a guaranteed income was Tubbs brainchild, and he funded the SEED study with private donations in order to demonstrate that equity can be reached by direct means such as unconditional cash payments to those who need it the most. It is no coincidence that a majority of the Stockton studys participants were women and people of color. This is precisely the demographic that has been left behind by national economic trends.

Samra explained that for those who were able to transition from part-time to full-time work, the cash payments enabled them to do basic things like go to a job interview, not because they were lazy before but because they were wage workers who just could not afford to lose one shift to go interview for something else, as that meant they would have to cut something from their household budget for that month. Others were able to pay for childcare so they could pursue better job opportunities.

Another critically important outcome of cash payments was a marked improvement in mental health and overall well-being. A 2020 paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that negative economic shocks cause mental illness, and anti-poverty programs, such as cash transfers, improve mental health. Samra explained that at the beginning of the study, almost all of its participants could be classified as clinically depressed, but after one year, there was a significant reduction in anxiety and depression compared to levels seen in the control group, so much so that $500 a month can be as effective as other forms of medication.

The studys preliminary results cover the year just before the coronavirus pandemic was declared. The studys second year will help answer a question that Samra expressed as, How exactly can a guaranteed income act as a financial vaccine? Anecdotal evidence from some of the studys participants revealed that the $500-a-month stipend became even more important during the pandemic, as it enabled them to adhere to shelter-in-place and other safety measures and stock up on food because they could financially afford it.

Of course, the idea of giving poor people of color money to survive is utterly antithetical to Republican and even some Democratic lawmakers. Since the assault on government welfare launched by President Ronald Reagan and accelerated by Bill Clinton, financial support to the poor has become perversely demonized as a disincentive to work. People of color and women have been particularly demonized and cast as parasites taking advantage of the system. Poverty is seen as a moral failing, and therefore assistance is seen as an immoral reward for such a failing. According to Samra, the Stockton study was criticized on the basis that giving people money would stop them from working. But so far it has proven the opposite: that a guaranteed income can actually help struggling Americans get jobs.

The logic of poverty as a moral failing persists today as various pieces of legislation to counter the economic devastation of the pandemic have included direct aid in the form of one-time checks and monthly unemployment checks. Republican Senator Tom Cotton denounced the latest bill, the American Rescue Plan that just passed under President Joe Biden, by asking, How will sending stimulus checks to murderers and rapists in prison help solve the pandemic? Conflating poor Americans with murderers and rapists is a common conservative dog-whistle tactic.

Financial help aimed at poor people of color has never been popular with richer, whiter Americans, and in November 2020, Stockton Mayor Tubbs was defeated in his reelection bid. His opponent, a Republican named Kevin Lincoln, denounced Tubbs gun violence intervention program as cash for criminals, and claimed that, All this funding that the mayor has brought in, its been brought in to serve him. One analysis of his defeat also pointed out that, some residents of the citys wealthier North side feel that theyre being ignored. Tubbs was also the target of a vicious right-wing social media operation in the form of a popular blog that relied on racist tropes, lies, exaggeration and fake news to topple the young progressive leader.

A critical lesson from the Stockton experiment that wasnt cited among the official results of the study is that while a guaranteed income can actually work to address the ills it sets out to fix, American politics remains mired in conservative racist notions of who deserves help. And therein lies the problem at the heart of our inequality crisis. Despite the Stockton studys positive results, the political loss of its architect, Mayor Tubbs, reaffirmed the city as a symbolic microcosm of the broader American landscape and the ongoing challenges to addressing race and gender-based poverty.

This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of Rising Up With Sonali, a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. She is a writing fellow for the Economy for All project at the Independent Media Institute.

WASHINGTON - Commercial air travel appears to be on the upswing despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The Transportation Security Administration said its agents screened more than 1.3 million passengers at airport security checkpoints nationwide on Friday.

THINK TWICE BEFORE FLYING HERE: Texas makes travel warning lists in the US

Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in a tweet that the last time the number was that high was March 15, 2020  about a year ago.

Public health officials generally have cautioned against commercial travel.

Farbstein included a reminder in her tweet, saying if you choose to fly, wear that mask!

President Joe Biden marked Thursdays first anniversary of the pandemic with a prime-time address to the nation in which he said he expects to have enough coronavirus vaccine for all Americans by May 1.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

 Virus tolls have been similar in U.S. states despite governors' contrasting actions

 By some measures, the panedemic's been more costly for U.S. than World War II

 Rules have put medically vulnerable near the end of vaccine lines in many places

 IRS says new round of COVID relief payments on the way

 After a long pandemic year, a changed New York shows signs of revival

 Most of California to reopen as vaccine eligibility expands

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Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BUDAPEST Hungary reported a record-breaking day of new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, and the number of patients being treated in the countrys hospitals also reached a new high.

Health authorities announced 9,444 new confirmed cases, more than 1,000 more than the previous record set on Friday. The jump came amid a rapid spread of a coronavirus variant first discovered in the United Kingdom.

The outbreak has put a strain on Hungarys health care system. Officials reported the hospitalization of 179 more COVID-19 patients, bringing the national total to a record high of 8,897

Hungary has the second-highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the 27-nation European Union, underpinned by the acquisition of vaccines from Russia and China as well as the EU. The number of people who have received at least one dose of a vaccine climbed to nearly 1.3 million in the country of fewer than 10 million.

Officials say they plan to have all people over age 60 vaccinated by Easter.

As of Saturday, Hungary reported 16,790 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, giving the country the seventh-worst death rate per 1 million people in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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TBILISI, Georgia  Georgia received its first batch of coronavirus vaccines on Saturday and is set to become the last European country to launch a COVID-19 vaccination drive.

The ex-Soviet nation received 43,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX program, a United Nations=backed initiative aimed at ensuring equal access to vaccines. Georgia's second shipment of 87,000 vaccines is expected next month.

Georgian Health Minister Ekaterina Tikaradze said the country will start administering the vaccine on Monday, with the first shots given to medical workers.

Georgia hopes to vaccinate 60% of its population of 3.7 million this year.

The country has engaged in talks to receive additional batches of the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines. Georgia is also negotiating with China to receive the Sinovac vaccine.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  Police in France have arrested a Dutch man and an American man suspected of involvement in the stabbing of two Dutch police officers in the northern Dutch city of Groningen.

The incident happened after the officers questioned two men who were outdoors during the Netherlands coronavirus curfew on Wednesday night.

One of the police officers suffered serious injuries to his face and neck in the stabbing.

Police in Groningen say that French officers detained the suspects Saturday morning in northern France.

One was a 20-year-old Dutch man and the other a 32-year-old American national. Their identities have not been released.

Police say procedures are underway to have the suspects sent back to the Netherlands.

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VIENNA  Police in Austria are enforcing new rules requiring people to show a negative coronavirus test to leave Wiener Neustadt, a city of more than 45,000 people.

The system that took effect Saturday involves police and other officials controlling 26 exit roads from the city south of Vienna around the clock. Wiener Neustadt has an exceptionally high level of coronavirus infections -- more than 500 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days, compared with a national average of 198 per 100,000.

Fines of up to 1,450 euros ($1,730) are foreseen for people who violate the rules.

Mayor Klaus Schneeberger said testing stations set up in recent days have a capacity to test 15,000 people per day. He said he didnt understand why Austrias health ministry doesnt use this occasion to start a vaccination campaign here so we get this under control.

A targeted campaign to vaccinate the entire adult population is underway in the Schwaz district in western Austria, which has seen a significant number of cases of the more contagious virus variant first detected in South Africa.

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BERLIN  The leaders of Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Bulgaria are calling for talks among European Union leaders about the distribution of vaccines within the 27-nation bloc.

Austrian media reported Saturday that the five leaders wrote a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel. That came after Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz complained on Friday that, even though the EU had agreed on distribution of the vaccines on a per-capita basis, some countries were receiving considerably more than others.

The letter asserted that if this system were to carry on, it would continue creating and exacerbating huge disparities among Member States by this summer.

Officials elsewhere have noted that countries have wanted differing amounts of various vaccines and have not always taken up their full allocation.

Austrias health ministry  which is run by Kurzs junior coalition partner  was among those rejecting Kurzs criticism. Oe1 radio reported that its general secretary, Ines Stilling, said negotiations on distributing the vaccines had been balanced and transparent.

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AMMAN  Jordan has become the first country in the Middle East to receive coronavirus vaccines through the global COVAX initiative.

A plane carrying 144,000 shots of AstraZeneca vaccine landed in Ammans airport late Friday and was greeted by representatives of the agencies supporting the COVAX program  the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the European Union.

The COVAX alliance aims to share COVID-19 vaccines with more than 90 lower and middle-income nations. However, the program is facing delays, underfunding and limited supply.

The EU has allocated 8 million euros to support Jordans purchase of vaccines. A second shipment from COVAX is expected in April.

Jordan launched its vaccination drive in mid-January with plans to inoculate over 4 million residents in 2021, according to Health Minister Nathir Obeidat.

The kingdom, home to nearly 10 million people, has approved five vaccine types, including Russian and Chinese ones. The vaccination campaign also targets some of the 650,000 Syrian refugees.

The country is struggling to contain the surge of infections. It has reported over 465,000 cases and more than 5,200 deaths.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan health authorities said on Saturday that they will continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine and that health workers have begun inoculating people over 60.

Sri Lanka has so far received 1.264 million doses of the vaccine and, by Saturday, 760,765 Sri Lankans had received a shot.

The Health Ministry said on Saturday that it is continuing to use the AstraZeneca vaccine despite it being suspended in some countries, including Denmark.

According to State Minister Channa Jayasumana who oversees pharmaceutical production, supply and regulation, Sri Lanka has not yet taken a decision to suspend the vaccine.

Sri Lanka received 500,000 doses of the vaccine from India as a donation, while the island nation bought the same number again from the Serum Institute of India. It received another 264,000 doses from the COVAX facility.

Sri Lanka has also planned to purchase some 13 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines directly.

By Saturday, Sri Lankas total positive cases stood at 87,285, with 525 fatalities.

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ISLAMABAD  The provincial government in Pakistans largest province, Punjab, has announced the shutting of 15 famous shrines, including that of the Sufi saint famously known as Data Ganj Bakhsh in Lahore, amid the third wave of the coronavirus.

Federal authorities earlier announced the closing of educational institutions for two weeks in seven cities in Punjab and some in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan has reported 602,536 cases, including 13,476 deaths.

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WASHINGTON  U.S. health officials are warning health professionals about the risk of false positive results with a widely used laboratory test for COVID-19 and flu.

The Food and Drug Administration issued the alert to Friday for health facilities using Roches cobas test for coronavirus and seasonal flu. The agency warned that problems with the tests processing tubes could result in false diagnosis in people who are not actually infected.

Roches testing system is widely used to screen large batches of patient samples in hospitals and laboratories.

The FDA recommends health workers test samples multiple times to help assure accuracy. If the test delivers conflicting results it may indicate a problem and use should be discontinued, the agency says.
Please note The Sun Chronicle is providing this story and all of our local coronavirus coverage for free so that all readers have access to this important information about the pandemic. Please visit our dedicated coronavirus coverage page for more stories. If you'd like to support our mission, please subscribe.
Press Release

March 14, 2021 Sen. Villar reminds DENR to establish the buffer zone to provide better protection to the Las Pinas- Paranaque Wetland Park Sen. Cynthia Villar is reminding DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu of the urgent need to set the buffer zone to provide better protection to the Las Pinas - Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPHEA), also more popularly known as the Las Pinas - Paranaque Wetland Park. She issued this reminder on the observance of the 8th year anniversary of the wetland's designation as the 6th Philippine Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on March 15. The Ramsar Convention or the Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that recognizes the fundamental ecological value of wetlands and seeks, among others, to curb encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future. The Philippine government, being as a signatory to the Convention, is obligated to conserve and protect the Ramsar-listed Philippine wetlands and their resources. "To fulfill the government's obligations under the Ramsar Convention and maintain the protected area status of the wetland, DENR should be proactive to repel the impending threats confronting Las Pinas - Paranaque Wetland Park, including the reclamation projects in proximity to the wetland. As an initial necessary measure, a buffer zone surrounding the wetland should be established immediately and such buffer zone should be large enough to ensure that the wetland's ecological attributes and functions will be maintained and not be disrupted," Villar said. The Las Pinas - Paranaque Wetland Park is a 182-hectare coastal wetland on the south of Manila Bay, encompassing two-interconnected islands that include lush mangrove forest, lagoons, mudflats, ponds and marine habitat. It serves as a sanctuary to around 82 bird species, including migratory birds using the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, with some coming from as far as Siberia. The wetland likewise functions as a significant spawning habitat of the fishes of Manila Bay. First proclaimed as a critical habitat in 2007, the Las Pinas- Paranaque Wetland Park was included in the Ramsar list on March 15, 2013 as it has significantly supported vulnerable and endangered species, as well as threatened ecological communities in the area. It has joined the ranks of the other PH wetlands on the list, namely: the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu; the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Sulu; the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Agusan del Sur; the Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro; the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan; the Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area; and the recent addition - the Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetland. There are now a total of eight (8) Ramsar-listed wetlands in the Philippines. In 2018, the Las Pinas - Paranaque Wetland Park was given a protected area status under RA No. 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 2018. The said law provides, among others, that when necessary, the DENR Secretary may designate areas surrounding a protected area as buffer zones for the purpose of providing extra layer of protection to a protected area. Sen. Villar, who has consistently stood up against reclamation in the area and in neighboring vicinities, encourages the establishment of the buffer zone and further conveyed that "it should serve as a necessary and an inevitable strategy to ensure better protection not only to the wetland itself, but also to the wildlife it supports, and the communities that rely on it, either for livelihood or for the protection it gives against disasters." As the Chairperson of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Sen. Villar has also filed bills espousing wetlands and wildlife protection and these are the Senate Bill (SB) No. 2036 or the National Wetlands Conservation Act and SB No. 2078 or the Revised Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2021.
In the aftermath of the winter storm that blanketed Texas, causing days of power failures, calls have arisen for reform of a number of state agencies.

A new group, Commission Shift, is adding its voice to those calls, targeting the Railroad Commission. The Laredo-based group issued its first report Tuesday, a focus on the states abandoned oil and gas wells and what it says is the commissions failure to adequately address the issue.

Virginia Palacios, the groups executive director, recounted how she returned home to her native Webb County in 2011-12 during the Eagle Ford boom.

It was clear to me there was a lack of oversight, she told the Reporter-Telegram in a telephone interview. It seemed to be laissez-faire oversight  no oversight or as little as could be one. Regular peoples expectations are that this body should be doing more. Expectations are more could be done and should be done by the Railroad Commission.

The issue of abandoned wells is a great example, she said. The study forecasts a rise in abandoned wells as companies financially devasted by the pandemic and oil market crash go bankrupt. The commission has been chipping away at the inventory of abandoned wells with the state plugging fund, but Palacios noted that there are currently over 6500 wells and the commission has just issued a goal of plugging 1,000 wells a year for the next biennium.

It seems theyre barely keeping pace and not anticipating whats coming, she said.

It is the landowners dealing with the resulting pollution, Palacios added. What is the landowner supposed to do if companies go bankrupt and leave wells and equipment behind?

She said the commission has a mission of preserving the states resources, protecting the health and safety of Texans and enhancing or accelerating development. The commission, she charged, seems to be taking the development portion of the mission more seriously than protecting communities or preserving resources. There needs to be a balance.

The groups report says the Railroad Commission should review and make improvements to financial assurance requirements and processes, including bonding requirements for operations. The agency should also review and potentially increase fees and surcharges that create a revenue stream for the cleanup fund. And, the report says, the commission should also consider changes to toe process for tracking operators with inactive wells, holding them accountable for plugging those wells before they go bankrupt.

We need an agency that is reactive, but also proactive, Palacios said.

The report on abandoned wells was just the first planned by the group, she said. Future reports will focus on the Railroad Commissions ethics and accountability, she said.
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On behalf of all of my colleagues, Id like to welcome Mark Scott to his new job as vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney. At least, he has my welcome. I cant guarantee the colleagues. Among our roughly 8000 staff members, there must be at least a few who are already grinding their axes in preparation for his arrival. Were a testy bunch.

Much has been made of the fact that Scott lacks a PhD  too much. His appointment only completes the logic behind the appointment of his predecessor, Dr Michael Spence  note the title Dr, not Prof. Dr Spence had the moral courage not to give himself a title he hadnt earned. Scott, by contrast, will take the fudge title Professor of Practice.

Mark Scott is stepping into the top job at the University of Sydney.

A bigger worry is that Scott was hired, at least in part, for his ability to lead large public-facing organisations through change. Advertisements for even the most pedestrian of academic jobs now list change management high in their role descriptions, so its no surprise to see it highlighted at the vice-chancellor level.

But the last thing the University of Sydney needs now is more change. The coronavirus crises capped off a decade-long orgy of change at the University of Sydney. After the trauma of 2020, whats needed now is stability, consolidation, and good management. Evolution, not revolution, is the order of the day.
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After the pandemic began, COVID medical workers became modern-day heroes. Vladimir Lenski has the story of a New York City artist who created a portrait series to honor them. Anna Rice narrates.
All the newfound time at home has given us the gift of discovering new foods, and Local Flavor couldnt be happier about it.

Take, for instance, Autumn Granzas Blueberry Brioche Rolls with Whipped Ricotta Cream. During the coronavirus pandemics stay-at-home order, the Throop resident began experimenting with making food from scratch, including different kinds of breads. Luckily, its yielded delicious results.

A contributor to The Valley Advantage, a Times-Shamrock Communications newspaper, Granzas recipe earned St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, Scranton, a $50 gift card to Ricardos Market, 1219 Wheeler Ave., Dunmore, thanks to Local Flavor Gives Backs Times-Shamrock employee edition.

Granza experimented with different types of recipes all throughout the pandemic, picking up ideas from Pinterest and elsewhere to create the perfect recipe. The Blueberry Brioche Rolls are her take on a dish from Half-Baked Harvest.

While the recipe is simple, Granza said, it does take a bit of time to make, so patience is key. She advised bakers to use a small, square pan, such as a 9-inch-by-9-inch one, so the brioche rolls stay tight and intact throughout baking.

You want them nice and close together in the pan so that they dont fall apart on you, she added.

Creativity while cooking is in Granzas blood. While she and her siblings, Danny and Karly, were growing up, their dad, Dan (who also is a chef), and mom, Stacey, were always cooking and baking new and different dishes. Granza and her boyfriend, Brandon Wilsons, quarantine pod includes Granzas family, and theyve all had fun together doing potluck brunches and more.

Granzas also started to make and try more plant-based recipes, including those centered around mushrooms, zucchini or squash instead of meat. Shes even surprised Wilson by expanding his palette.

A lot of times Ill tell him what Im making and he thinks hes going to hate it, but he ends up loving it, she said. I dont think we would have started eating some of these different things if it wasnt for all this time at home.

While Granza works from home, cooking and baking gives her a relaxing activity that helps her distinguish her work time from her downtime.

Its hard to separate working at home, living at home, cooking at home, eating at home, and (so) experimenting with cooking is a nice breather, she said. It helps me to truly log off when Im done and focus on something else  something fun.

Financial Services Minister Jane Hume has defended the mandatory ethics test being taken by stockbrokers, after calls from the industry to overhaul the exam that has resulted in mass failure rates at top firms.

Stockbrokers are among the financial services professionals who have to sit an exam that tests knowledge of the laws and codes related to the provision of financial advice.

The test is part of a regulatory package designed to professionalise the financial services industry after the banking royal commission exposed systemic misconduct caused by the incentivisation of poor advice.

Minister for Financial Services Jane Hume has defended the FASEA exam. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Those who fail to pass the exam by the end of the year will have to leave the industry. Senior executives at top broking firms including Morgans and Ord Minnett have said ambiguous questions and poor feedback was causing high failure rates.
Lucky few start school tomorrow while others wait again By Chrishanthi Christopher View(s): View(s):

A handful of grades start school tomorrow, but many students in the populous Western Province continue to be deprived of classroom learning for more than a year.

Following a green light from the COVID health authorities, the education ministry last week set March 15 as reopening day for grades 5, 11 and 13 in the province. These are students who will be sitting for national exams this year.

The ministry plans to reopen schools for all students from April 19. This will include Grade 1 students in Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara.

Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said grade 5, 11 and 13 students enjoyed schooling for a couple of months at least in the past 12 months before the pandemic forced the government to close all schools again, on March 13 last year.

Students in other classes in the province have not sighted school for more than a year, the CTU said.

This year again around 907 schools were opened on January 11 only for Grade 11 classes due to a decision to conduct the Ordinary Level exams in March.

The rest of the grades in schools in the Western Province remained closed.

And now, again, a decision has been taken to allow only a few grades to function, Mr. Stalin said. This is discriminatory to other students.

He said online classes conducted for students kept out of school had been ineffective.

Mr. Stalin suggested that staggered classes be held for the rest of the grades as was done last year from August to December 2020 for the other provinces, saying this would mentally prepare students to start afresh in the next academic term.

After a year of not schooling it would be difficult to get them on track immediately and the one month of schooling up to April 9 will prepare them, he said. First term school holidays will be for a week, from April 9-19.

Education ministry Secretary Professor Kapila Perera said schools are being cleaned up in preparation for reopening, with police, school authorities and parents helping.

The education ministry has stressed the importance of following all COVID health protocols in classrooms. The wearing of masks, hand-washing and temperature checks will continue. The government has announced special funding allocations through the health ministry for this purpose.

The ministry has requested COVID-19 immunisation for school administrators, teachers, principals and students. A programme to vaccinate school van drivers is also on the cards.
Bo Fan who died was associated with an organisation called Golden Touch, also known as Create Abundance, an international organisation with local ties that police called a spiritual group a mysterious multi-level marketing operation considered a cult by Chinese authorities.

Bo Fan, a 41-year-old Chinese immigrant, was dropped off outside the local Peace Arch Hospital at 5.30 a.m. on June 17, 2020. She was seriously hurt and died only a few hours later. Later on, the investigation into the mysterious murder of Bo Fan has focused attention on Create Abundance, also known as Golden Touch, a Chinese-origin spiritual community.

Since arriving from China in February 2019, the 41-year-old had been throwing swanky parties to impress recruits for Create Abundance International, a shadowy multi-level marketing activity that Chinese authorities deem a cult. According to company documents, the home where the murder victim worked, which happens to be Golden Touchs B.C. headquarters, is also connected to at least five other businesses, all of which begin with the letters GT.

The quest for details about Fans jobs with the company leads from Surrey to the isolated northern end of Salt Spring Island. According to property records and its website, Create Abundance owns a 29-acre resort with oceanfront cabins along North Beach Road, amongst the sparkling water and the arbutus trees.

Read Also: SFJ $10K donation to UNHCR: Time for India to put its foot down

The CTV News investigation, which included documentary filmmaker Ina Mitchell and Bob Mackin of TheBreaker.news revealed that the local people saw the group of people in military dress.

Another strange occurrence. At least one relative of Create Abundances leader, Xinyue Zhang, was involved in the cults multi-level marketing.He is claimed to be a world famous body mind spirit guru but Xinyue isnt the only one with a big personality. Shao Weinan, a.k.a. Daemon Rule, and Di Lin, a.k.a. Lynn, are added.

Read Also: Quad countries tie up to boost vaccine production; China, Pak feel the heat?

Lynn, a CCP member, serves as a recruiter for Build Abundance, which has since changed its name to The Global Spiritualist Association. The TGSAs 2016 society registration reported that one of its aims was to raise money through fees, grants, functions, gifts, bequests, or other means to carry out the Associations mission. Daemon chairs the Canada-Youth Leaders Foundation and is involved with the Elite Forces Training Program, according to media outlets. Lynn worked with the State Organs Job Committee and the Ministry of Finance until she returned to China.

TGSAs roots extended to coal and gold fields, as well as a prostate clinic at Vancouver General Hospital. Amana Nutraceuticals, produced by PharmaPlanter Technologies, are promoted by TGSA. Gongbo Li, a former military researcher, now works as the CEO of Carlincore Resources Ltd., which owns BNT Gold Resources Ltd., a gold miner in the Yukon Territory. He has also issued $4,100 to Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Liberal Party of Canada.

Also, China is interested in Canadas resource-rich Arctic, which accounts for about 40% of the countrys landmass, as well as the Northwest Passage shipping channel, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was dealt a setback in 2020 when Canadas federal government blocked the sale of the Shandong Gold Mine due to national security issues. However, several concerns about Bo Fans death and the cults mysterious actions remain unanswered.

This story is based on the exclusive report by The Sunday Guardian
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Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary Sunday assailed the over the ongoing farmers' protest, alleging they were "misleading farmers with unrestrained statements".

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Delhi borders against the three recent Central laws on agricultural reforms, claiming these legislations will remove the safety net of MSP and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.

parties have supported these protests, even though the government has been saying that these laws will benefit farmers by freeing them of the clutches of the middlemen and ushering in new technology in the sector.

Speaking at an event here Sunday, MoS Choudhary said that the farm laws would bring change in the lives of farmers.

"Farmers will be free to sell their produce (anywhere in the country). is misleading farmers with unrestrained statements," he added.

He was in the city to launch a biscuit made using Kalanamak rice, and also a scented mask.

Delivering his address at the Kalanamak Mahotsav in Siddharthanagar, Choudhary said, "The Centre along with state governments will take positive steps to promote the Kalanamak rice variety across the world. And to serve the purpose, a grand Kisan Mela (farmer's fair) would be organised very soon which will be a confluence of agriculture specialists, scientists and big businessmen."



He also said, "For Kalanamak rice production, blocks in districts would be selected where farmers themselves could make seeds ready. With coordination between government and farmers, the aroma of Kalanamak rice will reach different parts of the world.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Guy Fieris Flavortown Kitchen has arrived in Albuquerque.

Now residents of the Duke City can experience a piece of Fieris famous food in the comfort of their home or office. The ghost kitchen is a delivery-only restaurant that brings the flavor to you.

Chef, restaurateur, New York Times bestselling author, and Emmy Award-winning TV host Guy Fieri joined forces with internationally-renowned restaurateur Robert Earl to debut Guy Fieris Flavortown Kitchen. It is the latest celebrity-owned brand now available for online orders.

Guy Fieris Flavortown Kitchen is part of Virtual Dining Concepts, one of the fastest-growing virtual restaurant groups, according to a news release.

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When Robert came to me with the idea of making some of my all-time favorite real-deal menu items available in virtual kitchens across the country, I was all in, Fieri states in the news release. Now I get to bring Flavortown to your town!

Guy Fieris Flavortown Kitchens online menu was created by Fieri and include some of his most popular dishes.

Jalapeno Pig Poppers are one of several shareable appetizer offerings. Fire-roasted jalapenos are stuffed with andouille and pimento cream cheese. They are then wrapped in bacon and glazed in Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce. Other appetizers on the menu are S-M-Cheesesteak Egg Rolls, Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Wings, Queso Dip with Tortillas, and Buffalo Wings.

For the main course the kitchen offers several giant burgers. The Bacon Mac N Cheeseburger is comprised of 80/20 ground beef, super melty cheese, mac n cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles, crispy onions, and Donkey Sauce on a garlic buttered brioche. The 80/20 means a breakdown of 80% lean beef to 20% fat. The Donkey Sauce is made of mayonnaise, roasted garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and lemon. Customers can also choose the Real Cheezy Burger, or a sandwich including The Chicken Guy! Classic Sandwich or The Crazy Cuban Sandwich.

Sides include Flavortown Fries, Mac Daddy Mac N Cheese and Fried Pickles & Ranch.

People who prefer a plant-based patty can indulge in the Morgans Veggie Burger. It features a scratch-made veggie patty, lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles, crispy onions, and Donkey Sauce on a toasted brioche bun.

Pasta lovers can select the Cajun Chicken Alfredo or the Chicken Parm-eroni.

Lighter fare seekers can opt for The OG Caesar Salad or the Italian Stallion Salad that is made up of salami, prosciutto, pepperoncini, olives, roasted peppers, provolone and buffalo mozzarella dressed with a red wine vinaigrette.

Guy Fieris Flavortown Kitchen opened on March 3 in Albuquerque. The ghost kitchen, which does not have a storefront, operates out of Buca di Beppo in Uptown to prepare and cook Flavortown offerings. A ghost kitchen is a separate entity that makes and serves food out of an existing restaurant for carry out and delivery.

Guy Fieris Flavortown Kitchen locations are dependent on restaurants across the country interested in a partnership. The kitchen is the latest brand to join the ranks of other celebrity and influencer partners who have created virtual restaurant brands with Virtual Dining Concepts, according to a spokesperson for Virtual Dining Concepts. The opportunity is open to all restaurants that would like to get the most out of their kitchens earning power by tapping into the restaurant delivery trend.

Orders can be placed through the Guy Fieris Flavortown Kitchen app that can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Google Play. Delivery orders also can be made via third-party delivery apps including Grubhub, DoorDash, Postmates, UberEats and Seamless. More information can be found at guysflavortownkitchen.com.
The retired WWE star "Stone Cold" Steve Austin wants to pin down a sale of his Marina del Rey home. Built in 1953, the single-story residence is available for $3,595,000, Variety reports.

The WWE legend purchased the property in 2007 for $1.97 million. The midcentury residence in the desirable L.A. community has since undergone a remodel, and is described as designer perfect.

The interior designer Janice Francois and the master craftsman contractor Randy Ward of R.L. Ward Construction artfully transformed the space into its current, pristine state, the listing notes.

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Steve Austin's Marina Del Rey home (realtor.com)

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Entrance (realtor.com)

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Living room (realtor.com)

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Dining space with chandelier (realtor.com)

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Kitchen (realtor.com)

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Master bedroom (realtor.com)

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Bath with soaking tub (realtor.com)

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Pool and patio (realtor.com)

Walled and gated for privacy, the home features four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms and measures 2,724 square feet. Custom touches include wide-plank floors, linen window shades and drapery, and barn doors that open to the fourth bedroom or office off the homes entry. The spacious master bedroom features glass doors that open out to the patio.

The redone bathrooms feature linear shower drains, high-tech lighting, and a soaking tub in the master.

The open floor plan features custom iron and glass doors, and a double-sided fireplace found at the entry. Recessed lighting is found throughout the main space, and the dining area includes a stylish chandelier.

The eye-catching kitchen comes with Viking appliances, Waterstone fixtures, Caesarstone and quartzite counters, and pendant lighting. A large island has plenty of space for seating. The kitchen adjoins a living and dining area, which opens outside, providing easy indoor-outdoor entertaining spaces.

Outside, the 8,000-square-foot lot includes a pool, spa, and patios, as well as a grassy lawn. A two-car garage completes the property. The recent remodel also means that most of the home's infrastructure has been upgraded.

Austins choice of location is impeccablethe home sits close to shopping and dining in Venice, the beach, and quick access to LAX.

Now retired from professional wrestling, Austin, 56, is billed as an actor, producer, television host, and podcast host, and is signed as a legend contract with the WWE. A bad-ass icon, he held the WWE title belt six different times and was known for his signature finishing move: the "Stone Cold Stunner." Hes recently released his own beer, Broken Skull IPA.

Denise Fast with Re/Max Estate Properties holds the listing.

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Watch: Boxing Champ Lennox Lewis Knocks Out a Sale of His Miami Condo

The post 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Selling Stunner of a Home in Marina del Rey appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
London/Brussels: As if Brexit tensions were not bad enough, Brussels has opened a new row with the UK by backing Greeces long-standing claim over the Elgin Marbles.

When the UK and Greece were both European Union members, the bloc tried to remain above the fray and adopted a position of studious neutrality in the dispute.

Visitors look at The Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. Credit:Facundo Arrizabalaga

However, a day after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Elgin Marbles were not being returned, the Greek EU commissioner announced it backed Greeces claim.

Margaritis Schinas, European Commissions Vice-President for Promoting the European Way of Life, said: The Marbles belong in the Parthenon. In these difficult times, universal cultural heritage should uplift humanity, not divide it.
Indias smart vaccine diplomacy View(s):

NEW DELHI  As countries scramble to secure COVID-19 vaccines, ugly expressions like vaccine race and vaccine nationalism have entered the global lexicon. But, at a time when global cooperation in sharing vaccines is minimal, and the World Health Organisations vaccine-distribution plans are yet to get off the ground, India has taken a different tack, quietly pursuing vaccine diplomacy. Its Vaccine Maitri (Vaccine Friendship) campaign has shipped hundreds of thousands of Indian-made Covishield vaccines, manufactured under license from Oxford-Astra Zeneca, to some 60 countries.

India is a global pharmaceutical powerhouse, manufacturing some 20% of all generic medicines and accounting for as much as 62% of global vaccine production, so it was quick off the mark when the pandemic struck. Before COVID-19 vaccines were developed, India supplied some 100 countries with hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol, and sent pharmaceuticals, test kits, and other equipment to around 90 countries. Later, even before the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was approved, Adar Poonawalla, the 40-year-old head of the privately-owned Serum Institute of India, audaciously decided to manufacture it  a billion-dollar gamble. When approvals came, SII was able to churn out millions of doses, making them available to the government both for domestic use and export.

Indian vaccines have been flown to most of the countrys neighbors, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar, and Nepal, and also farther afield, to the Seychelles, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Pacific Island, Caribbean, and African countries. Vaccines have helped mend strained relations with Bangladesh and cement friendly ties with the Maldives.

To be sure, China and Russia are promoting their own vaccines, and Western drug companies are raking in a publicity bonanza (along with a share-price windfall). But in developing vaccines for its own use, the Global North overlooked the prohibitive cost of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for poorer countries. Indian-made vaccines, on the other hand, are reportedly safe, cost-effective, and  unlike some others  do not require storage and transport at very low temperatures.

Indias vaccine diplomacy is, of course, not purely altruistic. When the countrys first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, laid the foundations of Indias science and technology infrastructure, his intentions were expressed in noble, humanist, and universalist terms. But his successors have long recognised how India can leverage its scientific and medical skills to enhance its geopolitical standing. At a time when most richer countries are criticised for hoarding vaccine doses, India stands out for having sent 33 million to poorer countries, with millions more in the pipeline.

There is also an unspoken subtext: rivalry with China, with which tensions have intensified following clashes along the Himalayan frontier. Not only has India overshadowed China as a provider of cheap and accessible vaccines to the Global South; it has been quicker and more effective. For example, China has announced 300,000 doses for Myanmar but is yet to deliver any, while India quickly supplied 1.7 million. Similarly, Indian vaccines beat Chinas into Cambodia and Afghanistan.

When a credibility crisis consumed Chinas vaccines in pandemic-ravaged Brazil, with polls showing 50% of Brazilians surveyed unwilling to take the Sinovac vaccine, President Jair Bolsonaro turned to India, which came through promptly. Tweeting his thanks, Bolsonaro illustrated his gratitude with an image from Indias Ramayana epic, depicting Lord Hanuman carrying an entire mountain to deliver the life-saving herb Sanjeevani booti to Lanka.

Indian vaccines are arriving even in richer countries. The United Kingdom has ordered ten million doses from SII. Canada, whose prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has riled his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, more than once, telephoned Modi to ask for two million vaccines; the first half-million were delivered within days. Trudeau effusively declared that the worlds victory over COVID-19 would be because of Indias tremendous pharmaceutical capacity, and Prime Minister Modis leadership in sharing this capacity with the world.

India is using the countrys capacity in this sector subtly to advertise an alternative to Chinas economic and geopolitical dominance. While China has been secretive in releasing data about its vaccines, leading to controversies over the efficacy of them, India organised trips for foreign ambassadors to visit pharmaceutical factories in Pune and Hyderabad.

The contrast with the behavior of wealthier countries is no less striking. According to Duke Universitys Global Health Institute, developed countries with 16% of the worlds population  including Canada, the United States, and the UK, each of whom have guaranteed enough supplies to vaccinate their populations several times over  have secured 60% of global vaccine supplies for themselves. Other countries commandeering supplies exceeding their domestic needs include Australia, Chile, and several European Union members.

The world is paying attention to India as it shares its available vaccine supplies, instead of choosing the nationalist course of blocking exports. India has also offered 1.1 billion vaccine doses to the WHOs COVAX programme to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries. As Modi has tweeted, We are all together in the fight against this pandemic. India is committed to sharing resources, experiences, and knowledge for global good.

If there is a concern, it is that India has exported three times as many doses as it has administered to its own people. The country is lagging behind its own target of immunising 300 million people by August, after vaccinating some three million health-care workers in a campaign that began on January 16. And mounting concern about rising case numbers, the emergence of COVID-19 variants that may not respond to existing vaccines, and an economy that has not yet fully recovered, will intensify the challenge India confronts in fulfilling its obligations to developing countries while also meeting domestic demand.

Meeting that challenge is a vital national interest. Indias vaccine diplomacy has been a boon to the countrys aspirations to be recognised as a global power. In combating the pandemic, it has gone well beyond the routine provision of health care or the supply of generics. To be sure, it is uncertain whether promoting soft power through health-care exports significantly boosts a countrys position in the global order. But if and when the permanent seats at the United Nations Security Council are ever rearranged, grateful governments will know who has done the most to save a world reeling from the onslaught of a deadly pathogen.

Shashi Tharoor, a former UN under-secretary-general and former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Human Resource Development, is an MP for the Indian National Congress.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2021.

www.project-syndicate.org


Britain's army of home workers could come to a standstill as 45,000 workers from BT could be about to strike nationally for the first time in more than 30 years in a row over jobs.

Some 45,000 members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) in BT, Openreach and EE are set to be balloted over the issue.

CWU deputy general secretary Andy Kerr says 'the door is still open' for discussions or the communications giant could be facing its first national industrial action since the late 1980s.

BT's 45,000 home workers are set to be balloted over potential national strike action, the first since the 1980s

If it was to go ahead, the strike action could have a huge effect on people working from home who rely on their broadband.

Mr Kerr said: 'This is a decision we did not want to take.

'Last year, our members delivered a huge yes vote in a consultative ballot, but BT Group are still in denial.

'We want to assure businesses and the public that we do not want to see disruptions to services. This action is about protecting our members, but also it is about protecting the service they provide to homes and businesses.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward praised BT's thousands of workers who have worked throughout the pandemic

'My message to BT Group is that our door is still open, and we want to resolve this dispute, but this will require a huge shift in attitude from the company.

'My message to our members is to continue supporting their union and prepare to deliver a massive 'yes' vote.

The ongoing dispute over compulsory redundancies and the closure of sites, has been running for over a year.

If the ballots come back yes the national strike action would be the first by BT since 1987 when about 117,000 engineers walked out over the refusal to reinstate engineers suspended during a dispute over pay and working conditions.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward added: 'Thousands of our members across BT, Openreach and EE have been key workers during the pandemic.

'They have kept the country connected, held together the home working revolution and enabled the wheels of the economy to keep moving  all whilst dealing with the realities of the pandemic themselves.

'Their reward from BT Group has been the threat of compulsory redundancy or the closure of their workplace.'

Workers are pictured outside Fleet Building in London in 1987 when 117,000 engineers went on strike

The industrial action in the 1980s was the last time there was a national strike of BT workers

A spokesman for BT said of the threats: 'We're disappointed that CWU is contemplating industrial action, though the union has not started the formal industrial action process. We remain committed to discussing the concerns they have raised.

'BT needs to go through a period of immense change and investment to modernise itself for the future.

'Once complete, we will have a much simpler operating model with fewer people and we'll be better able to serve our customers.

'Such change is always difficult  that's why we have been discussing our plans with the unions and will continue to do so.'
Lex Greensill is said to be keen to work 'voluntarily' for the administrators & the firm

The billionaire founder of Greensill Capital is in talks to remain with the firm despite its collapse.

Friends of Lex Greensill said the banker is hoping to work for the company during the administration process.

The Australian is said to be keen to work 'voluntarily' for the administrators and the business, whose advisers include former Prime Minister David Cameron, to figure out a way of saving as much of the firm as possible.

Greensill  which specialises in providing small and medium-sized businesses with access to working capital finance to run their day-to-day operations  went into administration last week.

Yesterday reports suggested that British taxpayers are exposed to more than 1billion of debt from the troubled business empire of Greensill and Sanjeev Gupta's steel group GFG Alliance.

Greensill was unable to repay a 100million loan to Credit Suisse and had been hit by defaults from GFG Alliance, a key customer.

Greensill and administrator Grant Thornton declined to comment.
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By Kim Won-soo





Among all sets of bilateral relationships between the countries in Northeast Asia, the Republic of Korea (ROK)-Japan relationship is by any account the most grossly underperforming. The gap between its potential and the reality is huge. Unfortunately, the gap is growing due to the failure of the political leadership to look forward and lead the public toward the future. This failure has done the peoples of the two countries a great disservice, as the rationale is abundant for a robust ROK-Japan relationship. But the reality is far afield, often afflicted with serious bumps caused by the latent ghosts resurrected from past history by revisionist fervor.



The first rationale for a robust relationship is pragmatism. Simply put, both the ROK and Japan are status-quo oriented and do not seek to change the current regional equilibrium maintained in the post-World War II era. Both countries have benefited most from it. This pragmatism for stability is also supported by shared security and economic interests (realism) and shared values for democracy and market economy (idealism).



The alignment of the trinity of pragmatism, realism and idealism is indeed rare in bilateral relations between the neighboring countries. In international relations, the opposite examples seem to be the norm between the neighbors, dominated by the zero-sum calculation of interests and the misaligned value judgement. The ROK-Japan relationship has also been no exception.



At the heart of this failure lies the inability of Japanese leaders to make an unequivocal break with their nation's recent past under the military regime before and during World War II. This is in big contrast to what German leaders had done. As a result, Japan has paid a heavy diplomatic price. One vivid example is much weaker support of Asian countries for Japan's claim to a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council than that of European countries for Germany.



It is also costly for the region. Lingering suspicions about the possible resurgence of a militaristic and expansionist Japan is one of the negative political factors hindering efforts to promote regional unity in Northeast Asia. Despite the rising intra-regional interdependence in economic, environmental and social areas, the region remains a missing link in Asian regional integration, which lags far behind other regions like Europe, Africa and the Americas.



But political leaders in Japan's neighbors are not immune from criticism, either. When confronted with the ill-advised nationalistic words or deeds coming from Japan, vote-seeking politicians are more prone to riding on nationalistic sentiments and exacerbating, rather than controlling, the damage. This tendency of politicization may be hard to change in the democratic electoral systems of both Japan and the ROK.



That said, however, the result is a costly loss of win-win opportunities for both the ROK and Japan, squandered by the politicization of foreign policy. Political leaders on both sides must give diplomacy a space to work out differences arising from historic conflicts. The public also needs to be reminded of negative diplomatic costs of politicization so that they can correct the irresponsible behavior of politicians through votes.



Given the deep emotional intensity attached to the historical issues, this is easier said than done. It takes tremendous courage for the intellectual communities of both countries to stand up to the challenge and to make pragmatic arguments for a forward-looking ROK-Japan relationship. It is eventually up to the two peoples of the ROK and Japan whether and how to join hands.



A robust ROK-Japan relationship will bring immediate tangible benefits to the two countries in deepening mutual trade and complementary supply chains, countering China's conventional pressure tactics of divide-and-rule, and coordinating responses to the common security threats and Cold War legacies on the Korean Peninsula. It will even allow both countries to better cope with the Trumpian style bullying of the United States if and when it comes back in pressing the allies in the process of the alliance management.



Other countries in the region stand to gain from a stronger alignment of the ROK and Japan as the anchor for regional stability. This is particularly true for the U.S. as the ally with both countries. It is precisely for this reason that the U.S. has acted as an honest broker behind the scenes to talk to both countries to patch up their differences when serious bumps arose from the past history.



Trump's transactional hands-off attitudes contributed to the prolongation of the recent ebb in the ROK-Japan relationship. Quiet but proactive and impartial diplomacy of the U.S. vis-a-vis its two allies will continue to be critical, in the collective self-interests of the three countries.





Politics of history is always complicated. History does matter in both domestic and international politics. Lessons of history should not be forgotten. They should be remembered as the wake-up call for the public and the political leaders alike to prepare for the worst-case scenario which happened in the past, and make the best possible efforts to prevent it from recurring.



But they should not be allowed to overcloud the realities of the present and spoil the chances of a better future. One of the frequent wrong lessons we draw from history is our tendency to presume that the immediate future would be an extension of the most recent past. This presumption may or may not hold, depending on the choices we make.



Let us learn the right lessons from history. Let us be cool-headed and creative in applying those lessons for a future that's safer, more secure and better for us and the region. For that, let us depoliticize diplomacy and restore a space for diplomacy to work.





Kim Won-soo (wsk4321@gmail.com) is the former under secretary-general of the United Nations and the high representative for disarmament. As a Korean diplomat, he served as secretary to the ROK president for foreign affairs. He is now the chair of the international advisory board of the Future Consensus Institute (Yeosijae) and a member of the Group of Eminent Persons for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBTO).


DUP MP Ian Paisley has called for there to be less of a "begrudging spirit" around celebrations to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland.

Mr Paisley said that every time the centenary, marking 100 years since the partition of Ireland, was mentioned, there was a "shadow of begrudgery about it".

Sinn Fein and the SDLP have thus far not engaged with planned events to mark the anniversary.

He told the BBC's Sunday Politics programme that the DUP had "gone the extra mile in demonstrating sensitivity towards other people on these shared islands of ours that have wished to celebrate, commemorate and acknowledge our very difficult but interesting history".

"We had a situation where the First Minister of Northern Ireland paid her respects whenever the Irish Government wanted to mark the 1916 rising, a very, very difficult thing for unionists to do," the North Antrim MP said.

DUP leader Arlene Foster attended a Church of Ireland event in Dublin in 2016 looking at the historical impact of the rising.

However, she said she would not attend any commemorations and dubbed the rising "a violent attack on the United Kingdom".

We need to see less of the begrudging spirit that we have had in the last number of days. Any time we mention the centenary of Northern Ireland, theres a shadow of begrudgery about it and anger and negativity" Mr Paisley said.

He accused the SDLP of "partitioning off and having its own events" which he called "bizarre".

"We gave nationalism space to understand, explore, commemorate and celebrate who and what they are. We're saying that this country should be given the same space, same dignity and same respect. We should be allowed to mark it in an appropriate way," Mr Paisley said.

The DUP MP called on "people who are political leaders from across the political piste" to take part in "a positive pro-active step.

Mr Paisley said he was "not trying to slap nationalists in the face with a wet kipper".

Im trying to be absolutely straight with them. What can we do over the next decades to promote our people and give them something more to celebrate or commemorate, to write about, to sing about or promote, to make this place a great wee place," he said.

"Let's really pull together as a community and make this place the place it needs to be for our children and our grandchildren."

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SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon reiterated her party's position that they would not be celebrating the centenary.

However, she said the party would "be organising its own events" during the year.

"We want to engage on this issue and we want to do so in a way that is sensitive, that is balanced, that is respectful," Stormont's Infrastructure Minister told the programme.

We will be holding respectful events with informed debate. We wont be celebrating the centenary."

During a visit to Northern Ireland on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the centenary would champion young people of the future.

It will also pay tribute to those who worked tirelessly to support the region during the pandemic, he said.

Plans for 2021 include a major business showcase in London, a 1 million Shared History Fund, an ambitious programme for young people, tree-planting projects, academic and historic events and an international church service for all denominations.

Mr Johnson said 2021 "marks 100 years since the creation of Northern Ireland, which has paved the way for the formation of the UK as we know it".

"Our centenary programme will reflect on the past and on the people and developments that make Northern Ireland the great place it is today," the PM said.
The 2018 peace agreement of South Sudan has allowed the La Salle School of Rumbek to come to life Covid-19 notwithstanding

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City.

The La Salle Brothers, sometimes also known as the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools, have stayed true to their founders mission of providing education.

Dedication to education

When Saint John Baptist de La Salle founded the Brothers in France in 1679, he only had a handful of men to help him. By the time he died in 1719, there were 100 Brothers in 22 schools. Today over 5 000 Brothers and many lay co-operators continue the De La Salle tradition of education worldwide.

In Rumbek, South Sudan, the Brothers are running a fairly new high school, reconstructed after the war ended in 2018 when the warring politicians agreed to a transitional Government of National Unity.

Rumbek is about 370 Kilometres northwest of South Sudans capital, Juba.

The Director of the La Salle School of Rumbek, Brother Joseph Alak, recently told Vatican News about what this school of 153 boys, aged 14 to 16, means to the people in post-war South Sudan.

The Sisters of Loreto already have Loreto Rumbek, which comprises a primary school, a secondary school and a primary health care unit. Loreto Rumbek opened in 2008 and provides for the education needs of girls aged 5-20 years.

South Sudan, ten years after independence

According to Brother Alak, some of the boys would be exposed to gangs, physical and emotional violence without the new school. During the war, schools were destroyed or used as military bases. The unfortunate consequence was that there is a high rate of illiteracy in South Sudan today.

In July, South Sudan celebrates ten years of independence, paid for dearly by a long and bloody liberation war that led to independence in 2011. Barely three years into independence, the countrys peace was shattered by yet another bloody fratricidal civil war that lasted five years.

New beginnings and the Covid-19 setback

The newly reconstructed La Salle School of Rumbek opened its doors to 153 learners in March 2020. It was to be a short-lived school term. The government ordered schools closed in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19. After excruciating months of closure, the government has now allowed the reopening of schools on the condition that they observe health measures put in place by authorities.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic is not yet over, reopening schools has been a difficult issue to consider. However, it is crucial to balance the extremely harmful effects of school closures on children with the need to control the spread of Covid-19. Yes, children are at risk of infection, and yes, this is terrifying for us. However, the vast majority of children, if infected, show mild symptoms and recover well. And the risks to them of keeping schools closed outweigh the health risks caused by the pandemic. We now know more about children and Covid-19 than we did before, and we know that children are less likely to get very sick, reflected Brother Alak.

What are those harmful effects of school closures?

We have seen growing evidence of the negative impact that closed classrooms have had on children, such as an increase in abuse, exploitation, early child marriages and early pregnancies. Children are safer inside school walls than outside. There is overwhelming evidence of the negative impact on childrens physical and mental health, nutrition, safety and learning. When they are out of school for extended periods of time, their exposure to physical, emotional and sexual violence increases. Their mental health deteriorates. They are more vulnerable to child labour and less likely to break out of the cycle of poverty. Besides, hundreds of children, particularly those living in rural areas, from poorer families or with special needs, who rely on schools as a lifeline for meals are negatively affected. When schools close, their lifeline is taken away, emphasised Brother Alak.

One of the students, Malok, echoed Brother Alaks sentiments.

I feel lucky to be a La Salle student because this school is guiding us towards our future. It has nice facilities and is giving us the possibility we need to study, he said.

Community relations

The La Salle School of Rumbek has cultivated good relations with the community around the school. The school sits on a 48-hectare plot of land donated by village elders. The school is also sharing its water with the villagers.

The four Wells are providing the people living near the school with clean water. Some families are using the water to grow vegetables, explained Brother Alak.

The school is aware of the great need and the bigger number of potential students still out there. Eventually, the plan is to raise the schools capacity for learners from 153 to 480 boys.

We have eleven teachers: Three Brothers of the Christian Schools and eight lay teachers. Two teachers are Kenyan, one Ugandan and five South Sudanese trained in Uganda during the war. Secondary school teachers in South Sudan must have a university degree, said Brother Alak.

Silent guns

There is no fighting at the moment. The truce is holding. We hope that the peace will hold for a long time. The lack of armed conflict is better than a return to war. The guns are silent, and we are hopeful for the future, said Brother Alak.

The Brothers of La Salle and the community of Rumbek thank partners in Europe and elsewhere whose generosity and solidarity is touching and changing lives. The needs are still many: A library, computers, a utility vehicle, expansion plans and learning materials.

Pope Franciss plea for South Sudan

Although South Sudanese warring political parties signed a peace agreement on 12 September 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, it would be two years before the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity would be implemented on 22 February 2020.

For his part, on 11 April 2019, at the end of a spiritual Retreat, organised by the Vatican, for the political leaders of South Sudan, Pope Francis knelt at the feet of the leaders of South Sudan, kissed their feet and implored them to definitely end the war.

You have begun a process. May it end well, Pope Francis told them. There will be disagreements among you but may these take place in the confines of your offices while, in front of your people, you hold hands. In this way, you will be transformed from mere citizens to Fathers of the nation. As a brother, I ask you to stay the course of peace. I ask you from the bottom of my heart, let us go forward. There will be many challenges, but do not be afraid, Pope Francis told South Sudans leaders and then kissed their feet.

(paul.samasumo@spc.va)
After declaring victories over extreme poverty and the coronavirus, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has laid out a new path for China's economic rise at home and abroad that could force Beijing to adapt to new difficulties caused by the pandemic.

The future direction came as the Chinese Communist Party's legislature, the National People's Congress, convened in Beijing on March 5 for a more-than-week-long gathering to unveil a new economic blueprint -- known as the country's 14th five-year plan -- and chart a broad course for China to claim its place as a modern nation and true global power.

Our New 'China In Eurasia' Newsletter It has become impossible to tell the biggest stories shaping Eurasia without considering Chinas resurgent influence in local business, politics, security, and culture. China In Eurasia is the new biweekly newsletter by correspondent Reid Standish in which he builds on local reporting from RFE/RLs journalists across Eurasia to give you unique insights into Beijings ambitions. It's sent on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. To subscribe, click here.

The annual summit of Chinese lawmakers laid out broad guidelines that would shape the country's growth model over the next 15 years.

Preoccupied with growing China's tech industry amid a deepening rivalry with the United States, it also provided a platform for Xi to tout the merits of his autocratic style and tightening grip on power at home.

While the stagecraft of the conclave focused on China's domestic goals, they remain deeply intertwined with Beijing's global ambitions, particularly the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- a blanket term for the multibillion-dollar centerpiece of Xi's foreign policy that builds influence through infrastructure, investment, and closer political ties.

"The message is a continuation and doubling-down of what we've been seeing for years, which is that China is growing stronger and it feels confident to elbow its way in even more around the world," Raffaello Pantucci, a senior associate fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute, told RFE/RL.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi echoed this during an expansive March 8 press conference on the sidelines of the congress in Beijing, where he said there would be no pause for BRI and that it had and would continue to evolve amid the constraints and opportunities caused by the pandemic.

"[BRI] isn't so much a specific project as it is a broad vision," Pantucci said, "and visions can be reshaped as needed, which is what we're seeing now."

An Evolving Vision

Despite the display of strength and unity coming out of Beijing over the country's success in curbing the spread of COVID-19 and keeping its economy growing amid the pressures of the pandemic, Beijing finds itself facing new global pressure.

The BRI has suffered setbacks recently due to concerns in host countries over mounting debts, with many governments -- from Africa to Central Asia -- asking China for debt forgiveness and restructuring. Beijing is also looking to rebuild its credibility, which was hurt over its early handling of COVID-19 in the central city of Wuhan, and navigate growing pressure from Western countries that have begun to push back against Chinese tech and political policies.

In the face of this, Beijing has looked for new opportunities to demonstrate global leadership, providing vaccines and medical equipment to countries across the globe and raising climate-change concerns.

This has also applied to the BRI.

During his press conference, Wang focused on the initiative's traditional infrastructure emphasis, but also pointed towards new horizons for the policy, such as medical diplomacy as well as a shifting focus on tech and foreign aid. China is the world's largest emerging donor and a new white paper released in January by the Chinese government outlined its plans to play an ambitious leading role in the international aid system.

Many experts also say Beijing will look to build off its growing "vaccine diplomacy" campaign and use China's recent success in fighting poverty to find new ways to build ties and deepen cooperation around the world.

"Fighting poverty and medical coordination linked to the pandemic and its aftermath will be a major focus of Chinese diplomacy moving forward," Zhang Xin, a research fellow at Shanghai's East China Normal University, told RFE/RL. "[BRI] is an umbrella initiative that can include everything and this will be one of the new fronts under that umbrella."

Realities On The Ground

Despite the growing opportunities, China's flagship project is also facing plenty of challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic on the ground.

In addition to debt concerns, closed or partially open borders with China's neighbors in South and Central Asia due to China's strict COVID restrictions remain a point of tension, and have led to massive lines, trade bottlenecks, and ballooning transportation costs.

China's overseas energy lending has likewise dropped to its lowest level since 2008, after the pandemic severely hampered deal-making in developing states, according to Boston University's Global Energy Finance Database, which saw financing for foreign energy projects fall by 43 percent to $4.6 billion in 2020.

And while the pandemic provided an all-time high for freight-train traffic to Europe from China, it has slowed trade from Central Asia to China. Only limited traffic is allowed to pass through China's border post with Kyrgyzstan, something the new government in Bishkek is trying to change as it deals with the economic blows of the pandemic.

Kyrgyz Prime Minister Ulukbek Maripov met with Du Dewen, China's ambassador to Bishkek, on March 3 to discuss speeding up border crossings and increasing trade, but progress remains uncertain as long as China stays wary of the spread of COVID-19 in Central Asia.

Similarly, traders in Tajikistan are still grappling with border closures as they remain cut off from their main export destination. Many of the merchants complain they are being squeezed out by Chinese competitors.

Preliminary Chinese trade data for 2020 shows that imports to China from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan fell by more than 45 percent compared to 2019.

Tensions also continue to flare in Pakistan, where the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China's flagship BRI project, is progressing slowly amid multiple setbacks and delays. While problems with the initiative are not new, Beijing has aired its frustrations and supported the Pakistani military taking greater control over CPEC, which it views as a more reliable partner than the country's political class.

Global Headwinds

Trade and relations with neighboring Russia, however, appear to still be a bright spot for Beijing. Russian customs figures show that China continues to make up a growing share of its trade as Moscow increasingly finds itself sanctioned and cut off from the West.

Political ties between Beijing and Moscow are also deepening. Wang spoke at length at his press conference about how the two governments were working closer together in a variety of fields, from plans to build a lunar space station to joint efforts in vaccine production.

Wang also said that the two countries were working to combat "color revolutions" and to fight against a "political virus," hinting at their shared animosity towards the United States.

"The overall tone is quite clear, the partnership between China and Russia is being heavily valued," Zhang said. "The Chinese state is emphasizing this relationship and how they can act together [with Russia] to face shared challenges around the world."

Chief among those challenges for Beijing is continuing to grow its economy at home and navigate its rivalry with the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national-security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with their Chinese counterparts in Alaska on March 18 for the first meeting between Beijing and the administration of President Joe Biden.

China is also looking to take successful policies at home and build upon them abroad under the banner of the BRI. China was the only major world economy to expand last year and many of its neighbors across Eurasia are hoping Chinese economic growth can help them with a post-pandemic recovery.

But China's own recovery remains fragile in some areas, including in consumer spending, and regulators are growing more worried about real-estate prices rising to unsustainable levels. The Chinese stock market began to recover on March 11 after a large rout that saw officials censor the word "stock market" from social media searches in the country, showcasing the sensitivity to anything that can derail Beijing's ambitions at home or abroad.

"There are many challenges ahead for the Chinese leadership to navigate and maintaining economic growth is the biggest one," Ho-Fung Hung, a professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University, told RFE/RL. "Xi cares about political power and boosting economic growth is the best way to hold on to political power."
Burma Medical Superintendent Charged for Refusing Regimes Order to Reopen Hospital

Pathein Hospital medical superintendent Dr. Than Min Htut.

Pathein  Myanmars police have charged the medical superintendent of Pathein Hospital in Ayeyarwady Region with incitment, according to his relatives.

Dr. Than Min Htut, a prominent figure in Ayeyarwady Regions medical circles, was summoned to the regional administrative councils office on Friday for a meeting and was arrested by special branch officers after the meeting, according to his relatives.

I learned that Dr. Than Min Htut was forcibly pushed by the township police chief into a van after the meeting. Police Major Tin Naing has filed a lawsuit under Article 505(d) of the Penal Code, said a relative.

On Feb. 5 health workers at Pathein Hospital joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) in protest against the military regime and the hospital has not reopened since.

Dr. Than Min Htut was arrested because he rejected demands to stop the CDM and reopen Pathein Hospital, the largest public hospital in Ayeyarwady Region, despite intense pressure from the militarys governing body, the State Administrative Council, according to sources.

Myanmars military regime changed the colonial-era Penal Codes definition of incitement to protect the coup leaders.

Article 505 (d) threatens two years in prison for the crime of inciting anyone to commit an offence.

It is intended to punish the spreading of false news and encouraging disobedience and disloyalty among civil servants and military personnel. The clauses were added to suppress the people, said a lawyer from Pathein.

Following Dr. Than Min Htuts arrest, residents across Pathein organized night protests, calling for his release. The security forces used stun grenades and rubber bullets to quash the protests until midnight, according to Pathein residents.

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New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress party has postponed the release of its election manifesto for the West Bengal Elections 2021, which was scheduled for today, March 14. Next date to be announced later, according to news agency ANI.

The Chief Minister is expected to conduct a roadshow, days after sustaining injuries during election campaigning, on a wheelchair from Gandhi Murti to Hazra on Sunday.

She will address a public rally at Hazra in the afternoon. It will be her first public appearance after she was allegedly attacked by some people in Nandigram earlier this week.

Chief Minister Banerjee has improved considerably and she is "quite stable", doctors who are monitoring her treatment said on Saturday. The swelling on her left ankle, caused due to an injury she sustained during campaigning in Nandigram, has also subsided, they said.

The Chief Minister suffered severe injuries on her left leg as well as on the right shoulder, forearm and neck, as she fell after being allegedly pushed by four to five miscreants in Nandigram on Wednesday evening.

The TMC supremo was rushed to SSKM hospital in Kolkata from Purba Medinipur district through a green corridor.

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In March 2012, six state senators and Gov. Dannel Malloys criminal justice point person, Michael Lawlor, visited two prisons: Northern Correctional Institution, a supermax prison where the men on death row were incarcerated, and MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, the largest maximum security prison in New England.

The goal: to convince lawmakers on the fence  all Democrats  to vote to repeal the death penalty.

The legislature had already sent a bill to end capital punishment to the governors desk in 2009, but it was vetoed by then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Fast forward three years, however, and the math had changed. Several lawmakers were reconsidering their earlier votes, hesitant to go against the wishes of Dr. William Petit, whose wife and two daughters were murdered at their Cheshire home in 2007.

At every point of every conversation on criminal justice after July 2007, the Cheshire murders were the focal point, Lawlor said in a recent interview. Now an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven, Lawlor also served 12 terms in the General Assembly.

Northern lived up to its reputation during that March tour. Lawmakers saw prisoners locked up 22 hours a day in tiny cement rooms, under guard when they moved outside their cells.

The totality of the living conditions there, the grimness of the living conditions there, the totality of the grimness of the living conditions, had a profound effect, former Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams Jr., told the CT Mirror in 2012.

Then the group went to MacDougall. Natural light poured in through the windows in the facilitys atrium. Because the senators arrived midday, many prisoners were out of their cells.

To get senators to a yes on repeal, a compromise would need to be struck: those originally sentenced to die must remain in conditions more akin to Northern than MacDougall.

One of those Democrats was Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, who was in favor of abolishing the death penalty until she met with Petit, who told her a repeal would make it more difficult for prosecutors to get a death sentence for Joshua Komisarjevsky, one of the two men who killed his wife and daughters. I want to give [Petit] a little ounce of consideration here and thats my reason at this point in time to not support repeal, Prague told The Hartford Courant in 2011. I have to live with myself. I could not for one second cause this family any more stress.

The trip to Northern, however, assuaged Pragues doubts.

I did go to Northern and saw death row and saw how horrible it is there.  Spending life in prison without the possibility of parole on death row, in a situation that is just like death row, is very, very, very, severe punishment, Prague told her colleagues in a Senate floor debate on April 4, 2012, recalling the visit to the Somers prison the previous month. So  and that was our Amendment A.'

That amendment would become 18-10b, a statute that requires the Department of Correction to impose severe conditions of confinement on the former death row inmates. The bill created special circumstances that would ensure the men would not live comfortable lives in prison, even if they were spared lethal injection.

The Cheshire murders factored into every second of the death penalty abolition, said Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, who was serving in the House of Representatives during the 2012 vote to repeal the death penalty. Lawmakers didnt want death row inmates  particularly the Cheshire murderers, Komisarjevsky and his accomplice Steven Hayes  to be able to just roam free in the prisons, he said. They wanted them to have restrictive ways of living and all the things that made people feel better about casting a vote in the affirmative.

It worked. Proponents of ending the death penalty in Connecticut succeeded in 2012, but not until they struck a deal that ensured those on death row would be held in conditions more onerous than the general incarcerated population. Not only did they codify many of the special conditions of confinement for death row inmates, the bill they passed was prospective, meaning capital punishment would not be sought as punishment for future crimes. But lethal injection would remain a distant possibility for the 11 men on death row at the time, until the state Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 2015.

Ive always thought they were the sacrifice so we could all feel better, said Hope Metcalf, researcher and clinical lecturer at Yale Law School and Executive Director of the Orville H. Schell Jr. Center for International Human Rights, of the fewer than a dozen men who remained on death row when capital punishment was repealed. Because now Connecticut no longer has the death penalty.

Malloy signed the bill April 25, 2012, enshrining 18-10b into statute.

I dont think you would have repealed the death penalty if you didnt make that compromise, said Winfield.

All seven of the men formerly on death row who are still locked up in Connecticut on special circumstances are at Northern. Joseph Silva, convicted of murder with special circumstances in 2018, is also subjected to those conditions of confinement. Like the others, he remains at the Somers prison.

Last month, DOC Commissioner Angel Quiros announced Northern will close by July 1. He cited the declining number of people in prisons and jails  a decline hastened since the pandemics onset  and his obligation to the taxpayers of Connecticut as the basis of his decision to shutter the supermax. The closure is symbolic to advocates who see the facility as a monument to a past ethos that the purpose of incarceration is to punish and break people.

Now, with Northerns closure looming, prison officials must decide where to incarcerate the men who had been sentenced to die. Lawmakers, meanwhile, have an opportunity to change the conditions in which they live.

If Richard Reynolds gets his way, they might not have much of a choice.

Sentenced to death only

For the past quarter of a century, Reynolds has been confined alone to a room the size of a parking space, a 12-by-7-foot cell in which he can walk from one end to the other in two and a half steps.

Reynolds was sentenced to death in March 1995 for killing a Waterbury police officer. His sentence was changed to 999 years after the state Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that it was unconstitutional to execute the 11 men who were on death row. Over the next few years Reynolds and most of his peers were re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release. They would still die in prison  but by the passing of time, not by lethal injection.

In an affidavit, Reynolds said that two weeks after the 2015 Supreme Court ruling, prison officials removed the death row signs from the cell doors of those who had previously been sentenced to die. Nothing else changed, he said.

Like the other men held under special circumstances, Reynolds has been locked in his cell for up to 22 hours a day since he was sentenced. He is escorted or monitored if he leaves his cell, which is searched twice a week, and he is transferred to a new cell at least every 90 days. Its been a quarter of a century since he interacted with any incarcerated people other than those originally sentenced to death.

Reynolds filed a lawsuit challenging the conditions of his confinement in 2013, four years before he was resentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Plaintiff was sentenced to death only, Reynolds scrawled in his original 36-page handwritten complaint. Not a sentence of death and psycological (sic) torment and solitary confinement.

U.S. District Court Judge Stefan Underhill, who heard Reynolds complaint after he was resentenced and subject to life on special circumstances status, ruled in August 2019 that the conditions of confinement were unconstitutional. In his 57-page ruling, Underhill observed that the way Reynolds is locked up is more restrictive than any other form of incarceration available within the State of Connecticut prison system.

Now 52, Reynolds likely still has decades of life left in prison.

The state has appealed Underhills ruling, leaving Reynolds case unresolved.

The closure of Northern later this year, however, puts the state at a crossroads, with at least two possible paths forward.

State officials can keep to the status quo and simply hold the former death row cohort at another prison under the same conditions while they wait for a higher court judge to issue a final decision in Reynolds case on whether 18-10b is constitutional. Or, lawmakers can act proactively and pass a law striking 18-10b and change the conditions of confinement for the former death row inmates.

For its part, the DOC said it has not asked lawmakers to make a statutory change. The men will be sent to a similarly secure prison  either MacDougall, Cheshire, Garner or Corrigan  following Northerns closure.

Well be looking for a location thats operationally feasible for our staff to manage them, said Karen Martucci, the agencys director of external affairs. We will just manage them as theyre managed now, at a different location.

The Judiciary Committee has raised a bill in this session that would largely end the practice of solitary confinement. That measures public hearing could be an opportunity for lawmakers and others to reconsider the special circumstances conditions of confinement, said Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport and committee co-chair.

With Northern closing, now is the time to have that conversation, he said.

Just another inmate

In a deposition for Reynolds lawsuit filed with the court in November 2018, former Department of Correction Commissioner Leo Arnone  who also was on the 2012 tour at Northern and MacDougall  said he didnt believe the 18-10b statute made the prison system more secure.

This is punishment, thats why it was built that way, he said of 18-10b. This is the way it was designed, to be a punishment for these specific crimes.

Semple said he anticipated the statute would be found unconstitutional. When he spoke with officials from other states that had abolished the death penalty, they told him they relied on risk assessment formulas and reclassified men formerly on death row accordingly.

Find me another state that has these types of requirements, Semple said of 18-10b. It doesnt exist.

Lawlor agrees.

The real goal was to get rid of the death penalty, and this was the price to pay to get that to happen, in my opinion: putting this language in, knowing full well it may not be enforceable, Lawlor said.

Most of the men formerly on death row likely would be placed under maximum security type of oversight, Semple said, but the DOC lacks the discretion to reclassify the men to a different type of confinement.

In his 2018 deposition, Arnone recounted what happened the last time the state abolished the death penalty. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Furman v. Georgia that placed a moratorium on the death penalty until, four years later, the court ruled capital punishment was constitutional, allowing executions to resume.

Prison officials took the men on death row and released them to the general population, maximum security only, he said.

The landscape changes

In 2009  two years after the Cheshire murders  it wasnt as difficult to sell lawmakers on abolishing the death penalty. There was momentum nationally and within Connecticut for repeal. New Mexico had abolished capital punishment, and legislators in Colorado, Montana and Maryland came close to getting rid of it, as well.

Legislators passed a number of criminal justice reform measures in 2008  changing the rules governing how the Board of Pardons and Paroles functions, mandating the DOC and parole board use a risk assessment tool so they could identify who is high-risk to release, and allowing prosecutors, parole boards and other members of the criminal justice system to share information on cases.

Lawlor said there were several arguments in 2009 for repealing the death penalty, but he remembers the most compelling being that capital punishment in Connecticut was a fraud. Michael Ross was the first person executed since the 1960s, and he spent the last 10 years of his life working with prosecutors so he could get the death penalty, Lawlor said.

It wasnt just all of a sudden people became liberals. It was, It doesnt work, it cant work, and theres no way you can fix it,' said Lawlor.

Over Petits objection, legislators passed the bill and sent it to Rells desk. She vetoed it.

The conditions of confinement language was not in the 2009 bill. Those only were formulated after that visit to the prisons [in March 2012,] where a number of those legislators said, I will only vote to repeal the death penalty if you add some language that makes it clear they wont ever be in general population,' Lawlor said.

Malloy took office in January 2011. During his campaign, Malloy said he would sign a bill repealing the death penalty but as time passed, and the political landscaped morphed, repeal was no longer a sure bet by 2012.

Theres a magic to that kind of thing. But when you do that thing, strangely the magic wears off, Winfield said. And people are now faced with the fact that theyve taken a certain vote and people are reacting to that vote and all of the things that come with it the landscape changed, even though the people didnt really change.

The Cheshire murders began to take up more and more space in the states subconscious. As their trials played out in 2010 and 2011, Hayes and Komisarjevsky seemed to be constantly in the news. While the horrific crime tapped into the primal fears of upper-middle class families who thought they were insulated from random acts of violence, the trials renewed both those fears and public sympathy for Petit.

Hayes was sentenced to death in November 2010. Prosecutors portrayed him as a sadistic, violent man who abused his brother when they were younger, and who threatened suicide as a way to manipulate jurors to spare him from execution.

Jurors spent four days weighing the evidence before determining a death sentence was an appropriate punishment for Komisarjevsky. Superior Court Judge Jon Blue sentenced him to death in 2012, three months before legislators would pass the bill to repeal the death penalty for future crimes.

Petit later ran for office as a Republican. He won a seat representing Plainville in the House of Representatives in the 2016 election, a position he still holds today.

He declined to be interviewed for this story.

Life in special circumstances

Reynolds was transferred from jail to Northern in 1995 shortly after the supermax opened.

I have been locked in a concrete cell alone every day for the past 23 years, Reynolds said in an affidavit in 2018. I can only communicate with my neighbors by shouting through the vent, and even shouting can be hard to hear over the constant noise in the unit.

Despite his status as a special circumstances inmate, Reynolds conditions of incarceration are not unique among prisoners who are held on other restrictive statuses . The DOC will move some of these prisoners to different cells every few months, search inmates cells at least twice per week and lock people up in solitary for long periods until they complete special programming.

In his 2019 ruling on Reynolds case, Underhill said the conditions of confinement for the former death row inmates are unconstitutional because, among other reasons, the legislature retroactively punished these men for their crimes after they had already been sentenced. He issued an order requiring prison officials to give Reynolds more time out of his cell and prohibiting prison officials from segregating him from other prisoners not on the special status.

Underhill also prohibited the state from enforcing 18-10b against any inmate being held in a Connecticut prison.

From the moment the repeal was passed, I felt like it was inexorably leading to this showdown. You cant simultaneously save someones life and then subject them to this kind of torture for the rest of their life, Metcalf said. Think about what thats like as they start to age and one-by one they die off. Its like a nursing home from hell.

Lawmakers options

If the state waits until Reynolds case finishes wending through the courts to make any changes to the ways inmates on special circumstances are confined, lawmakers can act now. Stafstrom, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, noted that the committee has raised the PROTECT Act, which, would largely end solitary confinement for all people in prisons and jails.

Where I stand is, someones risk level should not be based on the crime they committed in society but how they comport themselves within the correctional facility, said Stafstrom, who was not in the legislature 2012 when his colleagues voted to abolish the death penalty.

Winfield, now a state senator representing New Haven and a co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, said he thinks the legislature has little impetus to take up the issue, since the DOC isnt asking for a statutory change, and lawmakers havent been asked to grapple with the constitutionality of the special circumstances conditions of confinement.

I think oftentimes the reason why the court must act is because the legislature is immobilized, Winfield said. Whether we think theres a value to the legislature acting or not, this is one of those situations where ultimately the courts need to act.

Some survivors of crime feel differently. Jessica Pizzano, the director of victim services for Survivors of Homicide, Inc., which provides counseling, support and advocacy for homicide victims loves ones, said many of the people her organization has supported feel that if someone took anothers life and was sentenced to death, they should be treated differently than other people in prison. Pizzano said those families serve a life sentence, too, because of the trauma inflicted upon them.

It helps them to know that, you know, theyre not in these big beautiful places, that theyre in a cold, dark cell, Pizzano said. You know, our families arent necessarily out for blood. But after something thats happened to them, thats so horrible, they like to know that the persons life is not comfortable, and that the punishment is making them realize what they did was a horrible thing.

Even though Hayes and Komisarjevsky are the reason lawmakers created the special circumstances law, they are not subjected to it. Both men were transferred to prisons in Pennsylvania nearly five years ago. As of March 1, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Inmate Locator tool, Komisarjevsky is in a maximum security facility; Hayes is in a medium-security prison.

Because they are no longer in Connecticut, neither is being held under the conditions of confinement that Reynolds and the others must endure.
Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd are just one of many sets of restaurateurs who have experienced financial setbacks on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite being a famed Real Housewife of Beverly Hills who indeed lives a life of luxury, the 60-year-old reality star was forced to close her bistro Pump last year and was barred from reopening on account of a reported tax dispute.

On Sunday, she and her husband were seen standing outside of the West Hollywood restaurant as she prepares to reopen its door on March 17, additionally claiming on Twitter that the tax dispute in question was a '$250 filing fee.'

Grand reopening: Lisa Vanderpump, 60, and her husband Ken Todd stand outside of their West Hollywood restaurant Pump as they prepare to open its doors this week following forced closure over a tax dispute

The British- born hospitality maven looked stylish in jeans and a pair of white platform sneakers with steel toes.

She held her beloved dog Puffy as she wrapped her body in a black coat with sparkling rainbow accents.

Lisa sported her favorite pink hue on her face mask as she continues to protect herself, despite revealing she is fully vaccinated.

She and Todd shared a sweet smooch on the cheek, as the longtime couple looked in good spirits as they gear up for the return of their workers and patrons this week.

As of this weekend restaurants in Los Angeles county can open for indoor dining with 25% capacity.

Good spirits: The restaurant has been shut throughout the pandemic and was barred from re-opening in recent months despite having outdoor space over what she calls a '$250 filing fee'

Despite the fact that the restaurant boasts outdoor seating and many neighboring places have been open in recent months, it was reported that the California Franchise Tax Board had 'suspended' Pump indefinitely.

Per The Sun, documents obtained report that restaurants with this standing are due to 'failure to file tax returns, failure to pay taxes and/or failure to pay penalties/interest.'

Filings were reportedly made as recently as Feb. 2, but the restaurant's status never changed, the website stating that past due tax returns or balances need to be paid to get in good standing.

Something seemingly got sorted out in the past month as the restaurant announced it would be reopening on St. Patrick's Day.

'Suspended': Per The Sun , documents obtained report that restaurants with a 'suspended' standing are due to 'failure to file tax returns, failure to pay taxes and/or failure to pay penalties/interest'

Business woman: She and her husband also own Pump, Tom Tom and SUR, all of which are the sites for her reality show Vanderpump Rules

Lisa had addressed the tax dispute first tweeting that the 'taxes were delayed' because 'everybody was working from home and [the] restaurant was closed.'

But on Sunday, she shared that she had 'got to the bottom of it,' sharing the dispute was over a '$250 filing fee from 2016.'

She continued to tweet about her excitement for the re-opening, as she wrote: 'Life is coming back! Sadly not for everyone. Thank you for your indomitable support.'

The restaurant had reopened on Oct. 28, but less than a month later she cryptically tweeted that they had 'endeavored to open' after 'cost & consideration for the wellbeing of staff and guests' adding 'sadly many restaurants will not reopen.'

Clearing it up: But on Sunday she shared that she had 'got to the bottom of it,' sharing the dispute was over a '$250 filing fee from 2016...'

Excitement: She continued to tweet about her excitement for the re-opening, as she wrote: 'Life is coming back! Sadly not for everyone. Thank you for your indomitable support'

Though the timing seemed to coincide with Governor Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order and closure of Los Angeles dining to slow the spread of the virus, days later a Twitter patron shared that he had seen a company called Big Top Rentals appearing to clean out the joint.

Over the summer she was forced to close the doors of her restaurant Villa Blanca for good, and other eateries Tom Tom and SUR  which also serve as filming locations for her very popular Bravo reality show Vanderpump Rules  also faced COVID-19 related closures.

In February it was reported that her produce supplier for both Villa Blanca and Pump was suing both restaurants for unpaid produce.

TMZ revealed that West Central Produce had not received any payments for their services since March 2020 (right when the pandemic hit) and was seeking about $100K for costs and interest.

Shutting its doors: Villa Blanca announced it was closing for good in July 2020

Lawsuits: In February they found themselves embroiled in a lawsuit when their produce supplier West Central Produce alleged they were owed money; pictured 2019

Todd said to the outlet that he was 'not aware' of the lawsuit but would 'make sure' his accountants get WCP paid, calling COVID a 'tough time' for everyone in the restaurant industry.

Their 2020 was off to a rocky start, as four days after the new year a silver Ferrari crashed into the restaurant.

Then when the pandemic hit their businesses took a turn, only to then be met with a scandal on Vanderpump Rules.

Veteran cast members Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute were fired from the show in June following racist behavior.

Tough start: Just four days into 2020 a silver ferrari crashed through their restaurant doors

Problematic behavior: Over the summer castmates Stassi, Kristen, Max and Brett were let go from the show following racially problematic behavior in the past

They had called the cops on a former Black employee, Faith Stowers as a joke, because she looked like an accused felon from an online article.

Schroeder's other problematic statements were unearthed where she called an outfit 'Nazi chic' and also spoke out about award shows being made 'about race.'

Other problematic tweets from Season 8 cast members Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni also caused them to be let go from the show, Lisa speaking out about the situation in January on the Skinny Confidential podcast.

'It wasn't right what they did at all, but do I think they're racist a thousand percent?  No. I have a lot of diverse people working for me that they [were] very close to over the years,' she said.

The upcoming season of Vanderpump Rules has not begun filming yet, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix telling Page Six: 'Obviously, they want to do another season and they have every plan and intention of doing that, but it's just because of the industry that we're in, they don't want to see us just like sitting in our houses.'
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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UPDATE: Easton Area sets dates for students return, K-12, as long as teachers are vaccinated

Bonnie McCarthys son hated going to Palmer Elementary School. But all that changed thanks to his teacher, Erin Gabel.

She made my son thrive in her classroom setting, McCarthy said Saturday. She made him confident and with that confidence, he has made his only two friends, outside of his brother, in her classroom. ...

All students need the Erin Gabels of the teaching world, all parents need them and theyre not getting them when theyre not in school.

McCarthy spoke out at a rally in Eastons Centre Square for the Easton Area School District to set a firm date for getting all hybrid students, kindergarten through 12th grade, back into the classroom. The school board voted Tuesday on a return to school, but only grades K-2 and only once community spread of COVID-19 drops to an acceptable level.

Its not enough for parents like McCarthy and Carly Smith who a few months ago started the Return to In Person Learning-Easton Area School District Facebook group that as of Saturday had 506 members.

We as parents want a vote on a plan with a return date, said Julie Cassidy, who helped organize Saturdays rally. And I dont want to hear K to 2. The board voted yes for a K to 2.

Dozens of parents and schoolchildren attended the late afternoon rally, circling the square with signs demanding the return to in-classroom instruction.

School is so much more than academics, Smith said. I cannot stress this enough: Teachers cannot be replaced by computers and Zoom meetings. I am not a teacher, I am a nurse. I am not a teacher, I am a mom.

The moms who announced the rally only Friday said they appreciate all the help from schools Superintendent David Piperato and school board members who support their cause, and from community members willing to stand up for students who are falling behind.

Over the last week, a few stories have been shared with us that truly break my heart, said organizer Tanya Keller. Stories of depression, suicide attempts, children becoming severely overweight, children now a small shell of what they truly were.

It is time to hold our superintendent and the board of education accountable for the role they play in this. We are not parents looking for babysitters. I have a babysitter, and I pay well, you can ask any one of them. I need an educator for my children because I did not go to school for education.

The parents called on the district to follow the science behind the coronavirus pandemic.

We have vaccinations and treatments and scientific data to prove that schools do not spread COVID when proper masking and safety protocols are in place, Cassidy said.

Piperato, in a statement Friday in response to the rally, reiterated that the district has remained committed to following the science as interpreted by our medical professional partners at St. Lukes University Health Network.

The districts administrative team met Thursday with its medical experts to discuss the implications of this months rollout of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine for teachers, and plans to release an updated return plan next week.

Cassidy called the need for a firm plan for a return to school districtwide dire and said it needs to come soon so students can finish this school year in a place where they are prepared for next.

Are you hearing what Im saying? Prepared for next. We cannot let this wait until the end of the year.

The speakers pointed to other school districts leaping ahead of Easton in announcing return dates, such as the April 11 return proposed in the Bethlehem Area School District for grades K-5 and the Parkland School District plan announced Friday for grades K-5, four days a week in class, beginning April 12.

Please understand this is not a dig at the teachers, what were doing today, Keller said Saturday. Our teachers for the most part have been absolutely amazing. My sons kindergarten teacher is probably the most wonderful human being you have probably ever met in your life.

This administration has a chance to make a difference. They have a choice to find solutions, they have a choice to follow the science, they have access to all of the same resources that we parents do and share daily.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
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More than $1 million worth of methamphetamine was confiscated by the United States Custom and Border Protection officers in Southern California. According to Transportation Nation, the officers came across a man driving a tractor and was trying to cross the border of the U.S. bound from Mexico. The officers confiscated the large number of narcotics in the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility around 6:30 P.M.

ALSO READ: Narcotics Bust: Search Warrant Results in 4 Panama City Arrests

Meth Disguised as Spinach

One American News Network noted that the narcotics were disguised as spinach, making it less obvious for the people to spot that the shipment from Mexico is a drug. The trucker aged 49, who was tasked to take the shipment across the border was given an ultimatum, after claiming that the shipment was fresh spinach from their country.

San Diego Union-Tribune reported that that the shipment weighed 580 pounds with 127 total packages. Along with the methamphetamine, the truck used by the 49-year-old driver was also seized by the authorities. Customs Border Protection officers issued the tractor for the X-ray imaging system to make sure. But the methamphetamine, wrapped in paper and mixed with actual produce, was not able to deceive the drug-sniffing dog of the authorities which alerted them about the situation.

San Diego tribune mentioned Supervisory Officer and spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection, Javier Garcia, said that the 49-year-old driver of the tractor is expected to face federal criminal charges.

Port Director of Otay Mesa Port of Entry Rosa Hernandez noted in the Customs and Border Protection release that they are aggressively fighting the entrance or flow of illegal drugs so that it will not reach the American communities. Hernandez added that the officers of Customs and Border protection continues to "expedite legitimate trade and travel" without compromising the protection of the country.

Narcotics Use in the U.S.

Money laundering and drug trafficking are two of the issues that the United States is facing. RAND Corporation shared in their report that in 2016, people who use drugs in the United States spend order costing about $150 billion on marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin. However, in 2015, the consumption of cocaine slowed down.

RAND Corporation added that the estimates of the use of Methamphetamine among Americans are uncertain because its Illegal usage is not usually captured or recorded in the national data.

National Institutes on Drug Abuse noted that the Methamphetamine that was seized by the Custom and Border Protection was classified by the U.S Government to be Schedule II Stimulant, meaning it is legally available only through nonrefillable prescription as a treatment for ADHD.

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that affects the central nervous system. Its appearance is usually in the form of white powdered crystalline that can easily be diluted in liquids like water and alcohol. The effects of methamphetamine are increased talkativeness, euphoria, and decreased appetite. However, much greater of this drug goes into the brain and has long-lasting and more harmful effects on the central nervous system.

RELATED ARTICLE: US Navy Ships To Move In On Venezuela Following Counter-Narcotics Operations

WATCH: Methamphetamine (meth) Drug Facts, Animation - from Alila Medical Media
(Newser)  Yo-Yo Ma had a little time to kill Saturday, as he waited out the 15-minute observation period after receiving his second shot of COVID-19 vaccine. So he took his cello to a spot against the wall at Berkshire Community College, away from everyone, and played. "The folks waiting for 15 minutes in observation were graced with the musical talents of the one and only Yo-Yo Ma," the Massachusetts school posted, complete with a photo of the masked cellist. His concert closed out the day of vaccinations, the Berkshire Eagle reports. "What a way to end the clinic," an official said.

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As word of the performance spread, a state lawmaker praised the musician, who lives part time in the Berkshires, for "bringing hope and optimism through his beautiful music." The concert included "Ave Maria" and Bachs Prelude in G Major, per the New York Times. Along with classical pianist Emanuel Ax, Ma played several pop-up concerts last year for essential workers in the Berkshires, including bus drivers, firefighters, and health care workers. "People need each other for support beyond the immediate staples of life," Ma said last fall. "They need music." (Read more uplifting news stories.)
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star Jenni JWoww Farley is officially engaged. Despite her past turmoil with Zack 24 Carpinello, the couple are together and happier than ever. While there are no official wedding plans yet, many fans cant stop obsessing over Farley and Carpiellos proposal. Find out how much Farleys fiance spent on her designer engagement ring.

Jenni JWoww Farley and Zack 24 Carpinello | Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for MTV

Zack 24 Carpinello popped the question to JWoww

The Jersey Shore star celebrated her 35th birthday in February. Little did she know she was going to get engaged to Carpinello that same day.

My always and forever, Carpinello captioned a set of engagement photos on Instagram. You made me the happiest Ive ever been. I love you more than anything.

On 2.27 I said yes on the top of the Empire State Building, Farley shared on her Instagram profile. Congratulations!! her former co-star Sammi Sweetheart Giancola commented.

On 2.27 I said yes on the top of the Empire State Building @zackclayton https://t.co/tmLJZ2xqdo  JWOWW (@JENNIWOWW) March 9, 2021

Im so excited for you two!! Mike The Situation Sorrentinos wife, Lauren, commented. Love you guys! Cheers to forever! Other Jersey Shore roommates, including Farleys best friend Nicole Snooki Polizzi, Deena Cortese, Pauly DelVecchios girlfriend Nikki Hall, and even Angelina Pivarnick shared the love on Farleys engagement post.

JWowws ex-husband Roger Mathews has no reason to have beef with Zack 24 Carpinello

Farley and Roger Mathews were married for three years before their divorce. Now, things seem to be better between the reality stars, who co-parent their two kids, Meilani and Greyson.

When asked about Farleys engagement, Mathews didnt think it was his place to comment. We lead different lives now, Mathews said on his podcast (via TMZ). Im happy for her. Im happy for them.

At this point, Mathews priority is his kids. During his podcast, Mathews talked about how well Carpinello treats his children. He said Farley seems very happy in a relationship with Caprinello, and concluded: I have no reason to have a beef with him.

Mathews is in a new relationship, too. Though hes not engaged, Mathews is dating Danielle Miele, a hairdresser specializing in bridal. The two met in 2019.

Jenni JWoww Farleys engagement ring is Louis Vuitton

Like her followers, Farley cant stop obsessing over her engagement. Most beautiful ring, Farley captioned a photo on her Instagram Stories featuring the ring and the Louis Vuitton box it came in. Still dreaming, the reality star added.

Roxanna Rector, the senior buyer for engagement and bridal rings at Blue Nile, described Farleys ring to Page Six as a 3- to 4-carat oval-cut diamond in a delicate rose gold solitaire setting. The rings elongated style is on-trend for 2021 brides, especially when paired with rose gold.

It adds a feminine touch and looks great on all skin tones, the diamond expert told the outlet. She also estimated the cost of the ring to be $80,000 to $150,000.

RELATED: Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Is Filming in Pennsylvania, but Where?

More specifically, The Diamond Pros Mike Fried valued Farleys engagement ring closer to $100,000. It looks to be an oval-cut diamond set with a thin band, allowing her sizable diamond to snag the spotlight, he explained. The 5-carat ring Mathews proposed with was also valued at $100,000.

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation fans cant wait to learn more about Farleys engagement and eventual wedding plans.
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA)  The Tunisian ministry of foreign affairs, Migration and Tunisians living abroad has expressed worry over what it called the irresponsible declarations aimed at tarnishing the authentic relations between Tunisia and Libya
I am feeling sympathy and sadness after reading Fedor Zarkhins article on volunteers assisting seniors trying to navigate the vaccine lottery system ( Despondent Oregon seniors snag COVID-19 vaccine appointments through unlikely source: strangers, March 7). After weeks of frustrating failures, and after receiving help from friends, my wife and I are due to receive our second shot. Hooray for us. However, I am left to ponder: Is this the same country that produced Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, etc.? We are way out in front of our skis electronically when we assume such technology is a boon for all. Seniors are being left out of a lot more than critical medical access by our institutions reliance on current forms of social media to conduct business. True, we seniors will be passing on to leave expanding technology to the younger generations to puzzle out, but what a loss for those who just want to function in a world that is not constantly fraught with dead ends, frustrations and failures.

Russell Ford, Vancouver
SwyftOps, a home care operations management software, finalized an agreement with At Home Elder Care Franchising, LLC to become the ERP management and operational scheduling software provider for all At Home Eldercare franchised locations across the United States.

SwyftOps offers home care agencies critical and unique features to manage every aspect of their businesses. At Home Eldercare will immediately benefit from unified platform features that include performance dashboards, EVV compliance, 24/7 support, robust third-party billing, dynamic assessments and care plans, and HIPAA compliant communications via caregiver and family portals. Its great to see At Home Eldercare select SwyftOps and join our family of franchisers and subscribers. Our software was built to help agencies of all sizes streamline their processes to make their operations flow with speed, security, and simplicity, said Chris Trempe, vice president of operations at SwyftOps. This is an exciting opportunity, and we look forward to a long partnership.

At Home Eldercare is an emerging brand serving the in-home, non-medical, senior care market. For many who seek their place in the industry, their choice is the model offered by At Home Eldercare, a franchise organization founded by Gavin Densmore. Densmores staff has over 45 years of industry experience, having trained hundreds of agencies over the past 15 years with Home Care Seminar. As the founder of Helping Hands of America, based in Raleigh, North Carolina (Raleigh's oldest home care agency) Densmore recognized the local nature of the business and why franchising is an exemplary path for serving the industry. Densmore has a deep understanding of business complexities and what it takes to be successful supporting the in-home senior care market. Densmore said, You cannot run a world-class home care agency without technology today. We are thrilled that our vendor selection committee selected SwyftOps for our technology platform moving forward! The team looked at the top three vendors in the senior care market, and the choice was clear SwyftOps!

Recently, At Home Eldercare, LLC announced a merger with Loyalty Brands, LLC as they focus on nationwide growth in 2021 and beyond. Headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Loyalty Brands is an umbrella franchise company founded in 2018 by serial entrepreneur John Hewitt. Loyalty Brands is a cohesive group of franchise business and service verticals including business brokerage, accounting, tax preparation, marketing, and insurance. The company maintains a community-first outlook. Local involvement and giving back are core values. The multi-brand concept involves businesses that are synergistic and compatible, so franchisees might own one or more of the brands for additional customer acquisition and co-marketing opportunities.

Less than a year ago, SwyftOps finalized a similar agreement with ComForCare Home Care to be its exclusive software solution for approximately 200 franchised agencies across the United States and Canada, branded as either ComForCare or At Your Side Home Care. The ComForCare implementation was completed in an astonishing six months which included data conversion and franchisee training. Bruce Berglind, president of SwyftOps said, There are literally dozens of software choices in this space. Being selected by these two franchisers back-to-back is a testament to the insight of our team and the strength of our offering. We were available, nimble and responsive while working with these organizations, which allowed us to accommodate custom and proprietary feature requests in short order.

For more information about SwyftOps, visit https://swyftops.com.

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New Delhi: French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo sparked controversy as it likened Meghan Markle's treatment by the royal family to the killing of George Floyd.

The magazine's cover depicted the Queen kneeling on Meghan Markle's neck. The title read, "Why Meghan quit Buckingham" and it showed "because I couldn't breathe anymore" as Markle's response.

The image replicated the death of George Floyd who died after a police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck in the United States. In his last breath, Floyd cried for help saying, " I can't breathe."

This comes after Markle's revelation in an interview with Oprah Winfrey where she accused the royal family of racism among other allegations.

The controversial cartoon has sparked outrage and many people have spoken against it. The netizens called the cartoon "wrong" and "appalling".

"Charlie Hebdo, this is wrong on every level. The Queen as George Floyd's murderer crushing Meghan's neck? Meghan saying she's unable to breathe? This doesn't push boundaries, make anyone laugh or challenge racism. It demeans the issues & causes offence, across the board," CEO of race equality think tank Runnymede Halima Begum said in a tweet.

#CharlieHebdo, this is wrong on every level. The Queen as #GeorgeFloyd's murderer crushing Meghan's neck? #Meghan saying she's unable to breathe? This doesnt push boundaries, make anyone laugh or challenge #racism. It demeans the issues & causes offence, across the board. pic.twitter.com/ptNXs8RtuS  Dr Halima Begum (@Halima_Begum) March 13, 2021

"Is this the free speech that Charlie Hebdo is so passionate about? Racism, disrespect and offence passed off as satire?" said another Twitter user.

"This is nothing but racist bigotry and inciting hate. Do better with your platform and grow up," read another tweet.

George Floyd's death had sparked a global outrage which as "Black Lives Matter" protests were seen across the world, especially in America.

A few days ago, The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to pay an unprecedented $27million to settle a civil lawsuit from George Floyd's family over his death in police custody.

Live TV
The Duke of Sussex was accused of embarrassing hypocrisy yesterday for granting his interview to CBS  the same American network that caused outrage by showing a photograph of his mother dying.

In 2004 CBS was condemned when it became the first broadcaster or publisher to show the distasteful photo of Princess Diana taken moments after the 1997 car crash in Paris in which she died.

When the same photo later appeared in an Italian magazine, Prince William and Prince Harry issued a rare statement condemning it, saying they were deeply saddened that such a low has been reached.

The Duke of Sussex was accused of embarrassing hypocrisy yesterday for granting his interview to CBS

But Harry allowed CBS to make millions with the Sussexes Oprah Winfrey interview that was broadcast on March 7.

When the network broadcast the photograph of Diana, her brother Earl Spencer said he was shocked and sickened by CBSs actions.

The broadcaster was unrepentant, saying the photo was not gory. No British publication has ever published it.

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers said: It is quite embarrassing for Prince Harry. How could he possibly co-operate with an organisation which some years ago was the only outlet to publish a deeply distressing photo of his mothers dying moment?

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers (pictured) said: It is quite embarrassing for Prince Harry. How could he possibly co-operate with an organisation which some years ago was the only outlet to publish a deeply distressing photo of his mothers dying moment?

It is pretty hypocritical of him. I suppose he didnt remember, or maybe he had no choice because of contracts signed? If he was still being advised by the Palace, they would have spotted this sort of thing a mile off.

Former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter said: The problem with American networks is that they are all about ratings, and advertising and bringing in money. It is not about decency.

Sussexes' home reportedly breached twice Harry and Meghan also discussed security concerns in the interview and it emerged yesterday that their California home was reportedly breached twice by an intruder. Nickolas Brooks, 37, was arrested and charged with one count of misdemeanour trespassing when he was found on the property for the second time over the Christmas holidays, TMZ reported. It is not known whether the Sussexes were at home at the time. Advertisement

'In 2004 it was publishing a photograph which was in incredibly bad taste. In 2021 it is running a two-hour interview with Meghan and Harry. Both will have made it a lot of money.

It came as a friend of Prince Charles also accused Harry of hypocrisy as he disputed the dukes claim in the interview that his father had cut him off financially.

The friend said Charles had continued to support the Sussexes after their move to the US.

The friend told the Sunday Times: What ****ing hypocrisy. When Harry and Meghan left last year, they wanted to become financially independent.

In 2004 CBS was condemned by then prime minister Tony Blair, who said: I think everyone finds it distasteful that there are pictures that can cause distress to the family.

The CBS programme, 48 Hours Investigates, showed the picture as part of a report called Dianas Secrets.

It was accompanied by a voice-over from French doctor Frederic Mailliez, who arrived at the crash scene in Paris and gave emergency first aid to the princess.

He told viewers that Diana still looked beautiful as he tried to save her life.

At the time, CBS said the picture was one of several seized from French photographers which formed part of the official investigation into the crash on August 31, 1997. It is not gory in any way, shape or form, said CBS.

When the photo was published on the cover of Milan-based Chi magazine in 2006, the princes outcry was echoed by Dianas former equerry and private secretary, Patrick Jephson, who said: I feel sickened and very sad.


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The opportunity for a new era in British television begins in the studios of LBC, a radio station that has tested, and effectively stretched, the British legal requirements that broadcast news be balanced. Instead of offering down-the-middle recitations of news developments, the network serves up clashing and sometimes strident debates over issues. The station thrived during the long run-up to Brexit, making clear to broadcasters that they could abandon their starchy customs and reflect more partisan passions  as long as the stations didnt embrace just one political side.

Now, television is poised to fill the space that LBC opened. The most ambitious player in this new arena may be Andrew Neil, a Scot who transformed The Sunday Times for Mr. Murdoch in the 1980s before emerging as one of the BBCs most formidable interviewers. Hes a conservative, but his style shares almost nothing with his right-wing American counterparts, who alternate between tossing coddling questions to Republican politicians and obliterating obscure liberals who have foolishly wandered onto their sets. Mr. Neil is an equal opportunity interrogator, and may be best known in the United States for a hoisting in 2019 of the conservative figure Ben Shapiro. In the 2019 British election, the Tory prime minister Boris Johnson refused to submit to an interview with him.

Image Andrew Neil plans to start a new 24-hour cable channel network, GB News, this spring. Credit... David M. Benett/Getty Images

I reached Mr. Neil at his home in the French Riviera, where he has been weathering the pandemic and preparing the start of a new 24-hour cable channel network, GB News, this spring. When I called, he was watching MSNBC Live with Craig Melvin. I think there are things to learn from it in terms of programming, and the visuals are very strong, he said of the left-leaning American channel. In terms of formatting and style, I think MSNBC and Fox are the two templates were following.

Mr. Neil has raised 60 million pounds (about $83 million) to start the channel, including investments from the American giant Discovery and the hedge fund manager Paul Marshall. (Mr. Marshalls son, unrelatedly, is taking time off from playing banjo in the band Mumford and Sons to examine my blind spots after praising a far right book on Twitter.) Mr. Neil said he expected that sum to last the network at least three years, though its a pittance by the standards of American cable news.

He said he planned to hire some 100 journalists, a fraction of the more than 2,000 at the BBC, but aimed to capture the resentment of the London-centric media by having many of them broadcast from their hometowns in the north. The channel will rely on other news services for its breaking news, he said, and focus its resources on producing American-style, personality-driven news shows. But he said he wouldnt follow the American right into outlandish conspiracy theories, and he has denounced Donald Trumps claim that he won the U.S. election.

I dont think theres an appetite in Britain for ridiculous conflict, Mr. Neil said. Still, he plans to carry a segment on his own prime-time show called woke watch in which he can mock what he sees as progressive excesses. He cited as an example a recent report that British nurses were told they could use the word chestfeeding rather than breastfeeding to be inclusive of transgender people.
The coronavirus has been running rampant for months through Immigration and Customs Enforcement's network of jails holding civil immigration detainees fighting deportation - but the agency has no vaccination program and, unlike the Bureau of Prisons, is relying on state and local health departments to procure vaccine doses. Nobody can say how many detainees have been vaccinated.

The Biden administration says it wants to make every adult in the United States eligible for vaccination by May - and immigration agents have said they would not interfere with efforts to vaccinate undocumented immigrants outside of detention. But lawyers for immigrants who are detained say there is no urgency to vaccinate those in federal custody against a deadly pathogen that can spread fast in confined spaces.

"ICE has no plan to provide vaccines on a systemwide basis," said Melissa Riess, a staff attorney for Disability Rights Advocates in California, one of several nonprofits that filed a federal lawsuit in California seeking the release of detainees with high-risk health conditions. "That's having horrendous consequences. It seems like they're doing nothing."

The California case is one of dozens of legal battles riveted on the immigration agency's treatment of civil immigration detainees during the pandemic. The coronavirus has ripped through many of ICE's detention facilities, infecting nearly 10,000 detainees and killing nine. At least 370 detainees are currently positive for the virus, according to agency records.

Prisons and detention centers - like nursing homes, college dorms and other communal living settings - are places where the virus has spread rapidly because their shared spaces can make it difficult to stay apart. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended vaccinations for people in prisons and jails, but the limited supply so far has led to debates at the state and local levels over who should get them first.

Unlike ICE, the Bureau of Prisons has a program to vaccinate federal inmates imprisoned for criminal cases, and vaccine doses are shipped directly from manufacturers to the prisons. Since staffers come and go, they get the shots first, followed by prisoners. Approximately 14,700 of the 152,000 inmates have gotten the injections so far - a small but growing share that the BOP updates each weekday online.

No similar system exists at ICE, and a Business Insider investigation last monthfound that the agency had no vaccination plan.

Dr. Ada Rivera, a top medical official at ICE, said in the federal lawsuit in California last month that officials told the Department of Homeland Security earlier in the pandemic that they needed thousands of vaccine doses for detainees, and DHS officials relayed that information to those running Operation Warp Speed. But ICE has not received any vaccine doses directly and is relying on state and local health departments to deliver them, an ICE spokeswoman said. Most have not provided any doses.

"Immigration and Customs Enforcement is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody," spokeswoman Danielle Bennett said. "A limited number of ICE detainees have begun to receive the coronavirus vaccine based on availability and priorities for vaccinating individuals in the state where they are currently detained."

DHS declined to comment, and the Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.

ICE runs a network of more than 200 public and privately run facilities and county jails, which at one point during the Trump administration held an average of more than 50,000 people a day, a record high. The agency is now detaining fewer than 14,000 people a day, its lowest average in decades, in keeping with CDC recommendations and court orders. Unlike convicted criminals in federal BOP prisons, immigrants are held for the civil purpose of attempting to carry out their deportations.

Records show that the virus has spread through ICE facilities over the last year, with hundreds infected in states such as Texas, Georgia, Arizona and Virginia.

Eloy Detention Center, in the Arizona desert, is monitoring 47 active coronavirus infections, according to ICE. The South Texas ICE Processing Center outside San Antonio has 38 active cases, while a facility in Batavia, N.Y., has 51 cases.

In Batavia, a small federal detention facility near the Canadian border, detainees said in interviews that they can hear sick immigrants coughing in their bunks. Some moan with headaches.

"I'm trying to stay alive. Right now this place is infested with the virus," Aldwin Brathwaite, 59, a grandfather from Trinidad and Tobago who came to the United States in 1979 with a green card, said in a phone interview this week.

Brathwaite said he has cancer and has been detained since January 2019, longer than he spent in state prison for felony identity theft and other nonviolent crimes. ICE did not respond to his claims. He remains negative for the virus, his lawyer said.

"Honestly, I'm scared," he added. "I don't want to be the first one to die here."

Elvin Minaya Rodriguez, 38, said he is facing deportation to the Dominican Republic because he has a state drug conviction, which he is appealing. He said he is married to a U.S. citizen, has a green card, and has spent two years in detention trying to keep it.

Rodriguez said he wears a mask and tried to stay away from others to avoid becoming infected, though he has a low-paid prison job serving food to other detainees. In late February, his head and limbs throbbed with pain. Phlegm filled his lungs. His pale skin turned red.

"The virus got me," he said in Spanish from detention, where he recovered. "I thought I was going to die."

Without a vaccination, he fears he will catch the virus again. He said he has high blood pressure.

ICE officials say they are taking precautions inside the centers, testing immigrants for the coronavirus and quarantining them upon arrival, and isolating and caring for those who test positive.

"Detainees who test positive for COVID-19 receive appropriate medical care to manage the disease," ICE said in a statement.

But lawyers say immigration officials are still holding too many immigrants at high risk of the disease, making the lack of vaccinations even more pressing.

U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal ruled Wednesday that he would appoint a special monitor to oversee ICE's compliance with his order last year to consider releasing detainees with serious medical conditions or disabilities, calling ICE's latest efforts "exceedingly slow."

"This is particularly concerning as the public health emergency rages on," he wrote.

Other lawsuits are fighting for detainees' health in county jails or federal facilities.

In western New York, lawyers have begged a federal judge for weeks to make sure 85 detainees with medical conditions at the Batavia detention center get vaccinated.

Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo in New York has warned officials that "this is life-threatening stuff," and he told lawyers at a hearing Thursday to vaccinate detainees.

"Guys, this is not rocket science," said Vilardo, who criticized the agency last week for doing "zero" to get vaccine doses. "We can get this done."

Government lawyers said they would abide the court's orders, but in court filings they suggested that the immigrants sue the New York state government to secure vaccine doses instead.

"If we had unlimited resources, we would vaccinate everybody," Justice Department lawyer Adam Khalil said during the hearing Thursday. "Unfortunately, that's not the case."

He said detainees were also spreading the virus by not wearing masks or social distancing.

"You have to take some self-responsibility," Khalil said.

John Peng, a lawyer with Prisoners' Legal Services of New York who is representing the immigrants at the Batavia facility with the New York American Civil Liberties Union, said ICE should ensure that the detainees are protected.

"This is ICE's responsibility," he said in an interview. "The government is choosing to detain someone."
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Accelerated Payments, an SME funding provider headquartered in Dublin, has approached banks in Ireland as it seeks to collaborate with them in providing more funding to SMEs.

Last week, the company, which also has operations in the UK and Canada, announced a collaboration with UK invoice finance company Optimum Finance. The agreement will see the two companies remain separate but work together to provide funding to SMEs, with the partnership meaning they can maximise the amount of working capital clients can access.

Speaking with the Sunday Independent following the collaboration, Ian Duffy, the chief executive of Accelerated Payments, said he wants to bring the model to Ireland and hoped the main banks would consider it.

Id be keen to get the collaboration going in the Irish market with the main banks, he said. I think there is an opportunity, they are more conservative, and they will be maybe constrained from a credit perspective as well The end game should be about getting the SME funded and if on a combined basis we can get a particular small business funded, isnt that success?

He added: We are structured to collaborate with that community. Its not something that has been done in the past, but I do think there is a market opportunity to do it and to do it to the benefit of the SME, ourselves and the bank. If the SME is stronger, then they are going to be in a better position to repay any debt back to the bank over the next two or three years.

Duffy confirmed Accelerated Payments had already approached banks in Ireland regarding the collaboration.

We have made initial approaches, he said. We are in conversations, but there is nothing concrete yet.

Duffy said Accelerated Payments was preparing itself for when there is a transition from public sector Covid-19 supports and lending falls back to the private sector. He expects three things when this happens  a contraction of credit availability in the SME sector, impaired balance sheets among some SMEs creating challenges, and credit insurance becoming less available, or not, for industries such as hospitality and travel.

Companies like ourselves and other players in the SME funding space are going to come across cases that they cant do, he said. By partnering and collaborating, they will be able to bring in other parties that can do it, or may be able to do it on a combined basis.

Duffy said Accelerated Payments had plans to grow its funding book to up to 60m by the end of this year. Up to 75pc of the loan book would be in the UK, around 15pc in Ireland and the balance across the US and Canada.
A crowd of protesters shown in New York City on March 13, 2021. Hundreds of protesters gathered in cities across the US for Breonna Taylor, one year after the Black woman was shot dead by police. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Police confronted protesters at a rally Saturday night for Breonna Taylor in Los Angeles.

Videos posted to social media show a chaotic scene and two protesters clinging to the hood of a police car.

Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of Taylor's death after police fired into her apartment.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Police clashed with some protesters in Los Angeles, California, who were marking the anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death Saturday night, according to videos posted to social media.

About 200 people were reported by local news outlet KABC to have attended a rally near the city's iconic intersection at Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street for Taylor, a Black woman shot dead by the police last March.

Vishal Singh, who was present at the rally in Hollywood, posted a video to Twitter of two protesters standing in front of a Los Angeles Police Department car.

The protesters appeared to block the police car from passing and banged on the hood with their fists.

The two protesters then climbed up on the hood of the car before an officer behind the wheel continued to drive, speeding up and away. One of the demonstrators can be seen in the video clinging on to the hood. The other fell as the car sped away.

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"One of your guys just ran somebody over, are you f------ kidding me right now?" someone can be heard saying in Singh's video.

In another video posted by user Sean Carmitchel to Twitter of the same incident, cries for a medic can be heard after the police car drove away with a protester on the hood.

It's unclear whether there was more than one officer in the car and if either of the protesters sustained injuries.

The LAPD declined Insider's request for comment on the videos.

Singh posted another video that showed officers in riot gear confronting an advancing crowd of protesters, firing a few shots from unidentified devices.

"LAPD throwing down protesters and opening fire at point-blank range," Singh tweeted. "Officers shot, beat, and arrested many activists as well as members of the press who were merely documenting."

Story continues

Los Angeles was one of the many sites of protest against Taylor's death Saturday. Crowds gathered in Taylor's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, in addition to Atlanta, Georgia, and New York City.

Taylor's family sued the city after police officers killed Taylor, 26, in her Louisville home on March 13. The officers, pursuing a narcotics bust, used a "no-knock" warrant, meaning they were not required to identify themselves before entering her home.

The officers fired 32 times and shot Taylor multiple times. They later argued that they were returning fire after one of the officers was shot in the thigh.

An attorney for Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said that Walker fired a shot as a warning to the officers and that the officers did not identify themselves or knock.

One of the officers, Brett Hankison, has been removed from his job. None of the other officers has been arrested or charged with a crime.

The city of Louisville said in September that it would pay her family $12 million to settle their wrongful-death lawsuit. The settlement also includes reforms for Louisville's police department, such as a mandate that all search warrants be approved by a commander before heading to a judge.

Read the original article on Insider
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Covid-19 hospitalizations dropped below 4,500 this weekend, the lowest level since Dec. 5, according to a news release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

As of Saturday, 4,486 people were hospitalized statewide. That includes 927 in intensive care, a number that decreased by 26 in the past day.

Another 62 people have died because of the virus, according to Cuomo. Since the pandemic began, 39,527 people have died, according to state data.

The state confirmed another 5,943 cases on Saturday. Thats based on results from 206,680 test results -- or a 2.88% positive rate. On average, 3.15% of tests have come back positive over the past seven days.

That measure is much lower in Central New York. Here, the share of positive test results over the past week is 0.84%.

Here's a look at the average percent of coronavirus tests that came back positive during the past seven days across New York as of March 14, 2021.Source: New York state

Got a story idea or news tip youd like to share with a Syracuse-area reporter? Please contact me through email, Twitter, Facebook or at 315-470-2274.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/14/2021



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[ Spoilers Warning: This report contains spoilers that reveal if Jovi and Yara are still together and whether the couple had a baby.]

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So are Yara and Jovi still together and married with a new baby, or did the couple break up?

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

has shown Jovi Dufren possibly taking things too far at a stripclub during his bachelor party, so how did that affect his relationship with Yara Zaya ? Are Jovi and Yara still together or have they broken up -- what do the spoilers reveal?Jovi, a 29-year-old who works in underwater robotics from New Orleans, LA, met Yara, a 25-year-old makeup artist from Kiev, Ukraine, through a travel app, and once the pair had "really good sex," according to Jovi, they took vacations together all over the world together.Jovi also visited Yara in the Ukraine multiple times and then Yara got pregnant six months into their relationship."I was dumbfounded, it was so unexpected. This is not what I'm ready for. I thought she was trying to trap me. I thought, 'This is her ticket to America,'" Jovi admitted. "But after the shock wore off, it actually pulled us pretty closer together."Jovi decided to propose marriage to Yara during a trip to Cuba and then apply for a K-1 visa once he returned to America.Yara unfortunately experienced a miscarriage, but Jovi still wanted his life to be with her.Once Yara arrived to America, she disappointed Jovi by wanting to sleep her first night in New Orleans instead of partying with his friends. Jovi began thinking that he and Yara were on different pages.Yara also came to find that New Orleans was chaotic and crazy, and she viewed Jovi's mother Gwen as pushy, especially about Yara and Jovi's wedding.Yara desired a quickie wedding in Las Vegas while Gwen hoped for a grand event for all of Jovi's friends and family. Gwen said Yara was being a bit selfish, but Yara complained she'd never "get married in a trailer park."Yara and Jovi went on to have several disagreements, and Jovi realized he needed to compromise in order to make his fiancee happy in a country that was foreign to her.Yara also still harbored resentment over Jovi leaving her in Albania after her miscarriage -- a series of events Jovi recalled differently. Yara had a fear implanted in the back of her mind that Jovi would disappoint and neglect her again -- and maybe even their future children.Once Jovi left for a month to work on a boat, Yara felt lonely and attempted to befriend Jovi's pal Sara, who warned Yara that Jovi used to be a regular at one of the local stripclubs and "would sleep with" the exotic dancers.Sara also revealed Jovi's ex got so drunk one night that she had pissed herself in bed, and Yara wondered if she was seeing a totally different Jovi. Click here to read Jovi's denial about having slept with strippers, and click here to see his reaction to Sarah throwing him under the bus to Yara.Although Yara said she and Jovi had been "careful" her first month in America, she discovered she was pregnant -- and it was a huge shock to her because she didn't feel ready for a baby!"I am not ready yet. I don't even know if I want to get married and live here," Yara complained.She later added, "I honestly don't even know if [Jovi] wants to settle down with me and [stop] partying all the time. It just makes me feel crazy."Once Jovi found out Yara was expecting, he was also expecting his life to change a lot.Jovi admitted while he wasn't 100 percent ready for a baby, he would be 100 percent ready for Yara. But Yara was envisioning moving back to Ukraine or at least away from New Orleans.At a crawfish boil Yara didn't attend, Jovi's friends all joked that his relationship wasn't going to last and he wouldn't make it more than six months.Jovi insisted he had changed a lot in the last two years, and Jovi's pals agreed Yara must have special powers in order to contain Jovi and his wild ways.While Jovi said he loved to travel, he couldn't picture himself living anywhere else than New Orleans.Jovi and Yara then bickered on the way to their big engagement party that Gwen had planned.Yara called Jovi "an alcoholic," saying a beer was always in her fiancee's hand. Jovi said he wasn't drunk and hadn't been drinking, but Yara was offended that Jovi was treating her like she was stupid."If I was not pregnant, I would be already in Ukraine," Yara said in tears."Not so lucky," Jovi responded."Son of a b-tch," Yara said in tears.Yara lamented before the engagement party, "I'm pregnant; I need support, and Jovi doesn't care about me. And now I need to pretend like everything is good and everything is alright, but no, I don't feel good."Gwen told the cameras that her son and his fiancee really seemed to be in love, but as the couple danced, Yara repeatedly whispered in Jovi's ear, "I hate you."Jovi asked Yara if she wanted to eat, and she replied, "I'm going to kick your f-cking ass."Jovi shared with his parents that night how Yara was pregnant, and they were overjoyed about having a grandchild on the way.But that didn't turn Yara's night around, unfortunately.Yara insisted that she deserved somebody better because she's smart, beautiful and more, but Jovi, for his part, said he was "over" hearing his fiancee complain about him.Jovi asked Yara why she was so mad the morning after, and Yara explained he seemed to care more about his friends than he cared about her.Jovi said between his job and bringing Yara to America, he didn't have much time to spend with his friends and family and so it was difficult to split his time and make everyone happy."English is my first language, I don't know anybody and I'm pregnant. So of course I'm going to be mad. I'm so worried the way he treated me now is how he will [treat] me all the time," Yara said in a confessional.Jovi insisted he wasn't that drunk at the party, but Yara didn't believe him."If you want to be with me, you have to stop the drinking," Yara said, giving Jovi an ultimatum.Jovi thought it was ridiculous he couldn't drink for nine months just because Yara couldn't due to her pregnancy, but Yara said that's what she wanted and needed from him."Is drinking more important to you than all of this stuff?" Yara asked."No, it's not. I thought it was fine; I was not acting stupid," Jovi replied.Yara gave Jovi permission to drink on special occasions but not every day or else he'd be visiting with his child on weekends while living apart from her.Jovi agreed to drink a little bit less and take better care of his wife-to-be, and Yara demanded respect."I just want him to show that me and the baby [come] first," Yara told the cameras.Jovi had another work trip coming up soon, so he and Yara had to get married within two weeks. Jovi felt rushed but said he was going to make things work.A few days after their engagement party, Yara said Jovi was doing more and treating her better. Not only did Jovi try to cook for her one night, but he was also spending evenings at home with her.Jovi said he was beginning to understand the stress Yara was going through of being pregnant in a foreign country without any friends or relatives around, and he intended to be more sympathetic and supportive.Yara, however, didn't like the idea of raising a baby in New Orleans because she said the city was all about partying and drinking. Yara also criticized Jovi for not knowing much about his own culture.Jovi told Yara that they still had nine or 10 months on their apartment lease, and Yara playfully questioned whether she should return to Ukraine because her country is "amazing.""This never was my dream," Yara told Jovi. "[I'm] dreaming about different stuff."Yara, however, said she loved Jovi and really wanted their relationship to work. She still wanted to marry him.When Jovi only had 12 days left in New Orleans before another work trip, Yara said her relationship was much better and Jovi had been treating her very well. Yara was even starting to feel a little better about staying in New Orleans long-term.Yara enjoyed herself at a parade and Jovi hoped she would stay in this good mood because they were leaving for Las Vegas in just a few days for their wedding."I hope I can keep her in a good mood the whole way until we get married," Jovi said.With eight days until her wedding, Yara went shopping for a wedding dress with Jovi's mother Gwen, and Yara sweetly decided to let Gwen attend the wedding since it meant so much to her.Yara picked out a beautiful form-fitted, long-sleeve sequin dress with an open back.When Yara had eight days left on her K-1 visa, Yara slipped and fell in the street and landed on her back.A doctor told Yara that she was fine and the baby was fine, but Yara wasn't feeling well after her fall.Jovi also felt guilt because his bachelor party was supposed to be that night and he'd have to leave Yara behind. Jovi told Yara that he wanted to go to his party but he wanted to be there for her as well.Since Jovi had been great, Yara decided to give Jovi his last night out as a single man -- but "not for a long time." Yara asked Jovi to return home early, like in two hours, and not get drunk. She asked him to only have a few drinks, and Jovi promised to keep things within reason and stay in control.Yara hoped Jovi would think about him, take it easy and be responsible.But Jovi ended up at the local stripclub, which was Jovi's "home away from home," according to one of his friends.Jovi apparently had a great time and determined he could go home a few minutes late. Meanwhile, Yara was waiting for him at the apartment, and her calls went unanswered.At the stripclub, Jovi flirted with a dancer named Carter and his buddy instructed Carter to take Jovi "upstairs" and show him a good time. Jovi joked that his pal was forcing him to interact with the entertainer, but Jovi didn't seem to mind.Jovi and Yara got married within the 90-day period that Yara's K-1 visa allowed and the couple appears to still be together.According to a screenshot posted by Instagrammer John Yates, Jovi and Yara obtained a marriage license on February 13, 2020, In Touch Weekly reported.Yara and Jovi reportedly exchanged vows in a wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, NV, that same month.Yara told Us Weekly in January 2021 she was "so happy" upon learning she was pregnant because she hoped her baby would look as "handsome" or "beautiful" as Jovi, whom she gushed about being in love with "so much."Jovi and Yara reportedly welcomed their first child together only a few months before Season 8 of premiered on TLC in December 2020, according to In Touch.It appears Yara delivered the couple's child in September 2020.Before viewers saw Yara take a positive pregnancy test on 's eighth season, pregnancy rumors began floating around on December 31 when Yara posted an Instagram photo that appeared to show two unique ornaments on a Christmas tree she was posing next to. (Eagle-eyed fans also pointed out the tree looked like it was in Jovi's New Orleans apartment).One of the ornaments was a baby and the other was a pink heart with the word "mom" written on it.Yara also reportedly created an Amazon baby registry last year under the name "Yara Dufren," which seemingly provided evidence she was expecting a child and the couple had tied the knot during her K-1 visa trip to the United States.The baby registry was posted on January 4, 2020, according to In Touch, and the items Yara listed were for a baby girl due in September 2020.The registry has since been removed from Amazon.There is also evidence on social media the couple's relationship is still in good standing. For example, Jovi's Instagram profile picture features Yara.And on Yara's Instagram, her description says, "38 country, traveling with my [love]." Jovi has a similar description on his own Instagram page, saying he's been to 57 countries and is "on an adventure to see the world!"As recently as March 2021, Yara hinted she and Jovi are still in a relationship when she posted a picture of a bedside table decorated with candles and flowers. It appeared Jovi may have served Yara cake and coffee in bed in honor of International Women's Day."Happy International Women's Day, my girls, I hope you made your man buy you flowers," Yara captioned her post."In my country, March 8 is a great holiday when women are treated like queens. Women, be sure your man treat you the right way, buy for you flowers, take you to dinner. I do not feel like this is celebrated enough in America."Jovi simultaneously shared a picture of himself on the same day and advised men to treat their girlfriends or wives the way the women deserve to be treated.In mid-December 2020, Yara posted a picture of herself touching her hair, and an Instagram user noticed an engagement ring and wedding ring on Yara's left hand.But when a fan commented, "Ooooooooo a wedding ring," Yara commented, "Not wedding, this is an ordinary ring, I wear it so that the engagement ring does not get lost, because it is big for me."The fan wrote back that Jovi needs to size the ring for Yara, and she replied, "Hahahahah, i was thinking about that, but I newer have time."And when one fan wrote on Yara's Instagram last year, "I can't wait to see more of you and jovi you two are so cute together," Yara replied, "Thank you."In early December of last year, Yara posted a photo of herself filming behind-the-scenes and wrote alongside it, "I want Jovi to look at me with the same loving eyes as this woman looks at me in the first photo."Yara also uploaded a photo of herself drinking wine with a cityscape in the background, and Jovi commented with the following flirty response: "Dayummmm. Are you single??"Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
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Vietnam saw significant improvements in its cybersecurity landscape in 2020 despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnam ranked 19th worldwide in 2020 in the number of cyber threats, a decrease of 14.2% to 64.35 million, according to Kaspersky Security Network (KSN), a global cybersecurity firm.

In a report, KSN said 39.1% of Vietnamese online users were attacked last year as the country fell two places in the list of the most attacked countries and territories to 19th place.

The Vietnam Security Summit 2020 held on November 10.

KSN also detected 268.51 million local threats in Vietnam, or infections where users are attacked by malware spread offline through removable USB drives, CDs and DVDs, last year, down 27.8%.

Some 64.6% of Vietnamese users are affected by offline threats, the eighth highest in the world. In 2019, the country had ranked sixth.

Malaysia had the highest number of web threats in Southeast Asia with 48.75 million. Singapore had the lowest number of offline incidents in the ASEAN with 4.41 million, KSN said.

Viruses cost Vietnam over US$1 billion last year, cybersecurity firm Bkav said in a report in January.

Last year, Vietnam saw significant improvements in its cybersecurity landscape despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to a coordinated campaign by the government and private partners, said Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager of Kaspersky Southeast Asia.

Enterprises and organizations in Vietnam should pay more attention to the importance of threat intelligence for all industries, which can help further boost their defenses against sophisticated cyber attacks, he added.

Nguyen Khac Lich, deputy director of the Authority of Information Security under the Vietnams Ministry of Information and Communications said that cybersecurity is a national priority.

Ensuring cybersecurity is considered a key factor for successful digital transformation and sustainability, and an important part that cannot be separated from the digital transformation journey, he added.

We are facing increasingly dangerous and sophisticated cyberattacks. Each agency, organization, business, and user must always be ready to respond to threats in cyberspace, Hien stressed.

Hanoitimes
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Imagine being awakened at 3 a.m. by a loud knock on your front door. Struggling to get awake you find a police officer demanding to apprehend your 16-year-old son. He insists on taking him to the police station for questioning. You strongly protest, but in minutes your son is taken away by force from your home.

Its unlikely this scene would play out in homes across the United States today. But in the West Bank of Israel, we find a different story.

Each year, Israeli military detains and prosecutes some 700 Palestinian children, mostly teenagers. Of those detained, three out of four experience physical violence during arrest or interrogation. The end product is traumatized children, many showing the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a flagrant abuse of human rights by the Israeli military.

The United States is complicit in these human rights abuses. We send approximately $4 billion in military aid to Israel each year. If our government would comply with the Leahy Law this aid would be stopped. The Leahy Law was passed in 1998 by Congress; it prohibits the Department of State and Department of Defense from providing military assistance to foreign countries that violate human rights.

Why is our government not complying with the Leahy Law and instead, continuing to send substantial monetary aid to Israel every year? Israel is a country guilty of flagrant human rights abuses against Palestinian children. This is a grave injustice.

Roger J. Olson, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Easy to build, simple to fly, the diamond kite  two sticks crossed and bound together, covered by a diamond-shaped piece of paper  is the most recognized kite shape in the Western world. A woodcut image from the 1600s is the oldest known reference to the diamond kite. And all it requires is a couple of sticks, some newspaper and string.

Now, are you ready for an update? This 21st-century diamond kite is made entirely from newspaper, even the sticks.
AKRON, Ohio  Akron police say a brother and sister  ages 9 and 10  reported missing Saturday by their mother have been found.

Nehemiah Garcia, 9, and Amarra Christian, 10, were found about 11:50 a.m. Sunday at a house on the 800 block of Triplett Boulevard, about one-half mile away from their home, Akron police spokesman Lt. Michael Miller said.

The childrens mother reported them missing about 11 p.m. Saturday, but she said she had last seen them between 5 and 6 p.m. on their block of Barbara Avenue, police said.

Police did not say whether the siblings had a history of running away from home before Saturday night.

More Greater Cleveland crime news:

To chase or not to chase? Cleveland still struggles in deciding when police chases are necessary

Brothers charged with aggravated murder in shooting death of bouncer, patron at Parma bar, police say

Man stabbed at Sportsmans Tavern in Berea, police say
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Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.
The UK's top statistician said today that the 'wonderful' vaccine programme was working to suppress Covid - but warned that a fresh wave of cases in the autumn was inevitable.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond said that the current case rate in England was down to 0.37 per cent - or 6,000 cases a day.

But while this is the lowest since September last year he warned that it was still far higher than the rate was last summer when the first lockdown was lifted.

And he warned that despite the vaccine - which is set to allow almost all Covid rules to be lifted by June, he agreed with Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty that a new wave in the autumn was 'inevitable'.

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Sir Ian, the UK's National Statistician, refused to be drawn into the political row over the speed of Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown by June 21.

But he said: 'The message is good. If you look at our last survey, 400,000 people taking part, we are currently reporting in England, .37 of a percent, that is about 6,000 cases a day.

'Those are rates that we havent seen since late September, with slightly lower numbers in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, but equally they are coming down.

'All of that is good news, but lets just remember that the number of .37 is still very very much bigger than the sort of numbers we were seeing last summer at about .04 of a percent.

'So there is a way to go, I think we are making really good progress, we will be looking very carefully over the next few weeks.'

Professor Sir Ian Diamond said that the current case rate in England was down to 0.37 per cent - or 6,000 cases a day

Asked about Professor Chris Whitty's views on an autumnal resurgence being inevitable, he added: 'I have no doubt that in the autumn there will be a further weave of infections'

Asked about Professor Whitty's views on an autumnal resurgence, he added: 'Chris Whitty is someone to whom I defer on many things. We do need at the moment, properly to understand how the data is moving forward and we need to be really looking at the impact of the wonderful vaccination rollout that we are seeing.

'Having said that we also need to recognise this is a virus that isnt going to go away and I have no doubt that in the autumn there will be a further weave of infections.'

Last week Prof Whitty warned a deadly third wave of coronavirus is inevitable as he defended England's ultra-cautious roadmap out of lockdown.

England's chief medical officer argued 'all the modelling' suggests Covid infections will spike at some point after restrictions are eased, despite uptake of the vaccines being high.

He claimed it was 'perfectly realistic' that tens of thousands more Brits could be killed by Covid because the virus 'will find' people who either have not been vaccinated, or for whom the jab has not worked. He pointed out that even flu claims up to 20,000 lives during a bad year.

But Professor Whitty made clear that because of the highly effective vaccines now in the arms of the most vulnerable, the scale of the next wave of the epidemic will be 'nothing like what we've seen over the course of this winter'. More than 80,000 people have died since the second wave started gathering steam in September.

Professor Whitty maintained that slower was safer when it came to easing the curbs because it gives more time for the vaccine programme to get even wider coverage, telling MPs he would 'strongly advise' they stick to the cautious plan.

Batting away calls for lockdown to be loosened sooner, he warned: 'If you open up too fast, a lot more people die - a lot more people die... I think it's very easy to forget quite how quickly things can turn bad if you don't keep a very, very close eye on it.'
The U.S. Department of the Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, seal hangs on the wall at the Pentagon in Washington on Feb. 24, 2009. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

Marine Corps Command Walks Back Twitter Jabs at Tucker Carlson, Another Civilian

An official Twitter account of one U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) command posted a streak of apologetic messages after its earlier derisive comments targeting a conservative commentator and an apparently random civilian prompted a dose of criticism.

The incident started with Fox News host Tucker Carlsons recent criticism of the Biden administrations handling of military priorities.

Carlson juxtaposed the Chinese communist regime addressing a lack of masculinity in Chinese boys as well as amassing the worlds largest Navy fleet with the Biden administrations focus on accommodating women in the military.

In a recent speech Biden went over the efforts, such as tailoring uniforms specifically for women, designing maternity flight suits, and relaxing hairstyle regulations.

Some of its going to take an intensity of purpose and mission to really change the culture and habits that caused women to leave the military, Biden said.

Carlson commented: So weve got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. Its a mockery of the U.S. military.

While some interpreted the segment as criticizing the administration for distracting the military from its warfighting mission, others interpreted it as Carlson opposing womens playing a role in the military.

On March 12, the Twitter account of II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group posted a picture of a female Marine carrying a fellow Marine.

What it looks like in current armed forces @TuckerCarlson, the post said. Get right before you get left, boomer.

The tweet prompted a mixed response. Some people praised it for supporting women in uniform. Others found it unprofessional.

Please focus on China and not Tucker Carlson, one user commented.

The USMC account came back with a reply, Come back when youve served and been pregnant.

Please focus on China and not me, the user responded.

Virginia Kruta, a Daily Caller editor who had two children while serving in the Army, backed Carlson.

Tuckers point was that the priority should always be mission firstand the current administration is telegraphing a very different set of priorities, she said in a tweet. At no point did he say that pregnant women shouldnt serve or couldnt serve honorably.

The Daily Caller was co-founded by Carlson.

As the critical comments piled up, the USMC account responded:

We are human and we messed up. We intended to speak up for female Marines and it was an effort to support them. They are a crucial part to our corps and we need them to know that. We will adjust fire and ensure the utmost professionalism in our tweets.

In another post it said: Weve strayed away from our brand and realize that. Our standard practices will be in effect and you can count on us to correct our mistake going forward.

Yet another said: We are here to train, fight and win. That tweet was intended to defend our women in uniform. We understand it was aggressive and we will reflect and do better.

The II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group is a regimental level whose job is to provide administrative, training, legal, operational and Area Commander support to USMC personnel and their families, according to its Facebook page.

The USMC didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Carlsons comments also prompted a response from Master Gunnery Sergeant Scott Stalker, command senior enlisted leader of U.S. Space Command.

In a March 11 video post on Twitter he interpreted Carlsons comments as arguing that pregnant women in the military make it less lethal, less fit, and less ready.

He said the military allows female troops to have more time with their children, to recuperate, to get fit and ready, take that time thats necessary that our medical professionals know thats needed, which actually makes us a more lethal, ready, and fit force.

Kruta pointed out that such accommodations are the luxury the military can provide thanks to its manpower and resources to allow pregnant service members to care for themselves and their babies without taking away from the overall mission.

The reason we have that is that we have thus far not allowed our prioritiesmission readiness and strength in combatto be fully compromised by a focus on issues that are irrelevant to the purpose of winning wars, she said in a March 12 op-ed.

All Carlson did was warn Americans that those prioritiesif President Joe Bidens recent comments are any indicationare in danger of being compromised. And he is absolutely correct in that assessment.

U.S. Space Command didnt respond to emailed questions.

Carlson further chided the administration for the recent announcement that the Pentagon would pay for gender reassignment surgery for active-duty personnel.

How do sex changes in the military make this country safer? Thats not a trick question. Its not another volley in the culture war. Its the only question that mattersliterally, the only question that matters. But no one bothered to ask it, probably because no one can remember why the U.S. military exists, Carlson said.

Heres a reminder: the U.S. military exists to fight and win wars. Thats its only purpose. The U.S. military is not an NGO. It is not a vehicle for achieving equity. Its not a social experiment. Its definitely not an employment agency. Nobody has a God-given right to work in the military. No one does, and that includes all of us.
Three-quarters of Italians entered a strict lockdown on Monday, as the government put in place restrictive measures to fight the rise in infections.

A more contagious variant first identified in Britain, combined with a slow vaccine rollout, led to a 15 percent increase in cases in Italy last week, a worrisome picture for the government run by Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

I am aware that todays measures will have an impact on childrens education, on the economy but also on the psychological state of us all, Mr. Draghi said on Friday. But they are necessary to avoid a worsening that will make inevitable even more stringent measures.

Most regions in northern Italy, as well as Lazio and Marche in central Italy and Campania and Puglia in the south, have shut schools and barred residents from leaving their homes except for work, health or necessity. Among business activities, only supermarkets, pharmacies and a few other stores will stay open, but restaurants are closed.
Russias coronavirus case tally rose by 10,083 in the past day, reaching 4,390,608, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Sunday, TASS reports.

In relative terms, the growth rate reached 0.23%.

The lowest growth rates were registered in the past day in the Tuva Republic (0.03%) and the Sakhalin Region (0.04%).

Moscow confirmed 1,905 new COVID-19 cases over the past day. Some 937 COVID-19 cases were recorded in St. Petersburg, 605 in the Moscow Region, 365 in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 245 in the Rostov Region and 240 in the Samara Region.
Washington: Jason Habers day job is selling real estate in New York. But in his spare time he moonlights as a pro bono vaccine broker, helping less tech savvy New Yorkers secure a cherished COVID-19 vaccination slot.

I saw a lot of people online frustrated about failing to get appointments, Haber says.

I am very familiar with navigating these online systems through years of trying to get Bruce Springsteen tickets through Ticketmaster. I thought I could put my Springsteen skills to work to help others get appointments.

When Haber sees a batch of new appointments open up  for example at the Javits Centre, a mass vaccination site in Manhattan  he sends out a call on Twitter for people to send him their details so he can make appointments for them. He recently found himself toggling between four screens in order to book as many appointments as possible.
Cork City Council has defended itself against accusations it is destroying habitats and biodiversity along the route of the Passage West Railway Greenway.

It has come under fire over the number of trees that have been chopped down along the route.

But the council insists a number of them were actually dead anyway and any loss of habitat because of the tree felling will be offset by newer trees planted in place of them.

Work on turning the old Blackrock to Passage West railway line into the Passage West Railway Greenway linking Cork city to Carrigaline started about two weeks ago.

The project is designed to improve the greenway as a dedicated cycling and walking route to and from Cork city and Cork harbour.

In February, the council stated it aims to "increase the greenways function as an avenue for biodiversity/wildlife and green space".

And it said it is also designed "to protect and enhance the ecological, environmental, architectural and archaeological heritage along the route".

A lone tree left standing where the greenway passes behind Ursuline's Secondary School (hockey pitch) in Blackrock. Picture: Larry Cummins

People have, however, been shocked to notice piles of felled trees along the Marina area in recent days.

They include one of University College Corks most eminent lecturers, the plant scientist, Dr Eoin Lettice.

He posted on Twitter photos taken of the Marina area of Blackpool, Cork city, saying: Scenes at the Marina today are a little worrying, to say the least.

And Dr Lettice, who Principal Investigator at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UCC added: The creation of a 'greenway' by destroying habitats and biodiversity.

The tweet was retweeted nearly 200 times and led to a string of comments voicing concern at the number of trees that had been chopped down.

Scenes at the Marina today are a little worrying, to say the least. The creation of a 'greenway' by destroying habitats and biodiversity. And still no sign of the Trees Officer for @corkcitycouncil, as promised. pic.twitter.com/qZDPEArGo2  Eoin Lettice (@eoinlettice) March 13, 2021

Labour local area representative in Blackrock Peter Horgan said: Do we want something that is prim and proper without a single leaf out of place, or do we want somewhere with the wildness of nature at the heart of it?

I would say people want the latter, and would be happy to walk around trees to get to where they need to get to.

Cork City Council says works on the Mahon to Marina section of the wider city centre to Passage West Greenway project is designed to minimise the impact on the existing natural habitat during construction while also improving the natural environment upon completion of the project.

The scene at the Skehard Road underpass, near Blackrock Hall/Aldi. Picture: Larry Cummins

And they state: Ecologists have overseen the design of this project which will see the planting of 65 semi-mature native Irish trees and 2,000-plus tree saplings.

These will, the council says, replace the 46 trees that had to be removed to improve access  some of which were dead trees at risk of falling and poor quality trees.

They added: An ecologist was on site supervising the works for the full duration of the clearance activities."

The felling of trees, etc, was undertaken to avoid the bird nesting season with the final clean up and transportation off-site nearing completion.

Extensive surveys were undertaken in advance of the works, and careful checks were completed prior to the commencement of works to minimise any negative effects on wildlife.

Cork City Council at all times seeks to avoid unnecessary felling of trees.

We were advised by our ecology teams that any loss in habitat will be more than mitigated by the extensive number of new replacement trees which will be planted along the greenway."
Actor Hugh Sheridan just got engaged to boyfriend Kurt Roberts after just four months of dating.

And it's very clear the 35-year-old and his Tik-Tok star fiance are still very much enjoying their newfound love bubble.

Hugh and Kurt, who also works at a bank, looked crazy in love when they were spotted leaving Hugh's show at Adelaide Fringe on Saturday night.

Romance: Hugh Sheridan, 35, beamed as he packed on the PDA with his hunky new fiance Kurt Roberts, 29, at Adelaide Fringe after proposing amid whirlwind four-month romance

The two men were seen putting on a tactile display by holding hands and kissing each other on the cheek.

At one point Hugh put a protective arm around Kurt while he strolled alongside him, while Kurt returned the favour.

For the night out Hugh wore a white short sleeve shirt which was partially unbuttoned and a pair of graphic Camilla shorts.

Loved up: The two men were seen putting on a tactile display with them holding hands and kissing each other on the cheek as they strolled through the festival

He finished his festival-ready outfit with some decorative face stickers, a pair of white socks and white sneakers.

Kurt, meanwhile, covered his fit physique with a graphic long-sleeve Camilla shirt and matching shorts.

He also opted to wear white socks and sneakers to complete his similar look.

Close: At one point Hugh put a protective arm around Kurt while he strolled alongside him, while Kurt returned the favour. The two men looking wildly in love

Hugh proposed to his 29-year-old banker boyfriend during the first night of his new Adelaide Fringe Festival dance show 'Hughman' this month.

The loved-up pair shared a public embrace and a kiss before a besotted Hugh ran back on stage and said: 'I just got engaged!'

Later that same night, they posed backstage for photos as a newly-engaged couple with close pals and fellow performers.

For the night out Hugh wore a white short sleeve shirt which was partially unbuttoned and a pair of graphic Camilla shorts. Kurt also wore a Camilla outfit

Hugh and Kurt are yet to share more photos of their matching bands on social media.

The Packed To The Rafters star recently confirmed he and Kurt had shacked up together in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.

Hugh said the attraction was 'immediate' between the two when they locked eyes at a party at a Darlinghurst mansion previously owned by Baz Luhrmann in November.

Matchy, matchy! Hugh and Kurt opted to wear white socks and sneakers to complete the look

The actor revealed that he was a little forward with his approach to dating Kurt, so he took a step back and enjoyed courting him in an 'old school' romantic way.

Just this week, Kurt, who is the general manager of digital lending at Commonwealth Bank, packed up his stuff and moved into the Hugh's Bondi apartment.

Hugh's relationship with Kurt comes months after he revealed he is attracted to both men and women.

Engaged: Hugh proposed to his 29-year-old banker boyfriend during the first night of his new Adelaide Fringe Festival dance show this month

Hugh spoke about his sexuality for the first time after facing years of scrutiny and speculation, late last year.

In a deeply personal essay for Stellar Magazine, the actor said that while he does not place a label on his sexuality, he has come to accept his attraction to both men and women.

'I've never felt I really knew who I was and I didn't like the sounds of the labels that people were giving me so I decided to say nothing,' he told the magazine.

Hugh added he wanted to make it clear he was 'never ashamed' of his sexuality, but 'some people are working things out slower than others'.
(Natural News) Many small businesses in the United States are not requiring their employees to test negative for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) before they can return to work. These same small businesses have also refused to make getting the vaccine mandatory. This information is according to the Census Bureaus Small Business Pulse Survey.

The Census Bureau conducted the survey from Feb. 15 to 21 and released the results on Feb. 28. It collected data from over 25,000 respondents with the goal of measuring how the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. has affected small businesses and if they have had to change the way they operate due to the virus. (Related: Experts worry vaccine passports may be discriminatory, but governments are moving ahead with them anyway.)

The survey found that, a whopping 70.1 percent of small businesses nationwide did not require a negative coronavirus test from their employees. Only 10 percent said they required a negative test while 19.9 percent answered that the question was not applicable to their situation because their business did not have employees physically coming to work in the last week.

When asked whether they would require their employees to show proof that they have received their coronavirus vaccinations, 78.4 percent of small businesses said they would not require it and only 2.2 percent said they would. The remaining 19.4 percent replied that the question was not applicable because employees did not come to work during the week of the survey.

There are also differences across sectors both when it comes to requiring a negative COVID-19 test and proof of vaccination.

In the healthcare industry, 4.9 percent of businesses required their employees to present proof of vaccination, which is the highest percentage across all business sectors covered by the survey. It is followed by the accommodation and food services sector at 2.4 percent, the construction sector at 2.3 percent and the information technology sector at 2.2 percent. The national average is 2.2 percent.

The healthcare industry also leads all other sectors in requiring employees to test negative for COVID-19 before physically coming to work, with 15.5 percent of businesses requiring a negative test result. This is followed by the accommodation and food services industry at 14.3 percent, the construction industry at 11.7 percent, the manufacturing industry at 11.3 percent, the retail industry at 10.2 percent and the utilities at 10.1 percent. The national average is 10 percent.

The results of the survey came as the countrys vaccination drive picked up speed and a third vaccine  made by Johnson & Johnson  had been given an emergency use authorization.

Johnson & Johnson has promised to ship nearly four million doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the U.S. during the first weekend of March. The company has promised to deliver about 16 million more by the end of the month and a total of 100 million by the end of June.

Many business owners still unsure whether to require coronavirus vaccinations for employees

Andrew Geller, a dentist, initially did not feel comfortable requiring his staff to get vaccinated because of his concerns regarding the available coronavirus vaccines. But he was convinced to require the shots after he did extensive research. Now, the 23 employees of Geller Family Dental must submit proof of vaccinations before they can return to work.

The process of requiring the vaccines involved coercing some of his employees who were uneasy about taking the vaccines.

I did my best to ensure them that this was going to maintain the health and safety of their families, said the dentist, whose practice is based in Bronxville, New York. It took a little bit longer for some to make an appointment, but they did, thankfully.

Many other businesses are allowing their employees to decide for themselves whether or not they get the vaccine.

Finally Restaurant Group, which operates 15 establishments in five states and is based in Bozeman, Montana, is providing all of its employees with information regarding the vaccines and time off for employees who want to get them, but isnt mandating it.

Were letting them know what their options are, and they can make choices themselves, said Ashley OBryan, Finally Restaurant Groups director of human resources.

As more coronavirus vaccine doses become available, many business owners are deciding whether or not to require their workers to get the vaccine. If they decide to mandate the shots, they need to figure out how to deal with employees who use their rights to refuse the vaccines.

The survey found that, nationally, only around two percent of employers have required their workers to have proof of COVID-19 vaccination before physically coming to work.

Because of the format of the survey, it is not certain how many employers will end up requiring staffers to get the vaccine in the future. Many companies havent made a decision yet.

According to the guidelines published by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency that is meant to enforce civil rights laws and protect employees against workplace discrimination, business owners can require most of their workers to get vaccinations.

Employers cannot require inoculations for staffers who object under religious grounds and for workers who have medical conditions protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Workers covered by the ADA are also protected from being fired by employers, and owners must find what the law calls a reasonable accommodation to allow them to keep working.

Workers who are not covered by the ADA can be dismissed for refusing to get vaccinated.

The employer has the latitude under the [EEOC guidelines] to keep the workplace safe, said Jerry Maatman, an employment lawyer based in Chicago. But Maatman said employers should be cautious with dismissing workers over vaccinations due to the possibility of raising issues regarding their rights, as rightfully disgruntled former employees will likely take their concerns to court.

These rulings are going to take place in the second and third quarters [of the year], said Maatman.

Maatman is one of many legal and human resources workers who have spent the past few weeks advising businesses before employers decide to either discipline or outright dismiss employees over vaccinations. They have been issuing recommendations, including creating companywide policies and providing each staffer with a copy and explaining in detail why the bosses believe the inoculations are necessary.

Others are providing significant incentives to get vaccinations. Knead Hospitality & Design, a restaurant corporation based in Washington, D.C., is providing hourly employees four hours pay and salaried employees a day of paid time off if they get vaccinated. The company is refusing to mandate the vaccines.

There are a lot of people out there who are vaccine hesitant for religious and ethical reasons, said Knead Hospitality & Design co-founder Jason Berry. I dont think its our job to tell people how to live their life.

Learn more about Americas vaccination program by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Portal.Census.gov

FDA.gov

APNews.com
Amnesty International is criticizing Zimbabwe's plan to evict 12,000 members of the Shangani indigenous minority from ancestral land. Zimbabwe's government this week indicated the evictions, which will make way for animal feed production, will go ahead despite a court order to halt the move.

Robert Shivambu, Amnesty International's spokesman for Southern Africa, said Zimbabwe should stop the planned evictions of the Shangani people, who live in Chiredzi districts Chilonga village on the border with Mozambique. The villagers are being kicked out to make way for grass production to make animal feed for a dairy company.

"Zimbabwe authorities are attempting to remove Chilonga people from their homes to make way for commercial interests without offering them any alternative accommodation," he said. "The affected people are anxious and have nowhere to go. Forced evictions drive people into poverty and destroy livelihoods. Zimbabwe authorities have [a] grim history of not observing due processes when evicting people, including failing to consulting affected communities or offering alternative place of accommodation when carrying out evictions."

Livison Chikutu, 44, is unemployed and one of 12,000 Shanganis set to be evicted, along with his wife and four children.

Speaking from Chiredzi via a messaging application, he said an eviction would leave them homeless.

"The government is against the people," he said. "They are doing so because we are a minority tribe. This area of ours is very rich, especially in terms of the soil  black soil. So, the government just wants to shift us. In other words, they are saying go back to Mozambique, where historically we are said to be coming from."

Chikutu and Amnesty International say authorities are harassing the indigenous minorities despite a March 6 court order that suspended the planned eviction.

Ezra Chadzamira, President Emmerson Mnangagwa's representative in the area Chiredzi falls, refused to comment on the allegations but defended the planned evictions this week to journalists.

He said production of alfalfa in Chiredzi is a welcome development, as people there raise cattle and goats. They will get feed for their animals, said Chadzamira, and they will also become employed. He laso said some Shangani people will become alfalfa growers.

Chadzamira insisted the government is not evicting people, just realigning settlements so there is land for alfalfa production and animal grazing. He said it's a development initiative that will lift people up.

Not everyone agrees with the governments positive spin on the project.

The issue dominated debate in Zimbabwes parliament this week.

Independent lawmaker Temba Mliswa opposes to evicting the Shangani people.

"They have been there for a long time, many years," he said. "They are 12,000 of them, plus those who live off them. It will be 50,000 and over one person? Have we now got to a point of reversing the land reform? What is the cost of 12,000 people, vis-a-vis one farmer? The government has enough farms to be able to give. Identify and give it to him. We cannot afford to reverse the land reform. The gains of the struggle. What are the people of Zimbabwe going to be left with?"



Zimbabwe's government said it would address the concerns about the evictions in due course, but didn't give a specific time frame.
Kohima: Naga group NSCN-IM on Sunday (March 14) appealed to the Central government to resolve the decades-long insurgency problem of Nagaland, but made it clear that any solution outside the purview of the 2015 Framework Agreement will not be acceptable to it.

In a statement, the NSCN-IM also asked the Centre to be "more positive and sincere" in finding a solution to their demands.

The NSCN-IM said it has been more than five years since the signing of the framework agreement in 2015 between the group's general secretary Thuingalen Muivah and central government's interlocutor R N Ravi, who is currently Nagaland Governor, in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As agreed, the group said that within this framework agreement, both the parties are required to work out the details and execution plans for early implementation.

"We call upon the Government of India to be more positive and sincere. We believe there is no human problem which cannot be resolved with human wisdom pregnant with mutual respect and equality asHon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often quoted. We are for peace and progress," the statement said.

However, the NSCN-IM made it clear that "any formulation or proposal from any quarter which is outside the parameter of the framework agreement shall not be acceptable to the NSCN in particular and the Naga people in general".

The Central government recently had told Parliament that talks with the NSCN-IM and other Naga groups are at an advance stage but did not give details of the negotiations, nor any timeframe to complete the dialogue.

The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years, with the first breakthrough made in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland which started soon after India's Independence.

However, the talks with the NSCN-IM is currently going nowhere as the group has been insisting for a separate Naga flag and constitution, a demand rejected by the Central government.

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JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Kosovo opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem on Sunday, joining the United States and Guatemala as the only countries with embassies in a city whose status is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Muslim-majority Kosovo promised to locate its embassy in Jerusalem when it established diplomatic ties with Israel last year under U.S. sponsorship.

Kosovo's Foreign Ministry said on Twitter that with the embassy's opening, "the pledge given in the Oval Office today is finally fulfilled".

Israel sees its new ties with Kosovo as part of its broader normalisation with Arab and Muslim countries under agreements sponsored by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the opening of Kosovo's embassy in Jerusalem contradicted U.N. resolutions and aimed to "weaken the Palestinian cause".

No date was immediately announced for a formal opening ceremony.

On Thursday, the Czech Republic opened a diplomatic office in Jerusalem, a branch of its embassy in Tel Aviv, a move that drew condemnation from the Palestinians and Arab League.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to forging a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who with broad international backing want East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, as their capital.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem after the 1967 conflict in a move that has not won international recognition.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Nick Macfie)
Oslo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2021 ) :Norwegian health officials reported three more cases of blood clots or brain haemorrhages in younger people who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab, but said they could not yet say they were vaccine-related.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency said similar incidents had been reported in other European countries. While there was no proof of a link to the vaccine, anyone under 50 who felt unwell and developed large blue patches after vaccination should seek medical attention.

The World Health Organization said no causal link had been established between the vaccine and blood clotting after Denmark, Norway and Iceland on Thursday temporarily suspended the use of the vaccine over concerns about patients developing post-jab blood clots.

A number of other countries have also suspended use of vaccines from one batch.

The manufacturer and Europe's medicines watchdog have meanwhile insisted that the vaccine is safe.

Denmark was first to announce its suspension, although it stressed that the move was precautionary, and that "it has not been determined, at the time being, that there is a link between the vaccine and the blood clots".

On Saturday, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said it had "received several adverse event reports about younger vaccinated people with bleeding under the skin (tiny dots and /or larger blue patches) after coronavirus vaccination.

"This is serious and can be a sign of reduced blood platelet counts," it said.

"Today, we received three more reports of severe cases of blood clots or brain haemorrhages in younger people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine. These are now receiving hospital treatment," it addedGeir Bukholm, director of Infection Control and Environmental Health at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said that following the decision to suspend the jab, it was now "the Norwegian Medicines Agency's role to follow up on these suspected side effects and take the necessary measures".

AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish company which developed the vaccine with Oxford University, has defended the safety of its product.
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Indias draft to prevent creation of digital monopolies and aid local startups may raise costs and stymie expansion plans at companies such as com Inc. and Inc.

The draft rules seek to prescribe a code of conduct for online retailers and define cross-border flow of user data, according to a note titled Draft Ecommerce Policy, a copy of which was seen by Bloomberg Prime Minister Narendra Modis government --beset by complaints from its traditional vote base of small retailers -- has been framing rules to reduce the dominance of and Walmart-owned Flipkart in Indias estimated $1 trillion overall retail market. The latest proposals build on laws that curb the two U.S. companies from offering deep discounts, deter exclusive arrangements with preferred sellers and investing in merchants offering products on their websites.

The new comprehensive e-commerce policy will address growth and aim to reduce prevalent market distortions, the note said. The nine-page document formed the basis of a discussion by officials of various ministries at a meeting on Saturday called by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade in Indias Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

The draft proposals seek to ensure algorithms created by e-retailers do not discriminate against sellers. They also call for associates of companies including and be governed by the same e-commerce regulations.

The sector has evolved rapidly and brought major regulatory challenges such as maintaining a level playing field, influence of monopolistic tendencies and a need to maintain symmetric information to exert free choice, and the loss of business for the small retail trader segment, according to the draft.

The draft e-commerce policy has been under discussion within various ministries and departments of the government for more than a year. A spokesman for the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade said he couldnt comment on the note or the meeting since he wasnt present.The government also wants to ensure that data emanating from India is for local entities first. Among the safeguards being considered are regulating cross-border flow of data of Indian users and audits.

Violation of safeguards shall be viewed seriously and attract heavy penalties, according to the note.
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's 'vaccine czar' has admitted to calling up county officials to gauge their support for the embattled Democrat, leading to concerns that distribution of doses could be tied to political support.

Larry Schwartz, head of the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, admitted to the Washington Post that he made the phone calls, but insisted his political outreach was entirely separate from the vaccine plan.

It comes as Cuomo faces deepening isolation, after a flood of sexual harassment allegations on top of accusations that his administration covered up pandemic death statistics in the state's nursing homes.

As prominent Democrats across the state call on Cuomo to resign, Schwartz made calls to county officials to feel out their support for the governor.

Larry Schwartz (left), head of the New York's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, called local officials to gauge their support for embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo

Cuomo faces deepening isolation, after a flood of sexual harassment allegations on top of accusations that his administration covered up pandemic death statistics in nursing homes

The calls were so unsettling to one Democratic county executive that the local official filed notice of an impending ethics complaint with the public integrity unit of the state attorney general's office.

The county executive was fearful that the county's vaccine supply would be cut off in retaliation by a vengeful Cuomo, the person told the Post.

'At best, it was inappropriate,' said the executive, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation. 'At worst, it was clearly over the ethical line.'

'This is putting me in an impossible position where I potentially have to choose between like a weird political loyalty to a governor who controls a lot of things, not just vaccine, and is known to be vindictive, and on the other side, doses of lifesaving vaccine every week for my residents who are literally desperate for them,' the person said.

Schwartz said that he made the phone calls as a longtime supporter of Cuomo, and did not discuss vaccines on the calls.

'I did have conversations with a number of County Executives from across the State to ascertain if they were maintaining their public position that there is an ongoing investigation by the State Attorney General and that we should wait for the findings of that investigation before drawing any conclusions,' he said in a statement to the Post.

One county executive was fearful after Schwartz's call that the county's vaccine supply would be cut off in retaliation by a vengeful Cuomo. Above, Schwarzt is seen with Cuomo

Vaccines are administered in New York. Schwartz insisted that the state's vaccine plan is based on population figures and a county's administration rate

'I did nothing wrong,' Schwartz said. 'I have always conducted myself in a manner commensurate to a high ethical standard.'

Schwartz is one of Cuomo's longtime aides, and served as secretary to the governor from 2011 to 2015.

He joined the administration last spring to help in the state's pandemic response, and has been one of Cuomo's closest advisors, even moving into the governor's mansion at one point during the crisis.

Schwartz insisted that the state's vaccine plan is based solely on population figures and a county's administration rate.

'It's not based on favoritism, politics or anything else,' he told the Post, also protesting the fact that his 'accuser' was speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Cuomo has long been accused of practicing a vindictive brand of politics.

Ron Kim, a New York state assemblyman, in February accused Cuomo of threatening to 'destroy' him over his criticism of the nursing home deaths scandal. Cuomo's aides deny the threat.

On Friday, Cuomo rejected calls to resign on a call with reporters, vowing to remain in office. He was later seen pacing the grounds of the governor's mansion in Albany huddled inside a blanket.

Cuomo was seen pacing the grounds of the governor's mansion in Albany huddled inside a blanket on Friday

Leaders in the state Assembly on Thursday announced an impeachment investigation, a first step toward potentially removing Cuomo from office.

If Cuomo were impeached by the Assembly, state law might force him to step aside immediately - a dramatic difference from what happens when the U.S. president is impeached.

A section of the state's judicial code regarding impeachment states: 'No officer shall exercise his office, after articles of impeachment against him shall have been delivered to the senate, until he is acquitted.'

According to the state constitution, the lieutenant governor would then take over.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul has maintained a low profile amid the furor, as she has throughout Cuomo's term.

Even politically astute New Yorkers know little about Hochul, a former town council member in Hamburg who later served as the Erie County Clerk. She also served 18 months in Congress after winning a special election, but failed to secure reelection.

Hochul briefly acknowledged the storm swirling around Cuomo on Tuesday, issuing a statement expressing faith in the state attorney general's independent investigation into his workplace conduct.

'I trust the inquiry to be completed as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible,' she wrote. 'New Yorkers should be confident that through this process they will soon learn the facts.'
An excursion by the wives of Western miners in Korea in the early 1900s / Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



Some of the most successful and famous silver and gold miners in the United States in the late 19th century were Irish or Irish Americans. Thus, it is not surprising that there were a large number of them in Korea in the early 20th century working for the American-owned gold mining companies. One of these early Irish-American miners was Martin McMahon.



McMahon was born in Limerick, Ireland, on Feb. 20, 1870, and his family immigrated to the United States in 1881 and settled in Colorado  a state associated with mining. Naturally, at some point, McMahon became a miner and then fell in love with an Irish Canadian girl (five years his junior) named Mary Bel  who apparently liked to be called Molly.



They started their family in Leadville, Colorado, and soon had three sons: Thomas (1895) Martin (1902) and Edward Alexander in 1906. McMahon seems to have been fairly successful with his finances and owned a couple of houses and lots in their city but could not resist the call of adventure and wealth in a far-off land.



In 1907, McMahon accepted a position in northern Korea with the American-owned Oriental Consolidated Mining Company (OCMC). The OCMC was the largest and wealthiest of the foreign mining concessions on the Korean Peninsula and had a rapidly growing settlement of Westerners  complete with luxuries unheard of in other parts of the country and even in many parts of the United States.





One of the mills at the Oriental Consolidated Mining Company (OCMC) in northern Korea circa 1905 / Robert Neff Collection



In August, he and a group of men left Denver and traveled to San Francisco by train and then steamship to Korea via Hawaii and Yokohama, Japan. A hometown newspaper declared:



"The boys are all guaranteed a $4.50 a day job and board, with all transportation paid both ways, but they must stay three years with the company, and are assured of better pay after showing that they understand mining thoroughly and can take hold of the work for the company."



Unfortunately, we don't know much about McMahon's trip to Korea or even his impressions of Korea as, unlike many young American miners, his letters were not copied in his local paper. We do know, however, that he seems to have found the conditions good enough to send for his wife and children  they probably arrived in the summer of 1908 (may August).



For many Western women, life at the mines was difficult  what with the snakes in the attics, wolves and tigers prowling the wilderness and bandits ambushing the unwary in desolate places  but Molly seems to have had very few problems. In fact, there was something magical about living in Korea and in the summer of 1909 they were blessed with a daughter  Florence.



Their delight was short-lived. By early 1910, McMahon was plagued with "repeated illness of various kinds" and probably began to miss a lot of work  which meant he was not getting paid. It is easy to imagine Molly (who, despite having servants, was exhausted by caring for their four children  Florence was now a toddler) was greatly distressed by her husband's drastically deteriorating health.





A view of the American-owned mining concession (OCMC) in northern Korea in the 1920s or 30s / Courtesy of the Woodham family



Fortunately, the OCMC had an excellent young physician named Joseph W. Nolan. No one had a negative word to say about Dr. Nolan and his work, only positive. In a five-year period, Dr. Nolan treated more than 18,000 patients and some of his feats were almost god-like.



In 1909, a Korean miner, upset with family affairs (and probably aided with a liberal amount of soju) took a knife and slashed open his abdomen "so that his intestines were nearly exposed." The American doctor quickly attended him and had him "wholly healed within one month."



During that same winter, an American foreman and two Korean miners were badly injured in an explosion in the mine. The American "had one of his legs broken and the Koreans their skulls fractured, were successfully treated by the surgeon and had their injuries healed."



Yet, despite Nolan's skill, there was nothing that could be done for McMahon who was diagnosed as having an acute case of Bright's Disease  an old term for kidney disease. I wonder when McMahon actually knew he had kidney disease  did he know before he came to Korea or after he arrived?



By Oct. 5, 1910, he had grown so sick that he was bedridden and Nolan became a frequent visitor to his bedside. It isn't clear if he was in the company's infirmary or at home  I like to think he was at home and being cared for by his wife. Over the next two weeks McMahon's condition worsened and Nolan recalled that on Oct. 20 he treated the sick miner who was obviously in great pain. It was the last time Nolan would see McMahon alive.



At 4:30 in the morning of Oct. 21, a shot rang out. McMahon was dead from a self-inflicted wound to the head from his revolver. In his medical report, Nolan noted that McMahon had "marked suffering coupled with a knowledge that the end was a question of but few hours." He concluded his report with: "I do not think he took his life in a moment of mental unbalance but that he did it to end his suffering."





One of the rolling mills at the OCMC in the 1920s or 30s / Courtesy of the Woodham family
Another half-dozen historic sites have been added to a network started by South Carolina's Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.

The Beaufort-based park tells the story of Reconstruction, the period of history immediately following the Civil War, through several official park sites and the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, a coalition of places and programs that advance the goal of telling "a more accurate and complete story of American heritage," according to park superintendent Scott Teodorski.

That currently includes 67 public and private locations spanning 27 states and the District of Columbia.

Other fellow National Park Service-managed sites were added first, followed by the first eight community sites in December. All are in South Carolina, and six of the eight were historically Black colleges and universities, including Claflin University in Orangeburg and Benedict College in Columbia.

Likewise, all six newly added network locations are found in the Palmetto State.

They include the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, the site of one of the first schools established at the dawn of the Reconstruction era. The center also highlights Gullah-Geechee culture, and one of the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park's own sites, Darrah Hall, is located on the Penn Center's grounds.

Also near the park's headquarters, the Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park on Hilton Head  the site of the countrys first self-governed town of formerly enslaved people  and the Wesley United Methodist Church in Beaufort, which served as a school for African Americans during Reconstruction, have been brought into the network.

Additions stretched beyond the Lowcountry, too. In Orangeburg, the residence of the Rev. Nelson C. Nix, a founding educator of South Carolina State University  another community network member  was added.

Two Richland County sites were also included: the Historic Harriet Barber House in Hopkins and the Museum of the Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Home in Columbia.

The Hopkins home and farmstead has remained in the family since Harriet and Samuel Barber, both of whom were formerly enslaved, purchased it during the Reconstruction era.

Columbia's Reconstruction museum is a relatively new name that reflects an updated mission for the former president's residence, one that recognizes, for example, that Wilson segregated the federal workforce during his presidency.

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Wilson lived in the Columbia home from 1871 to 1875 during his teenage years under Reconstruction.

More historic sites will continue to be added. The National Park Service accepts applications for inclusion in the network on a rolling basis.

Digital display

Charleston's International African American Museum has curated its first digital exhibit.

Through a partnership with Google via the internet giant's Arts & Culture platform, museum leaders curated images and information about Sol Legare Island, an 860-acre area on James Island.

The exhibit focuses on the Seashore Farmers' Lodge, which is described as the "heart" of a community predominantly populated by descendants of the African American Freedmen who founded it.

After the Civil War, Sol Legare became a rural agricultural community, and the organization helped it to "survive and thrive," according to the exhibit. Though the structure fell into disrepair over the years, descendants of original lodge members worked for years to have its history recognized  it was added to the National Register of Historic Places  and to eventually fully restore and reopen it as a museum and cultural center in 2011.

The exhibit also highlights nearby Mosquito Beach, one of the only recreational beaches in the area open to African Americans during the Jim Crow era.

One of the goals of the museum, its leaders have said, is to create a hub-and-spoke model where visitors will come to the museum and get inspired to visit other historic sites, like Mosquito Beach or the Seashore Farmers' Lodge featured in the new online exhibit.

A South Carolina-themed gallery in the new museum will have a digital table with an interactive map of the state to help facilitate that goal.
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SANTA FE  A proposal advancing toward passage in the Senate would bar criminal defendants in New Mexico from asserting the discovery of a persons gender or sexual orientation caused them to harm the victim.

The legislation, Senate Bill 213, picked up bipartisan support Saturday as it cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee without opposition. Its next stop is the full Senate.

The proposal would also need House approval by next Saturday to reach the governors desk.

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In an online hearing Saturday, supporters of the legislation shared stories about the terror of seeing people targeted for their sexual orientation.

A dear friend of mine was burned to death in his car for coming on to somebody, Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerrillos, told her colleagues. The persons defense was that he panicked when he was approached by a man. It just wasnt appropriate.

Marshall Martinez of Equality New Mexico said he was afraid to come out in high school after the 1998 torture and death of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student killed in Wyoming.

I lived three years without telling my best friend, my mom, that I was gay  that entire time believing my humanity, my worthiness of being protected from violence, Martinez said, would be decided not on what happened to me, but based on something I could not control, my sexual orientation.

Senate Bill 213 would prohibit a defense based on a defendants discovery or knowledge of a victims gender or sexual orientation. It would also prohibit a defense based on the defendant having been propositioned in a nonthreatening manner by a person of the same gender or a person who is transgender.

Sen. Jacob Candelaria, an Albuquerque Democrat who pushed to get the bill heard by the committee, said the practical effect of the legislation would be to ban use of the queer panic defense.

Without the prohibition, he said, criminal defendants could claim they lost control and werent responsible for harming a victim upon discovering the persons gender, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.

This defense implies that LGBTQ lives are worth less than others, Candelaria said.

The co-sponsors of the measure are Candelaria, Stefanics and Sen. Leo Jaramillo, D-Espanola.

After last years election, four LGBTQ lawmakers joined the Legislature this session, bringing the total to six.

Stefanics said in an interview that her friend was beaten and burned in Albuquerque in the 1990s.

It was horrifying and shocking, Stefanics said. At the time, people werent out to protect gay people.
How important is it for women to serve as judges in the United States?

Northampton County Judge Paula Roscioli thinks Ruth Bader Ginsburg summed it up nicely.

The late U.S. Supreme Court justice was asked when thered be enough female judges on the U.S. Supreme Court. When would she be satisfied?

When there are nine, she said.

There might not be nine women on the U.S. Supreme Court, but women are making an impact on the Pennsylvania bench.

Today 30% of Pennsylvanias active judges are women, according to information provided by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. The numbers were released for Womens History Month.

The first woman to serve as judge, Sara M. Soffel, took the bench 91 years ago in Allegheny County.

Also:

Three women serve among the seven justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The majority of the judges now serving on the Pennsylvania Superior Court (71%) and Commonwealth Court (67%) are women.

Thirteen women serve as president judges in the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas.

Retired Northampton County Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden was president judge during her tenure.

Roscioli acknowledged the progress made and hopes that some day the state bench will reflect the states population.

Im certainly happy to see more women are out there and have been elected to the bench, but I think it goes beyond that. We need to see more diversity on the bench, she said. There has never been a Black or Latino judge in Northampton County.

I definitely think its wonderful that we have more women represented on the bench. I simply think that the diversity in the courts in general is important, Roscioli said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com.
A powerful cyber force is to be established by Boris Johnson in the North of England as part of a new drive to combat the growing threat posed by China and Russia.

The Prime Minister will combine his twin goals of tackling the North-South divide and equipping the UK to meet increasingly complex security challenges by building a cyber corridor along the electorally crucial Red Wall seats in the Midlands and the North which gave him his Commons majority.

A review of the countrys future defence requirements, being launched on Tuesday, will single out China in particular as posing the most serious geopolitical threat to Britain, through espionage, hacking and the soft power of its economic expansionism.

The Prime Minister has been keen to direct new Government investment  including flagship infrastructure projects and Whitehall departments  outside London, as part of his levelling up agenda

Manchester has the fastest-growing digital sector in Europe, with 15 per cent of its population employed in the technology sector

The headquarters of the National Cyber Force (NCF)  created last year to conduct targeted online operations against terrorists, hostile states and criminal gangs  will be situated in the North of England as part of the cyber corridor.

Manchester has the fastest-growing digital sector in Europe, with 15 per cent of its population employed in the technology sector.

The NCF will build on the work of GCHQ, which already has an office in the city, by merging intelligence and defence specialists under a single, unified command.

Its experts will specialise in areas such as the interruption of hacking attempts by foreign powers, preventing terrorists from communicating with their contacts and protecting military aircraft from targeted weapons systems.

Minerals at risk Britain must collaborate to prevent China gaining control of minerals in Greenland vital to defence and telecommunications, says a report. The Polar Research and Policy Initiative think-tank calls for the Five Eyes security alliance, comprising the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, to strengthen ties with Greenland. Conservative MP Alexander Stafford, who has called for Commons debate on the UKs strategy for critical minerals, backed the call, saying: We need to move quickly to secure these minerals or else the security and safety of our future energy needs would be put at risk. China already controls around 80 per cent of the worlds supply of 17 rare earth metals, and has used its dominance in disputes. Advertisement

The 100-page review  Global Britain in a Competitive Age  will be announced by Mr Johnson in a Commons statement. With four chapters on science and technology, the open international order of the future, security and defence, and building resilience at home and overseas, it was described by a Whitehall source last night as the most comprehensive articulation of a foreign policy and national security approach published by a British Government in decades.

General Sir Patrick Sanders  who oversees cyber, Special Forces and intelligence as head of Strategic Command  said yesterday that the UK needed to focus more on algorithms and cyberwarfare rather than the size of the military and conventional weaponry, with artificial intelligence becoming the nations modern deterrence.

Sanders said that China and Russia had changed the terms of the international order. He added: Both are gaining a decisive advantage in information age military technologies. The consequence has been a succession of strategic surprises, the erosion of strategic advantage and the loss of initiative.

Unchecked, it is not unthinkable that we will find ourselves vulnerable in time to a fait accompli, where as a nation we have capitulated without a shot being fired, he told The Times.

The Prime Minister has been keen to direct new Government investment  including flagship infrastructure projects and Whitehall departments  outside London, as part of his levelling up agenda.

Mr Johnson said: Cyber power is revolutionising the way we live our lives and fight our wars, just as air power did 100 years ago.

We need to build up our cyber capability so we can grasp the opportunities it presents, while ensuring those who seek to use its powers to attack us and our way of life are thwarted at every turn.
New Delhi: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday (March 14, 2021) said that she is contesting from Nandigram in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly election to work along with members of Shaheed families against the 'anti-Bengal forces'.

Mamata Banerjee's comment comes on a day that marks 14 years of several people being killed in firing at Nandigram.

She called it a 'dark chapter' in the history of the state and also paid a heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo took to her official Twitter account and wrote, "On this day, in 2007, innocent villagers were killed in firing at Nandigram. Many bodies could not be found. It was a dark chapter in the history of the State. Heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives."

On this day, in 2007, innocent villagers were killed in firing at #Nandigram. Many bodies could not be found. It was a dark chapter in the history of the State. Heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives 1/3  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 14, 2021

She added, "In memory of those who lost their lives in Nandigram, we observe March 14 as Krishak Dibas every year and give away the Krishak Ratna awards. Farmers are our pride and our government is working for their all-round development."

"As a mark of respect and encouraged by my brothers and sisters of Nandigram, I am contesting Bengal Elections 2021 as AITC official candidate from this historic place. It is my great honour to be here and work along with members of Shaheed families against anti-Bengal forces," Mamata wrote.

As a mark of respect and encouraged by my brothers and sisters of Nandigram, I am contesting #BengalElections2021 as @AITCofficial candidate from this historic place. It is my great honour to be here and work along with members of Shaheed families against anti-Bengal forces 3/3  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 14, 2021

The West Bengal CM, who was injured and hospitalised on March 10, is likely to conduct a roadshow in Kolkata, in a wheelchair on Sunday.
Naperville police said the driver spoke to the juvenile through the passenger side window of a white panel van and instructed the child to get into inside about 2:40 p.m. The child went home, and police were contacted.
Turkey is to announce today that British tourists will be welcome in the country this summer without having to show a vaccination certificate.

Visitors from the UK may not even need to produce a negative PCR test for Covid.

The move puts further pressure on the British Government to allow international travel from May 17.

A house is pictured above in the town of Kas. Turkeys Safe Tourism Programme includes giving all those who work in hotels and other tourist-related businesses priority to receive a jab before the start of the summer season

Tourism minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the successful vaccination programmes ongoing in both the UK and Turkey will ensure this season is even safer than last year.

More than 2.5million Britons visit Turkey every year and one in ten jobs there is connected to tourism.

Mr Ersoy added: We have world-class border processes for ensuring travel will be low-risk throughout the country...we will not require vaccination passports from international travellers when entering the country.

On the question of PCR tests, the minister said it would be re-evaluated after April 15.

However he expects there to be no such requirement from British visitors as the UK Government is rapidly, and impressively, rolling out vaccination for the whole nation and a significant portion of the population will be vaccinated by early summer.

Turkey is to announce today that British tourists will be welcome in the country this summer without having to show a vaccination certificate. The popular tourist city of Bodrum is seen above

Turkeys Safe Tourism Programme includes giving all those who work in hotels and other tourist-related businesses priority to receive a jab before the start of the summer season.

It also promises to provide testing for tourists before they return to countries such as the UK with these tests at hotels or airports costing approximately 25.

Until now PCR tests for a family of four can cost as much as 500.

Tui, the worlds largest tour operator, said it had seen a surge in bookings to popular Turkish coastal resorts even before todays announcement.

This is great news because our bookings to Turkey have been incredibly strong, second only to Greece, said a spokesman.

Were committed to working closely with the Government so our customers can look forward to a much-needed holiday abroad this summer.

Turkeys green light to UK visitors follows on the heels of similar declarations from Spain, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and France.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is leading a travel taskforce and is due to announce on April 12 when international travel can resume. He has, however, confirmed that this will not be before May 17.

Meanwhile a number of airlines have been trialling apps which could be used as proof of vaccination.

Yesterday it was reported that British Airways will launch a digital vaccine passport by May 17 allowing travellers to upload details of their coronavirus jabs or testing on their smartphones.

The airline is also offering passengers who need a negative test before returning to the UK a 33 DIY antigen test kit to take away with them.

Britain has developed a strong leadership position and we want to take that forward into restoring travel, said chief executive Sean Boyle.
Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully

Armenia health minister: Improper storage of fallen soldiers bodies, remains was my omission

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia President to children: I believe that you will make our country much better

Armenia CEC publicizes complete lists of political forces registered to run in snap parliamentary elections

World oil prices going up
Margaret Maggie Moseley-Farley and Donald Don Farley, Waverly Twp., will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary Saturday.

They were married March 20, 1991, at 9 p.m. in the Little Chapel of Flowers, Las Vegas, and took a wedding trip to Mexico. The couple held a wedding reception in May 1991 with friends and family in Baltimore, Maryland.

The couple met in Baltimore when the bridegroom was working at City Paper, a Times-Shamrock Communications publication, and the bride worked at Alter Communications.

They have a son, Jesse, Waverly Twp.
Srinagar, March 14 : A US-made M4 carbine rifle was recovered from the terrorist of the Lashkar-e-Taiba killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Sunday, officials said.

Police said based on specific input regarding presence of terrorists in village Rawalpora of Shopian, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by the police, the army and the CRPF on Saturday.

During the search operation, the presence of terrorists was ascertained and they were given opportunity to surrender, but instead fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which retaliated, leading to the gunfight, a police official said.

Due to darkness, the operation was suspended but the cordon remained intact throughout night.

Police said on Sunday morning, repeated announcements were again made appealing to the hiding terrorists to surrender but they fired on the joint search party which retaliated. So far one terrorist identified as Jahangir Ahmad Wani, son of Abdul Rehman Wani and resident of Rakh Narapora Shopian, affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT was killed.

Police further added that as per police records, the killed terrorist was active since September 2020 and was involved in several terror crime cases including attacks on security forces and civilian atrocities.

"Arms and ammunition including USA made M4 Carbine rifle and other incriminating materials were recovered from the site of encounter so far. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe his complicity in other terror crimes," police said.

"During the encounter, three houses caught fire while as a group of miscreants tried to disrupt the operation and created law and order problem near the encounter site during which some miscreants were also injured. However, to track the other hiding terrorists, cordon and search operation in the area is still on."
Our advice columnists have heard it all over the years. Each Sunday, we will be diving into the Dear Prudie archives and sharing a selection of classic letters with our readers.

Dear Prudence,

My 6-year-old daughter has beautiful blond hair and blue eyes. She gets compliments regularly from people on how pretty she is and basks in the attention. She attends a small private school and there is a little boy in her class who is black. He is sweet, well-mannered, and has a great sense of humor. His parents are lovely people. The problem is that over the last two years my daughter has been making comments about peoples skin, particularly addressed to this little boy. These comments are along the lines of, I dont want to sit by him because he has dark skin. Her teacher and I have sat down to discuss this with her and explain that this behavior is unacceptable to no avail. The other day she watched the beginning of Love Actually with me and she commented that the interracial couple shouldnt be getting married because they dont look right together. Obviously my method of teaching her to treat everyone equally and be accepting of all different people is not working. Her school is getting more concerned, although they know I am trying my best to combat it. Do I just hope she grows out of this, or is there something else I can do?

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What a win-win this is for an attention-loving child. Usually she can just show up, and like a quokka, know that there will be oohs and ahs at the pleasure of gazing upon her. But since her classmates and teachers are accustomed to her looks, she may find school less gratifying. Then one day she stumbles upon the realization that if she says something awful about the color of a classmates skin, a stunning amount of attention comes her way. Sure its of the negative kind. But if you enjoy being the focus of things, you take what you can get. I spoke to Molly McDonald, a licensed marriage and family therapist in West Hartford, Conn. She says once the original explanation that everyone deserves to be respected didnt extinguish the behavior, the continuing focus on your daughters transgressions became a kind of fuel. McDonald says both you and the teacher need to redirect your own behavior in order to change your daughters. McDonald says to think of her comments as being equivalent to a tantrum and thus best ignored. For example, when your daughter said the couple in the movie didnt belong together, you should have either said nothing, or replied nonchalantly, Oh, I think they look nice, then refuse to discuss it further. You should talk to the teacher about her doing her best to not respond to your daughters rude remarks in the moment. But later in the school day she should discuss generally that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness.

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McDonald also suggests engaging in role-play at home with your daughter. You say youre going to play a game in which you pretend to be some of the other kids in the class, and shes going to show you how she acts when shes playing nicely. Then, playing the black classmate, ask her to sit next to you. If she does, you give her a hug and tell her shes being a good friend. You tell her how happy youll be if you hear from the teacher that when shes in school shes being a good friend there. If the teacher does tell you things have improved, give your daughter a reward, such as a small bauble, to reinforce the behavior. McDonald also says it might be worthwhile to check into whether your daughter is getting some of her noxious ideas from someone in her life, possibly a relative. Ill add that since you have a daughter who likes the limelight, find productive ways to turn it on her. Praise the funny story she wrote or colorful drawing she made. Teach her to help you make dinner and tell her what a good cook shes becoming. Let her see that what she accomplishes is more important than how she looks. Emily Yoffe

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From: Help! I Cant Stop My Young Daughter From Making Racist Comments. (Feb. 7, 2013)

Dear Prudence,

Ive been married happily for more than a decade and my husband and I are in our 30s with young children. We have an active bedroom life, and work together to keep our relationship and love life intact. My husband likes sexting (what man doesnt?) and I usually dont. I have to be in the right mood for it, and usually during the day Im busy with work, errands, etc. Im uncomfortable sending pictures of myself or saying things Im not really thinking or feeling. I do indulge when Im in the right mood, but most of the time when he asks, I just dont want to! Recently, in a text conversation, he hinted toward it, I changed the topic (my gentle letdown tactic), he asked outright, and I told him to stop pressuring me. He said he didnt like being accused of pressuring me, and we argued. Is this something I should do as part of my wifely duties even though I dont want to? Is there any way to feel less resentful about it?

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For some people, one of the pleasures of sex is not having to form coherent sentences. Also, since most of us are bombarded all day with electronic communications, getting demands to write sexy texts, or send risque photos while at work or at the grocery store, is not an erotic enterprise. You two need to talk this outand not right after having a spat about it. Tell your husband you want to accommodate his sexual desires, but sex is a mutual enterprise and for you, his enjoyment of sexting feels burdensome, not stimulating. Theres also the issue of your not wanting to get caught doing things during work that could compromise your employmentwhich also goes for your husband. You both need to understand and accept each other without pressure or resentment, and I hope your husband can openly and sensitively hear you out. (And he better not threaten to take his sexting needs elsewhere!) In any case, if there isnt an app for this there should be, something with canned phrases (I cant wait to get home and see you standing at attention, you big, big ) you can generate while standing in the check-out line. EY

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From: Help! My Husband Pressures Me to Sext With Him. (March 3, 2015)

Get Dear Prudence 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.

Dear Prudence,

I live in a small town, and recently a number of local doctors signed a petition against Planned Parenthood, based on proven lies and obfuscation of facts. I was horrified to find a number of my own providers on the list, including a physician at my group OB practice. I am pregnant with my second child now, but long ago I had an abortion. I feel legitimately concerned about the quality of care I might receive if my OB knows I had an abortion (I disclosed this on my medical history). Im almost into my third trimester, but Im completely panicked about the potential of a doctor who may judge me or even deny me crucial medical care if something devastating were to happen during my pregnancy. I want to switch practices, but my husband thinks I am overreacting. There are not many other OBs in town. Should I talk to someone at the practice about my concerns? Am I being unreasonable here?

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I think its perfectly fine for you to talk to your primary physician in this group practice, one who didnt sign the letter, about the concerns it raised for you. Explain that of course doctors are free to sign petitions and letters, but you were disturbed that physicians would sign onto a letter that was demonstrably false. You can add that because you had an abortion, and that fact is in your chart, you were concerned about the care you might get from the doctor in the group who signed the letter. Im sure your doctor will reassure you about the group practice and about the professionalism of the doctor who signed. That should reassure you that no matter what the doctors personal beliefs, you do not have to worry about the level of care you will receive. Having done that, I think you should then let this go. You are near the finish line, and you have doctors you like. I agree with your husband that there is no reason to create a major disruption now in your care. EY

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From: Help! I Just Found Out My Obstetrician Is Anti-Abortion. Is It Too Late to Switch Doctors? (Oct. 27, 2015)

Dear Prudence,

I dont get along with my sister-in-law. She adores my brother and makes him very happy so I try to be friendly when I see her, but now that weve moved back to his hometown and she lives just a few miles away, its gotten much harder. She criticizes my taste in furniture, my clothes, and my cooking. I try to deflect the comments, but she will not let it go. Recently, my husband and I adopted two rescue dogs and posted pictures of them in Facebook. I then get a text from my sister-in-law telling me that I have to change the names of my dogs because she is going to use those names for her kids, and that she is now pregnant but I cant tell anyone. This is ridiculous and I dont know what to do. Do I just ignore her and hope it goes away? Share the text and get raked over the coals for spoiling the pregnancy surprise? Post tons of pictures of my dogs and refer to them as my babies? I have to live with this woman in my life and I dont want to hurt my brother but I am not changing the names of my dogs.

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This is a sister-in-law for the record books! Ive heard of plenty of fights over baby names, but Ive yet to come across the dog-versusunborn baby combo, where the dogs in question have already been named and the baby does not yet exist. I almostalmostadmire her ability to mine conflict from a seemingly peaceful landscape. As tempting as it might be to start rubbing Ruby and Synthesizer in your sister-in-laws face, I think gentle nonengagement is the row to hoe here. Were not going to change the dogs names, but congratulations on your pregnancy! What exciting news. Dont get drawn into an argument or an explanation for your behavior, because what shes asking is so absurd that the only response it merits is a flat refusal. There is a nonzero possibility that this pregnancy is invented solely to try to get you to do what she wants, which is why she asked you and not your brother, and why shes swearing you to secrecy now. Perhaps Im being paranoid, but your sister-in-law has already displayed a propensity for the irrational, and its quite a coincidence she favors the name of both your pets, not just one. Plenty of dogs have human names and vice versa; your sisters children, whenever they come into being, will have to share their names, no matter how unique, with any number of other humans and animals. Theyll be just fine. Danny M. Lavery

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From: Help! My Sister-in-Law Says We Stole the Names of Her Future Children for Our Dogs. (Sept. 22, 2016)

From Care and Feeding

I hate playing with my kids. Theyre 3 and 6, and I find it torturous. They beg and beg till I give in, and within five minutes Im snapping at them and having to use breathing exercises because I just want to scream and punch walls. I hate myself for not being a better parent. I cuddle them and read to them and fix their boo-boos, I help them with homework and take them for walks and check on them at night, but I hate pretending to be a cat or playing Twister. All the books say that they need quality time with parents. Am I screwing my kids up for life?
Getting all Australians jabbed with two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine by October is not being ruled out if CSL can ramp up its production of the AstraZeneca type locally.

Health secretary Brendan Murphy raised doubts about the October target last week when facing a Senate inquiry.

The first AstraZeneca doses that are being produced in Australia are expected to be available the week after next, and Prof Murphy said he is now working with CSL to increase their production.

He said if production of the vaccine remains as it is, there may be some Australians who have to wait for a second jab in the weeks after October.

'If we get extra AstraZeneca production from CSL, I imagine all Australians will potentially have received it by the end of October,' Prof Murphy told reporters at a Sydney clinic where Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly received their second Pfizer jab on Sunday.

Mr Morrison said the critical factor in controlling the pace of the vaccination program is the supply and the production of vaccines

Getting all Australians jabbed with two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine by October is not being ruled out if CSL can ramp up its production of the AstraZeneca type locally

Health secretary Brendan Murphy raised doubts about the October target last week when facing a Senate inquiry

The Morrison Government is providing a further $1.1 billion to extend the national Covid-19 health response until the end of the year.

This comes on top of the $22 billion already spent to date, including more than $6 billion to support the virus vaccine rollout.

'Australia's suppression strategy has been extremely successful to date, particularly when compared with the devastation caused by the virus in many places overseas,' the prime minister said.

'Australia's remarkable performance in saving lives is evident - we have the second lowest case rate and third lowest mortality rate amongst countries in the OECD.'

Mr Morrison said the critical factor in controlling the pace of the vaccination program is the supply and the production of vaccines.

'That is the critical swing factor,' he told reporters.

It is estimated that Australia is 3.1 million doses short of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the initial phases of the rollout.

Mr Morrison said Health Minister Greg Hunt and Prof Murphy would be providing regular updates on the vaccine rollout from Monday week.

But Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said Australia is not in a better position than the rest of the world with regard to the vaccine rollout.

He said the government had said four million people would have got their first jab by the end of this month but with just over two weeks to go, only about 150,000 people have been vaccinated.

'We are way way short,' he told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program.

'We had Scott Morrison in his usual way say that black is white and suggest that he hadn't really meant that everyone would be vaccinated by October when they have said they would on multiple occasions.'

The government is also ramping up its campaign against misinformation on the Covid-19 vaccines with a new website - 'Is it true' - on www.health.gov.au/covid19-vaccines.

The Morrison Government is providing a further $1.1 billion to extend the national Covid-19 health response until the end of the year

The first AstraZeneca doses that are being produced in Australia are expected to be available the week after next

'This new function will provide trusted, credible information on Covid-19 vaccines for everyone in Australia,' Mr Morrison said.

'It will sort the fact from the fiction.'

Meanwhile, NSW's 56-day run of no locally acquired coronavirus cases has come to an abrupt halt after a person who works in two quarantine hotels contracted the disease.

NSW Health said the source of the Sydney worker's infection remains unclear, and the testing of their close contacts is underway.

Mr Morrison confirmed that the person had been vaccinated.

Prof Kelly explained there is a time lag between getting the vaccine and the protection kicking in.

'Once you are vaccinated you still have to try and observe as you should the Covid-safe behaviours,' Mr Morrison added.
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Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has signed an agreement with Dubai Courts facilitating electronic linking of pre-marital screening certificates and processes.



It is mandatory for couples to undergo a pre-marital health examination to screen for certain genetic and infectious diseases. At DHA, the screening is available across primary healthcare centres. After the screening, DHA provides a pre-marital certificate electronically. The move has cut down processes from 12 to just three simple steps.



Now, the DHA has moved one-step further by linking the electronic premarital certificate with Dubai Courts to provide customers with added convenience; reduce waiting time and enhance overall efficiencies.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Dr Manal Taryam, CEO of Primary Healthcare Sector at the Dubai Health Authority and Mohamed Ahmed Youssef Al Obaidly, CEO of the Case Management Sector at Dubai Courts in presence of a number of officials from both sides.



Dr Taryam said: In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the MoU aims to foster cooperation and coordination between the government entities in Dubai. We look forward to collaborating and developing joint operations and services, especially digital services, to improve the customer journey in line with Dubai paperless strategy and to enhance the quality of life index.



Al Obaidly highlighted that such cooperation is in line with the vision of the leaders, the Dubai Paperless Strategy and Smart Dubai. It helps drive the digital ambitions of both entities and is aimed to provide added convenience to customers.



In line with the three-year MoU, both parties have collaborated to link the pre-marital certificate.



Dr Suad Hashim, Head of Specialized Clinics Section & Consultant Family Physician at DHAs Primary Healthcare Sector said: The electronic transformation of pre-marital screening service greatly improves customer journey and satisfaction, saves the customers time and reduces any inconvenience. As part of the transformation and collaboration, customers and Dubai Courts will receive the electronic premarital screening certificate. Moreover, this is in line with the Dubai Paperless Strategy and we are keen to continue our digital healthcare drive to better serve patients and improve efficiencies and healthcare management.  TradeArabia News Service




Met Police officers shoved women, pinned protestors to the ground and 'elbowed people in their faces' at a vigil to mourn the death of Sarah Everard, onlookers claim.

A crowd of around 1,500 people gathered at Clapham Common in south London to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive.

But scuffles broke out as police surrounded a bandstand covered in flowers left in tribute.

Officers have been blasted for using heavy-handed tactics which critics dubbed 'quasi military'.

Horrifying footage taken on the night shows a row of mask-wearing police officers yelling 'move back' as they shove protesters away.

Other clips showed demonstrators being hauled off by officers as chilling screams ring out through the crowd.

Met Police officers shoved women, pinned protestors to the ground and 'elbowed people in their faces' at a vigil to mourn the death of Sarah Everard, onlookers claim. Pictured: Stark images showed demonstrator Patsy Stevenson being held on the floor by police last night

A crowd of around 1,500 people gathered at Clapham Common in south London to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive. Pictured: Police arresting a demonstrator

Scuffles broke out as police surrounded a bandstand covered in flowers left in tribute. Pictured: Police arresting a demonstrator

Crowds of mourners started chanting 'arrest your own' and 'shame on you' as scenes quickly turned violent. Pictured: A woman being arrested

Police detained a woman as people gathered at a memorial site in Clapham Common last night

Police were seen clashing with demonstrators in Clapham Common during the Sarah Everard vigil

Police are seen arresting a women during clashes with demonstrators at a Sarah Everard vigil in London

Demonstrators are seen clashing with police officers in Clapham Common last night during a vigil

Officers are seen grabbing demonstrators who desperately cling onto railings where floral tributes and messages were laid.

Some women reach their arms out to fellow protesters to stop them being taken, but are hauled away behind a line of uniform-clad police.

Witnesses said women were 'elbowed in the face' by police for helping others off the ground - with one reportedly left bleeding.

One attendee claimed that, when confronted about elbowing a girl, an officer 'smirked' and said 'that's a shame innit'.

Tensions were sparked when dozens of police officers moved in on the bandstand at the vigil in a bid to block access to speakers.

Crowds of mourners started chanting 'arrest your own' and 'shame on you' as scenes quickly turned violent.

A detained person sits in a police vehicle as people gathered in Clapham last night

Officers have been blasted for using heavy-handed tactics critics dubbed 'quasi military'. Pictured: Police arresting a demonstrator

Clips showed demonstrators being hauled off by police officers (one pictured) as horrifying screams ring out through the crowd

Londoners were mourning the death of Ms Everard after police confirmed human remains found in Kent belonged to her - and serving police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, was charged with her kidnap and murder.

Protest movement Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach in coronavirus restrictions.

After the clashes, organiser Jamie Klingler said the force's handling of events was a sign of the 'systemic ignoring and oppressing of women'.

Stark images showed demonstrator Patsy Stevenson being held on the floor by police last night.

Speaking today, Ms Stevenson told left-wing blog Counterfire that she attended the gathering in Clapham Common in support of women who cannot walk down the street by themselves 'because of the fear of men'.

She said she was arrested 'for standing there, I wasn't doing anything, they threw me to the floor'.

The vigil was planned for Saturday in memory of marketing executive Sarah Everard, who disappeared while walking home to Brixton on March 3

A sketch of Wayne Couzens, 48, a firearms officer from Scotland Yard's elite Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, appearing in court this morning

Witnesses said women were 'elbowed in the face' by police for helping others off the ground - with one reportedly left bleeding. Pictured: Police at the scene

One attendee claimed that, when confronted about elbowing a girl, the officer 'smirked' and said 'that's a shame innit'. Pictured: Police at the scene

When asked what demonstrators should do next, she said 'bigger protest'.

Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird QC said there was no real prospect of police successfully intervening in the crowd in Clapham on Saturday night, describing the circling of the bandstand as 'quasi military'.

She said: 'To push people away seems to me to be a dreadful piece of misjudgment. Are they really improving the chances of Covid not spreading by putting their knees in the middle of the back of young women, and putting their hands in handcuffs? It didn't seem to me to be the right thing to do.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said she is seeking a 'full report' on events, describing footage from the vigil as 'upsetting'.

Speaking today, Ms Stevenson (pictured during her arrest) said she attended the gathering in Clapham Common in support of women who cannot walk down the street by themselves 'because of the fear of men'

People attend a vigil by a band stand in Clapham Common after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled in London

Reclaim These Streets organiser Jamie Klingler said after the clashes: 'I think we were shocked and really, really sad and to see videos of policemen handling women at a vigil about violence against women by men... I think it was painful and pretty triggering to see.' Pictured: Police at the scene

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on the Commissioner to 'consider' her leadership of the force, adding: 'Cressida Dick has lost the confidence of the millions of women in London and should resign.'

But Labour has not called for Dame Cressida to resign, with shadow domestic violence minister Jess Phillips saying: 'The reality is if Cressida Dick stays or goes (it) doesn't make women in this country more safe, and that's what I want to talk about.'

She said there were 'so many missed opportunities throughout the day for police to work with organisers to create a completely safe vigil so that people could go and have a moment of sorrow and a moment of resistance'.

Conservative MP for Folkestone & Hythe Damian Collins said: 'Appalling scenes in Clapham last night of aggressive police action at the vigil for Sarah Everard & a justificatory statement from the Met using the language of the abuser to its victims over the years - it's your fault, you made us do it. They need to be held to account for this.'

Londoners were mourning the death of Ms Everard after police confirmed human remains found in Kent belonged to her - and serving police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, was charged with her kidnap and murder. Pictured: Police during the clashes

Officers pinned women to the ground to handcuff them - and London Mayor Sadiq Khan later slammed the police's 'unacceptable' response as 'neither appropriate nor proportionate'. He added that he was in contact with Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. Pictured: Police at the vigil

In the early hours of Sunday, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said police were put into a position 'where enforcement action was necessary'. Pictured: Police and demonstrators clash at the scene

A woman is seen being hauled away by uniformed police officers in Clapham today. She was attending the Sarah Everard vigil

Crowds of people clashed with police officers last night. Some people attending the vigil did not wear masks

Reclaim These Streets organiser Jamie Klingler said after the clashes: 'I think we were shocked and really, really sad and to see videos of policemen handling women at a vigil about violence against women by men... I think it was painful and pretty triggering to see.'

Earlier yesterday, during more peaceful scenes, a maskless Duchess of Cambridge made a brief and unannounced visit to Clapham Common to lay daffodils in tribute to Miss Everard.

Kensington Palace said Kate Middleton 'remembers what it was like to walk around London at night before she was married' and 'wanted to pay her respects to the family and to Sarah'.

The visit came after a planned vigil was cancelled, with organisers citing the police's 'lack of constructive engagement' to help make it Covid secure. Instead, officers gathered in force to break up the growing crowds

Safeguarding minister Victoria Atkins told Sky that the majority of women on Clapham Common had a 'peaceful experience'. But she added: 'These scenes we have seen later on in the day and in the evening are very upsetting. I take it seriously and the Home Secretary takes it seriously.'

Asked about a photograph showing a woman being pinned to the ground by a police officer she added: 'That photograph is something that the police will have to explain in their report to the Home Secretary.

Kensington Palace said Kate (pictured) 'wanted to pay her respects to the family and to Sarah', reported Sky. 'She remembers what is was like to walk around London at night before she was married,' the palace added

Well-wishers gather beside floral tributes to honour murder victim Sarah Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common in south London on March 14

Jess Phillips on the BBC1 current affairs programme, The Andrew Marr Show, where she called for better funding and resources for education to prevent violence against women

'She was only walking home': Floral tributes are placed at the bandstand in Clapham Common on Sunday, March 14, 2021, in memory of Sarah Everard

'Any policing of large event is difficult at the best of times, but we are in a pandemic with all the rules that flow from that.'

Ms Atkins was asked on Sky News if Cressida Dick should resign. She said: 'I really want to support the Home Secretary in her request to have a report from Cressida. The police have got a tough job in policing the coronavirus pandemic more generally at the moment.

'I think this morning, given how difficult last night was, after what has been an incredibly upsetting week, I'm keen we don't pre-empt that report and that we give the Met Commissioner the chance to explain what happened last night.'

Officers pinned women to the ground to handcuff them - and London Mayor Sadiq Khan later slammed the police's 'unacceptable' response as 'neither appropriate nor proportionate'. He added that he was in contact with Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick.

Calls for Cressida Dick to resign have been growing after police manhandled screaming women in extraordinary clashes with demonstrators at a vigil to mourn the death of Sarah Everard (pictured: Cressida Dick urging mourners not to attend the vigil)

A woman reacts as she mourns at a memorial site at the Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, Britain March 14

People mourn at a memorial site at the Clapham Common Bandstand, following the death of Sarah Everard

A fundraiser set up by Reclaim These Streets for women's charitable causes passed its target of 320,000 on Saturday evening, and now has more than 470,000 in donations.

In the early hours of Sunday, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said police were put into a position 'where enforcement action was necessary'. She said: 'Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19.

'Police must act for people's safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe.

'Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items.'

The force said it will conduct an inquiry into what happened and 'accepts the actions of our officers have been questioned' but added officers wanted to 'act to ensure public safety'.
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Some 2,000 people gathered in The Hague on Sunday to protest against the Dutch government and its coronavirus lockdown.

Several people carried a homemade banner with the words 'Love & Freedom: No Dictatorship' written on it in Dutch, while many others carried yellow umbrellas.

Another demonstrator carried a makeshift set of stocks with a photo of prime minister Mark Rutte's head stuck in the middle and a sign saying: 'If you love the Netherlands, vote them out.'

A heavy police presence ringed the park where the demonstrators gathered, and police tweeted before the scheduled start of the event that the maximum number of participants had already been reached. Hundreds more people arrived after the tweet.

Although the protest was generally peaceful, police tweeted that they had arrested one man for attacking an officer with a stick.

Trains heading to The Hague were halted to prevent more people making their way to the city.

Anti-lockdown protesters and police officers at the Malieveld, The Hague, The Netherlands, on the eve of the Dutch elections

Pictured: Dutch police fight with a demonstrator during a protest against coronavirus lockdown in the Hague this afternoon

Police warned people not to attend the event but hundreds more continued to arrive. Pictured: Dutch riot police appear to kick a man during the demonstration which saw thousands gather to protest against the government's Covid-19 restrictions

Dutch riot police advance through a cloud from fireworks as they break up a demonstration to protest government policies

Infection rate in the Netherlands remains high. Pictured: police uses a water cannon and dogs to break up the demonstration

Dutch anti-riot police officers detain a man during a demonstration against Covid-19 measures at the Malieveld in The Hague

Dutch police say the demonstration was largely peaceful. Pictured: Officers detain a man during the protest on Sunday

Smaller demonstrations have taken place in Amsterdam in recent weeks, with riot police repeatedly called in to disperse protesters who refuse to leave.

They reflect a growing impatience among a small section of society at the lockdown that has seen businesses including bars, restaurants and museums shut down since mid-October.

Despite the lockdown, numbers of infections remain stubbornly high, and more than 16,000 people are confirmed to have died with Covid-19 in the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, party leaders took to the airwaves to seek the support of undecided voters but also to start jockeying for position ahead of the formation of the country's next governing coalition.

In a television talk show airing on Sunday evening on national broadcaster NPO1, Christian Democrat leader Wopke Hoekstra said he would prefer to continue ruling in the outgoing four-party coalition led by Mr Rutte.

Mr Rutte said in turn that the Christian Democrats were the most natural partner for his conservative People's Party for Freedom of Democracy.

A protester moves towards a Dutch anti-riot police officer as Dutch force moves in to break up the large demonstration

Smaller demonstrations have taken place in Amsterdam as some of the population grow impatient at the government's rules

Police clash with demonstrators during a protest against coronavirus disease restrictions in The Hague this afternoon

A heavy police presence ringed the park where the demonstrators gathered before officers moved in to break up the protest

Dutch anti-riot police officers in formation at what they say was largely peaceful protest which took place Sunday afternoon

Pictured: Anti-lockdown protesters and police officers at the Malieveld, The Hague, The Netherlands this afternoon

Many protesters held up signs and banners urging people to vote against the country's current government in the election

A man sits down during a protest with a yellow umbrella - an item which has been used to symbolise political weakness

A record 37 parties are taking part in the election for the 150 seats in parliament's lower house. Pictured: riot police move in

'This is a real bromance,' Jesse Klaver, leader of the Green Left party, said.

The comments foreshadow what could be a lengthy process of forming the next coalition after three days of voting wraps up on Wednesday night.

A record 37 parties are taking part in the election for the 150 seats in parliament's lower house. The party that wins the most seats will be first in line to lead talks to form the next coalition, but with so many parties likely to enter parliament it could be difficult to form a coalition that commands a majority.

If, as polls predict, Mr Rutte's party emerges with the largest number of seats, he would be in a position to form his fourth ruling coalition and become the Netherlands' longest-serving premier.

A limited number of polling stations are opening on Monday and Tuesday, primarily to allow people considered vulnerable to coronavirus to vote. Wednesday is the main day of voting and results are likely to be known Wednesday night and into Thursday.
Will Facebook, Twitter, Instagram be banned in India? Check new IT Rules, Regulations and Penalties 2021

Will Facebook, Twitter be banned in India? What are the new rules and here is what the companies are saying

Twitter reacts to new IT rules, says potential threat to freedom of expression

Never threatened any social media platform staff with jail: Centre

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 14: The government has never threatened employees of any social media platform, such as Twitter, of jail term, the IT Ministry has said.

Reacting to reports that alluded to Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter employees being threatened with jail term, the Ministry said social media platforms are "obliged to follow the laws of India and the Constitution of India, just like all other businesses in India have to."

"As has been conveyed on the floor of Parliament, users of social media can criticise the government, the Prime Minister or any Minister but promotion of violence, rampant communal divide and stoking the flames of terrorism will have to be reflected upon," it said.

The government had ordered Twitter to take down hundreds of posts, accounts and hashtags, that it saw violating rules. Twitter initially did not fully comply but fell in line after the government showed the rule book that contained penal provisions.

The IT Ministry went on to state that the recent guidelines pertaining to social media simply require the platforms to put in place a robust grievance redressal mechanism for users.

"None of the government communications, either written or oral, have ever threatened the employees of any of the social media platforms of jail term," it said.

"The government welcomes criticism and dissent. However, of late, repeated instances of abuse of social media to foment hate, discord and violence by terrorist groups from outside India and circulation of morphed images of women, revenge porn posing threat to the safety of users especially women users have become grave concerns," it said.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 14, 2021, 16:06 [IST]
Beleaguered in the pandemic and thrust into the spotlight by the 2020 election, the United States Postal Service now finds itself competing for its share of the vaccine.

The Postal Service has endured tumultuous months amid a significant increase in online shopping, understaffing, government funding issues and an explosion of mail-in ballots during a contentious election. Thousands of postal workers have contracted the coronavirus, and more than 150 have died. Still, fewer than half of the states across the country  at least 22  have begun administering shots to Postal Service workers, at least in some counties, even as they rapidly expand access to more groups of people, according to a New York Times survey.

Postal workers are among several categories of essential workers that a committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that states prioritize early. In a letter penned to the Biden administration in January, Mark Dimondstein, the president of the American Postal Workers Union, noted that numerous states have not followed this recommendation and have chosen to place postal workers further down in the order of those with early access to the vaccine.

Postal workers might not have to wait too much longer to be vaccinated. On Thursday, President Biden promised to bring cohesion to the national rollout, directing states to make every adult eligible by May 1, and announcing a series of initiatives to ramp up the pace of vaccinations.
An Indian climate activist linked to Greta Thunberg said on Saturday she felt "violated" by her arrest last month on sedition charges and her treatment by the media, her first comments on a case that sparked international criticism.

Disha Ravi, a 22-year-old vegan and member of Thunberg's Fridays for Future movement, was charged in February over an online document about months-long protests by Indian farmers.

Ten days after her arrest and following widespread criticism, a court in India's capital New Delhi granted her bail, citing "scanty and sketchy evidence" that she was involved in fomenting violence.

"I had coerced myself into believing that the only way I would be able to live through this was by tricking myself into thinking that this wasn't happening to me," Ravi said in a statement.

"My actions were pronounced guilty - not in the court of law, but on flat screens."

Police say the document Ravi created stoked violence on Jan. 26, India's Republic Day, when some protesting farmers broke free of a planned march and clashed with police.

Angry at new agricultural laws they say benefit large private buyers at the expense of growers, tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the outskirts of New Delhi since late last year.

Swedish climate activist Thunberg, popstar Rihanna, and U.S. activist Meena Harris, the niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, all tweeted in support of the protests last month, drawing a rebuke from India's foreign ministry.

Also Read: Toolkit case: Delhi court sends Disha Ravi to one-day police custody
The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has asked staff and management of the Ministry of Education to support him to achieve the Presidents dream of transforming the nations education to meet the demands of the 21st century.



He explained that, irrespective of their positions and status, what was required of them was to show much commitment and dedication towards getting the right results for the benefit of the ordinary Ghanaian at the end of the day.



Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum stated this during his maiden staff durbar aimed at interacting with them and introducing himself as the substantive Minister of Education after his elevation to the position by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his second term of office.



During the first term of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos government, he appointed Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, as the Deputy Minister for Education in-charge Pre-tertiary level. A job and task , he executed to perfection, leading to the President elevating him as the substantive Minister of the Education.



Notable among the initiatives he assisted the government to implement for the education sector were the rolling out of the Free Senior High School and the tracking system (Gold and Green tracking systems) which led to increased enrollment. Hitherto, some students had to stay home and enroll a year or two after their cohorts.



The tracking systems also ensured that some qualified students who could not have enrolled due to the cut-off points for students which reduced intake of the various senior high schools, got the opportunity to enroll.



Dr Adutwum, reminded the staff and management of the MoE to strive to be part of the governments effort at reforming and improving the education sector which played very crucial role in the nations development agenda.



The Chief Director of MoE, Mr Benjamin K. Gyasi, on behalf of the staff, congratulated the Minister on his elevated and pledged on behalf of the staff to work as a team to move the Ministry forward.



He asked all to redouble their efforts at getting the best for the nation since education was at the centre of the all facets of the nations development.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A 36-year-old man was killed and three people were wounded early Saturday at a house party, according to the Orange County Sheriffs Office.

The agency said the shooting happened around 5:00 a.m. in the 200 block of Ring Road.

Jesse Valdes died at the scene and another person was taken to a local hospital in stable condition, the department said.

Two other people were also shot, but the agency said their wounds are not life-threatening.

The department said no suspects or a motive have been identified. Anyone with information about the deadly shooting is asked to contact Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.

lgarza@orlandosentinel.com


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Conflicts are a cause of high poverty levels among the people of Northern Ghana, a survey has shown.



These conflicts are due to disputes over land, political and traditional leadership and competition for natural resources.



Madam Janet Adama Mohammed, Programme Director for Conciliation Resources, an advocacy organisation for peace in West Africa, said a General Social Survey (GSS) conducted by her outfit two years ago indicated that Northern Ghana, comprising the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West Regions, had the highest poverty levels due to conflicts.



Madam Mohammed was addressing stakeholders in Tamale at a Regional dialogue under the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) project on the drivers of conflict and security in Northern Ghana.



The two-month pilot project being implemented in the five regions is to address the underlying causes of conflict, insecurity and underdevelopment in Northern Ghana.



The meeting was to develop a Roadmap for coordinated advocacy on peace, security and stability by state and non-state actors.



Madam Mohammed said most of the conflicts were caused by vigilante groups from political parties and traditional leaders to serve their interest.



Madam Mohammed urged the stakeholders to adopt measures to protect the rights and interests of communities to ensure they benefitted from the extraction of natural resources for their development.



Alhaji Alhassan Issahaku, Director of Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC), advised stakeholders to develop more technical skills for the youth to address the unemployment situation in the Northern sector.



He said unemployment was forcing the youth to join political vigilante groups with the false hope of moving up the social ladder.



He said unemployment was on the rise, and if not checked properly could result in the youth being radicalized and recruited into terrorists groups, which can affect the security of the Northern sector.



Mr Amidu Ibrahim-Tanko, Chief Executive Officer of Star-Ghana Foundation, said the CSSF project was a partnership between STAR Ghana Foundation, Northern Development Authority, the Northern Development Forum, National Peace Council and funded by UK aid.



He said the partners were to hold processes for the development of a Roadmap and subsequent engagement with the government, traditional authorities and stakeholders for implementation.



He said the project had so far strengthened mechanisms of coordinated stakeholder actions around peace, security and stability in Northern Ghana.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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In Virginia Beach public schools, officials have stressed that the divisions ability to keep classrooms open the rest of the year depends on students and staff following the systems safety plans, including mandatory masks, plexiglass between desks and maintaining social distance.

And initial data from the systems new COVID safety teams that inspect schools shows good news: In 160 visits to schools, the safety teams reported that masks were worn between 98% and 100% of the time in lobbies, offices, common areas and classrooms.

Were (keeping schools open) safely. Were doing it while minimizing the spread of the virus. And were seeing that in the information were receiving, said Jack Freeman, the divisions chief operations officer. Were happy were on this trend, and we know were only on it because were putting rigor into our mitigation efforts.

In some schools, educators have deployed innovative solutions to keep young learners engaged in the safety plans, according to the data.

At Rosemont Elementary School, for example, students practice walking with zombie arms  their limbs remain outstretched in front of them to avoid touching others and hallway walls.

Elementary school teachers can be awfully creative, said Tommy DeMartini, the divisions director of safe schools.

Virginia Beach created nine assessment teams, which are made up of retirees in education, healthcare and public safety. Each team has two members, plus a few floaters who can help fill in, he said.

They have visited each of the districts 86 schools at least once. The first visits were announced; subsequent ones are not. The teams aim to conduct unannounced inspections at every school biweekly moving forward. And at each building, the inspectors run through a checklist: Do teachers have access to hand sanitizer and protective equipment such as gloves and goggles? Are masks being worn? Are plexiglass barriers positioned?

The safety inspections have been a linchpin in the divisions revamped reopening plan, which shifted to closing only specific schools or classrooms based upon the spread of cases within buildings.

Story continues

The division has reported nearly 500 coronavirus cases throughout school buildings since students were first welcomed back last fall, according to its online dashboard. But only a handful of those cases are due to actual spread inside buildings, officials have reported.

In the inspections, the safety assessment teams only have found occasional problems. Just one school, Glenwood Elementary School, reportedly did not have all occupants of a classroom properly wearing a mask, according to the data, which The Virginian-Pilot obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.

One of the few areas that could see some improvement is classrooms maintaining the necessary information to conduct contact tracing. About 3.1% of visits saw a school lacking in that area.

And while the focus of the assessments is to ensure that schools properly follow the safety plans, its also to make sure the division provides the necessary resources, from extra masks to hand sanitizer.

Were really not seeing a concern we havent been able to fix, DeMartini said.

Freeman and DeMartini gave a host of reasons why they believe the mitigation strategies are followed so closely. In part, their requirements  such as wear a mask and keep distance  have been the same since the first coronavirus case was announced in Virginia last year.

Quite honestly, its not rocket science, DeMartini said. You can see the separation of the desks. You can see the glass thats separating students. You can see who is wearing masks. Its pretty easy.

Students also returned for several weeks in the fall, before rising cases and positivity rates sent students back to remote learning. That period got many students adjusted to the divisions requirements, Freeman said.

I think what everyone learned is: Once you wear it for a little bit, you start to get used to it, he said. The first time you do it, youre gagging after 15 minutes. Next thing you know, youre going hours wearing your mask and youre not noticing that its on.

Ultimately, he said, students and staff just want to stay in school.

He said: They know they need to be successful at these strategies to maintain face-to-face learning.

Peter Coutu, 757-222-5124, peter.coutu@pilotonline.com
From lows below 1.7950, the Pound Sterling to Australian dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate hit highs just above 1.8000 in early Europe before a retreat to 1.7975 as global risk conditions dominated both currencies.

Chinese economic data releases were stronger than expected with industrial production posting a 35.1% annual increase for the first two months of 2021 with the economy hit hard by the coronavirus shutdown in early 2020.

Retail sales data also beat expectations, although unemployment increased.

The Australian dollar was unable to draw support from the data, especially with iron ore prices declining and the Australian currency lost ground relative to the Canadian and New Zealand dollars.

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Kept Under Pressure as Brexit Jitters Return

Despite continued optimism that Britains economy will continue to gain momentum and recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the British Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate struggled to maintain its best levels over the past week. A combination of fresh post-Brexit anxiety, as well as higher market demand for risk and trade-correlated currencies, kept the pair under pressure before markets closed for the week.

After opening last week at the level of 1.8000, GBP/AUD saw relatively narrow and mixed movement.

GBP/AUD attempted to edge towards late-February's multi-month-best of 1.8108 at the beginning of the week. However GBP/AUD only made it as high as 1.8104 before slipping back.

Towards the end of the week, GBP/AUD was trending half a cent lower around the region of 1.7950.

The Pound struggled to maintain its best levels throughout the week, as its recent rally ran out of steam.

Markets remain optimistic that Britain could be one of the first major economies to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. However, there has been a lack of fresh news to support or boost the Pounds appeal over the past week.

Friday saw the publication of some stronger than expected UK growth data from January, but some concerning trade data was also published.

The latest UK trade report showed that Britains trade relations with the EU had been hurt even more badly by Brexit than expected. Many economists expressed concern with the data, saying it showed that post-Brexit relations had more issues than a simple adjustment period.

According to Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC):

The practical difficulties faced by businesses on the ground go well beyond just teething problems and with disruption to UK-EU trade flows persisting, trade is likely to be a drag on UK economic growth in the first quarter of 2021.

The Australian Dollar was able to benefit from the Pounds late-week weakness thanks to market sentiment.

The Australian Dollar is a risk and trade-correlated currency. Higher optimism for global economic recovery, as well as strength in commodity prices, kept the Australian Dollar appealing in the second half of last week.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rate Forecast: Bank of England (BoE) Decision in Focus

Next week wont see much in the way of key UK ecostats. Pound investors are likely to pay attention to consumer confidence and public borrowing figures due on Friday.

Besides that however, the only notable event on next weeks UK calendar is the Bank of Englands (BoE) March policy decision, which is likely to be the focus for the Pound next week.

No changes in policy are expected from the BoE, but any shifts in tone will be closely watched and could cause a change in the Pounds movement.

If the BoE becomes more cautious or dovish due to fresh Brexit trade uncertainties, or attempts to douse high expectations for Britains economy, the Pound could be knocked and give back some of its recent strength.

On the other hand though, a more optimistic BoE could help the Pound to continue its recent rally and advance again against the Australian Dollar.

With UK schools reopening last week, developments in Britains lockdown easing roadmap will also influence appetite for the Pound.

Australian Dollar (AUD) Exchange Rate Outlook: Strong Australian Job Stats Could Boost AUD

Aside from Bank of England (BoE) news, GBP/AUD could be driven more by Australian data in the coming week.

There are many key releases on Australias economic calendar next week. The week starts out with a speech from Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe and new home sales stats from HIA.

Tuesday will follow with the RBAs latest meeting minutes and house prices. Wednesday will see the publication of Australian leading index data from Westpac.

However, perhaps the biggest event for AUD next week will be Australias February job market report, due on Thursday.

Australias job market is a key indicator of Australian economic health. Stronger than expected Australian job stats could bolster confidence in Australias potential for economic recovery and push GBP/AUD lower.

On the other hand though, weak Australian data or any signs of new dovishness from the Reserve Bank of Australia could make it easier for the Pound to Australian Dollar exchange rate to climb again.
A baccarat dealer who palmed $11,000 worth of chips from a Sydney casino has been sacked and convicted along with a worker who repeatedly overpaid a patron.

Richard Quach, who dealt baccarat at The Star Sydney, was caught red-handed on security camera footage in 2020 taking five chips off a gaming table and stuffing them into his sock.

The casino later established he had stolen $11,000 in gaming chips in one week.

He cashed out $6000 of those chips to play gaming machines inside the casino.

Quach was sacked by The Star and sentenced in a NSW court to a two-year community corrections order.

In another incident, Star employee Pharadorn Naweesakorn gave $6000 in chips to a customer in exchange for $1000 in cash.

Baccarat dealer Richard Quach shows his palms to the security cameras at The Star Sydney

He then covers his hand as he palms a chip in the security footage

Richard Quach reaches down to put the palmed chip into his sock

The Star Sydney where the thefts occurred

The Star later established Naweesakorn had made total overpayments of $20,000 to the same patron on four separate occasions.

He was also sacked and sentenced to a two-year community corrections order.

The gaming licences of the two men have been cancelled by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority.

'A casino special employee is a licensee engaged to supervise and facilitate gaming activities,' ILGA chair Philip Crawford said in a statement.

'These people help safeguard the integrity of casino operations from criminal influence, serious misconduct or exploitation and a special degree of trust is placed in them.'
1. Roads. The citys roads are a mess. Significant resources are needed to fix them.

2. Public safety. The crime rate is too high. Police pay and resources come first.

3. More city programs. The city must invest more in city programs and services.

4. Comprehensive plan. The city needs to focus on rebuilding and rebranding.

5. Cut city spending. City officials must get serious about trimming the budget.

Vote

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Mukesh Ambani bomb scare: Sachin Vaze an honest, capable officer, says Sanjay Raut

India

pti-Deepika S

Mumbai, Mar 14: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that the NIA taking over the probe into the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani''s residence here amounted to demoralising the Mumbai Police and creating instability in Maharashtra.

Talking to reporters here, Raut also said Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze, arrested late Saturday night by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is an "honest, successful officer and a good investigator".

"The state government''s prestige is at stake in this case," the Rajya Sabha member said.

Meanwhile, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told reporters in Nagpur that the ATS and NIA were probing the recovery of the explosives-laden vehicle and the case of Hiran''s death.

"The truth will come out and action will be taken accordingly," he said.

When asked if Waze would be suspended, Deshmukh did not comment.

A Scorpio found parked near Ambani''s house on Carmichael Road in south Mumbai on February 25 contained some gelatin sticks and a threat letter.

Waze, an "encounter specialist", is also facing heat in the murder case of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran who was in possession of the Scorpio. Hiran was found dead in a creek in Thane district on March 5.

Ambani bomb threat case: NIA arrests Sachin Vaze

The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is investigating the Hiran murder case. It had registered an FIR against unidentified persons days after Hiran''s body was found.

Raut said the Mumbai Police were capable of investigating both the cases and involvement of central agencies "wasn''t required".

"They (Mumbai Police) are capable and professional. They can''t be pressurised. The NIA taking over the probe amounts to creating pressure and terror of the central government by lowering the morale of the police and destabilising the state," he alleged.

The Shiv Sena''s chief spokesperson further charged that Waze''s arrest by the NIA amounted to encroaching upon the rights of the police and an attack on their capabilities.

Raut said state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had handed over the probe to the ATS, but the NIA entered the scene to probe the recovery of 20 gelatin sticks in the Scorpio.

To a question on sections under which Waze has been charged, Raut said, "There is a difference between charges being levelled and the charges being proved."

"The state government''s prestige is at stake in this case," he further said.

Raut also said the government should take "very seriously" the issue of sensitive information reaching the opposition leaders first.

The opposition should explain what the CBI''s probe found into the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput''s death which the Mumbai Police had not investigated.

In his weekly column ''Rokhtok'' in the Sena mouthpiece ''Saamana'', Raut said it was not a good sign for the state government that Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis had "access first" to all confidential documents in case of the explosives-laden SUV and Hiran''s mysterious death.

He said the present controversy has enabled the opposition to "regain its lost confidence".

"What was happening in the state currently was not good for its prestige," he said.

Raut said Sanjay Rathod had to resign as state minister over the Puja Chavan suicide case, while the opposition targeted Sachin Waze in the case Manuskh Hiran''s death.

"But, the opposition is not ready to speak on the cases of suicide of (interior designer) Anvay Naik and (Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha member) Mohan Delkar," he said.

Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and two others were arrested on November 4 last year by Raigad police in connection with the suicide of Anvay Naik and his mother in 2018. They were granted bail by the Supreme Court a few days later.

Delkar (58) was found dead in a hotel in south Mumbai last month.

Dubbing the recovery of gelatin sticks from the vehicle found near Ambani''s residence and Hiran''s death as a "mystery", Raut said, "But, there is a difference between mystery and truth."

He said Hiran left his house for the last time saying a police official called "Tawde" had called him to Kandivali police station.

"But, there is no official by that name in Kandivali. All this is very complicated. An external force is controlling some groups in the Mumbai and Thane police forces," Raut claimed, adding that it is not good if factionalism in the police force shows up again.
The Billionaire comes to Colombo View(s):

Bringing a little slice of Hollywood fanfare to the cinemas of his native country, leading baritone and filmmaker Gehan Cooray celebrated the Sri Lankan premiere of his feature film The Billionaire at PVR Cinemas  One Galle Face on Wednesday. The exclusive event saw many of Colombos elite in their red carpet best, as they attended the invitee-only screening with a short introduction by Gehan himself, followed by a lively Q&A session.

The Billionaire is a contemporary, gender-swapped adaptation of George Bernard Shaws 1936 play The Millionairess, with Gehan taking on multiple roles as executive producer, screenwriter and lead actor. Directed by Michael Philip, the film also stars Heather Tom (The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless), Jordan Belfi (Entourage), David Santos (Power Rangers tv franchise), and Randy Wayne (The Dukes of Hazzard).

The film is currently in consideration for Oscar nominations in three categories, and won the award for Best Comedy Feature at last years Burbank International Film Festival.

The Billionaire will be in select cinemas across Colombo and its suburbs from March 19 onwards.
New Delhi, March 14 : Inflows in open-ended debt along with hybrid categories and mark-to-market gains in the domestic equity market pushed India's mutual fund industry asset under management higher, Crisil Research said in a report.

However, outflows from equity funds capped gains.

Cumulatively, the industry's fund flows remained negative at Rs 1,844 crore, the report said.

"Bouncing back from the decline witnessed in January, assets under management (AUM) of the domestic mutual fund industry breached the Rs 31.5 lakh crore mark for the first time, settling 3.7 per cent higher at Rs 31.6 lakh crore at end-February." "The previous high recorded was at end-2020, when the asset base had settled at Rs 31.02 lakh crore." Accordingly, dynamic asset allocation schemes witnessed the highest net inflows for the category since April 2019 at Rs 2,006 crore in February, with investors attracted by the flexibility in asset allocation on offer.

"Interest in arbitrage schemes also remained firm, with net inflows at Rs 5,033 crore as market participants looked to take advantage of the volatility in the underlying equity market." "Aided by the inflows, the hybrid category recorded net inflows of Rs 4,703 crore, higher than January's net inflows of Rs 2,142 crore." The other hybrid categories such as aggressive hybrid, equity savings, and multi-asset allocation categories, however recorded persistent outflows in February, the report said.

They stood cumulatively lower at Rs 2,481 crore compared with the previous month's Rs 3,823 crore.

"The open-ended debt fund category recorded the lowest net inflows since the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) changed its format of dissemination in April 2019, at Rs 1,735 crore." Besides, the report said that fund flows trends within the open-ended equity category showed no signs of abating, with net outflows in February at Rs 10,468 crore, higher than January's Rs 9,253 crore figure.

"Investors looked to book profits as the underlying domestic equity benchmarks hit record highs during the month - the S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 advanced 6.1 per cent and 6.6 per cent on month, respectively." According to the report, the introduction, recategorisation of flexi- and multi-cap funds had a major impact on flows in the category for the second consecutive month.

"The flexi-cap category recorded the highest net outflows within the category at Rs 10,431 crore, while multi-cap funds saw the highest net inflows of Rs 4,078 crore." "As per AMFI disclosure, during February, nine multi-cap funds were recategorised as flexi-cap funds. As such, the funds mobilised and redemption figures of these funds were shown under flexi caps, resulting in negative funds mobilised and redemption figures under multi-cap funds." In addition, the report cited that investors continued to pour money into equities via the systematic investment plan; however, contributions in February were slightly low at Rs 7,528 crore compared with January's Rs 8,023 crore figure.

"The overall open-ended equity asset base settled at a fresh record high of Rs 9.63 lakh crore on-month."
Boris Johnson will discuss ways to protect women and girls from violence with the head of the Metropolitan Police amid a storm of criticism over the forces handling of a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard.

The Prime Minister is expected to chair a meeting of the Governments Crime and Justice Taskforce on Monday, with Dame Cressida Dick  who has resisted calls to quit over the events  among the attendees.

In ugly scenes on Saturday, officers clashed with crowds gathered on Clapham Common to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive who went missing while walking home from a friends flat on March 3.

Dame Cressida said what happened to Ms Everard made her more determined, not less to lead the organisation, and welcomed the Home Secretarys request for an independent investigation into the events.

Priti Patel, who will be at the meeting on Monday with Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and director of public prosecutions Max Hill, has asked the chief inspector of constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the polices actions at the vigil.

The Prime Minister said he was deeply concerned about the footage from the event, some of which showed police officers grabbing women and leading them away in handcuffs.

He added: I have spoken with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who has committed to reviewing how this was handled, and the Home Secretary has also commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event.

(On Monday) I will chair a meeting of the Governments Crime and Justice Taskforce to look at what further action we need to take to protect women and ensure our streets are safe.

The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds criticised the Government for responding with yet more meetings and another consultation at a moment when the country is demanding action to tackle violence against women and girls.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said he would be asking the Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to look into the events.

And Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council, said he would bring together police chiefs on Monday to discuss what more we can do to better protect women.

In one video obtained by the PA news agency of Saturdays vigil, a woman could be seen being shoved forcefully in the back by two officers after being lifted from her knees.

The woman, who has not yet been identified, then tries to bend down near the officers and is shoved back again. She can be heard shouting that she is trying to retrieve her glasses.

Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach of coronavirus rules.

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Nimco Ali, who is advising the Government on tackling violence against women and girls, compared the forces behaviour with an abuser.

She told Times Radio: It does come from a handbook of abusive men, where the fact that youre constantly blaming the victim for your act of violence.

So rather than actually taking accountability, it was more like women shouldnt have turned up.

The Metropolitan Police said four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.

Three of them, a man and two women, were arrested on suspicion of breaching the Health Protection Regulation and have been reported for consideration of a fixed-penalty notice.

A fourth person, a woman in her teens, was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and has been released under police investigation.

There were fresh protests on Sunday outside Scotland Yard and at Parliament Square, with demonstrators chanting shame on you at police.

Officers erected barriers around the Mets headquarters and the group of protesters, many holding placards aloft, spilled over onto the road next to the River Thames.

Calls for Dame Cressida to resign were led by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, while Womens Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was untenable.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Commissioner should not quit, but condemned the policing on Saturday as wrong. Mr Johnson is understood to have confidence in her.

Dame Cressida said on Sunday: What happened to Sarah appals me. As you know, Im the first woman commissioner of the Met, perhaps it appals me, in a way, even more because of that.

What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation.

Ive listened to what people have been saying in the last week, I know that in the streets all across the UK women dont feel as safe as we would all like women to feel. I am utterly determined.

She said that all the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and theyre working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah.

In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterdays events.
Chrissy Teigen recently revealed that she had to undergo a mysterious medical procedure, posting a photo from the hospital while having a Zoom meeting, as she shared she felt like 'some organs needed removal.'

But on Saturday the 35-year-old Cravings founder looked to be alive and well as she stepped out for a family lunch in Beverly Hills with husband John Legend and kids Luna, four, and Miles, two.

Leaning into springtime, she rocked a flirty pastel skirt set as they dined al fresco, Teigen writing 'day date with the babies,' as she shared some snaps to Instagram.

Feeling flirty: Chrissy Teigen, 35, rocks a flirty pastel skirt set as she steps out for lunch in Beverly Hills with husband John Legend and their two kids Luna and Miles, following a mystery medical procedure

The doting mom  who has recently embarked on new business ventures including a commercial restaurant space and a line of robes  looked super feminine in the Zimmermann set that exposed her midriff.

She paired the ethereal look with lace up sandals and a stylish pink purse while carrying an oversized white cardigan.

Teigen threw on a few delicate necklaces and wore her caramel tresses in soft waves with a beige face mask for protection, holding Luna's hand as they walked.

Holding it down: Legend was on daddy duty with Miles as he strapped the tot around his neck

Doting mom: She held Luna's hand who also looked the picture of spring in a stripped frock

Day date: She shared some family snaps to Instagram as she wrote 'day date with the babies'

The boys: In her carousel of images Miles and Legend smiled as they wore sweaters

Photo op: The Legend family including Teigen's mom 'Pepper' posed for a snap

Legend was on daddy duty with regards to their son Miles as he propped the tot around his neck and sported a funky sweater that featured embroidered sheep.

Also present on the outing was Teigen's mom 'Pepper,' and the family made their way out with a few takeout bags, never shy about their love of food.

Chrissy joked that Miles was 'finally embracing photos,' as she shared an image of him next to Legend making a silly face.

While at lunch she posted a series of videos of her taking advantage of the restaurant's sophisticated bathroom, using the mirror to give a close up look at her outfit.

Safety first: The whole family made sure to keep their masks secured on their face as they protected themselves from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

All smiles: Legend also posted a photo with their kids as he said 'Saturday lunch date!'

Bathroom diaries: Chrissy snapped a few videos in the bathroom of the Beverly Hills bistro

Spring has sprung: She opted for a super feminine lunch look, sharing with her followers that it was made by Zimmermann

Warm embrace: Chrissy joked that Miles was 'finally embracing photos,' as she shared an image of him next to Legend making a silly face

Never shy about sharing her life on social media, yesterday the cookbook author shocked her 34M followers when she coyly posted that she was in the emergency room.

But because business never stops for the entrepreneur, she was still taking important meetings from her hospital bed, but never elaborated on what procedure she had done.

Last month she underwent endometriosis surgery to alleviate pain from the disorder which causes tissue to grow outside of the uterus.

She had shared that the pain she was in was brutal, despite the recovery being just as tough, additionally saying that her cramps felt like kicks which reminded her of her tragic miscarriage in the fall.

Coast to coast: The family recently got back from a trip to NYC

Recovering: She shared that she had a stint in the ER for some unknown medical procedure adding that it felt like 'some organs need removal'

'Endo this pain': In February she underwent endometriosis surgery to alleviate pain from the condition

Chrissy tweeted before her February surgery: 'My little Jack would have been born this week so I'm a bit off. I truly feel kicks in my belly, but its not phantom....the period feeling this month is exactly like baby kicks.'

A few days after the surgery she shared a video of her scooping up dough calling them 'depression cheddar biscuits.'

Teigen bravely shared the journey of she and Legend's loss back in late September with a photo of them crying in the hospital holding their son. She lost the baby in part due to a partial placenta abruption, taking time off social media to heal and penning a lengthy essay on Medium.

Even months later she has been open about her fluctuating grief regarding the situation, sharing that she was 'sad' she would never be pregnant again but also said she felt like she entered a 'transformative' period around her 35th birthday.

To cope with the pain she has been in grief counseling, began experimenting with horseback riding for therapy and even embarked on sobriety.
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 cover statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids.
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Boris Johnson has called for unity in Sarah Everard's memory as he voiced his 'deep concern' over footage of police officers arresting screaming women during a vigil on Clapham Common.

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick was today fighting for her future after widespread criticism of the heavy-handed tactics used on Saturday, with calls for her to resign from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and the Women's Equality Party.

However, Ms Dick, 60, has said Ms Everard's murder makes her 'utterly determined' to hold onto her job as the force's first female leader.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, was has a say in Ms Dick's future, said she was 'not satisfied' by her, although Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel are understood to retain their confidence in her.

One of the organisers of a vigil to commemorate the life of Sarah Everard said she does not want Ms Dick to resign, despite a storm of criticism over the force's handling of the event.

Anna Birley from the group Reclaim These Streets told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "We are a movement of women seeking to support and empower other women, and as one of the most senior women in British policing history, we do not want to add to the pile-on."

Demonstrators gathered in Parliament Square and outside New Scotland Yard yesterday following Saturday's event, which saw around 1,500 people attend, despite warnings that it was unlawful.

Police were seen standing guard outside Met Police's headquarters, while other officers stood around a statue of Sir Winston Churchill, after it was vandalised during protests last year.

Crowds could be heard yelling 'f*** the police,' branding officers 'scum' and shouting 'protect women, not statues,' during yesterday's protests - which saw them march from Trafalgar Square to New Scotland Yard, before gathering in Parliament Square.

The PM will chair a meeting of the Crime and Justice Taskforce today to discuss how to keep Britain's streets safe, after women across the country shared their stories of being harassed, following the death of Sarah Everard, 33.

Protesters remained outside New Scotland Yard after hours of protesting in London yesterday, with officers forming a protective ring outside Met Police's headquarters

Officers are guarding a statue of Winston Churchill as demonstrators continue their protest in Parliament Square yesterday evening while Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick earlier announced she would not be stepping down from her role

A Home Office spokesperson said there were 'still questions to be answered,' after reading a report into Met Police's response to last night's vigil in Clapham. Pictured: Protesters on Parliament Square last night

Justifying last night's police response, Dame Cressida Dick said: 'We're still in a pandemic, unlawful gatherings are unlawful gatherings'. Thousands protested across London yesterday

After gathering outside New Scotland Yard, the protesters headed to Parliament Square where they staged a minute-long lie-in protest

As protesters continue yesterday(pictured) Cressida Dick said: 'six hours of yesterday was really calm and peaceful, very few police officers around, respectful, people laying flowers, not gathering, and a vigil that did not breach the regulations' (pictured: a police officer speaking to a woman in Parliament Square yesterday)

Protesters branded police 'scum' during protests yesterday, after Cressida Dick defended the reaction of officers in Clapham last night, saying 'officers have to take action if people are putting themselves massively at risk

Officer in charge of policing Saturday's vigil is responsible for Scotland Yard's response to disastrous 'VIP child abuse' probe The senior officer in charge of policing Saturdays vigil is also responsible for the Mets response to its disastrous VIP child abuse probe. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist was Gold Commander for the operation in Clapham, meaning he had overall command of the officers on the ground and set its overarching strategy. Mr Twist also leads Operation Larimar, which was set up to implement recommendations made by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques following the 2.5million inquiry into false claims of a murderous Establishment paedophile ring. Sir Richard identified 43 mistakes by the Met and made 25 urgent recommendations. The investigation was launched in 2014 following false allegations made by made by fantasist Carl Beech of rape and murder involving Establishment figures. No officer has been held to account for the mistakes, with Steve Rodhouse, who was in overall charge, allowed to take up a 250,000-a-year job with the National Crime Agency. Mr Twist also led a review into Scotland Yards use of handcuffs after Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams was subjected to a stop-and-search last July. This led to new rules for officers, who must now justify any use of handcuffs. He also leads Scotland Yards response to the pandemic and has promised harsh punishments for those who do not stick to lockdown rules. In January he said officers had been told to be quicker to issue fines, adding that rule breakers would meet a strong response. Sir Richard and six former home secretaries have all written to Priti Patel calling for a fresh independent inquiry into Operation Midland. Merseyside Police are investigating Scotland Yards decision not to examine two false complainants, men known as A and B, who gave accounts that backed up Beechs claims. Advertisement

Met chief Cressida Dick is expected to attend the meeting along with Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill, Priti Patel and Robert Buckland.

Mr Johnson said the marketing executive's death must 'unite us in determination, to drive out violence against women and girls.

Ahead of the meeting, he said: 'Like everyone who saw it I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night.

'I have spoken with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who has committed to reviewing how this was handled and the Home Secretary has also commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event.

'Tomorrow I will chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce to look at what further action we need to take to protect women and ensure our streets are safe.

'The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them.'

Ms Patel, who has ordered a full review into the Met's handling of Saturday's vigil, said: 'Everyone should be free to walk our streets without fear of harassment, abuse or violence.

'The Home Office survey on tackling violence against women and girls has received an unprecedented 53,000 responses since it reopened on Friday and I'd urge everyone to give us their views.'

Sarah Everard's aunt gave her support to the crowd at the vigil, telling The Sun: 'Its not right that women dont feel safe on the street. All they were doing was showing support for Sarah and other women victims of appalling crime. I hope Sarahs death can bring about some positive change.'

The commissioner, who has held her post since 2017, defended her leadership, saying: 'We're still in a pandemic, unlawful gatherings are unlawful gatherings, officers have to take action if people are putting themselves massively at risk.'

Asked if she was considering resigning, she said: 'No, I'm not.'

Another protest is set to take place in London at around 5pm today, with Patsy Henderson, one of the vigil attendants pictured being restrained by officers on Saturday, confirming she planned to attend.

Cressida Dick added: 'All the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and they're working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah.

'In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterday's events.

'It's worth saying, of course, I fully understand the strength of feeling I think as a woman hearing from people about their experiences in the past and what they feel about what happened to Sarah and what has been going on, I understand why so many people wanted to come and pay their respects and make a statement about this.

'Indeed, if it had been lawful, I'd have been there, I'd have been at a vigil. And six hours of yesterday was really calm and peaceful, very few police officers around, respectful, people laying flowers, not gathering, and a vigil that did not breach the regulations.

'Unfortunately, later on, we had a really big crowd that gathered, lots of speeches and quite rightly, as far as I can see, my team felt this is now an unlawful gathering which poses a considerable risk to people's health according to the regulations.'

Earlier yesterday Priti Patel ordered a full report into the police's response to last night's vigil in Clapham Common.

A crowd of around 1,500 people had gathered at Clapham Common in south London to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive, but scuffles broke out as police surrounded a bandstand covered in flowers left in tribute.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said she took the events 'very seriously' but that she wanted to give the commissioner 'a chance to explain' what happened.

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The Home Secretary has read the report provided by the Metropolitan Police and feels there are still questions to be answered.

'In the interests of ensuring public confidence in the police, earlier this afternoon the Home Secretary asked Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event at Clapham Common.'

The commissioner, who was appointed to the role in 2017, said she welcomes, and is 'very comfortable' with, a review into the events at Saturday's vigil.

Dame Cressida Dick said police acted correctly at Saturday's vigil after a 'really big crowd gathered,' demonstrators were out in London late on Sunday

Police are guarding the entrance to New Scotland Yard as protesters gather around the Met Police headquarters last night

Masked police officers surrounded a statue of Winston Churchill yesterday, following scenes last year that saw the monument defaced

Priti Patel ordered a full report investigating Met Police's response to the vigil for Sarah Everard at Clapham Common. Protesters remained in London for hours on Sunday

Protesters gathered outside New Scotland Yard criticising Dame Cressida Dick yesterday, but despite her leadership being described as 'untenable,' Met Police's commissioner said she will remain in her post

She said the officers were in an 'invidious' position when crowds grew, continuing: 'They then moved to try to explain to people, to engage with people, to get people to disperse from this unlawful gathering and many, many, many people did - unfortunately, a small minority did not.'

Asked what she thought when she saw the pictures of the policing at the vigil, she said: 'I wouldn't have wanted to see a vigil in memory of Sarah end with those scenes.

'That's why this morning I said, from what I can tell, I wasn't there, but from what I can tell, my officers - in a very difficult position, as they have been again and again in the last year policing within coronavirus restrictions, having to uphold the law, having to be impartial, having to be fair.

'But of course trying to apply common sense and discretion and if people don't understand the law, trying to help them to understand and engage and speak before we ever turn to any enforcement, but that is why I said we didn't want it to end like that, let's have a review.'

She continued: 'I spoke in the day to both the Home Secretary and the mayor, I'm very comfortable with that and I think officers will be as well.

She added: 'I completely recognise that (officers) are, particularly in this last year, often finding themselves in very very difficult situations, they are policing during a pandemic.

'Nobody wants a third wave to happen.

'It's only a few weeks since the NHS was on its knees.

'They have a really difficult job, they have to make fine judgments, they often don't have infinite information or all the time in the world.

'They have to make these really difficult calls and I don't think anybody should be sitting back in an armchair and saying 'well that was done badly' or 'I would have done it differently' without actually understanding what was going through their minds.

'I guarantee that every single officer who was policing last night, like me, would rather we were not in the time of coronavirus. There could be a large, peaceful set of vigils all over the country.

'Most of them would have been at those vigils and I guarantee also that my officers up and down London and beyond, if they weren't working, will have been thinking of Sarah at 9:30pm last night, they will have been lighting their candles or pausing, and it's something we care about very, very deeply.'

Cressida Dick was yesterday spotted walking into New Scotland Yard in Westminster at around 2.15pm, along with Deputy Commissioner Sir Steve House.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on the Commissioner to 'consider' her leadership of the force, adding: 'Cressida Dick has lost the confidence of the millions of women in London and should resign.'

Women's Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was 'untenable'.

Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured being held on the floor by police at the vigil, said she attended the gathering in Clapham Common yesterday in support of women who cannot walk down the street by themselves 'because of the fear of men'.

Ms Stevenson said she would like to 'have a conversation' with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, telling LBC: 'I would like to sit down with her and have a conversation.

'I think dialogue is very important in this case.'

Ms Stevenson said she would be attending a demonstration in Parliament Square today.

Dame Cressida Dick defended the police response to last night's vigil on Clapham Common, saying yesterday: 'We're still in a pandemic, unlawful gatherings are unlawful gatherings.' Police are watching a crowd of demonstrators in Parliament Square

Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured being held on the floor by police at the vigil, said she was arrested 'for standing there, I wasn't doing anything'. Ms Stevenson has said she intends to protest at another demonstration today

Cressida Dick's position has been described as 'untenable,' by the Women's Equality Party yesterday, while others have said she should 'consider' her leadership of the force. Placards with a 'Socialist Worker' header were displayed during yesterday's protest in London

Police vans were lined up next to thousands of protesters in Westminster yesterday afternoon. Dame Cressida Dick has since spoken with Priti Patel and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, adding that she was 'comfortable,' with the police's response to last night's vigil on Clapham Common

Protesters lay on the ground at Parliament Square as part of their demonstration yesterday. Asked what she thought when she saw the pictures of the policing at the vigil, Cressida Dick said: 'I wouldn't have wanted to see a vigil in memory of Sarah end with those scenes

Under-fire Cressida Dick has been embroiled in several controversies during her time at Scotland Yard Cressida Dick has been embroiled in a string of controversies during her 38-year career at the Met. In July 2005 she was in overall charge of the operation which saw electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, shot dead on a Tube train in south London. Mr de Menezes, a Brazilian working in the capital, was blasted in the head seven times by police at Stockwell station after being followed by officers from his home nearby. Later inquiries heard he appeared to match the description of suspects whose bombs failed to detonate on the transport system the previous day. Their attempted attack followed the 7/7 atrocity which killed 52 people on Tubes and a bus in London earlier that month. Dame Cressida was cleared of all blame by later inquiries, but Mr de Menezes family expressed serious concerns when she was appointed Met Commissioner in 2017. The top policewoman, 60, told the Mail in 2018: It was an appalling thing  an innocent man killed by police. Me in charge. Awful for the family and I was properly held to account. We learned every lesson that was to be learned. My job was to stand up and be counted, tell the truth and carry on. If police officers fell to pieces or resigned when operations didnt go well, it wouldnt send out a good message. In 2014 Dame Cressida sanctioned the creation of Operation Midland  the Mets investigation into spurious VIP child sex abuse allegations. Innocent men, including the late Lord Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, were pursued by the force. The Mets star witness Nick was later revealed to be serial liar Carl Beech. In 2017 Dame Cressida was criticised for her choice of words after she said the victims of the London Bridge terror attack demonstrated Londons diversity. The officer added: We believe, of course, that thats what makes our city so great. Its a place where the vast majority of time its incredibly integrated and that diversity gives us strength. Critics said the remarks were ill-considered. In 2019 the Met under Dame Cressidas leadership was widely criticised for its light-touch policing of Extinction Rebellion protests. The environmental demonstrators were allowed to blockade key areas of the capital for days, including Westminster Bridge and Oxford Circus. Advertisement

Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh disputed the criticism as he said: 'Politicians of all parties should make themselves aware of all the facts before rushing to judgement and making statements.'

Dozens of police officers had moved in to block access to speakers as tensions sparked in the crowd and mourners started chanting 'arrest your own' and 'shame on you', with scenes quickly turning violent.

Defending the force's actions, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said 'hundreds of people were packed tightly together,' posing a very real risk of transmitting the virus.

She added that officers had repeatedly encouraged those attending to leave, but 'a small minority' of people chanted at police, pushing and throwing objects.

'We accept that the actions of our officers have been questioned,' Ball said. 'We absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary.

'But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people's safety.'

Shadow domestic violence minister Jess Phillips said: 'The reality is if Cressida Dick stays or goes (it) doesn't make women in this country more safe, and that's what I want to talk about.'

She said there were 'so many missed opportunities throughout the day for police to work with organisers to create a completely safe vigil so that people could go and have a moment of sorrow and a moment of resistance'.

Ms Phillips called for the minimum rape sentence to be increased from five to seven years, and said misogyny should be treated as a hate crime.

The Fire Brigades Union said earlier yesterday that it stands 'in solidarity' with the women who were 'manhandled, pushed to the ground, separated from their friends and arrested by the police last night'.

Condemning Met Police's response, the firefighters' union added: 'These draconian and authoritative actions have no place in a democratic society.

'This was a clear demonstration of the patriarchy's inability to comprehend the reality and scope of male violence against women and girls. Those responsible for the decisions to approach this vigil in such a way should be held accountable.

'Last night demonstrated that allowing the police to lead the response and set the level of restriction to peaceful protest would be a catastrophic mistake.'

Conservative MP for Folkestone & Hythe Damian Collins said: 'Appalling scenes in Clapham last night of aggressive police action at the vigil for Sarah Everard & a justificatory statement from the Met using the language of the abuser to its victims over the years - it's your fault, you made us do it. They need to be held to account for this.'

'I think the main point of this... is that women don't feel safe, and they don't feel safe walking down a street. And that's the bare minimum we should feel the freedom to do, and I think it's appalling that it's gone on for this long.'

Campaign group Reclaim These Streets said: 'We've asked Met Commissioner Cressida Dick to meet us urgently to explain the actions taken by the police last night - before she reports to the Home Secretary.

'The @metpoliceuk must begin to rebuild relations with women who have lost trust and are hurting. #ReclaimTheseStreets'.

Mr Khan said he would be asking HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to look into the events on Saturday night, adding that the scenes at the vigil were 'completely unacceptable', despite having received assurances from Scotland Yard last week that it would be policed 'sensitively'.

'In my view, this was not the case,' he said.

As protests continued yesterday, home Office minister Victoria Atkins said she took last night's events 'very seriously' but that she wanted to give the commissioner 'a chance to explain' what happened

Women held banners calling to 'end state violence' and 'defund the police' in demonstrations outside London's police headquarters

The protesters chanted against police at New Scotland Yard before marching to Parliament Square where they staged a lie-in

The demonstrators held aloft their fists and chanted slogans such as 'f*** the police' and 'f*** Priti Patel'

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick arrives at New Scotland Yard in London, the day after clashes between police and crowds who gathered on Clapham Common on Saturday night

Jess Phillips on the BBC1 current affairs programme, The Andrew Marr Show, where she called for better funding and resources for education to prevent violence against women

A woman was arrested by a police officer in Clapham Common this evening as police tried to break it up

Mr Khan said: 'I asked the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner to come into City Hall today to give me an explanation of yesterday's events and the days leading up to them.

'I am not satisfied with the explanation they have provided.

'I will now be asking Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to conduct a full independent investigation of events yesterday evening and in previous days.

'I am also asking the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to investigate the actions of police officers yesterday evening.

'It is vital that these events are not allowed to undermine the powerful calls since Sarah's murder for meaningful action to finally stop men inflicting violence on women.

'It was clear before yesterday that there isn't adequate trust and confidence from women and girls in the police and criminal justice system more widely.

'Further steps must now be taken to address this.'

Jess Phillips has said more needs to be done to bring charges in domestic abuse and rape cases, telling The Andrew Marr Show: 'I don't think that the police over the past few years have done enough to increase charging in domestic abuse, have done enough to increase charging in rape. Both are reducing.'

Also asked about whether Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick should resign, she said: 'This is not the day for me to say whether she should go and give a headline to Cressida Dick when Sarah Everard is the name that should ring out.'

Addressing the police's management of the vigil in south London, Ms Phillips said: 'There were a million ways that that could have been organised but the police put their foot down before they put their boot in and at every stage they made the wrong call.'

Andrew Marr suggested that individual police forces have had to make their own decisions about policy due to unclear coronavirus legislation.

She said: 'I think that the police have had a terrible job throughout this process of being able to properly understand, and let's face it, they don't have the resources after years of being dwindled away to actually properly deal with some of the things that they might be being asked to do.

'But the reality is within the legislation that has been nodded through, there was room for, yesterday, a peaceful vigil to take place and they missed the opportunity.'

The protesters brought homemade placards to Sunday's demonstrations outside Scotland Yard as hundreds gathered despite police warnings

A gravestone shaped placard and a floral tribute left outside New Scotland Yard in London yesterday, after clashes between police and crowds who gathered on Clapham Common on Saturday night

Statement from Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball following events in Clapham Common 'May I start by extending my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sarah Everard. Across the Met we are still extremely saddened and shocked by the tragic circumstance of her disappearance and death. 'Earlier tonight, I joined the Commissioner in a candlelit vigil outside New Scotland Yard. I know many thousands of people up and down the nation also held similar vigils in Sarah's name. 'I recognise that the decision by the organisers to cancel the Reclaim These Streets vigil in Clapham Common was deeply unwelcome news. Even so, given the ever present threat of Coronavirus, this was the right decision to make. 'Today, for over six hours hundreds of people came to lay flowers and pay their respects to Sarah in Clapham Common in a safe and lawful way. 'Around 6pm, more people began to gather close to the bandstand within the Common. Some started to make speeches from the bandstand. These speeches then attracted more people to gather closer together. 'At this point, officers on the ground were faced with a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19. 'Police must act for people's safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe. 'Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items. 'After speaking with officers, the vast majority of people quickly left. Four arrests have been made for public order offences and for breaches of the Health Protection Regulations. 'Part of the reason I am speaking to you tonight is because we accept that the actions of our officers have been questioned. 'We absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary. But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people's safety. 'Let me end by saying that across the Met, we review every single event that we police to see if there are lessons that can be learnt. This one will be no different.' Advertisement

Professor Sir Ian Diamond, head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), was asked about the under-reporting of crimes against women.

He told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One: 'What we have reported over many years through the crime survey that we do jointly with the Home Office is that there is a very large under-reporting both of rape and of assault, which includes penetration.

'Indeed in some of our more recent figures we show that really there are only about a third that are reported to the police, and then very many few of those go to prosecution.

'One of the reasons why we think it's incredibly important to do these crime surveys - because it gives people a chance to have a voice.'

Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird QC said there was no real prospect of police successfully intervening in the crowd in Clapham on Saturday night, describing the circling of the bandstand as 'quasi military'

She said: 'To push people away seems to me to be a dreadful piece of misjudgment.

'Are they really improving the chances of Covid not spreading by putting their knees in the middle of the back of young women, and putting their hands in handcuffs?

'It didn't seem to me to be the right thing to do.'

Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach in coronavirus restrictions.

After the clashes, organiser Jamie Klingler said the force's handling of events was a sign of the 'systemic ignoring and oppressing of women'.

'I think we were shocked and really, really sad and to see videos of policemen handling women at a vigil about violence against women by men. I think it was it was painful and pretty triggering to see,' she said.

'The fact that nobody stepped in and said: ''do you see how this looks?''.

'The fact that Thursday and Friday they wasted our organising time by dragging us to the High Court for our human rights to protest and we were going to have a silent vigil.'

She added: 'I was bringing my tiny dog, and we were absolutely doing it to have a silent, respectful protest for Sarah Everard, and for all the women affected by violence at the hands of men.

'Especially today, it's Mother's Day. It's the week of International Women's Day.

'And instead of allowing and facilitating it like the Lambeth police wanted to - and that police force was so supportive - Scotland Yard quashed us and in doing so silenced us and got the reaction they got last night.'

The Met Police defended its handling of a high-profile protest calling for greater public safety for women, after male officers were seen scuffling with the crowd and physically restraining female demonstrators.

Well-wishers react as they gather at floral tributes to honour murder victim Sarah Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common in south London on March 14

Dame Cressida Dick defends her position and officers' response to Sarah Everard vigil Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida has said she is not considering her position following wide criticism of the policing of a vigil for Sarah Everard on Saturday. She said: 'What happened to Sarah appalls me. As you know, I'm the first woman commissioner of the Met, perhaps it appalls me, in a way, even more because of that. 'What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation. 'I've listened to what people have been saying in the last week, I know that in the streets all across the UK women don't feel as safe as we would all like women to feel. I am utterly determined.' She added: 'My view is, I'm entirely focused on growing the Met to be even stronger.' 'All the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and they're working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah. 'In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterday's events. 'It's worth saying, of course, I fully understand the strength of feeling I think as a woman hearing from people about their experiences in the past and what they feel about what happened to Sarah and what has been going on, I understand why so many people wanted to come and pay their respects and make a statement about this. 'Indeed, if it had been lawful, I'd have been there, I'd have been at a vigil. And six hours of yesterday was really calm and peaceful, very few police officers around, respectful, people laying flowers, not gathering, and a vigil that did not breach the regulations. 'Unfortunately, later on, we had a really big crowd that gathered, lots of speeches and quite rightly, as far as I can see, my team felt this is now an unlawful gathering which poses a considerable risk to people's health according to the regulations.' The commissioner said she was 'very comfortable' with, a review into the events at the vigil, adding that it would be 'good for public confidence'. She added: 'What we do in one event sets precedent for other events. I am really comfortable that we review what happened. 'I don't think anybody who was not in the operation can actually pass a detailed comment on the rightness and wrongness of it. 'This is fiendishly difficult policing but also I'm sure for the people who wanted to express their feelings, that was a difficult situation for them and that's why it needs a cold light of day, sober review - and I think we're all agreed on that.' Dame Cressida, who was appointed in 2017, said the officers were in an 'invidious' position when crowds grew, continuing: 'They then moved to try to explain to people, to engage with people, to get people to disperse from this unlawful gathering and many, many, many people did - unfortunately, a small minority did not.' Asked what she thought when she saw the pictures of the policing at the vigil, she said: 'I wouldn't have wanted to see a vigil in memory of Sarah end with those scenes. 'That's why this morning I said, from what I can tell, I wasn't there, but from what I can tell, my officers - in a very difficult position, as they have been again and again in the last year policing within coronavirus restrictions, having to uphold the law, having to be impartial, having to be fair. 'But of course trying to apply common sense and discretion and if people don't understand the law, trying to help them to understand and engage and speak before we ever turn to any enforcement, but that is why I said we didn't want it to end like that, let's have a review.' She continued: 'I spoke in the day to both the Home Secretary and the mayor, I'm very comfortable with that and I think officers will be as well.' Asked if she felt she owed an apology to her frontline officers, Dame Cressida said: 'I feel for my officers, I feel for them every day.' She added: 'I completely recognise that they are, particularly in this last year, often finding themselves in very very difficult situations, they are policing during a pandemic. Nobody wants a third wave to happen. 'It's only a few weeks since the NHS was on its knees. They have a really difficult job, they have to make fine judgments, they often don't have infinite information or all the time in the world. 'They have to make these really difficult calls and I don't think anybody should be sitting back in an armchair and saying 'well that was done badly' or 'I would have done it differently' without actually understanding what was going through their minds. 'I guarantee that every single officer who was policing last night, like me, would rather we were not in the time of coronavirus. There could be a large, peaceful set of vigils all over the country. 'Most of them would have been at those vigils and I guarantee also that my officers up and down London and beyond, if they weren't working, will have been thinking of Sarah at 9:30pm last night, they will have been lighting their candles or pausing, and it's something we care about very, very deeply.' Advertisement

In the early hours of Sunday, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said police were put into a position 'where enforcement action was necessary'. She said: 'Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19.

'Police must act for people's safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe.

'Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items.'

The force said it will conduct an inquiry into what happened and 'accepts the actions of our officers have been questioned' but added officers wanted to 'act to ensure public safety'.

Elisabeth Chapple, leader of the Met's South West Command Unit for Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth, said: 'To all the public, communities, partners, critical friends, police officers, staff and volunteers of South West London, I know and understand that this morning we are in a difficult place. We will work hard, with you, to re-build trust and hope there are many better days to come.'

Hundreds of mourners, estimated at around 1,500, defied lockdown rules to gather to lay tributes at the bandstand in Clapham Common - near where Miss Everard was last seen alive before her disappearance.

Footage posted to social media this evening showed a tussle between Met Police officers and some of the crowd as some shouted 'you are scum' following the brief clash. One woman screamed 'you're supposed to protect us'.

Politicians from across all three main political parties condemned the scenes - which are expected to throw a spotlight on Commissioner Dick's handling of the force.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Liberal Democrats' Sir Ed and Conservative MP Steve Baker were among parliamentarians to condemn the heavy-handed approach, as Mr Baker called events in Clapham 'unspeakable scenes'.

Earlier on Saturday, mourners broke down in tears as they paid their respects to the 33-year-old marketing manager who disappeared on her way home from visiting a friend on March 3.

It comes after Scotland Yard confirmed human remains found in Kent belonged to Ms Everard. On Saturday, serving police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, was remanded in custody after appearing in Westminster Magistrates' court charged with kidnap and murder.

The court heard Miss Everard's body was found inside a builder's bag and identified through the use of dental records.

During the impromptu vigil, an unnamed anti-lockdown protester had to be escorted away by police officers after he stood on the bandstand to rant about not being able to see his friends. He was met with a chorus of shouts as one woman screamed 'this isn't about you' and another added 'this woman has died'.

As scenes turned violent after sunset, politicians joined forces to condemn the Met Police's approach. Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper tweeted that the scenes in Clapham were 'disgusting and completely avoidable'.

The Home Secretary Ms Patel tweeted: 'Some of the footage circulating online from the vigil in Clapham is upsetting. I have asked the Metropolitan Police for a full report on what happened. My thoughts remain with Sarah's family and friends at this terrible time.'

London Mayor Mr Khan tweeted: 'The scenes from Clapham Common are unacceptable. The police have a responsibility to enforce Covid laws but from images I've seen it's clear the response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate. I'm contact with the Commissioner & urgently seeking an explanation.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: 'The scenes in Clapham this evening are deeply disturbing. Women came together to mourn Sarah Everard - they should have been able to do so peacefully. I share their anger and upset at how this has been handled. This was not the way to police this protest.'

Earlier in the day he tweeted: 'Tonight I will light a candle for Sarah Everard. The whole country's thoughts are with Sarah's friends and family at this awful time.

'Violence against women and girls is still far too common. I will do everything I can to help make our streets safe and to end this injustice.'

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn shared a picture of candles on his windowsill, tweeting: 'Women must be safe on our streets. Solidarity with Sarah. Women must be safe to walk peacefully everywhere.'

'The Met Police must answer for their actions at Clapham Common this evening,' he added.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called for Dame Cressida to 'consider' her leadership of the force.

In a letter to the Commissioner, he wrote: 'The scenes this evening of the policing of the Clapham Common vigil in memory of Sarah Everard are utterly disgraceful and shame the Metropolitan Police.

'The vigil this evening was a peaceful one brought together in the most horrific of circumstances.

'Across the country, countless women have told their own painful stories of harassment and abuse. Your officers should have been standing in solidarity with those on Clapham Common tonight not being ordered to disrupt this display of grief and peaceful protest.

'This was a complete abject tactical and moral failure on the part of the Police.

'We therefore call on you to consider your leadership of the service and whether you can continue to have the confidence of the millions of women in London that you have a duty to safeguard and protect.'

A sign saying 'STOP KILLING US' is seen among the flowers and candles on Clapham Common on Saturday night

People gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, March 13

Tense scenes on Clapham Common, south London on Saturday after hundreds of women gathered to pay tribute to Miss Everard

Police detain a woman as people gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common bandstand on Saturday night

Police officers kept watch from the bandstand in Clapham Common on Saturday night as clashes continued

Hundreds of mourners defied social distancing measures to gather at Clapham Common on Saturday night

Conservative candidate for London mayor Shaun Bailey said: 'The scenes at Sarah Everard's vigil in Clapham tonight are horrifying.

'With ultimate responsibility for policing and public safety in London, the Mayor must immediately explain how these events were allowed to unfold.

'If Sadiq Khan wasn't involved in tonight's operational decision making, given the significance of tonight's vigil, he should have made sure he was.

'If he was involved - he has serious questions to answer.'

Fellow London Mayor hopeful Laurence Fox wrote: 'Appalling and heavy handed policing of a vigil to a murdered woman in London. The public cannot maintain trust in a police force that is seen to be applying different set of rules to different protests depending on the political motivation of the protest.'

Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy tweeted footage of the clashes at Clapham Common. 'This could have been the socially distanced vigil the community needed to remember Sarah and all the women who have lost their lives to violence. We knew what was going to happen if the event was shut down.'

She added: 'I know Lambeth Borough officers made efforts to compromise with the organisers but were overruled from high up.'They'll be left to deal with the fallout of this and the further burden it places on already strained community relationships. Very disappointing from Scotland Yard.'

Police clash with mourners at a vigil in Clapham Common, south London, on Saturday after the event was officially cancelled

Fights broke out as people battled against police officers on Saturday evening in Clapham Common

Police officers blocked people from accessing the bandstand as those in the crowd held up candles

Police attempt to break up a vigil for Ms Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common

The bandstand was surrounded by flowers laid three-foot deep as people gathered for a vigil

'I am a woman, I am a police officer, I am very proud of being both': Female PC's view of Clapham vigil clashes A female police officer has voiced her opinion after watching violent scenes unfold at the vigil for Sarah Everard. In a Twitter thread which has rake in more than 1,500 likes, the user, PC_Milk, wrote: 'It started with mainly only female officers overlooking a civil vigil. 'When numbers grew and social distancing seized more officers were called. 'When police officers tried to crowd control and remove people from stamping on flowers for Sarah they refused. 'Then it kicked off. 'Then I saw and heard my colleagues being abused. They were called murderers, rapists, a female colleague was told it should have been her. And we were told to arrest each other. This is not ok. #ReclaimTheStreets. 'Then I saw people being arrested and my colleagues being assaulted when trying to transport said prisoner. 'Then I saw our vehicles being vandalised with spray with the word ACAB and a mirror being smashed. 'Then I thought what would Sarah's family think about this? 'Sarah's family and friends have been so gracious under the circumstances. I do not believe they would want this to happen. If it was me I would not want this to happen. Stop think and be civil we are all humans and we all are angry at what happened. We do not need more violence. 'I am a woman. I am a police officer. I am very proud of being both. This week has me exhausted. Physically from the job and mentally by all this. 'We are not at fault for what happened because if we knew we would have done what we could to stop it. 'To finalise this rant, to my colleagues: I am proud of you. You were insulted beyond what we are used to. We stand by our uniform, we're proud to carry this warrant card so we can uphold the great office of Constable. Thank you for being there today hope you are all ok.' Advertisement

One video posted online showed Metropolitan Police officers grabbing women stood within the bandstand in Clapham Common before leading them away, to screaming and shouting from onlookers.

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted: 'The MET police have acted terribly and caused great harm and hurt. Millions of women are angry and in grief, Sarah Everard's horrific murder and the millions of acts of assault women face every day are why women created this vigil.'

He added: 'I am an ally. #ReclaimTheseStreets.'

Conservative MP Steve Baker described events in Clapham as 'unspeakable scenes'.

'You need to change lockdown law now @BorisJohnson,' he tweeted.

Mr Baker has been a prominent campaigner from the backbenches for a faster loosening of coronavirus restrictions than planned by the Government.

Conservative MP Caroline Nokes wrote: 'Truly shocked at the scenes from Clapham Common - in this country we police by consent - not by trampling the tributes to a woman who was murdered and dragging other women to the ground. Badly misjudged by #metpolice'

Labour MP Harriet Harman wrote: 'Met mishandled vigil plan from the outset. They should have reached agreement. Terrible scenes in Clapham. I don't want to see any of these women in court.'

Another, MP Paula Barker, said: 'These scenes of Police manhandling women who had come to mourn the death of Sarah Everard are deeply disturbing. Serious questions need to be raised.'

And Labour MP David Lammy added: 'Women should have been able to mourn the death of Sarah Everard in peace. The images of male police officers manhandling women at this moment of national trauma are distressing. The way this was policed was wrong and lessons must be learned.'

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds described the scenes in Clapham as 'deeply distressing'.

'I share the anger there is about the policing of this and lessons need to be learned,' he tweeted. 'People should have been able to mark this moment peacefully and safely. This is a national moment for change.

'Women across the country have shared powerful testimonies of unacceptable abuse and the desperate, long overdue, need for change. We need to find a way for people to show solidarity safely, and in a Covid-safe way.

'At the heart of this we should also keep at the forefront of our minds the anguish that Sarah Everard's family must be going through and prioritise finding ways to support them.'

A Reclaim These Streets event was due to be held tonight at the bandstand on Clapham Common, near where Ms Everard went missing, but organisers yesterday failed to secure a High Court ruling that lockdown - which bans gatherings - should not stop their right to protest.

Despite urging people to conduct a vigil at their doorstep with a candle, hundreds of people arrived at Clapham Common this evening and similar gatherings have been held in Bournemouth, Leeds, Cambridge and Bristol.

Following violence at vigils, Reclaim These Streets said it was 'deeply saddened and angered by the scene of police officers physically manhandling women at a vigil against male violence'.

A spokesman added: 'From the start Reclaim These Streets set out to work closely with the Met to ensure this vigil could go ahead safely, so women could stand together peacefully and safely to remember Sarah Everard and all the women lost to male violence.

'The Metropolitan Police failed to work with us despite the High Court ruling yesterday that a vigil could potentially go ahead lawfully. In doing so they created a risky and unsafe situation. It is their responsibility to protect public order, public health and the right to protest - they failed tonight on all accounts.

'All the time they spent fighting us on a legal claim that the Judge agreed should not have been necessary and was caused by the Metropolitan Police's stance, they could've been working with us to ensure the vigil went ahead in a safe way. The Judge was clear and the Metropolitan Police conceded minutes before the hearing, that there was no blanket ban on protest under the current law. They then had an opportunity - and a responsibility to work with us safely and within the law.

'This week of all weeks the police should have understood that women would need a place to mourn, reflect and show solidarity. Now is the time for the police and the Government to recognise that the criminal justice system is failing women. Tonight, it has failed women again, in the most destructive way. We will keep fighting for women's voices to be heard and to matter.'

The vigil was planned for Saturday in memory of marketing executive Sarah Everard, who disappeared while walking home to Brixton on March 3

A well-wisher places a tribute on the growing pile from a gap in a police cordon at the band-stand

One woman held up a sign that read 'we live in fear. Not all survive. Police do not protect us' in Clapham
Marine Corps Account Says It Messed Up in Response to Foxs Carlson

A U.S. Marine Corps units Twitter account says it messed up in its comments while responding to Fox News host Tucker Carlson as part of a debate over his commentary about social justice initiatives in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The official account for the II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group used a pejorative on social media in responding to Carlsons recent statements on how the military should be focused more on adversaries and less on culture issues.

The Marines shared a picture of a female soldier carrying a male one and tagged Carlson, writing that the photo showed what it looks like in todays armed forces.

Get right before you get left, boomer, the account said, using a word widely considered a pejorative term.

After intense pushback for using an official military account to slam a private citizen, the Marines unit wrote in tweets: We are human and we messed up. What was intended as a tweet in support of our female Marines and sisters serving in uniform was clearly not aligned with our standard practices or an appropriate representation of the Marine Corps. We will do better and serve the people.

We can do better and we will collectively take a knee, review our procedures and get back in the fight. Our focus is to train, fight and win and we have a hard time doing that without your support.

The Department of Defense inspector general didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

The situation was the latest development in an ongoing clash between Carlson and the military, with some of the forces highest officials lambasting the Fox News host for his views.

Carlson on March 9 on his show played comments from President Joe Biden, who has made elevating women in the military a priority in recent weeks.

In remarks on International Womens Day the day prior at the White House, Biden highlighted how hed nominated two women for four-star command positions in the armed forces. The nominations will underscore to young women just beginning their careers in the military that no door will be closed to them, Biden said.

Military leaders realize theres much, much more work to be done to ensure that womens leadership is recognized and we have more diverse leaders and that all women feel safe and respected in our military, Biden said. Some of it is relatively straightforward work where were making good progress designing body armor that fits women properly; tailoring combat uniforms for women; creating maternity flight suits; updatingupdating requirements for their hairstyles.

A U.S. Army soldier prepares to immunize a man with a COVID-19 vaccine in North Miami, Fla., on March 9, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

After playing the clip, Carlson told viewers: So weve got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. Its a mockery of the U.S. Military. While Chinas military becomes more masculine as its assembled the worlds largest navy, our military needs to become, as Joe Biden says, more feminine, whatever feminine means anymore since men and women no longer exist. The bottom line is, its out of control, and the Pentagon is going along with this.

The segment drew criticism from Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, who told reporters that the diversity of our military is one of our greatest strengths.

We are better and more effective not only when we represent the American peopleall the American peoplebut also, when we have the moral courage to include other perspectives and ideas into our decision-making; perspectives that, as the secretary himself noted Monday, are based on lived experience. Its that experience, and the professionalism and commitment of our people, that has always been our decisive advantage, he said, adding that the U.S. armed forces need to work on making the military more inclusive.

We pledge to do better, and we will. What we absolutely wont do is take personnel advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military. Now maybe those folks feel like they have something to prove; thats on them. We know were the greatest military in the world today, and even for all the things we need to improve, we know exactly why thats so.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shares the revulsion of so many others to what Mr. Carlson said in his opening statement, according to the press secretary.

In addition, the Space Force Commands senior enlisted leader, Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, said in a video while in uniform that Carlsons opinion is based on zero days of service in the armed forces. Army Sgt. Major Michael Grinston was among other officers criticizing Carlson.

Carlson on March 11 said the Pentagon had effectively declare[d] war on a domestic news operation.

He also amped up his critique of what he described as the militarys focus on identity politics, noting that Biden recently announced the Pentagon would pay for gender reassignment surgery for active-duty personnel.

How do sex changes in the military make this country safer? Thats not a trick question. Its not another volley in the culture war. Its the only question that mattersliterally, the only question that matters. But no one bothered to ask it, probably because no one can remember why the U.S. military exists, Carlson said.

Heres a reminder: The U.S. military exists to fight and win wars. Thats its only purpose. The U.S. military is not an NGO. It is not a vehicle for achieving equity. Its not a social experiment. Its definitely not an employment agency. Nobody has a God-given right to work in the military. No one does, and that includes all of us.
Swiss prosecutor is probing whether the late Saudi king broke any laws when he transferred $100 million to a fund controlled by fellow royal Juan Carlos I of Spain in 2008.

Last month, a hearing was held behind closed doors in Geneva to discuss a legal opinion that prosecutor Yves Bertossa sought from scholars on whether the payment by the late King Abdullah could constitute a crime under Saudi law, according to documents seen by Bloomberg. Bertossa first solicited the advice in a July 23 letter to the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law.

Bertossas request for an opinion came just a month after Spanish Supreme Court prosecutors announced they would investigate whether Juan Carlos, who abdicated and lost his immunity from prosecution in 2014, could be pursued for possible crimes linked to a high-speed train project in Saudi Arabia won by a Spanish-Saudi consortium.

Bertossas scrutiny of King Abdullah, the half-brother of the current king, could roil Switzerlands longstanding role as a preferred destination for Saudi wealth. Middle Eastern investors had 432 billion Swiss francs ($464 billion) stored in the country at the end of 2019, according to the Swiss Bankers Association, nearly a fifth of the total. Saudis flock to Geneva every July and August to avoid the fierce desert heat, staying in luxury villas along Lake Geneva.

The Saudi governments Center for International Communication didnt respond to emailed questions. The Saudi Ministry of Finance, which transmitted the $100 million payment, declined to comment on the reason. Bertossas office declined to comment on his probe and the reported links between the transfer and the rail contract.

In his letter, Bertossa said his probe had been focused on determining whether this alleged gift should be connected to a corruption scheme." The letter didnt mention the rail contract.

Even assuming the hypothesis that this payment was a gift," he continued, it begged the question of whether there was disloyal mismanagement of public interests on the part of the former king of Saudi Arabia."

Bertossa referred in his letter to an offense in the Swiss Criminal Code that translates as misconduct in public office" in the official English-language version.

Madrid Thank-You

The payment was a thank you from King Abdullah for Juan Carloss help organizing a conference in Madrid on religious understanding, according to a Saudi diplomat cited by Spanish newspaper El Pais. The paper reported last year that Bertossa, in a separate letter to a Spanish judge, drew a direct link between the contract and the Saudi payment, and said that the winning bidders offered a discount of as much as 30%.

The tender for the multibillion-dollar contract began in 2008, the year of the Saudi payment, and was awarded in 2011. The consortium that won the rail contract said in a statement it denies making any agreement or payment related to the award of the project.

In international cases, Swiss prosecutors often prefer to establish whether a comparable offense exists both in Switzerland and the country in question before proceeding with a fresh line of inquiry.

According to the Swiss institutes December response, seen by Bloomberg, misconduct in public office as defined in the Swiss Criminal Code also exists in Saudi Arabia and would, in theory, be punishable under Saudi law with a sentence of as much as 10 years and a fine of 20,000 riyals ($5,330). But the written opinion didnt address the specifics of the case Bertossa is investigating and so didnt discuss the prospect of immunity for a monarch -- living or dead.

The author of the opinion at the institute, a research center attached to the Swiss Federal Department of Justice, declined to comment.

Panama Foundation

The money at the center of the inquiry was paid into the Panama-registered Lucum Foundation. The foundation, of which Juan Carlos was the sole beneficiary, was established to receive the Saudi donation and was dissolved around 2012. Juan Carlos left Spain for the United Arab Emirates last year, according to the BBC.

His lawyer, Javier Sanchez-Junco, didnt respond to requests for comment. The Swiss bank which received the payment and has been investigated by Bertossa denies any wrongdoing.

Bertossas inquiries come as Saudi Arabias current heir to the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has declared fighting corruption a key priority. In 2017, the prince turned Riyadhs Ritz-Carlton hotel into a temporary jail during a controversial anti-corruption campaign that targeted Saudis elite. Most of the detainees were released after agreeing to hand over billions of dollars in private settlements. Dissidents say the prince uses corruption allegations selectively to undermine potential opponents and critics, a charge officials deny.

King Abdullah reigned for nearly a decade until his death in 2015 at age 90, when he was replaced by King Salman, the crown princes father.





This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Anna Kendrick has been on lockdown with the rest of Hollywood for the past year.

And the Academy Award nominee dusted off her cutest red carpet look for a recent awards show appearance.

She put on a leggy display Saturday in a Giambattista Valli black and white minidress, as she took home a Blimp during the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for her starring voice role in Trolls World Tour.

Leggy display: Anna Kendrick put on a leggy display Saturday in a Giambattista Valli black and white fringe minidress, as she took home a Blimp during the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for her starring voice role in Trolls World Tour

The 35-year-old donned a sleeveless number, adorned in silver beaded fringe and sheer white panels, with black velvet ribbons tied at the shoulders.

She finished the ensemble with a pair of diamond teardrop earrings, a matching bracelet and some black strappy six-inch platform stilettos.

Kendrick was awarded Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie after reviving her performance as Queen Poppy for the animated DreamWorks sequel.

She said as she accepted the award: 'Thank you so much! I can't tell you how much this means to me. I love playing this weird little hot pink optimistic creature so, so much, and this is just so awesome.

Hell on heels: She finished the ensemble with a pair of diamond teardrop earrings, a matching bracelet and some black strappy six-inch platform stilettos

Fringe moment: The 35-year-old donned a sleeveless number, adorned in silver beaded fringe and sheer white panels, with black velvet ribbons tied at the shoulders

Winner winner: Kendrick was awarded Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie after reviving her performance as Queen Poppy for the animated DreamWorks sequel. She beat out Tina Fey (Soul), Jamie Foxx (Soul), Chris Pratt (Onward), Ryan Reynolds (The Croods: A New Age), Emma Stone (The Croods: A New Age) and Justin Timberlake (Trolls World Tour)

Pretty in pink: She said as she accepted the award: 'Thank you so much! I can't tell you how much this means to me. I love playing this weird little hot pink optimistic creature so, so much, and this is just so awesome'

'It makes me so happy every time I get to record a session as Queen Poppy, so it makes me very happy that somebody else likes it too. That's nice. I love making these movies, and I'm so grateful that I get to make them, and sing the music. It's one of my favorite jobs that I ever had.'

The Broadway alum added: 'And I want to take this opportunity to say that one of my favorite perks is when you guys dress up like Poppy and Branch and other Trolls for Halloween. Please never stop sending me those pictures on Twitter and Instagram. It warms my cold heart every year.'

She beat out Tina Fey (Soul), Jamie Foxx (Soul), Chris Pratt (Onward), Ryan Reynolds (The Croods: A New Age), Emma Stone (The Croods: A New Age) and Justin Timberlake (Trolls World Tour).

Kendrick signed on in December for the Netflix sci-fi thriller Stowaway, in which she plays a medical researcher on a mission to Mars, during which her spaceship is severely damaged.

She stars alongside Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim and Shamier Anderson in the Joe Penna-directed movie.
Is it fair or even patriotic to threaten states that do not conform to the Democratic Socialists' mandate to control the outcome of Free and Fair elections enacted by constitutionally guaranteed states' legislatures?

Yes, all elections must be federalized so that the whim of the majority political party can set the standard for all elections.

No, Our Founders purposefully decentralized elections by guaranteeing only states' legislatures the independent right to enact Free and Fair elections.
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They've been nearly inseparable since going public with their relationship almost one year ago.

And Megan Fox enjoyed a romantic date night around the city with her beau Machine Gun Kelly as they first stepped out for dinner in Malibu on Saturday.

The 34-year-old actress looked effortlessly chic in a white trench coat paired with jeans while leaving trendy Nobu before the pair met up with friends for a late night out at the Rainbow Bar in West Hollywood.

Beautiful: Megan Fox enjoyed a romantic date night around the city with her beau Machine Gun Kelly as they first stepped out for dinner in Malibu on Saturday

The Transformers star kept things simple with a pair of straight leg jeans and pointy-toed heels as she left the restaurant located on Pacific Coast Highway.

MGK lead the way out of the pricey eatery wearing unique leather pants with mirrored detailing and a classic black long-sleeve shirt.

He added a pair of chunky black combat boots and a few silver chain necklaces to complete his ensemble.

Out and about: The 34-year-old actress looked effortlessly chic in a white trench coat paired with jeans while leaving trendy Nobu before the pair met up with friends for a late night out at the Rainbow Bar in West Hollywood

Good times: The pair were later spotted chatting around a glowing fire pit with friends into the early hours of the morning

The pair were later spotted chatting around a glowing fire pit with friends into the early hours of the morning.

Los Angeles County has endured restrictive dining measures for nearly one year due to the pandemic and indoor dining was only recently allowed to resume service beginning next week, but outdoor dining resumed recently at limited capacity.

Megan and Kelly went public with their new relationship in May after meeting on the set of Randall Emmett's directorial debut, Midnight In The Switchgrass.

She filed for divorce from her husband of 10-years, Brian Austin Green, on the day before Thanksgiving, and the couple are currently trying to figure out a custody arrangement for their three children.

Love is in the air: Megan and Kelly went public with their new relationship in May after meeting on the set of Randall Emmett's directorial debut, Midnight In The Switchgrass

True love: They made their red carpet debut at the American Music Awards where she revealed a new tattoo likely dedicated to her musician beau with the Spanish words 'el pistolero' scrawled across her collarbone, which roughly translates to 'the gunman'

Kelly  who's real name is Richard Colson Baker  has a 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship named Casie.

They made their red carpet debut at the American Music Awards where she revealed a new tattoo likely dedicated to her musician beau with the Spanish words 'el pistolero' scrawled across her collarbone, which roughly translates to 'the gunman.'

During an interview on Lala Kent's podcast, Megan said she 'knew right away that he was what I call a twin flame.'

She added: 'Instead of a soul mate, a twin flame is actually where a soul has ascended into a high enough level that it can be split into two different bodies at the same time. So we're actually two halves of the same soul, I think.'
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The Osun State Government has reacted to the killing of six members of the same family by unknown gunmen at Wasimi community in Irewole Local Government area of the state.

The deceased, according to sources, were said to be Fulani settlers. They were attacked before daybreak. The community is along the Ife/Ibadan expressway.

Although the police did not confirm in its statement that the victims were Fulanis, the spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, did not deny when PREMIUM TIMES asked if they were. She simply said the death is not connected with any clash between farmers and herders as speculated in some sections of the media.

Ms Opalola said the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Olawale Olokode, visited the scene of the incident for an on-the-spot security assessment.

The Commissioner said the police had commenced investigations into the incident and already carrying out intensive manhunt for the perpetrators to bring them to justice.

Also, the states Deputy Governor, Benedict Alabi, who visited the scene on Sunday evening , described the incident as a case of brutal assassination.

He added that the perpetrators would be brought to book in no distant time.

ALSO READ: Police intensify manhunt for gunmen who attacked travellers in Osun

This is a very unfortunate incident and we are so sad about it as a government. It is shocking and strange to our communities.

We are here on behalf of the state government to sympathize with you and we are assuring you that those criminal elements that perpetrated this evil act would not go scot-free, we have ordered security agencies to swing into action and fish them out to face the wrath of law.

Mr Alabi was accompanied to the community by the states Commissioner for Finance, Bola Oyebamiji, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Abiodun Ige.
West Bengal Chief Minister on Sunday said she is contesting from to work along with members of Shaheed families against "anti-Bengal forces", remembering the innocent villagers were killed in firing at on March 14 in 2007.

"On this day, in 2007, innocent villagers were killed in firing at Many bodies could not be found. It was a dark chapter in the history of the State. Heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives,'' she tweeted.

''In memory of those who lost their lives in Nandigram, we observe March 14 as Krishak Dibas every year and give away the Krishak Ratna awards. Farmers are our pride and our government is working for their all-round development,'' she said in another tweet.

''As a mark of respect and encouraged by my brothers and sisters of Nandigram, I am contesting Bengal Elections 2021 as an AITC candidate from this historic place. It is my great honour to be here and work along with members of Shaheed families against anti-Bengal forces," she added.

In 2007, several villagers were reportedly killed and many others sustained injuries during a protest over land acquisition for a special economic zone (SEZ) in Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

had been contesting polls from the Bhawanipore constituency. The BJP fielded former TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram against Mamata Banerjee, setting the stage for a high-profile contest from the seat.

West Bengal is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and the BJP in the fray.

Elections to 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(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 major law firm bidding to assist Victorias royal commission into Crown casino also advised the casino operator on its Barangaroo casino project in Sydney, along with working for Crowns second-largest shareholder.

It has prompted the Victorian opposition and a prominent industry expert to raise concerns about the firms potential conflict of interest.

James Packer and Daniel Andrews in the Crown marquee on Derby Day in 2012. Credit:Jesse Marlow

Corrs Chambers Westgarth is one of the firms hoping to provide solicitors to the Victorian probe into Crowns suitability to run a casino. Premier Daniel Andrews, who for years declined to investigate Crown amid money laundering allegations, said last month he would be willing to strip Crown of its casino licence if the royal commission recommends this.

Corrs states on its website that it advised Crown on elements of its bid to build a casino in NSW. Crowns Sydney foray prompted authorities there to look into Crowns operations and determine last month that the company was unsuitable to hold a licence in NSW because it facilitated money laundering by organised crime units at its Melbourne hotel.
Mumbai, March 14 : A Special NIA Court on Sunday sent arrested Mumbai Police Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, to 10 days custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till March 25.

Vaze was arrested minutes before midnight on Saturday and produced before the Special NIA Court this afternoon in connection with the case pertaining to an abandoned SUV with gelatin sticks found near the home of top industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

The NIA has booked the 49-year police official in connection with SUV case and he is also being simultaneously probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for the mystery death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren.

Formally arrested after nearly 12 hours of grilling by the NIA team, Vaze underwent the mandatory medical checkup and a Covid-19 test before he was taken to the court under tight security.

In its remand application, the NIA sought Vaze's maximum custody for further interrogation and investigations as he was the investigating officer in the SUV case.

Opposing the NIA, Vaze's lawyer Sudeep Pasbola contended that the agency had no evidence to implicate the police officer.

He also sought a copy of the remand application, which the NIA has refused to share with the accused on grounds of privilege and confidentially. This matter will be heard by the Special Judge, NIA court, P.R. Fitre on Monday.

Vaze, a former 'encounter specialist' of Mumbai Police, was arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Explosives Substances Act.

An officer of the 1990 batch of the state police cadre, Vaze - with 69 'encounters' to his credit - was suspended in 2004 over his role in the custodial death of Khawaja Yunus, a suspect in the 2002 Ghatkopar bomb blast, but was reinstated in the police force last year.

A former member of Shiv Sena, Vaze had led the team which arrested Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami last November in an abetment to suicide case.

The present case involved an abandoned SUV found with 20 gelatin sticks near Antilia, the Ambani residence, on February 25 and the subsequent death of the vehicle's owner, Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren on March 5.

Initially, both the cases were probed by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, and later transferred to the ATS, till the Centre handed over the SUV matter to the NIA.

The two cases sparked off a nationwide political furore.

Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that the action in the case involving the planting of a SUV Scorpio with gelatin sticks and the subsequent death of Hiren "would be based on truth" that comes out of the investigations.

While the ruling Shiv Sena slammed the Centre's moves to unilaterally take over important cases as demoralising for the Mumbai Police, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party launched a fresh attack on the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said Vaze's arrest is merely the beginning and it is necessary to probe who are the people behind him, supporting him in the government, since the involvement of police officials in crimes will shake the people's faith in the police.

Suspecting that it is not a small matter, but "a larger plot" in which the truth must come out, he said it is "a serious matter that the person who was the investigating officer has been arrested".

Leader of Opposition in the Council Pravin Darekar demanded answers from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray since he was seen defending Vaze last week.

Demanding a narco-test on Vaze to unravel the names of the 'master-conspirators', BJP city spokesperson Ram Kadam asked whether the MVA government was worried that the policeman's revelations could create problems for the ruling dispensation.

BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya demanded the sacking of Home Minister Deshmukh and Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh in the wake of Vaze's arrest.
Its a strange case of life imitating art.

Gwyneth Paltrow revealed in a Saturday interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she came down with a case of COVID-19 all the way back in February of last year, just as the world was starting to pay major attention to pandemic-related news and quarantine preparation.

However, the 48-year-old actress, who starred in Steven Soderberghs prescient 2011 film Contagion, explained to the publication why she didnt publicize her diagnosis at the time.

Opening up: Gwyneth Paltrow revealed in a Saturday interview that she came down with a case of COVID-19 all the way back in February of last year, but decided to remain mum about it

'I got it so early that there werent COVID tests available,' the Oscar winner said.

'We couldnt even get tested for a long time, and by the time we were able to get antibody tests and all of that, there were much graver, more important things going on in the world. I didnt really feel the need to bring it up, but it was interesting.'

She also shared that she believes she contracted the virus while on a February 2020 trip to Paris, during which she ironically posted from the plane and referenced the Contagion film.

Life imitating art: She also shared that she believes she contracted the virus while on a February 2020 trip to Paris, during which she ironically posted from the plane about Covid

To add even more irony, Paltrow played the 'patient zero' character in that movie, which traced the onset of a much more lethal version of the coronavirus that the world has been battling over the past year and a half.

And even though she was not the first person to contract the coronavirus in real life, Gwyneth has been vocal about the lasting effects of what has been termed 'long-haul covid' via her lifestyle brand Goop.

In fact, the star has been the target of a fair amount of criticism for plugging various luxury products as unrealistic and out-of-touch ways to battle the lasting effects of the illness.

Product plugger: The star has been the target of a fair amount of criticism for plugging various luxury products as unrealistic and out-of-touch ways to battle the lasting effects of the illness

However, the mother of two does not let any of it phaze her.

'Its usually that I always find its for their own amplification,' she stated, of those who deride her.

'We really are not to say at Goop that we have never made mistakes, because of course we have in the past, but were very much in integrity and were careful about what we say. We always feel like we understand why a lot of that [criticism] becomes clickbait for people.'

'We really are not to say at Goop that we have never made mistakes, because of course we have in the past, but were very much in integrity and were careful about what we say' she stated in response to the flack

Meanwhile, the Shakespeare In Love star recently told People that she 'would of course be open' to returning to acting... but with a caveat.

Gwyneth has largely stepped away from life in front of the camera over the last decade, in favor of serving as CEO for Goop.

She has only appeared in occasional Marvel films as Iron Mans love interest Pepper Potts, along with a recent turn on the Netflix series The Politician, a show co-created by her husband Brad Falchuk.

'I think if it was a small part that I could do in like a day or two, I would of course be open to that,' Paltrow allowed.
Weeks after General Motors pledged to work for an all-electric future, the highest-selling U.S. automaker announced this week a partnership with MIT spinoff SolidEnergy Systems to speed up the commercialization of lithium metal batteries that could dramatically cut electric vehicle (EV) costs and boost range. GM Ventures was an early investor in lithium metal battery innovator SolidEnergy Systems in 2015 when GM and SES began a close working relationship.

Now GM and SES plan to build a manufacturing prototyping line in Woburn, Massachusetts, for a high-capacity, pre-production battery by 2023. GMs lithium metal battery with a protected anode will feature a combination of affordability, high performance, and energy density, the carmaker said.

Affordability and range are two major barriers to mass EV adoption, General Motors President Mark Reuss said.

With this next-generation Ultium chemistry, we believe were on the cusp of a once-in-a-generation improvement in energy density and cost. Theres even more room to improve in both categories, and we intend to innovate faster than any other company in this space, Reuss added.

GM committed in January to eliminate all tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035 as part of a wider strategy to become a carbon-neutral business by 2040.

The automaker had already stated in November 2020 its ambition to lead in the EV race with higher investments and 30 new global EV launches by 2025. Back then, GM said that its Ultium battery packs are projected to cost 60 percent less than todays packs with twice the energy density. GMs Ultrium-based EVs, when produced, will be capable of driving ranges up to 450 miles on a full charge, the carmaker said.

Related: How Middle East Producers Are Pricing Their Oil

Range and battery cost improvements, not only from GM but also from other players in the increasingly crowded EV market, are set to lower EV prices and boost their performancethe two key hurdles to attracting even more consumers.

Battery costs have fallen by 87 percent since 2010, but additional cost declines will be necessary so that EV prices could erase the current price advantage of conventional cars.

Further cost reductions in battery pack prices could allow EVs to compete with ICE cars when battery pack prices drop to $100 per kilowatt-hour in 2023, BNEFs 2020 Battery Price Survey showed in December.

Average battery prices below $100/kWh are widely considered the tipping point for mass EV adoption.

According to recent research from Cairn Energy Research Advisors, cited by CNBC, Tesla leads the EV race in battery cost reductions and will continue to do so this decade, but GMthanks to its all-electric commitmentwill narrow the gap and close in on Teslas battery costs by the end of this decade.

Cairn Energy Research Advisors has estimated that Tesla currently pays an average of $142/kWh for battery cells, compared to GMs $169/kWh and an industry average of $186/kWh.

Teslas battery packs cost on average $187/kWh versus GMs packs cost at $207/kWh and the auto industrys average of $246/kWh for battery packs, Cairn ERA said.

GM is fully committed and is taking this complete integrative approach which is going to allow it to be very close to Tesla, although the scale still isnt in the same ballpark as what Tesla is planning, Sam Jaffe, managing director of Cairn ERA, said in the report, as carried by CNBC.

Tesla is the EV maker to beat in the increasingly heated race for zero-emission transportation. The growing EV market with legacy automakers from GM to Volkswagenand even start-upscould prove the catalyst the entire EV industry needs to win over consumers with higher vehicle ranges and lower car prices.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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A Starbucks window is smashed during riots and protests marking the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylors death, in Seattle, Wash., on March 13, 2021. (Seattle Police Department)

Riots, Violence Erupt in West Coast Cities on Breonna Taylor Anniversary

Major cities on the West Coast were among those seeing riots and protests Saturday night as demonstrators marked the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylors death in a police raid in Louisville, Kentucky.

Several U.S. cities were beset by riots and protests on Saturday night as demonstrators marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.

Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle saw protests and clashes between crowds of people and police. Rioters threw rocks at police officers in Hollywood and smashed store windows, according to reports and footage published from the scene.

Videos showed riot police at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. A video uploaded to Twitter showed a demonstrator appearing to jump on a police car as it drove away.

Officials told KNBC in Los Angeles that at least one officer was injured during the skirmishes between protesters and police.

Ppl asking why the protesters who got hit by LAPDs car jumped on the hood uh cuz when youre getting hit by a car YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE UNDER IT, the person who uploaded the video said.

Another video appeared to show an LAPD officer being hit with an air conditioner unit.

In Portland, Oregon, the federal courthouse downtown was targeted again by rioters, reports said. Antifa types created a so-called no go zone for the public and police around the courthouse.

Members of the group broke multiple windows and vandalized a business at 2nd Ave and Lenora Street. pic.twitter.com/lxdyFVR0Iz  Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) March 14, 2021

Police detained about 100 protesters after surrounding them by using the so-called kettling tactic of using large groups of officers to move to contain a crowd within a limited area. Protesters either leave through an exit controlled by the police or are contained, prevented from leaving, and arrested.

The group was advised that they were being detained for investigation of crimes, they were not free to leave, and they should comply with officers lawful orders. Failure to comply may result in arrest or force being used against them to include, but not limited to, crowd control agents, impact weapons, or tear gas. Legal observers, press, and anyone who was medically fragile or anyone who needs immediate medical attention were invited to leave the enclosed area if they wished, the Portland Police Bureau said.

Those that were being detained were identified and photographed, as part of a criminal investigation, before being released. Some refused to comply and locked arms together in an effort to interfere with the investigation. Officers escorted them away and they were arrested.

Officials said they found a crowbar, hammers, and a high-impact slingshot.

In Seattle, police were seen making arrests and moving quickly against rioters, according to video footage. Another video showed a police car following a crowd.

Several shops in downtown Seattle were seen with smashed windows and spray-painted walls, photos published by the police department showed.

The Seattle Police Department, which saw its police chief resign last year, wrote that 13 people were arrested during the demonstration.
A crowd of protesters gather near the Breonna Taylor memorial in Jefferson Square Park on October 2, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that the grand jury in the Breonna Taylor case had indicted LMPD officer Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Breonna Taylor's mother said her daughter's death was "so avoidable" in an interview with CNN.

A year later, Tamika Palmer, wants the officers involved to be charged for Taylor's fatal shooting.

Taylor was fatally shot by Louisville police officers on March 13, 2020.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Breonna Taylor's mother reflected on the death of her daughter in an interview with CNN that aired Friday, roughly one year after Louisville police officers barged into Taylor's apartment and fatally shot her.

In the interview with CNN's Alisyn Camerota, Tamika Palmer said she is "angered that it was so avoidable."

Palmer's 26-year-old daughter was killed in her apartment while the officers were executing a search warrant. Palmer told WLKY-TV that "the right thing" would be charging the officers for her child's death.

"I can't believe it's a year later and we're still just asking people to do the right thing," Palmer told the network, adding that she wanted to see the officers "arrested, and charged, and convicted."

A group of protesters gather in the street in a march to the Breonna Taylor memorial at Jefferson Square Park on October 10, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed a motion on Wednesday asking the Jefferson County Circuit Court to dismiss a juror's request to speak publicly about the proceedings of Taylor's case. Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The officers involved - Brett Hankinson, Myles Cosgrove, and Jonathan Mattingly - were not charged in Taylor's death. Prosecutors said the fatal shooting was justified, since Taylor's boyfriend was the first to open fire on the officers at the door, thinking they were intruders.

Hankinson was ultimately charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for recklessly shooting into Taylor's neighbor's apartment during the raid.

The City of Louisville settled with Taylor's estate last September, paying out $12 million.

The deaths of Taylor and other Black Americans like George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery last year prompted a wave of protests and fomented a movement against police brutality in America last year. Activists are still on the ground in Louisville and across the country honoring and calling for justice for Taylor.

Story continues

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"This is about justice," Louisville Urban League's Sadiqa Reynolds told USA Today. "This is about our power to change this world for our children, for my daughter. This is so we make sure that not another person dies at the hands of the police."

Read the original article on Insider
Meghan Markle has been in headlines ever since her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on television. Now, a recent report by The Daily Mail has triggered speculation that she could run for the seat of US president in 2024, considering Joe Biden might choose to drop out of a second term. If in case, Meghan makes it to the White House, she would be the first woman President of the US and second non-white to lead the country.

Speaking to the London based newspaper, a senior member of the Labor party claimed that the Duchess of Sussex has already begun networking with senior Democrats. The anonymous politician, who served under the countrys former PM Tony Blair also claimed that Meghan was looking to build a campaign and a fundraising team for any potential campaign. As per US constitutional experts, the duchess of Sussex would be needed to renounce her title if she wanted to hold public office because it would conflict with the US oath of allegiance.

The rumours about Meghan eyeing American Presidency started circulating after a friend close to her, speaking to Vanity Fair, said that entering politics was one of the reasons behind Meghan not quitting US citizenship upon her marriage into the British Royal Family. Meghan's friends have previously encouraged speculation about her political ambitions  describing her rise from modest beginnings as 'the embodiment of the American dream'.

Meghan Markle's Oprah interview

In a recent interview with Oprah, Meghan said there were questions and discussion about her son Archie's skin colour in the Royal family. She didn't say who asked the question because she didn't want to hurt the family's feelings. She also said that she didn't want to live there any longer because she couldn't seem to fit in with the Monarchy.

In response, Buckingham Palace already assured, in an official statement, that the allegations will be looked into and termed the recollections 'concerning'. During the sit-down, Meghan said that there were "concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie's] skin might be when he's born" voiced by a member of the royal family. Harry has said that neither the Queen nor Prince Philip made the comment.

(Image Credit: The Associated Press)
Chairman M on Saturday offered 12 tips to the newly elected members of the House to make a difference to the functioning of the House and making of the nation as effective Parliamentarians.

As per an official release, Vice President Naidu counseled the members on their conduct both within and outside the House while inaugurating a two-day orientation programme for the newly elected members of

Naidu stressed that criticism of the government of the day should be informed and credible instead of being for record.

"The opposition has the right to criticize the government. In fact, it is their duty. But the criticism should be informed so that it looks credible. Opposing every move of the government for the sake of record dent's its credibility. The quality of criticism should really sting the government of the day and catch the eye of the media and the people,' he said.

Urging the members to acquire deep knowledge of the State of the Nation to make effective contribution for its transformation, the Chairman said, "it is also your duty to ensure and further strengthen the unity and inclusivity of our multi-cultural society by checkmating the attempts to create divisions based on caste, colour, region and religion. Each one of you must emerge as the spokesperson of the aspiring, emergent, capable, resilient and united India."

He also cautioned the members about the attempts to block the progress of the country whose voice is finding an echo in the global order in the form of disturbances along the boundary, misplaced criticism of the country based on some sporadic incidents, discrediting our democracy, economic restrictions, cross border terror among other things and urged them to effectively checkmate such attempts in every forum.

Naidu reminded the members of their solemn duty to defend the integrity and sovereignty of the country by being alert all the time about the threats to the same.

Elaborating on the challenges of time management in the House, Naidu asserted that what is important is not the length of interventions but the content and the perspectives presented. He urged the members to avoid repetitions which even kills the media interest and instead be specific.

He suggested members to avoid giving notices as a matter of routine like the Notices under Rule 267 for suspension of the business of the day, the principal source of disruptions and raising Points of Order even when there was no Point to be raised.

The Chairman urged the members to develop in-depth knowledge of issues being taken up in the House so as not to be general and vague in their interventions when complex issues with wider implications are discussed.

Expressing concern over the rising 'negative perception quotient' among the public about the functioning of legislatures in the country, Chairman Naidu urged the members to abide by the elaborate Rules of Procedure and Conventions of the House evolved over the years to enable smooth functioning of the House.

"These Rules provide for every contingency. During my 20 years in the Rajya Sabha and three and half years as it's Chairman, I have never witnessed a situation when inadequacy of Rules was felt in addressing procedural matters in the House," he added.

Stating that members have the right to seek their due in the House as per the Rules and Conventions and Presiding Officers are their custodians, Naidu observed that it was in the interest of the members and of the House to abide by the decision of the Chair in the end.

"You should appreciate that disregarding the Chair amounts to disrespecting the House. I am sure you would not like to end up doing that," 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.)
Its hard to imagine anyone other than Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams for the roles of Noah and Allie in The Notebook. But alas, several A-list celebrities were heavily considered for the romance film. One of the duos that could have starred in the movie includes Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake!

Britney Spears and boyfriend Justin Timberlake arrive at the premiere of her movie Crossroads at the Mann Chinese Theatre in 2002 | Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Spears and Timberlake were the it couple of the early 2000s. Their denim-clad relationship is still heavily discussed nearly two decades later. But after Hulu released Framing Britney Spears, many have criticized how Timberlake treated the pop star after their split.

Yet back when they were together, the two seemed destined for eternity.

Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears at the 2000 MTV Music Video Awards | Dave Hogan/Getty Images

When people [in public] get too personal, it bothers me, Spears said (via PopSugar.) But Im not ashamed at all to say that I love (Justin) from the bottom of my heart. As far as love is concerned, with him, too much is not enough. Hes everything, she professed. It is a deeper love now than when I was younger. Like, weve gone through so much together, and weve known each other since we were 12 years old. We know each other inside and out.

Before the casting process for The Notebook began, Spears and Timberlake were still publicly smitten for one another. Because of this, they were heavily considered for the roles of Allie and Noah in The Notebook.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake could have starred in The Notebook

Justin Timberlake has apologized to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson after facing backlash for his controversial actions. https://t.co/hFo5AyMTb0 pic.twitter.com/I1sG2I2Fvs  E! News (@enews) February 12, 2021

The Notebook could have been a totally different movie, considering the amount of people who could have been involved with the film.

For starters, according to E!, Steven Spielberg was initially supposed to be the director of The Notebook.

Several actors that the famous director was eyeing for the role of Noah included Tom Cruise and Justin Timberlake.

As we know, Spears and Timberlake ended things in 2002, and the film was shot in 2004. Because of this, it would have been quite challenging to cast an ex-couple in what is considered the most romantic film of all time.

'I know I failed': Justin Timberlake apologizes to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson https://t.co/Rna1j4bcXH pic.twitter.com/bTXSpdkvUg  Reuters (@Reuters) February 12, 2021

But funnily enough, Timberlakes current wife, Jessica Beil, had also auditioned for The Notebook and desperately wanted to snag the role of Allie. In fact, she wanted the part so badly that she was willing to audition while covered in blood.

Thats one that I wanted so badly, she said, according to PopSugar. I was in the middle of shooting Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and I auditioned with Ryan Gosling in my trailer  covered in blood. [Director] Nick Cassavetes put me through the wringer in an interesting, excitingly creative way. But theres a million that get away. Were gluttons for punishment. Its just rejection.

Rachel McAdams feels very fortunate that she landed the role of Allie in The Notebook

You are my best friend as well as my lover, and I do not know which side of you I enjoy the most. I treasure each side, just as I have treasured our life together.  #TheNotebook



Happy National #BestFriendsDay! Tag yours now! pic.twitter.com/7zPC0bchtX  Nicholas Sparks (@NicholasSparks) June 8, 2019

When McAdams was informed that Spears auditioned for the role that she eventually landed, she was shocked.

Im sure it would have been a totally different movie, she said, according to E!. I was very fortunate. I was sort of at the end of the line, and I know theyd sort of done a cross-country tripNick and Ryan togetherlooking for the girl, and I sort of squeaked in there.
BJP leader Amit Malviya demanded an apology from West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and TMC after the Election Commission of India (ECI) ruled out her injury at Nandigram being the result of an attack. Noting that EC's ruling was embarrassing for outgoing CM Mamata Banerjee, BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya claimed that the people of West Bengal were misled by false claims of an alleged attack. Further, the BJP leader said that Mamata Banerjee was 'called out for being economical with the truth' and remarked that the EC had no evidence to prove that Mamata was attacked at Nandigram.

Must be quite embarrassing for Mamata Banerjee, the outgoing Chief Minister of Bengal, to be called out for being economical with truth on the alleged attack in Nandigram.



EC says no evidence.



Pishi must apologise to the people of West Bengal for misleading them.



Shame! pic.twitter.com/B8h1RyDIIg  Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) March 14, 2021

ECI rules out attack on Mamata Banerjee

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ruled out West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's injury at Nandigram being the result of an attack, thereby denting TMC's claims of the Nandigram incident being part of a conspiracy and not an accident. As per ANI, the ECI ruled out the possibility of it being an attack based on the reports of the poll observers and the Chief Secretary of Bengal, and it has said that details relating to this will be given in due course. On Saturday, the ECI had sought more information on Mamata Banerjee's injury in Nandigram, noting that the details that were provided were sketchy.

This comes even as West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee began her roadshow on a wheelchair on Sunday from Gandhi Murti to Hazra in the poll-bound state. Mamata Banerjee was discharged from SSKM Hospital on Friday after her condition 'improved' following the alleged 'attack' during her visit to Nandigram on Thursday. Mamata Banerjee will address a public rally from a wheelchair at Hazra following the roadshow on Sunday.

ECI finds Mamata attack report 'sketchy'

A TMC delegation comprising of Derek O'Brien, Saugata Roy, Satabdi Roy, Kakoli Dastidar, Pratima Mondal, and Santanu Sen had reached the EC claiming that the attack on Mamata Banerjee was a 'deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by the BJP to take the life of the Chief Minister. The ECI on the other hand found the report submitted by the West Bengal government on the alleged attack 'sketchy'. "The report submitted by the West Bengal government appeared to be quite sketchy and without any details of the incident like how it happened or who could be behind it. We have asked the state administration to furnish more details," an ECI official told PTI.

On Wednesday, hours after filing her nomination from Nandigram, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had abruptly left her on-ground campaign claiming that she was attacked by 4-5 men during which she sustained a leg injury. Later, state-run SSKM hospital had said that Mamata had suffered 'severe bone injuries' in her left ankle, foot, and right shoulder. While there was no clear video footage of the alleged attack that took place in Birulia Bazar, Mamata was discharged on Friday and was seen being rolled out in a wheelchair.
Essential items hard to find and cost more despite price cuts By Kasun Warakapitiya View(s): View(s):

The Trade Ministry might have reduced prices of 27 essential commodities but consumers trying to buy these goods say they cannot find them in shops, and when they do, the prices are higher.

Consumers complained that although the government said the 27 items were available at Lanka Sathosa and Co-operative Wholesale Establishments (CWE), they were generally sold out.

Missing from Sathosa and co-operatives shelves were rice varieties such as samba and nadu, they said, and they could not find lentils, sugar and wheat at government prices in supermarkets and grocers.

Virani Kulakurasuriya, 52, a resident of Hunupitiya, Wattala said she had been unable to buy most of the items stated to be essential commodities as they had been sold out.

She complained that even though Sathosa sold sugar for the new price of Rs. 99 a kilo, it would only sell each buyer a maximum of two kilos.

Shelves of tinned fish at Sathosa were generally empty so she had to always make a separate trip to a supermarket to buy these and other goods.

When Sathosa doesnt have the goods we go to local grocery shops and supermarkets, which have most of the essential items such as sugar, wheatflour, skinned chicken and lentils, but at high prices, she said.

Cafe owner Kushan Samaranayake, whose shop is in Delkanda, said he was unable to buy rice and chicken for the concessionary prices as he often found Sathosa outlets had run out of stock.

When running a business, I cannot wait until Sathosa re-stocks, so most of the time I have to buy the goods for high prices at supermarkets, he said.

Meanwhile the grocery shop and supermarket owners said they were unable to provide the 27 essential goods at government-stipulated prices.

A shop owner who claimed anonymity said that his shop in Wattala was recently raided by the Consumer Affairs Authority for selling nadu rice for Rs. 120 rather than the stipulated price of Rs. 96.

He said he had been forced to sell the rice for the higher price as he had been forced to pay the large-scale miller who provided his stocks Rs. 112 for a kilo of nadu.

Shop owner Ajith Aruna Rawattawithana Kankanamge from Ambalangoda said he had stopped selling nadu and samba rice as he could not sell it at controlled prices.

Although the government was able to sell a kilo of sugar for Rs. 99 from Sathosa outlets, he added, grocers could only get sugar from wholesalers at Rs. 110 and were therefore forced to sell at a higher price.

His tale was echoed by supermarket manager A.W. Amalsha Udeen, who said he could not obtain keeri samba rice for Rs. 125 so was forced to buy at a higher price and sell it for Rs. 170 a kilo.

Shop-owners said large-scale millers made deals on the telephone with shop-owners to conditionally guarantee rice supplies. Retailers who say that although they had, over the years, given business worth hundreds of thousands of rupees to millers, they were being treated shabbily, with millers delaying deliveries of some rice varieties in order to coerce shops into ordering higher-priced varieties.

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) said its officers were making more raids on grocery shops to encourage owners not to buy rice on the millers terms.

The CAA spokesman said when mills were raided, millers complained that retailers were keeping prices high by hoarding stocks.

Lanka Sathosa Chairman, Rear Admiral (Retd) Ananda Peiris admitted there was a shortage of samba rice at Sathosa outlets and said this was because of a delay at the relevant millers end.

He explained the shortage of tinned fish was due to a shipment of imported tinned fish having to be returned due to the detection of arsenic in the product.

Chairman Peiris said sales at Sathosa outlets had doubled due when the controlled prices had been brought in, so that was why stocks were low.

The Minister of Trade, Bandula Gunawardena, said the government planned to increase the list of price-controlled essential commodities to 34 products in coming weeks.

The minister said the public could call the 1998 complaints hotline to report shortages at Sathosa outlets or co-operatives.
HR 1 contains religious test for redistricting, FRC warns

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A prominent conservative think-tank warns that a provision in H.R. 1 passed by the U.S. House contains an unconstitutional religious test for those wanting to serve on independent redistricting commissions.

The Family Research Council, a socially conservative think-tank based in Washington, D.C., asserted in a piece on its website that the For the People Act, also known as H.R. 1, contains a religious test for redistricting.

The For the People Act, billed as a necessary reform to expand voting rights, passed the House on an almost party-line vote on March 3, with one Democrat joining all Republicans in voting against the measure.

The Act calls for the establishment of independent redistricting commissions in every state. The commissions would draw voting districts every 10 years to reflect the most recent census population figures. Currently, the method used to draw districts for the House of Representatives varies from state to state, with some states vesting that authority in the legislature and others relying on independent redistricting commissions to draw the districts.

Section 2412 of the For the People Act establishes guidelines for who is eligible to serve on the nonpartisan redistricting commissions the legislation calls for. Candidates for the commissions must fill out an application listing the reason or reasons the individual desires to serve on the independent redistricting commission, the individuals qualifications, and information relevant to the ability of the individual to be fair and impartial.

Applicants are asked to share personal information, including any involvement with, or financial support of, professional, social, political, religious, or community organizations or causes. The portion of the proposed application calling on people to disclose involvement with or financial support of religious organizations raised concerns for the Family Research Council.

While it may appear minor, this is incredibly problematic because it suggests that religious affiliations may affect an individuals ability to be impartial, and thereby may make them ineligible to serve on the commission, wrote Travis Weber, the vice president for policy and government affairs at Family Research Council and the author of the blog post. Article 6, Clause 3, of the U.S. Constitution states that no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

As cancel culture rages, it is easy to see how this provision will be utilized to target conservative Christians, whose biblical values are increasingly at odds with the cultures embrace of certain favored ideologies, he warned.

The Family Research Councils warning that H.R. 1 has a religious test hidden in the nearly 800-page bill is not the only part of the legislation causing conservatives and Republicans concern. Hans von Spakovsky, an election expert with the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, previously told The Christian Post that H.R. 1 will make it easier to cheat and easier to manipulate election results.

Von Spakovsky also expressed concern that the For the People Act will restrict and chill First Amendment-protected political activity by requiring nonprofit organizations to reveal who their donors are.

Like Weber, von Spakovsky and 20 state attorneys general believe that certain parts of the bill are unconstitutional, specifically because they vastly increase the federal governments role in managing elections despite the fact that the U.S. Constitution grants states broad discretion when it comes to setting election policies.

While the For the People Act passed the House, where legislation can pass with a simple majority, its future remains uncertain in the Senate, where legislation requires 60 votes to pass. Democrats have a narrow 50-50 majority in the Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.

In order for the For the People Act to overcome a filibuster, it would need to secure the support of 10 Republicans. Top Senate Democrats have threatened to invoke the so-called nuclear option to abolish the filibuster and enable legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority.

Because Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has reaffirmed his support for maintaining the filibuster, Democrats might find themselves unable to accumulate the votes required to abolish the filibuster and pass H.R. 1.
New Delhi: One Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian on Sunday (March 14).

The operation which began yesterday in Rawalpora area of the district is currently underway.

The terrorist has been identified as Jahangir Ahmad Wani, a resident of Rakh Narapora of Shopian.

"The terrorist killed in Shopian encounter has been identified as Jahangir Ahmad Wani, a resident of Rakh Narapora of Shopian affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba. As per police records, he was active since September last year," Jammu and Kashmir police spokesperson was quoted as saying by ANI.

The police said they recovered several arms and ammunition and other incriminating materials.

"Arms and ammunition including United States-made M4 Carbine rifle and other incriminating materials were recovered from the site of encounter," said the police.

Three houses caught fire as a group of miscreants tried to disrupt the operation.

"Some miscreants were also injured," the police informed.

The forces are conducting cordon and search operation in the area to track other hiding terrorists.

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As attorneys in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd's death screen potential jurors, they're on guard for anything that suggests jurors would help, or hurt, their side. Prosecution and defense attorneys get a number of peremptory challenges to remove unwanted potential jurors and can also ask the judge to dismiss for cause. Here's a look at what those terms mean and how the jury selection process is playing out in the closely watched trial of Derek Chauvin, the former officer:

WHAT'S INFLUENCING JURY SELECTION IN CHAUVIN'S CASE?

That can be summed up in one word: Publicity. Widely circulated bystander video of Floyd's death coupled with widespread protests that consumed much of the country in the weeks that followed make it challenging to find people without an opinion on the case.

Hennepin County court officials sent prospective jurors a lengthy questionnaire in December written by prosecutors and defense attorneys. Questions ranged from what recipients knew of the case from media reports, whether they had ever been placed in a chokehold by police, whether they felt the criminal justice system treats Black people unfairly, whether they believe Minneapolis police are more likely to use force against Black suspects, and whether they trust police.

HOW CAN ATTORNEYS AND THE JUDGE SHAPE THE JURY PANEL?

The judge dismissed roughly two dozen jurors outright for cause, with agreement from both sides, based solely on their answers to the questionnaire. An unlimited number of jurors can also be stricken for cause during an in-person question-and-answer session in the courtroom known as voir dire, which is French for speak the truth.

Attorneys may raise or suggest the dismissal of a juror for cause, but they must give a reason, and its the judge who decides. A common reason for this type of strike: The juror has demonstrated he or she cant be impartial. Minnesota court rules also allow each side to strike a fixed number of prospects in what are called peremptory strikes.

HOW DO PEREMPTORY CHALLENGES WORK?

Neither side has to give a reason for striking a juror with a peremptory challenge, with one big exception. A strike cannot be solely due to a person's race . And if the other side suspects it is, they can ask the judge to intervene. That's happened twice so far, when the prosecution objected to the defense striking two Hispanic jurors. Judge Peter Cahill ruled that he was satisfied that the defense's reason for dismissing those two jurors was not due to their race.

HOW HAS THE JUDGE TWEAKED THE RULES FOR CHAUVIN'S CASE?

Typically in cases like Chauvins where the potential sentence is something less than life in prison, prosecutors get three peremptory strikes and defense attorneys get five. But judges have discretion to increase those, and Cahill has done just that, granting the defense 15 and prosecutors nine. Cahill hasn't said why, but Mike Brandt, a local defense attorney, said he believes the judge wanted to give both sides more latitude to strike marginal jurors given the intense publicity surrounding the case.

WHY DOES JURY SELECTION MATTER SO MUCH?

Both sides want to seat jurors favorable to their positions while keeping others who might support the opposition off the panel. Those strategies are playing out alongside Chauvin's constitutional right to an impartial jury. Any perception that the jury was biased going in could give Chauvin fodder for an appeal.

If in fact there's a guilty verdict, I think one of the things that will be appealed by the defense is the pretrial publicity rendered it ultimately impossible for a jury to render a fair and impartial verdict, said David Schultz, a law professor at the University of Minnesota.

(Image Credit: AP)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
They are just the kind of heart-warming cards that were being opened by mothers up and down the country yesterday: Sweet, affectionate and lovingly homemade.

But there was one significant difference in the hand-drawn greetings cards from Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, which were posted on the Kensington Palace Instagram account to mark Mothering Sunday.

They were not for their mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, but for their grandmother Princess Diana  a woman whom they never knew but whose influence towers over the monarchy, almost as much in death as she did herself in life.

On their own, the cards adorned with hearts, kisses and stickers for a princess who died almost 24 years ago are remarkably poignant, as was the palaces intriguing admission that William and Kates children write loving messages to their paternal grandmother each year on Mothers Day.

there was one significant difference in the hand-drawn greetings cards from Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, which were posted on the Kensington Palace Instagram account to mark Mothering Sunday. They were not for their mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, but for their grandmother Princess Diana

Two-year-old Prince Louis (pictured) produced a Mother's Day card

But this year, against the backdrop of Prince Harry and Meghans bitter fall-out with the Royal Family, their very existence is momentous.

For all their touching innocence, the cards seem to have a much more pointed purpose: To tilt the balance in the battle between two brothers, once so close but now estranged, over their mothers legacy.

In years to come, historians examining this saddest of chapters in the royal story will pay particular attention to the words accompanying the pictures drawn by Prince George, seven, and his five-year-old sister Charlotte, who, remember, was given the middle name Diana after her granny and christened at the same Sandringham church where her grandmother was baptised.

Georges message reads: I love you very much and think of you always, while Charlottes is perhaps even more touching. Papa is missing you, she writes. Together, these heartfelt expressions of love and loss are not just a window into the soul of their father, who rarely allows his emotions to become public. They are also a powerful reminder that Diana had two children.

In all the storm and drama of the Oprah Winfrey interview, Harry made frequent claims about his mother. From speaking of how he could not imagine what the princess had gone through, to assertions that she would have been angry at the way he and Meghan had been treated, again and again he invoked his mothers name.

At one stage, he even boldly stated of their departure: I think she saw it coming. Amid the incendiary remarks about racism, complaints that their son Archie was denied a title and the almost trivial obsession over whether it was Meghan or Kate who was made to cry, many of the claims about Diana were simply overlooked.

Ever since the 20th anniversary of the princesss death in 2017, Harry has increasingly drawn comparisons  as he sees it  between the frustrations of his life with Meghan and his mothers unhappiness.

In years to come, historians examining this saddest of chapters in the royal story will pay particular attention to the words accompanying the pictures drawn by Prince George, seven, and his five-year-old sister Charlotte (right)

Together, these heartfelt expressions of love and loss are not just a window into the soul of their father, who rarely allows his emotions to become public. They are also a powerful reminder that Diana had two children

Georges message reads: I love you very much and think of you always

Whether it involves press intrusion or following in her charity footsteps  memorably returning to that minefield Diana walked through in Angola all those years ago  the impression he has given is that his mother is never far from his thoughts. But the running theme has been this: Both he and his mother were victims of an institution they did not respect and which did not respect them.

In doing this quite so publicly, Harry has also drawn a distinction between himself and his brother.

In that anniversary year, William did acknowledge the debt he owed his mother for helping to shape him but he has chosen not to regularly speak out about her.

By releasing such personal Mothers Day messages yesterday, William made it clear that he will not allow Harry to weaponise Dianas name. He is reclaiming the princess not just for himself but for his children.

It was, however, a personal intervention from a prince who patrols his and his familys privacy extremely strictly. Family friends tell me that the decision to release the images reflects his disappointment at his brothers behaviour.

More than anything, William has been angered by how claims about Diana have been permitted to take root in the aftermath of the Sussexes interview, notably the idea that she was a royal rebel. In fact, as friends of the princess have been pointing out in recent days, Diana was a patriot with a love of country and strong sense of duty who wanted to serve the institution.

William, it seems, is a far better ambassador of that concept than his brother. Publishing the cards also shines a light on the remarkable way the prince and Kate are teaching their children about their family heritage. Diana is not being airbrushed from royal life as she so tragically was in the years immediately after her death when the palace did little to celebrate her.

By releasing such personal Mothers Day messages yesterday, William made it clear that he will not allow Harry to weaponise Dianas name. He is reclaiming the princess not just for himself but for his children

Like many people who lose a parent at a young age, William has clearly taught his children that there is not just Granny Middleton  Kates mother Carole  in their lives but Diana too.

At the same time, he also invites us to imagine something that many would find hard to summon up  the idea of Diana as a grandmother.

Were she still alive by the time of the anniversary of her 60th birthday on July 1, the princess would have had five grandchildren. So what sort of grandmother would she have been?

Stylish, naturally; hands-on certainly; and giving Mrs Middleton and Meghans mother Doria Ragland a run for their money.

As mother to William and Harry, Diana did not have their grandmothers to help  her own mother Frances Shand Kydd lived in a remote corner of Scotland and that left the Queen, who could hardly be a hands-on grandmother.

There is one thing she would not have allowed  the rift that has opened up so damagingly between her beloved boys who never forgot Mothers Day.
MGM Northfield Park has announced the addition of a $15,000 Pick-5 total pool guarantee for Sunday (March 14).

Beginning in Race 6, the $15,000 Pick 5 guaranteed total pool includes a carryover of $3,418.

This wager is being offered as part of the Strategic Wagering Program through the United States Trotting Association.

Northfields Pick 5, Pick 4s, Pick 3s, 50-cent (non-jackpot) Pick 6 and 20-cent Super High Five offer a reduced takeout rate of just 14 percent.

Sundays post time is 5 p.m.(EDT).

(Northfield Park)
A leading supermarket chain spent multiple millions with Offaly suppliers in 2020.

Aldi announced details of its continued significant contribution to Offalys economy and the impact of its charity partnerships across the county.

In 2020, Aldi sourced 24.4M of locally produced food and drink from Offaly based suppliers. Aldi partners with eight Offaly producers including long-term relationships with Glenisk, Mossfield Organic Farm, Carroll's Cuisine and The Flat Bread Company. Last year it began working with three new Offaly suppliers for the first time.

Aldi says it will boost its annual national spend on Irish food and drink by 17.5% in 2021 to 1BN, with further opportunities available to Offaly suppliers. Operating two stores in Offaly, Aldi employs 54 full time staff, spending 2.6M on wages annually. It is seeking to recruit 20 new employees for its Offaly stores this year. Opportunities available include 10 permanent positions.

Aldis Offaly stores support multiple charities across Offaly at a local level. Each store is part of Aldis food waste reduction programme, with Aldis Offaly stores having donated almost 32,000 meals through FoodCloud to local charities.

Each store is also part of Aldis Community Grants network, with Little Wishes Edenderry and KS Food Appeal two of the many local charities that have availed of the 500 bursary grant in recent years.

Commenting Niall OConnor, Group Managing Director, Aldi Ireland said: Our goal is to make a positive impact in every local community that our stores serve. Our operations and stores contribute to businesses, communities and families right across Offaly.

We have invested 9M in our Offaly stores over the last number of years, while we sourced 24.4M of locally produced food and drink from Offaly based suppliers last year. Multiple local charities have also availed of our support through our FoodCloud partnership and Community Grants initiative.
Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

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USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully

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108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

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Armenia CEC publicizes complete lists of political forces registered to run in snap parliamentary elections

World oil prices going up
The rate of new cases of Covid-19 in Laois has continued to drop, while Ireland has seen a big fall in case numbers today with no Covid-19 related deaths.

There has been a surge this weekend in the number of new cases in neighbouring county Offaly.

There were less than five new positive cases reported again this Sunday March 13 for Laois. NPHET does not publish the actual number when between one and four cases are identified for confidentiality reasons.

An average of just four people are catching Covid-19 each day in Laois, according to the latest figures from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

The incidence rate in Laois has fallen to less than 1 in 1,000 people, for the first time in many weeks. It stands to day at 93.3 on the back of 79 new cases in the two weeks to March 13.

Laois has now dropped to 17th place out of the 26 counties for the rate of incidence. See bottom of story for table

Neighbour Offaly remains at number one in Ireland for the highest number of new cases however. The county had 37 cases reported today. It's incidence rate of 386.1 is over double the national average of 150.7. Offaly has had 301 new cases in the past 14 days, despite having a lower population than Laois.

The daily statement published on Sunday, March 14 shows that the there have been no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre today.

There has been a total of 4,534 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

In new cases: as of midnight, Saturday 13th March, the HPSC has been notified of 384 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 226,741* confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. *one case denotified

Of the cases notified today:

195 are men / 187 are women, 73% are under 45 years of age. The median age is 31 years old

There were 145 in Dublin, 41 in Kildare, 37 in Offaly, 29 in Galway, 24 in Cork and the remaining 108 cases are spread across 17 other counties.



As of 8am today, 349 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 86 are in ICU. 17 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

As of March 11, 589,512 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland:

426,819 people have received their first dose. 162,693 people have received their second dose

The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community including daily data on Irelands COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain is eyeing rapid growth to become one of the top filers of international patents and transform them into projects capable of boosting the job market. The development came as the Kingdom yesterday launched a Technology Transfer project to link the patent filing system of the Kingdom to the academic, production and services sector in the Kingdom. The University of Bahrain in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and the Commercial Law Development Programme (CLDP), funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative of the US Department of State, has launched the project.

Technology Transfer  project, Prof. Dr Riyad Yusuf Hamzah, the UoB President, said, will boost patent rates in the Kingdom, incubate inventions and transform them into projects capable of generating jobs. Bahrain, which joined the World Intellectual Property Organisation in 1995, had 130 patents in force as of 2019. The Kingdom also filed 79 patents and 1,474 trademarks during the year.

According to the Global Innovation Index 2020, Bahrain ranks 79th among the 131 economies around the world. The project will revitalise our economy and create more job opportunities for young men and women, stressed Dr Riyad Yusuf Hamzah.

Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, described the move as one of the most crucial initiatives targeting the Small and Medium Enterprises.

It promotes innovation while complementing the initiatives and projects launched to strengthen the contributions of small and medium enterprises to GDP. The project also meets the objectives of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the government plan led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister.

As of now, Dr Hamzah said UoB had completed an implementation plan for the project, its intellectual property policy, and licensing agreement to train staff to initiate the project. Training is ongoing to help staff understand the registration mechanisms and procedures. The University of Bahrain seeks to monitor all ongoing researches to rate it, register, incubate, and market its products, Prof. Hamzah said.

He added, There is no doubt that this step will raise the classification of Bahrain in the patent index. The project links the academic sector with the production and services sector in Bahrain, said Sheikha Abdullah Al-Fadhel, the Director of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Department at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism. Explaining, the Dean of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at the University of Bahrain, Dr Muhammad Reda Qadir, said the employee training has begun through virtual platforms. The training focuses on laws, patent registration system, and inventions, Dr Qadir said.

He also expressed hope to start several projects during the first year itself. He said, For us at the University of Bahrain, the rates of scientific research are good, and they are on an upward path year after year.

China in 2019 surpassed the US as the top source of international patent applications filed with WIPO. With 58,990 applications filed in 2019 via WIPOs Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) System, China ended the US (57,840 applications in 2019) reign as the biggest user of the PCT System that helps incentivize and spread innovation  a position previously held by the US each year since the PCT began operations in 1978.
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When will I get my stimulus check? How much? Some Americans have already started receiving direct payments of up to $1,400 per person, and others can see when theyll get paid soon.

The IRS updated its Get My Payment tool on Sunday, allowing users to check the status of their stimulus checks. To check your 2021 Economic Impact Payment, visit https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment and fill out your info, including Social Security Number, birthdate, address and zip code.

The Get My Payment site wasnt expected to be updated until Monday, but some social media users reported being able to see their payment status on Sunday afternoon. After entering your information, messages include A payment has been processed (with a date for scheduled direct deposit), payment status not available (it hasnt been processed yet or you may not be eligible), and need more information (if your address or other details havent been updated).

You also may be locked out of the Get My Payment site for 24 hours if the info you provide doesnt match IRS records.

President Joe Biden signed his $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill Thursday, before the current round of unemployment assistance and other coronavirus aid would expire on March 14. The package, also known as the American Rescue Plan, includes extended unemployment benefits, an increased Child Tax Credit, and direct payments worth up to $1,400.

How much will I get?

The full $1,400 payments will go to individuals with incomes of up to $75,000 (phasing out until $80,000) and heads of household earning up to $112,500 (phasing out until $120,000). Married couples earning up to $150,000 (phasing out until $160,000) will be eligible for $2,800. Payments will phase out at a 5% reduction for every dollar of income greater than the income limit.

Roughly 85% of U.S. adults would be eligible for the full amount, based on your adjusted gross income (AGI) from your most recent tax return (2019 or 2020).

Combined with the $600 stimulus checks approved by President Donald Trump in December, the package would mean $2,000 in direct payments to most Americans.

What about dependents?

Parents will also receive $1,400 per dependent, instead of $600 in the first two rounds, and this third round of checks will include eligible adult dependents for the first time.

The previous two rounds were limited to children under age 17, so parents with college-age students or people who claim elderly people and individuals with disabilities as a dependent will be able to receive extra money in the third round.

Altogether, a family of four could receive $5,600  a huge increase from the first two rounds of stimulus checks.

When will I get my stimulus check?

People can expect to start seeing direct deposits hit their bank accounts as early as this weekend, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday, after Biden signed the bill.

The first round of checks took weeks to begin arriving, even via direct deposit, but millions received the second round within days and will also receive the third round quickly if they have already verified their bank information on the IRS Get My Payment site.

Some Americans with direct deposit have already reported seeing their stimulus checks, while others will get their payment in the coming days. Those who receive paper checks or debit cards would likely get their payments later this month or next month.

Psaki said Tuesday that Bidens signature will not appear on the printed checks, avoiding the delays that occurred when Trump put his name on the first round of direct payments.

His focus was on getting them out as quickly as possible, Psaki said. We are doing everything in our power to expedite the payments and not delay them, which is why the Presidents name will not appear on the memo line of this round of stimulus checks... This is not about him. This is about the American people getting relief, almost 160 million of them.

Whos eligible for a stimulus check?

To qualify for a relief check, you have to be a U.S. resident with a social security number. Certain people who didnt file taxes in 2019 or 2020 may still receive a payment.

Prisoners will be allowed to receive the third round of stimulus checks, just like the first two rounds.

Immigrants with green cards or certain work visas are also eligible, but nonresidents, temporary workers and undocumented immigrants are not.

Child Tax Credit

Parents can also expect to receive money through the new Child Tax Credit, worth $3,000 per child ages 6 to 17 and $3,600 for children under age 6. The credit, based on taxpayers 2020 income, would normally be a lump sum on an individual or familys income tax return but will instead be delivered as a monthly payment from the IRS for $250 or $300, depending on the childs or childrens age, for a full year to help families affected by the pandemic.

The current child tax credit, from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, provides $2,000 per child under 17 for single filers with incomes of $200,000 or less and couples filing jointly with $400,000 of adjusted gross income or less.

Stimulus check calculator

Use this Omni calculator to see how much your stimulus check will be:

Third Stimulus Check Calculator - American Rescue Plan

Is stimulus check taxable?

No, Economic Impact Payments are not taxable and you do not have to pay income taxes on them. They are considered tax credits, not income, so you will not have to report them as income when you file your tax returns in 2021 (or for the third payment next year). Any tax refund you are owed this year or next will not be reduced because of the stimulus checks you received.

What else is in the new coronavirus relief bill?

The American Rescue Plan includes expanded unemployment benefits through Sept. 6 at $300 a week (the first $10,200 of jobless benefits would be non-taxable for households with incomes under $150,000); $60 billion towards Covid-19 testing and vaccine distribution; $130 billion to help schools reopen safely; $25 billion to help bars and restaurants; $7.25 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program; $350 billion in emergency funding for state, local and territorial governments; and $30 billion to help low-income households and the unemployed afford rent and utilities.

The Senate made some changes to the original package, including dropping a proposed $15-per-hour minimum wage hike, reducing unemployment benefits to $300 a week (down from $400 previously approved by the House), and limiting some eligibility for stimulus checks; fewer people will receive partial payments than an earlier version that would have phased out payments for individuals making up to $100,000, and couples making up to $200,000.

The first round of stimulus checks, which gave qualifying American adults a one-time direct payment of $1,200 plus $500 for each child under the age of 17, was part of Congress $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March 2020. A second round of stimulus checks worth $1,200 was approved in the HEROES Act in May, but legislation stalled for months and the December package cuts those direct payments in half.

Stimulus surprise: You now wont pay federal taxes on some 2020 unemployment benefits

Katko, Tenney vote against Covid relief bill that sends $100B to New York

See how much CNY cities, towns will get from $1.9T Covid relief bill

Biden calls for all adult Americans to be eligible for the COVID vaccine by May 1

Nancy Pelosi refused on Sunday to call for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's resignation despite claiming she has a 'zero tolerance' rule with sexual assault and harassment accusations.

'The governor should look inside his heart  he loves New York  to see if he can govern effectively,' the House speaker told ABC's 'This Week'.

'What I said at the time that these revelations came forward, I said what these women have said must be treated with respect,' she continued. 'They are credible and serious charges, and then I called for an investigation. I have confidence in the Attorney General of New York. Again, with all respect in the world for what these women have come forward and said.'

'No tolerance,' she insisted when ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked if Cuomo can still be an effective leader. 'And this is a subject very near and dear to my heart. This is  no tolerance for sexual harassment. I'll let the world know that.'

'But you're not calling on him to resign right now?' Stephanopoulos pushed.

'I think we should see the results of the [investigation],' she said of the attorney general probe into the allegations.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wouldn't call on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign on Sunday, despite claiming she has 'no tolerance' for sexual harassment and assault

Pelosi comments come as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says Cuomo will try to 'hold out' against calls to resign

On Friday, Cuomo refused to resign, claiming he won't bow to 'cancel culture' despite a slew of Democrats demanding he step aside  including New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand

The California Democrat, however, did not join several of her colleagues in calling for the governor to resign after several women have come out detailing Cuomo's inappropriate behavior or accused him of sexual harassment and assault.

Among those denouncing the New York governor is New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio  also a Democrat.

'I think he'll try to hold out,' de Blasio predicted of Cuomo during an interview on CBS News' 'Face the Nation' Sunday morning. 'I think he is used to getting things his way, and it's been almost an imperial governorship. But I got to tell you, the folks in this state and the political leadership don't believe him anymore. He doesn't have any credibility.'

De Blasio continued: 'So I think an impeachment proceeding will begin, and I think he will be impeached and perhaps right before that he'll decide to resign. That's probably the most likely outcome right now.

'But I've got to tell you something,' he said. 'He should resign right now because he's holding up our effort to fight COVID. He's literally in the way of us saving lives right now.'

The NYC mayor wouldn't tell CBS host Margaret Brennan if he is considering a run for governor.

'Are you going to run for governor in 2022?' the 'Face the Nation' host asked de Blasio.

'I'm focused right now on fighting COVID and reopening our schools and bringing this city back. That's my focus,' he deflected.

'That's not a no, sir,' Brennan pointed out.

'I'm not worried about the future right now,' de Blasio insisted. 'We're in the middle of a war right here and we're winning that war. Let me tell you, New York City is going to come back. It's going to be a recovery for all of us, a recovery that really includes every neighborhood, people everywhere.'

He added: 'The city is coming back strong, but I'm going to make sure that everyone is brought along in this recovery.'

Pelosi wouldn't join in on the call for Cuomo to voluntarily leave office, but told ABC on Sunday morning: 'I said there's zero tolerance for sexual harassment.'

Lindsey Boylan, a former Cuomo aide, came out in December with allegations against him  she further detailed her experience in a February post to Medium

This led to a few dozen other accusers coming forward, including former aide Charlotte Bennett and Anna Ruch  who Cuomo was pictured holding her face at a wedding in 2019

'The women deserve to hear the results of these investigations as does the governor,' she said.

Calls increased from within the Democratic Party for the governor to resign after a few dozen women came forward Friday detailing an environment of bullying and harassment facilitated by Cuomo.

Lindsey Boylan, a former Cuomo staffer, was the first to come out with allegations in December. She further detailed her claims against the New York governor in a blog post to Medium in February.

Cuomo's second accuser came former came forward last month, as well.

Also a former aide, Charlotte Bennett detailed that she left in November after being repeatedly sexually harassed by Cuomo, including having him ask her if she was monogamous in her relationships and if she ever had sex with older men.

These two allegers led to a flurry of other women coming forward with their stories.

On Friday, Cuomo refused to resign, claiming he won't bow to 'cancel culture.'

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for Cuomo to step aside. On Sunday he said: 'Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and of so many New Yorkers... I'm not going to speculate on the future, he should resign'

Several Democrats who once lauded him for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, however, are now calling on his to step aside.

New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand both said he should resign.

'I salute the brave women who came forward with serious allegations of misconduct, of abuse and there are multiple serious, credible allegations of abuse,' Schumer told MSNBC's 'The Sunday Show.'

'Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and of so many New Yorkers,' he continued.

But the Senate Majority Leader said: 'I'm not going to speculate on the future, he should resign.'
A year after Elon Musk's SpaceX launched 26 flights into the space employed with the two-stage Falcon 9, the global space technology giant is set to launch the third batch of Starlink satellites in further few weeks, starting March 14. Musk invented the Starlink series as a part of the Satellite-internet project, which aims to provide web-based services to clients across the United States. The Starlink 21 flight that is set to launch is the 22nd set of the internet-beaming satellites that SpaceX has delivered to space, including a set of initial prototypes in 2019.

Targeting Sunday, March 14 at 6:01 a.m. EDT for Falcon 9's next launch of 60 Starlink satellites. The first stage booster supporting this mission has completed eight flights to date https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK pic.twitter.com/aTNacxYAiE  SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 13, 2021





Where to watch the ninth flight of Falcon 9?



California-based company The Hawthrone is planning to fly one of its veteran Falcon 9 rockets for a record nine times with the mission. This development comes days after SpaceX's Falcon 9 placed 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, on March 11, which marked the company's 21st launch in a year. The Falcon 9 first stage booster will make its ninth launch on March 14 as it will place another set of 60 new Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch can be viewed live here

The two-stage launcher will blast off from the historic Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:01 am EDT (1101 GMT). The forecasters with the US Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron reported that the atmosphere looks clear for the launch, while the only concern is the slight presence of clouds. There is also a backup launch window that is kept ready for Monday, in case the weather conditions worsen on Sunday.



With 60 more, a fleet of 1,300 Starlink satellites will float in space



The ninth flight of the Falcon 9 rocket will get the initial massive thrust during the takeoff from the B1051 booster. Last year, this booster was used to fly the Falcon 9 five times from Florida carrying five different Starlink missions and a broadband satellite for Sirius XM. It is going to be the second flight for B1051 in 2021 after it launched on January 20 carrying 60 satellites that were placed into orbit.



The engineers at SpaceX have completed the work on the B1051 in a record time of 53 days and the booster is now ready for the flight. The ninth launch carrying 60 new satellites has been granted an approval of 30,000 constellations and will be placed into orbit to join the fleet of remaining 1,240 Starlink satellites, taking the total to 1,300 Starlink satellites in space, under the Satellite-internet project.




Anyone with information on the incident are asked to call 847-289-2600 and ask for the Major Investigations Division. Tips can also be left anonymously by calling the crime line at 847-695-4195 or by texting 847411, including ELGINPD at the beginning of the message.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority Leader, said the composition of the current Parliament demands consensus building, regarding business in the House, to ensure good governance.



He said it was important for both the Majority and Minority sides to work together to meet the development needs of the people, whilst strengthening the countrys democracy.



Mr Iddrisu, Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South, was speaking at an event dubbed: Roundtable Discussion on Ghanas Eighth Parliament under the Fourth Republic: Leveraging on its Composition for New Reforms.



The event, held in Tamale, was organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), and brought together stakeholders to reflect on the opportunities and prospects for strengthening the oversight and accountability roles of Parliament.



It drew on the current configuration of the House, following the outcome of the December, 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.



The elections produced the countrys first hung Parliament  where no single political party won majority as both the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress had 137 seats each with one Independent MP.



It is also the first time the Speaker of the House came from the opposition party.



It has been suggested that this situation presents a remarkable opportunity to strengthen bi-partisan engagement and build consensus to implement democratic and governance reforms, hence the need to deliberate on how Parliament could leverage on its composition to strengthen its effectiveness.



Mr Iddrisu called on MPs to be more concerned with their oversight roles over the Executive to ensure accountability and deliver its promises to the people.



Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, the MP for Karaga in the Northern Region, called on both sides of Parliament to work together to achieve the development goals of the country.



Dr Adam said MPs must be guided by the national interest rather than their parochial political interests, as that was the only way to achieve the national development goals.



Dr Rasheed Draman, the Executive Director of Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs, urged the MPs to support governments initiatives that promoted the welfare of the people.

Source: GNA









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Willie Mullins will lead the Irish challenge travelling to the Cotswolds next week but in the meantime, the champion trainer will field a strong team as he attempts to land the final big prize before the Cheltenham Festival, the BARONERACING.COM Leinster National.

With three of the 16 runners in the 80,000 feature, Mullins will be hoping to add to the success of Pairofbrowneyes a couple of years ago to win a second renewal of the Naas three miler.

Owner JP McManus is strongly represented with six declared runners and the Jody McGarvey partnered Blazer is a horse who has always threatened to win a big race according to assistant trainer Patrick Mullins.

The champion amateur, who assists his father at Closutton, said on Friday morning: Blazer has always threatened to have a big one in him.

"He finished second to Sharjah in a Galway Hurdle. Hes got a lovely racing weight in the Leinster National on Sunday.

"Hes definitely going to pop up one day at a big price in one of these types of races so hopefully it could be this weekend maybe.

Class Conti tops the weights following his third placed effort in the Thyestes Chase and Saturnas wasn't far behind him in fourth on that occasion.

Mullins continued: Class Conti has top weight, which is going to make life difficult for him. He ran very well in the Thyestes. Hopefully he can get some prizemoney again but with top weight its going to be hard to win.

Saturnas ran very well in the Thyestes as well. I think he could come forward from that. Hes got plenty of weight as well, which again wont make life easy, but Id expect him to be in the money hopefully."

The Philip Fenton-trained Atlantic Shore will continue his rise through the ranks as he looks to make it three on the bounce in relatively quick succession.

In-form trainer Oliver McKiernan is double handed in the race with Best Behaviour and Lean Araig due to make the relatively short journey from his Rathcoole base.

Philip Dempsey will be hoping that Ten Ten can go one better than his latest outing over hurdles at Fairyhouse as he returns to fences, while Castle Oliver will return to the scene of his biggest triumph yet for Curragh native Padraig Roche having won a valuable Grade B handicap chase at Naas just over a year ago.

The Grade 3 Bar One Racing Download Our App Kingsfurze Novice Hurdle has some extra intrigue with the presence of French Light who is under the care of American handler Kerri Brion.

Brion has stabled a small string in Ireland this winter and the six-year-old faces seven rivals including recent winners Alko Rouge and Bay De Rio. Goodbye Someday is the highest rated of the field having earned a mark of 140, while a drop back in trip is hoped to rejuvenate Shadow Rider.

Patrick Mullins commented: He was disappointing in Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival. Were dropping back in trip and we know hell handle the heavy ground because he won on it in Limerick. He shows us a lot at home so were hoping he can get back on track.

The first on an eight race card at Naas is off at 1.30pm and TG4 will have live coverage from 2pm.
On the way out A number of successful initial public offerings and record-high assets under management have had most people optimistic about the mutual fund industry's prospects. Not everyone seems to share that bullish sentiment. More than one mutual fund are said to be on the block.

Many haven't achieved the scale they were hoping for even amid the boom. The ones that are eyeing an exit are said to have under Rs 10,000 crore in assets. Anupam Rasayan GMP at 25% Shares of Anupam Rasayan are in demand in the unofficial grey market, with operators willing to pay a ...
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 00:11:53|Editor: huaxia

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Invited guests and students from Politeknik Brunei, a local vocational institute, attend a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between Hengyi Industries and Politeknik Brunei in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, on March 13, 2021. Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd, a petrochemical joint venture between Brunei and China, signed an MoU on Saturday with a local vocational institute here, which is another key step in bilateral education cooperation and human resources development. (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua)

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd, a petrochemical joint venture between Brunei and China, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Saturday with a local vocational institute here, which is another key step in bilateral education cooperation and human resources development.

Hengyi Industries is a joint venture between China's Zhejiang Hengyi Group and Damai Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary under the Brunei government's Strategic Development Capital Fund, owning 70 percent and 30 percent of the shares, respectively.

The signing of MoU with Politeknik Brunei (PB), a local vocational education institute, was witnessed by Yu Hong, Chinese ambassador to Brunei and three ministers from the Brunei government, namely Haji Mohd Amin Liew, minister at the Prime Minister's Office and second minister of finance and economy; Haji Mat Suny, minister of energy and Haji Hamzah, minister of education.

Under the MoU, the collaboration between PB and Hengyi has commenced two Level 5 Diploma programmes, namely Level 5 Diploma in Laboratory Technology, which started in July 2020; and Level 5 Diploma in Chemical Engineering, which began in January 2021.

Hengyi will be collaborating with PB and China's Lanzhou Petrochemical Polytechnic (LPP) to run five new joint academic programmes for PB students. The programmes, which consist of Thermal Power Plant Technology, Water Treatment Technology, Chemical Equipment Technology, Power Plant and Power System Technology, and Storage and Transportation Technology, will begin in July 2021.

All five programmes are Level 5 Diploma Programme in which the students will undergo two years of academic education with PB and LPP and one year of industrial placement with Hengyi. The Level 5 Diploma qualification is equivalent to a Higher National Diploma and accredited by Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council, Ministry of Education.

According to Hengyi and PB, the programmes are tailored to provide technical competency for Hengy's petrochemical and refinery operation where the students will be equipped with theoretical and practical knowledge that is required in the workforce. The joint programmes are also in line with Brunei Vision 2035 to create more educated, highly skilled, and accomplished people.

As part of the MoU, Hengyi Industries provided a conditional offer to the first batch of all 86 students who will be given employment opportunities with Hengyi upon their graduation. Hengyi will also provide students undertaking any of the new joint programmes with a conditional offer once they graduate.

"With today's signing ceremony, I reiterate Hengyi Industries' commitment towards the country's Bruneianization drive and to endeavor to comply with every regulatory as well as technical requirement to ensure that our plant and facilities construction and eventual operation comply with local and international standards," Chen Liancai, CEO of Hengyi Industries, told Xinhua.

Until last August, Hengyi has awarded scholarships to a total of 48 students from the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE), another local vocational institute, under the Joint Refinery Operator Scholarship Programme established by Hengyi with IBTE and LPP.

The Joint Chemical and Process Engineering Scholarship Programme established by Hengyi with Universiti Brunei Darussalam and China's Zhejiang University has also brought 103 local students with a scholarship to further their study in China and eventually be employed by Hengyi. Enditem
With San Francisco public schools having agreed to a gradual and modest reopening plan, a parent-led movement to get kids back in the classrooms stepped up the pressure Saturday, calling for five full days of in-person education.

Hundreds of parents and kids marched from Alamo Square Park to Civic Center Plaza, where Mayor London Breed and a host of elected officials joined their rally. The event, organized by the group Decreasing the Distance, was the latest in a campaign to get the San Francisco Unified School District to develop a plan to fully reopen public schools.

San Francisco closed its public schools a year ago. Only last week, the school board approved plans to begin bringing back in-person learning for preschool through fifth-graders, special education students and vulnerable older groups starting April 12. The decision followed months of often-bitter debate between frustrated parents, the school board and the teachers union.

The union said Saturday that its members approved the plan on a vote of 1,753 for and 427 against. The agreement is crucial in keeping educators, staff, students and families safe as we head into a hybrid model, union officials said.

But parents and politicians said Saturday that the limited return to school, which does not include middle or high school students, falls short. They called for all public schools to offer in-person education for all interested students immediately and to guarantee, and start planning for, a full resumption of classes for the start of the next school year, in August.

Theyve finally started prioritizing reopening, Meredith Willa Dodson, co-founder of Decreasing the Distance, said of the school board. And I hear from insiders that its because of us.

The mayor, state Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblyman David Chiu, all speaking from a makeshift stage in the bed of a gray Toyota pickup truck, credited the parents.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

I didnt make this happen, Breed said. You made this happen.

Participants in the march, many of them families carrying signs, said they decided to join the demonstration because theyre fed up with online education and believe classes can safely resume with proper precautions, including mandatory masks and spacing requirements for students and staff, and with most teachers either vaccinated or in the process of being vaccinated.

Melissa Telli, who works in the communications department at UCSF, has kids in seventh grade at Aptos Middle School and in third grade at Alvarado Elementary School. She said shes particularly concerned that theres no plan to get middle and high school students back to school in person despite evidence that many teens are suffering from isolation and mental health issues.

Julia Nemchuk, a speech pathologist at Commodore Sloat and Daniel Webster elementary schools, is also the parent of a third-grader, Garry, who attends Rooftop Elementary. She waved a sign reading: Excited to see my students.

Ive been ready since August, she said, adding that her background in medicine and education makes her feel comfortable with teachers returning to classrooms. I believe its long past time. Throw the doors open to all the students.

Garry said hes also ready to return but admitted, Im a little scared Im going to get sick.

Breed said that San Francisco has been cautious in its approach to the coronavirus and that its paid off in S.F. being among the top metropolitan areas in combating the spread of the coronavirus. Despite that approach, she said, our very conservative public health officials allowed schools in San Francisco to resume in-person learning in September, and many private and parochial students have done so.

Over 15,000 kids are in school in San Francisco as we speak, and we havent seen any significant outbreaks, the mayor added. Time and time again, we have made decisions based on science, based on data. We understand people are scared and we need to make adjustments for that, but its time for the excuses to be thrown out the window and its time to us to reopen our classrooms.

The school district released a statement Friday saying it is committed to reopening schools for pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade students in the fall, but did not specify five full days a week.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
Top Democratic Party Election Lawyer Sanctioned by Judge

One of the Democratic Partys top lawyers, Marc Elias, has been sanctioned by a federal court for an ethics violation and for submitting a redundant and misleading filing.

Marc Elias, an attorney for Perkins Coie LLP who was involved in election-related lawsuits during the 2020 elections, was punished and criticized by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on March 11. Several of his colleagues also were admonished.

Appellees did not notify the court that their latest motion to supplement the record filed on February 10, 2021 was nearly identical to the motion to supplement the record filed several months ago by the same attorneys, on September 29, 2020. Critically, Appellees likewise failed to notify the court that their previous and nearly identical motion was denied, Judge Edith Clement and Judge Jennifer Elrod ruled (pdf).

This inexplicable failure to disclose the earlier denial of their motion violated their duty of candor to the court.

Elias and the other Perkins Coie attorneys were ordered to pay legal fees and double costs to Texas, the order stipulates. The judges also suggested that the lawyers review the section of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct on Candor Toward the Tribunal and complete an hour of Continuing Legal Education in the area of Ethics and Professionalism, specifically candor with the court.

Elias didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

Perkins Coie told Bloomberg News that it still backs Elias, who notably hired the opposition research firm Fusion GPS, which then hired British ex-spy Christopher Steele in 2016. The infamous dossier compiled by Steele, which contained unverified claims and falsehoods, was used by the FBI to surveil former President Donald Trumps campaign in its Crossfire Hurricane operation.

We do not normally respond to requests for comment on pending litigation, but the firm and the attorneys involved in this matter strongly disagree with the appellate courts ruling and its order of sanctions in this case, the firm said in a statement. The firm fully and completely supports our attorneys in this case.

In 2020, Elias led a team of attorneys to file lawsuits to expand ballot access in swing states during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Republicans and Trump himself criticized Elias, saying that he was being used by Democrats to steal the 2020 election.

The Perkins Coie lawyers represented the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in a suit against Texas Secretary of State Ruth Hughes, who was represented by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to the Washington Examiner.

They argued that a Democratic bid to reimpose straight-ticket voting in Texas is shaky and said Democrats have no evidence. The court ultimately agreed with the Texas Secretary of States office and rebuffed the Democrats.

Elias has no valid explanation for the misleading submissions to the Fifth Circuit. Even when they were notified that they violated ethical rules, they refused to withdraw their motion. They were aware of their violations and blatantly chose to ignore them, Paxton said March 12 in a statement. I thank the Court for issuing these much-needed sanctions. Perkins Coie cannot continue to mislead the Court, especially in a matter as important as election integrity.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 81F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, has emphasised the importance of supporting the products of Emirati companies, expanding logistics networks and diversifying the states foreign markets.

He also called for launching initiatives that bolster the leading position of the private sector in the foreign trade.

Al Zeyoudis statements came on the sidelines of his recent visit to the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) to enhance the mutual cooperation and coordination in attracting foreign companies and investors to the country and to support the export business in the UAE.

Al Zeyoudi was accompanied by Juma Mohammed Al Kait, Assistant Undersecretary  Foreign Trade Affairs, Ministry of Economy, and was received by Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman, SCCI, Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director General of the SCCI, Maryam Saif Al Shamsi, Assistant General Director, Support Sector of the SCCI, Jamal Bu Zinjal, Head of SCCI Media Department, and a number of department directors.

During his visit, Al Zeyoudi was briefed on the most important service the chamber provides to its members and the most prominent future trends the SCCI intends to carry out.

Congratulating the Sharjah Chamber on its 50th anniversary, Al Zeyoudi hailed the contribution of the SCCI to the UAEs gross domestic product (GDP) that amounted to AED100 billion in 2019, something that clearly reflects the substantial role of the Chamber and the affiliated companies in supporting the national economy, given the fact that Sharjah is home to 1,800 factories.

He explained that the visit comes as part of the periodic visits carried out by the Ministry of Economy for all the states chambers of commerce and industry to step up efforts, especially in terms of attracting foreign companies and investors to the UAE, stressing that the ministry will work shoulder by shoulder with the SCCI to achieve economic diversity and resilience, as well as to enhance the competitiveness of the state's economy.

Welcoming the Minister and the accompanying delegation, Al Owais lauded the Ministry of Economys efforts in supporting the business sector and enhancing the investment environment, and diversifying its attractive components, stressing the SCCIs keenness to expand the partnership with the Ministry to avail of the services provided and to enhance coordination and cooperation to achieve economic growth and development and to strengthen the confidence in the business community locally, regionally and globally.

Al Awadi highlighted the SCCIs role as an advocate for the interests of the business community in Sharjah through many initiatives and programmes, including the Sadder (export) Fund, the first of its kind across the Emirate Sharjah for financing export operations, which aims to increase the rate of exports, open new markets, expand the export map of the SEDCs affiliates, provide liquidity to exporters, and reduce the risk ratio in export operations through credit insurance, the Small & Medium Enterprises Center (Tijarah 101), one of the SCCIs initiatives to support and motivate young people to engage in commercial and economic business, and the Social Responsibility Platform, with more than 11,000 private sector shareholders on this platform.

Fatima Al Mokarrab, Director of the SCCI International Relations Department, threw light on the Chambers role in promoting international relations, with the signing of over 185 MoU with 35 countries worldwide and the receiving of 100 international delegations, in addition to dispatching 14 trade missions in 2019, organising diplomatic tours for ambassadors and consuls, and launching several business councils, the last of which was the Portuguese Business Council. -- Tradearabia News Service
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 46 Colleges In Louisiana for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 201 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 201 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 46 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-louisiana/

2021 Colleges In Louisiana featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Baton Rouge Community College

Blue Cliff College

Bossier Parish Community College

Centenary College of Louisiana

Central Louisiana Technical Community College

Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Delgado Community College

Dillard University

Fletcher Technical Community College

Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University

Grambling State University

Herzing University

Louisiana College

Louisiana Delta Community College

Louisiana State University - Eunice

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University, Alexandria

Louisiana State University, Shreveport

Louisiana Tech University

Loyola University New Orleans

McNeese State University

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Nicholls State University

Northshore Technical Community College

Northwest Louisiana Technical College

Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Notre Dame Seminary Graduate School of Theology

Nunez Community College

Remington College

River Parishes Community College

South Louisiana Community College

Southeastern Louisiana University

Southern University Law Center

Southern University

Southern University, New Orleans

Southern University, Shreveport

SOWELA Technical Community College

Tulane University

University of Holy Cross

University of Louisiana, Lafayette

University of Louisiana, Monroe

University of New Orleans

University of Phoenix

Xavier University of Louisiana

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
A sister of Chit Min Thu, 25, who was killed in clashes, mourns next to his body during his funeral at the familys home last week in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo by stringer via Getty

The young soldiers in the video clip line the benches of their truck with machetes tucked under their arms. Some crowd over a single mobile phone, cigarette in hand. Others lean on their hoes.

"We don't hold a gun any more," a line of Burmese script reads underneath, in reference to the blunt farm tools littered on the bed of the vehicle. The message is clear: we don't just shoot, we bury too.

In another video a young soldier reaches for a machine gun, pulls it towards his face and kisses it before fixing his gaze at his smartphone camera with a tender smile. Meanwhile, a separate clip shows a young soldier drawing his fingers across his throat menacingly for his social media followers.

For those trying to make sense of the arbitrary street shootings that have become a daily occurrence in Myanmar's bloody standoff between pro-democracy protesters and the military junta, the chilling images may offer some clues.

Circulated widely on TikTok before they were taken down, the videos are part of a trend of what appear to be serving young officers glorifying the brutal violence they mete out on their peers with frightening abandon.

Myanmar's current bout of violence is nothing new. Many of the young soldiers wielding powerful automatic weapons have been plucked from the battlegrounds of ethnic insurgencies and transplanted into urban environments, according to new research.

The military units now active in the metropolitan centres include light infantry divisions who have been implicated in some of the worst brutality in the country's recent history, experts have identified.

Unit 33, just one of the divisions, has already been linked to crimes against humanity during a crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine State in 2017.

Caught off guard by the magnitude of the backlash against them, the generals who launched Myanmar's recent coup are deploying these shock troops to terrorise the population through arbitrary detention, vicious beatings, night raids and the threat of being shot dead at rallies.

Among the most horrific tactics is the practice of singling out protesters at crowded rallies to shoot in the head.

The first such killing - of Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing (19), who was suddenly felled by a bullet that sliced through her bike helmet as she took cover from water cannons - stunned the nation.

Social media is now flooded with the gut-churning evidence of regular catastrophic head traumas inflicted by live fire.

Lin Htet, a 19-year-old geology student, was one of the latest victims killed at a protest in the former royal capital of Mandalay last Friday. Before the rally his father had pleaded with him: "Son, don't go. So many people are dying."

He was later filmed lying on the street as soldiers appeared to coerce a bystander into saying he died from biting his tongue. The military have reportedly refused to release his body to his family.

"It's basically using brutal counter-insurgency tactics which see the civilian population as the target," said Richard Horsey, a Myanmar-based analyst with the International Crisis Group. The general population is now the "enemy".

The units focused on sowing fear on the streets to break the spirit of demonstrators, he added. At least another 12 people were killed yesterday, including a 21-year-old, taking the total death toll over 70. Amnesty International has identified a variety of military firearms being used to quell peaceful demonstrations, including Chinese RPD light machine guns, as well as local MA-S sniper rifles, MA-1 semi-automatic rifles, Uzi-replica BA-93 and BA-94 submachine guns, that go far beyond the limits of crowd control.

People killed by "well aimed, targeted shots" were not necessarily on the protest front lines, with the aim of thinning out the tenacious crowds, said Mr Horsey. "They are trying to do what snipers do in combat situations, which is instil fear in the enemy by making death random and unpredictable and from an unseen location," he said.

Entire neighbourhoods are being traumatised by night raids as troops swarm streets, waking residents with flash bangs, sniper shots and random gunfire.

"People are being dragged out in the middle of the night, kids and parents, and lined up in the streets and threatened at gunpoint," he said.

Last Monday, the Sanchaung area in the commercial capital Yangon, was sealed off after dark as troops threatened to enter homes to search for demonstrators. The crisis was averted when foreign diplomats raised the alarm.

Over 2,000 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced since February 1.

Among them was U Khin Maung Latt, an official from ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party [NLD], who died in custody, allegedly beaten during interrogation.

One protester who was detained in Myeik, a southern coastal town, was beaten black and blue with belts, chains, sticks and batons.

He and others were escorted into detention by troops who said: "This is the hell room, why don't you guys have a taste?"

The battle-hardened units are increasingly supplanting the traditional role of crowd control from the police, reportedly prompting hundreds of police officers to leave the force.

Aung Ko Ko, a police officer who defected to join a snowballing civil disobedience movement, confirmed the shoot-to-kill strategy in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph. He has now been forced into hiding with his family.

"They wanted us to shoot and arrest innocent people. People did nothing wrong so I can't shoot them in cold blood," he said. "I joined the police to protect people and I want to wear a police uniform proudly," he said, alleging that soldiers were swapping their own clothes for police uniforms before attacking people.

"It seems like soldiers are being brainwashed that human rights are meaningless and nationalism is OK," he said. "That's why they've become so cruel to people."

Dave Eubank, leader of the Free Burma Rangers, a relief group operating on the front lines of the country's decades-long ethnic conflicts, described the military as "a brutalised, immoral force without much of a pretence of any law and order", like "thugs, gangs let loose".

The army had its own culture of inhumanity, he said, where uneducated low-ranking troops were fed misinformation that ethnic minorities were going to destroy the country, allowed to dehumanise communities and brutalise them with impunity out of a sense of hatred and superiority.

"The Burma military has been unleashed on the ethnics for decades and the switch to their own people is a very easy one," he said.

Last Thursday, Tom Andrews, the UN special envoy for human rights in Myanmar, said the junta's violence likely meets the legal threshold for crimes against humanity.

Avinash Paliwal, an associate professor of International Relations at the University of London, said senior officers were equally desensitised to indiscriminate violence along with the lower ranks.

"If anything, they rely on it to remain in power. It's the only tool they have at their disposal to assert control over an unaccepting populace," he said.

"The whole institution knows that if they fall - they'll fall hard.

"This sense of insecurity ends up fuelling violence against civilians."

As Myanmar's generals step up the pressure on an exhausted but determined population, the window for a negotiated outcome is closing, raising the likelihood of a more ominous outcome.

General Min Aung Hlaing, the coup leader, was capable of unleashing "multiple levels of greater violence," warned Mr Horsey. "I think it's almost inevitable that this situation will continue to escalate."

The identities of the soldiers in the videos cannot be independently verified - but TikTok said that it was "aggressively removing content in Myanmar that violates our principles," adding that "the promotion of hate and violence has absolutely no place on our platform."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Security forces killed at least 14 protesters in the poor, industrial Hlaingthaya suburb of Myanmar's main city on Sunday after Chinese-financed factories in the area were set ablaze, according to local media.

A further 14 people were reported killed elsewhere in Yangon and other parts of and state television said a policeman had died in one of the bloodiest days of protests against the Feb. 1 military coup against elected leader

China's embassy said many Chinese staff were injured and trapped in arson attacks by unidentified assailants on garment factories in Hlaingthaya and that it had called on to protect Chinese property and citizens.

As plumes of smoke rose from the industrial area, security forces opened fire on protesters in the suburb that is home to migrants from across the country, local media said.

Now said at least 14 protesters had been killed, according to the local hospital and a rescue worker.

"The dead and wounded are still arriving," it quoted an official of the Hlaingthaya hospital as saying. Other Myanmar media gave even higher tolls.

Martial law was imposed in Hlaingthaya and another district of Myanmar's commercial hub, state media announced.

Army-run Myawadday television said security forces acted after four garment factories and a fertiliser plant were set ablaze and about 2,000 people had stopped fire engines from reaching them.

A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment.

Doctor Sasa, a representative of elected lawmakers from the assembly that was ousted by the army, voiced solidarity with the people of Hlaingthaya.

"The perpetrators, attackers, enemies of the people of Myanmar, the evil SAC (State Administrative Council) will be held accountable for every drop of blood that shed," he said in a message.

The latest deaths would bring the toll from the protests to well over 100 while the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group had said over 2,100 had also been arrested by Saturday.

China's embassy described the situation as "very severe" after the attacks on the Chinese-financed factories. It did not make a statement about the killings.

"China urges Myanmar to take further effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar," its statement said.

No group claimed responsibility for burning the factories.

Anti-Chinese sentiment has risen since the coup that plunged Myanmar into turmoil, with opponents of the army takeover noting Beijing's muted criticism compared to Western condemnation.

Only two factories had been burnt for now, protest leader Ei Thinzar Maung posted on Facebook.

"If you want to do business in Myanmar stably, then respect Myanmar people," she said. "Fighting Hlaingthaya, we are proud of you!!"



Britain was appalled by the use of deadly force by security forces against innocent people in Hlaingthaya and elsewhere on Sunday, its ambassador said in a statement.

"We call for an immediate cessation of this violence and for the military regime to hand back power to those democratically elected by the people of Myanmar," Ambassador Dan Chugg said.

The army said it took power after its accusations of fraud in a Nov. 8 election won by Suu Kyi's party were rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised to hold a new election, but has not set a date.

Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup and is due to return to court on Monday. She faces at least four charges, including the illegal use of walkie-talkie radios and infringing coronavirus protocols.

Away from Hlaingthaya, at least 14 deaths were reported elsewhere in Myanmar, including in the second city of Mandalay and in Bago, where state television MRTV said a police officer had died of a chest wound after a confrontation with protesters.

He is the second policeman reported dead in the protests.

The violence came a day after Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is on the run along with most senior officials from the Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party, said the civilian government would seek to give people the legal right to defend themselves.
The lights of Philadelphia might not shine as bright in the coming weeks as a coalition in the City of Brotherly Love tries to prevent millions of migrating birds that pass through twice a year from slamming into skyscrapers and crashing to the sidewalk.

Bird Safe Philly on Thursday announced the Lights Out Philly initiative, a voluntary program in which as many external and internal lights in buildings are turned off or dimmed at night during the spring and fall.

Hundreds of birds have been found dead on sidewalks in recent years.

The National Audubon Society, along with partners, established the first Lights Out program in 1999 in Chicago.

Philadelphia joins 33 other cities including New York, Boston, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

The problem of artificial lights attracting birds to their deaths in the city is not new.

'We have specimens in the academy's ornithology collection from a kill that happened when lights were first installed on Philadelphia's City Hall tower in 1896,' said Jason Weckstein, associate curator of ornithology at Drexel University's Academy of Natural Sciences.

The coalition, which includes Audubon Mid-Atlantic, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club and two local Audubon chapters, formed after the city's largest mass-collision event in 70 years was reported last October.

Philadelphia has joined 33 other American cities in the Lights Out program in which external and internal lights of buildings are either dimmed or turned off at night during the fall and spring migrations of birds. The image above from 2016 shows the Philadelphia skyline

Hundreds of dead birds were found around the city.

'Conditions were perfect for a heavy migratory flight and imperfect given that there was a low ceiling of clouds and rain,' Weckstein said.

'That in combination with Philly's bright city lights was a disaster for many fall migrant birds winging their way south.'

Birds navigate during migration using celestial cues and when they cannot see stars on a cloudy night they get confused by bright city lights, according to experts.

Windows pose a problem, according to Weckstein, because birds might see a reflection of trees or the sky.

Scientists estimate between 365 million and one billion birds are killed by collisions with buildings or other outdoor structures in the United States every year and those crashes are taking a toll on some species.

Common yellowthroats, white-throated sparrows, graycatbirds and ovenbirds are the most common victims in Philadelphia, experts said, and those species are also threatened by climate change and other predators.

'The ovenbird and the black-throated blue warbler are among the hundreds of bird species that are now at an increased risk of extinction in North America because of climate change,' said Keith Russell with Audubon Mid-Atlantic.

The undated image above shows some two dozen dead birds in Philadelphia. Experts say that birds are killed when they slam into large buildings on cloudy nights when they can't see the sky and are unable to rely on the stars to navigate while migrating

'But many of these species also face the additional threat of colliding with buildings.'

Russell said the Philadelphia initiative has the added benefit of reducing energy consumption, potentially slowing climate change.

The Lights Out Philly program runs from April 1 through May 31 and from August 15 to November 15.

Property managers and tenants are asked to voluntarily switch off lights between midnight and 6am, especially in a building's upper levels, lobbies and atriums.

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Philadelphia, which represents over 475 members who own or manage commercial properties or provide services to buildings, said the response has been 'extremely robust.'

'We have some early adopters and the list is approaching 20 buildings, many of which are iconic and very recognizable members of the Philadelphia skyline, such as One and Two Liberty Place, Comcast Technology Center and Comcast Center, Mellon Bank Building and all of Brandywine Realty Trusts Center City and University City buildings,' said BOMA executive director Kristine Kiphorn.

'We get to do our part in the community to help preserve the bird population, and we get to conserve energy at the same time, saving money for our tenants and our assets.'

The Bird Safe Philly coalition is working to broaden monitoring throughout the city to identify problem areas and to track whether its campaign is effective.

While dimming the lights may help, there's one danger wild birds will still face: feral and outdoor cats are the birds' biggest killers, Weckstein said.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Dutch police used a water cannon and officers on horseback galloped across a park in The Hague on Sunday to break up a protest against the government and its tough coronavirus lockdown on the eve of three days of voting in the general election.

Hague police tweeted that they deployed riot officers to break up the protest after hundreds of people defied repeated calls to go home. Earlier, they arrested one man for attacking an officer with a stick.

An unknown number of protesters were arrested as police broke up the demonstration. An AP photographer saw a police dog bite one man as he was arrested by baton-wielding officers.

Before the police ended the protest, several people carried a homemade banner emblazoned with the text in Dutch Love & Freedom: No Dictatorship. Many others held yellow umbrellas, which people taking part in anti-lockdown protests in recent weeks have often carried.

Another demonstrator carted a makeshift set of stocks with a photo of Prime Minister Mark Ruttes head stuck in the middle and a sign saying: If you love the Netherlands, vote them out.

Police tweeted before the scheduled start of the event that the maximum number of participants already had been reached. Hundreds more people arrived after the tweet, prompting authorities to halt trains heading to The Hague to prevent more people making their way to the city.

In recent weeks, smaller demonstrations have happened in Amsterdam, with riot police repeatedly called in to shepherd away protesters who refuse to leave.

They reflect a growing impatience among a small section of society at the lockdown that has seen businesses including bars, restaurants and museums shut down since mid-October. Despite the lockdown, numbers of infections remain stubbornly high. More than 16,000 people are confirmed to have died of COVID-19 in the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, party leaders took to the airwaves to seek the support of undecided voters, but also to start jockeying for position before the formation of the countrys next governing coalition.

Story continues

In a television talk show airing Sunday evening on national broadcaster NPO1, Christian Democrat leader Wopke Hoekstra said he would prefer to continue ruling in the outgoing four-party coalition led by Rutte.

Rutte, in turn, said the Christian Democrats are the most natural partner for his conservative People's Party for Freedom of Democracy.

This is a real bromance, said Jesse Klaver, leader of the Green Left party.

The comments foreshadow what could be a lengthy process of forming the next coalition after three days of coronavirus-affected voting wrap up Wednesday night.

A record 37 parties are taking part in the election for the 150 seats in Parliament's lower house. The party that wins the most seats will be first in line to lead talks to form the next coalition, but with so many parties likely to enter Parliament it could be difficult to form a coalition that commands a majority.

If, as polls predict, Rutte's party emerges with the largest number of seats he would be in a position to form his fourth ruling coalition and become the Netherlands' longest-serving premier.

A limited number of polling stations are opening Monday and Tuesday, primarily to allow people considered vulnerable to the coronavirus to vote. Wednesday is the main day of voting and results will likely be known Wednesday night and into Thursday.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
Stimulus checks start arriving in many Americans' bank accounts. Along with this news, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to different states to promote the said COVID-19 Pandemic Aid.

Stimulus Checks Start Arriving in Bank Accounts

Americans can now see when the next stimulus payment will be deposited into their bank accounts or mailed to them. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has an updated "Get My Payment" tool on its website on Saturday with updates on the third round of stimulus tests, according to Karen Connelly, an IRS spokesperson.

The third round of Economic Impact Payments will be calculated using a taxpayer's most recently processed tax return from 2020 or 2019. This includes those who filed a special simplified tax return or used the IRS non-filers tool last year.

As reported by USA Today, those who got the first two stimulus checks but did not receive a direct deposit payment would receive a check or a prepaid debit card in the mail. According to the IRS, Social Security and other federal recipients will collect this third payment in the same manner as their daily payments. This group's payment date is scheduled to be revealed shortly.

A single person would get $1,400, while a married couple filing jointly would get $2,800, plus an additional $1,400 for each minor child. Individuals earning up to $75,000 and married couples earning up to $150,000 will receive the full payments. Payments would decrease as income rose past those levels, eventually ceasing at $80,000 for individuals and $160,000 for married couples.

Meanwhile, many netizens could not help but show their delight upon receiving their stimulus checks. Here are some of their posts:

I got my STIMULUS CHECK. Its giving FULL SET, BOILS BAGS, and HAPPY HOUR ON ME !!  pic.twitter.com/pAaPLBka1n  M U V A (@ItzCamisWorld) March 12, 2021

Got notification from my credit union yesterday that my stimulus check will be available on 3/17. Good job Biden and Democrats for getting this done for the American people.  Lisa 2021 Queen of I Told You So (@MrsRobPope) March 14, 2021

i got my stimulus check today AND im 1 year self harm free, its a good day  #1 jojo siwa stan (@sugarcumfairy) March 14, 2021

Trump's Social Media Comeback: A 'Spectacular Return' to SocMed Following Ban on Facebook, Twitter

'Help Is Here' Tour

Biden and Harris will fly to many swing states with their spouses in the coming days for the so-called "Help is Here" tour. These Democratic leaders will push the most common elements of their America Rescue Plan, such as cash payments and assistance to parents. They aim to deflect Republican criticism of a large bill that Democrats recently forced through Congress without Republican support, as per Newsweek via MSN.

President Biden will begin his tour on Tuesday in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, before heading to Atlanta on Friday, according to the White House.

The House narrowly approved the stimulus package by a vote of 220-211 earlier this week, with all Democrats voting in favor and only one, Maine Rep. Jared Golden, voting against it. On Thursday afternoon, the president signed the bill into law.

The White House has yet to reveal the next legislative proposal it will tackle. Still, speculation is rife that it will be the president's recently proposed Immigration bill or infrastructure- a longstanding source of bipartisan hope in Washington, according to abcNews. However, stimulus checks and COVID-19, the topics that dominated Biden's campaign against former President Donald Trump and have dominated his first weeks in office, will remain a major focus.

Also from HNGN:

Third Stimulus Checks To Be Received Starting This Weekend

House Democrats Charged for Trying to Steal GOP Seat

Biden Fears for the Lives of Asian-Americans in the US

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Almost 4,800 people were inoculated against COVID-19 in Vietnam on Saturday, bringing the total number past 10,000 so far, the Ministry of Health said on Sunday morning.

Those vaccinated were medical staff directly treating coronavirus patients, healthcare workers in charge of sample collecting, contact tracing, and testing, and other frontline workers, the health ministry said in a report.

Vietnam has given the first AstraZeneca shot to 10,041 people, including 4,800 on Saturday, in 12 provinces and cities since rolling out the jab on Monday.

At least 12 people showed rather severe post-vaccination reactions and needed care in hospitals.

Health authorities estimated postvaccinal complications to amount to 26 percent of those immunized in the country, underlining the rate is in the allowed range similar to other types of immunization.

Vietnam is immunizing the population with its only vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.

The nation received the first shipment of 117,600 AstraZeneca shots on February 24.

An additional 5.6 million AstraZeneca doses will arrive in Vietnam within March and April, the health ministry said.

The country expects to obtain 150 million doses for the whole population this year, with 60 million already secured from AstraZeneca and the COVAX Facility co-led by the World Health Organization.

Vietnam reported zero new COVID-19 cases on Sunday morning, with the national tally standing at 2,553 and recoveries at 2,086. Thirty-five patients have died so far, most suffering comorbid conditions.

The Southeast Asian country has recorded 901 community-based infections since a new wave hit it on January 27, including 717 in Hai Duong Province, 61 in Quang Ninh Province, 36 in Ho Chi Minh City, 35 in Hanoi, 27 in Gia Lai Province, six in Binh Duong Province, five in Bac Ninh Province, four in Hai Phong City, three in Dien Bien Province, two in Hoa Binh Province, two in Hung Yen Province, two in Bac Giang Province, and one in Ha Giang Province.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
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In my six years as a military spouse, Ive had five law licenses and moved six times due to the demands of the U.S. Army. Every time military orders are issued to my husband, I am faced with a difficult timeline to maintain my legal career: Apply for the bar exam, sit for the bar, wait for results, seek out jobs, interview, start a job, PCS  permanent change of duty station, repeat.

As most jurisdictions offer the bar exam twice per year, by the time Ive started my job, I have less than two years to work until the Army sends us elsewhere. With employment gaps in my resume due to the constant military moves, applying for law license reciprocity based on a prior law license is often not an option available to me. The transfer of a Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) score to seek admission to the New Mexico Bar is also generally impractical, because more than a majority of servicemembers who move to New Mexico on active-duty military orders come from states that have not adopted the UBE. This is why community support for a New Mexico Supreme Court rule providing for a military spouse temporary law license is crucial.

To date, 40 states and one U.S. territory have temporary military spouse law license accommodations for attorney-spouses of active-duty service members in place. In the western half of the U.S., only New Mexico and Montana are currently without this accommodation. For military spouse attorneys, the options of (1) accompanying your service member on a military move and giving up a career in law or (2) living separately from your service member and maintaining your legal career are two absolutely unfavorable options. At the time my husband was issued military orders to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, and later to Ft. Carson, Colorado, neither state had adopted a military spouse law license accommodation. As newlyweds, we lived apart for almost two years so that I could maintain my legal career. Once the Colorado Supreme Court adopted a temporary military spouse law license, I was issued the second military spouse law license in the state and practiced for two years as a prosecutor until the Army moved us. As a military spouse attorney, I was held to the same ethical standards as any other attorney in Colorado.

The proposed New Mexico temporary military spouse attorney law licensure rule can be found here: https://bit.ly/3q1EEDc. It essentially requires licensure elsewhere without prior disciplinary history, marriage to a service member with active-duty orders to New Mexico, and compliance with all New Mexico continuing education, ethics and professionalism standards required of all other New Mexico attorneys. Upon issuance of new military orders to the service member-spouse outside the state, the license expires.

On behalf of the military spouse attorney community in New Mexico, I urge your community support of our temporary military spouse law license currently filed with the Supreme Court of New Mexico by signing here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J9DKFHF. Adoption of this temporary law license by the court would allow attorney spouses of New Mexico servicemembers to live with their service member spouse in New Mexico, and practice law  not one or the other.

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Close your eyes for a moment. What comes to mind when you think of voter fraud  either real or imagined?

Maybe you see dead people voting. Maybe somebody using a false address. Maybe somebody destroying ballots.

All of the above, if they were actually to occur, would be serious examples of voter fraud. Good thing that in Texas, people are more likely to be struck by lightning than cheat at the polls.

But did any of these lesser-known examples of voter fraud occur to you? Voting at 8 p.m. Voting at a drive-thru polling place. Dropping off an absentee ballot in person rather than mailing it.

Those didnt make your list? Dont worry. Theyre not fraud. Theyre perfectly legal in Texas and many other states.

But they would all be banned under pending Texas legislation being pushed under the guise of ensuring election integrity.

In truth, these bills are the opposite of integrity. The only thing they are designed to ensure is the stranglehold Republicans have had on Texas government for more than 20 years.

Rather than become a more inclusive party that actually appeals to young people and diverse communities, the Texas GOP has chosen another strategy to retain power: Stop More People From Voting.

To do that, they are throwing up every obstacle they can find, including, for instance, banning voting after 7 p.m. because that might allow an hourly worker who doesnt have the luxury of voting over a long lunch to dash off after his shift and exercise his constitutional right to vote.

The election integrity legislation that Republicans are pushing this session is voter suppression plain and simple. The only thing that makes their efforts somewhat peculiar is that the bills have been deemed emergency legislation by top officials in a state that already has the most restrictive voting laws in the country  a state that wrote the book other states are now following on how to block access to the ballot box.

In a state that has plenty of emergencies  including, say, people freezing to death in their homes because the government cant figure out how to keep civilization going during a predictable winter storm  its unclear how voting laws rise to that level.

And Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick know very well that they dont. This legislation isnt about steeling elections against voter fraud. Its about just plain old stealing them.

The theft began long ago. A Texan wanting to exercise his or her civic duty encounters barriers every step of the way. In addition to Texas strict voter ID law, the state has no online registration system and has no same-day registration and voting option. Once registered, you could very well be dropped from the voter rolls through an aggressive partisan purge.

Texans who want to vote by mail need to be 65 or older or have an excuse and you cannot request a ballot online. If you make an error on your absentee ballot, you will not be informed until after the election. An honest mistake can lead to a criminal charge.

BAD BILLS Some of the worst bills that aim to restrict voting include: HB 61: A voter registration application must be in writing and signed by the applicant using ink on paper. An electronic signature or photocopied signature is not permitted. HB 329: Would use Department of Public Safety and Department of Homeland Security data to confirm a voter's citizenship status. HB 335: If someone says they are disqualified from jury service because they are not a citizen, they will be dropped from the voter rolls. HB 1026: Would do away with deputy voter registrars and use DPS data to confirm a voter's citizenship status. HB 1725: Absentee ballots can only be returned by mail. No in-person drop-off is allowed by the voter. SB7: Limits operating hours at polling places, eliminates mega voting centers and prohibits drive-thru voting. Places additional requirements on volunteers and on disabled voters requesting an absentee ballot. Requires that any private donation to assist local election efforts more than $1,000 be approved by the secretary of state. Limits restrictions on poll watchers. See More Collapse

This sessions crop of voting obstacles appear to have been inspired by the record-setting voter turnout Texas saw in the November election. Local officials in Harris County and other cities made great efforts to help people vote safely during the pandemic and people responded. So naturally, Republicans are wasting no time trying to outlaw nearly every method they employed.

Almost all of the improvements in voting that were offered to try to deal with the pandemic are now being seen as things that shouldnt go forward, Cinde Weatherby with the Texas League of Women Voters told the editorial board. If there was anything that made it easier to vote there are people out there who are writing bills to take that away.

The worst of the lot, a compendium of bad policy, is Senate Bill 7, which Patrick has deemed the answer to ballot security.

The bill would impose arbitrary and unnecessary restrictions such as limiting voting hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., requiring all countywide polling places to have the same number of voting machines  effectively killing mega voting locations in large counties. And yes, it would prohibit all mobile, outdoor and drive-thru polling places.

Opening the door to intimidation, it allows partisan poll watchers virtually unrestricted access inside a polling place. While watchers cant be in the voting booth, they can stand close enough to see and hear all activities.

If that werent enough, the bill makes life as hard as possible for the dedicated Texans who volunteer to assist voters, imposing unnecessary paperwork. Why would a bill do that? To deter volunteers who drive voters to the polls for curbside voting, a service that undoubtedly helps low-income people. The bill also requires that anyone who requests an absentee ballot because of a disability must include proof along with their application.

Then we have the proposal by Rep. Mayes Middleton, R-Wallisville, that would eliminate deputy voter registrars. These volunteers are certified to sign up new voters, help people update their registration and determine eligibility, and make sure forms are filled out correctly. Theyre even trained to review that a voters signature matches the one on their drivers license.

Doing away with them would hurt, not help, election integrity. The bill would also use the Department of Public Safety to verify a would-be voters citizenship status and put the burden on the voter to prove they are eligible if they are mistakenly taken off the rolls. A separate bill by Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, would also use DPS records to identify noncitizens.

Using DPS data  which does not automatically update when a permanent resident becomes a citizen  threatens to repeat the fumbled 2019 voter purge that led to the resignation of acting Secretary of State David Whitley. Cains proposal goes beyond using DPS and would also require the secretary of state to cross-reference, at least twice a year, its voter registry with the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys noncitizen resident database  another unnecessary step that is flawed and ripe for errors, according to the American Immigration Council.

In a clear swat at Harris Countys efforts to help voters during the pandemic, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, and state Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring, filed legislation that would prevent officials from preemptively sending out mail-ballot applications to registered voters. A proposal by state Rep. Dennis Paul, R-Houston, would even prohibit in-person drop-off of absentee ballots.

These proposals are unnecessary solutions for a nonexistent problem. Testifying before lawmakers, Keith Ingram, director of elections in the Secretary of States Office, said of Novembers elections:

In spite of all the circumstances, Texas had an election that was smooth and secure. Texans can be justifiably proud of the hard work and creativity shown by local county elections officials.

Republicans are right when they say that election integrity is crucial to a functioning democracy. They just need to review the definition of integrity.

It means honesty, not deception. It means protecting voter rights, not political parties.

Remember the phrase Stop the Steal? We call on every honest Texan who truly wants free and fair elections in this state to reappropriate those lying words for good. Demand that your representatives in the Texas House and Senate stop this senseless, discriminatory and un-democratic legislation. Demand that they Stop the Steal of election rights in Texas.
Boris Johnson faces a male Ministers revolt over fears they will lose their jobs in a women first reshuffle this summer.

The Tory men angrily accuse the Prime Minister of planning to favour tokenism over talent by promoting a raft of women MPs in the Government shake-up.

One senior male Minister told The Mail on Sunday: Boris should be picking people based on competence  not gender.

Government insiders suggested that International Trade Secretary Liz Truss was set for a promotion

But last night, Tory women accused the men of sour grapes that the Prime Minister was about to recognise the abilities of female Tory MPs.

Caroline Nokes, chairwoman of the Commons Women and Equalities committee, said: If male, pale and stale colleagues feel overlooked, perhaps its more to do with their ability than their gender.

The row broke amid already fevered speculation in the Tory ranks as to who will get promoted in what is expected to be a major ministerial shake-up this summer with Brexit done and the pandemic easing.

Last night, Government insiders suggested that International Trade Secretary Liz Truss was set for a promotion while much-criticised Education Secretary Gavin Williamson could yet escape the Cabinet chop after his efforts getting children back to school last week.

Tory women tipped for promotion include Treasury Minister Kemi Badenoch. Despite telling female Tory MPs last week that he was a feminist, Mr Johnson is under pressure to move more women up the ministerial ladder

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi is also widely expected to be rewarded in the reshuffle for his work on the successful Covid vaccines rollout.

However, Allegra Stratton  the Prime Ministers press secretary  sparked alarm among male Tory MPs last week after saying Mr Johnson would like to improve how representative his Cabinet is of the population at large.

Speaking on International Womens Day, she also hailed the great number of talented women in the Government, singling out two Ministers  Care Minister Helen Whately and Childrens Minister Vicky Ford.

Other Tory women have already been tipped for promotion, including Treasury Minister Kemi Badenoch and backbenchers Claire Coutinho, former adviser to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Laura Trott, who worked at No 10 during the Cameron premiership.

However, Ms Strattons comments led to complaints to the Tory Whips Office, with some male Ministers and backbench MPs angry at what they feared would be a women first policy for promotion based on gender  not talent.

Laura Trott, who worked at No 10 during the Cameron premiership (left) and backbencher Claire Coutinho (right) former adviser to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, are among those tipped to be promoted

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, one male MP questioned why ex-MEP Mrs Ford  privately dubbed Vichy Ford for her fiercely pro-EU views  should be apparently getting preference for promotion over other Ministers.

He conceded that as a Health Minister, Mrs Whately had faced tricky TV interviews over Government failings during the pandemic but said: You could hardly say she excelled at it.

But other MPs last night accused some male colleagues of over-reacting to Ms Strattons comments last week.

They also defended Mrs Ford and Mrs Whately as hard-working Ministers, saying the Prime Minister had every right to promote talented women and make his frontbench more representative of the country at large.

However, despite telling female Tory MPs last week that he was a feminist, Mr Johnson is under pressure to move more women up the ministerial ladder.

Only five of the 23 full members of Mr Johnsons Cabinet are women  a worse ratio than under predecessor David Cameron.
The sweet things in life By Shannine Daniel View(s): View(s):

Regardless of whether they come in cups, jars, trays or dishes, desserts like the all-time Sri Lankan favourite, chocolate biscuit pudding, the more complex Baked Alaska and the delectableTiramisu of Italian origin are beloved by many. While some dessert enthusiasts choose to stick to the standard recipes, this week we feature some who love putting their own spin on them.

Jars by Chandani

The Chocolate Meltdown is the signature dessert of Jars by Chandani, a family-run home bakery located in Kandy that also offers other cake jars, cakes, cupcakes and brownies. Chandani, or as our beloved community calls her, Aunty Chandani, is the culinary genius behind our dessert jars. Weve been making people of Kandy smile with sweet treats since 2015, the team at Jars by Chandani told the Sunday Times Magazine. Our signature dessert jar  the Chocolate Meltdown  has a fanbase of its own, they said.

We pride ourselves in keeping the quality of our baked goodies at a high standard. This venture has introduced us to a lovely community of loyal customers from all over the island. We are the first home bakery from Kandy to provide deliveries anywhere within the region. So we have helped with a lot of surprise deliveries and brought joy to loved ones.

Jars by Chandani can be found on Facebook (JARS by Chandani) and Instagram (jars.by.chandani) and take most of their orders through direct messages. They also have a website  www.jarsbychandani.com  where you can make inquiries.

Butter and Cream

Butter and Cream run by mother-daughter duo Aqeela and Bushra specialises in brownies, cupcakes, eclairs, cookies and their signature puddings and cold desserts such as Mocha Crunch and Mint Chocolate Chip Pudding. They also cater to those seeking savouries with short eats and teatime snacks like mini pizzas, beef samosas, sandwiches and patties.

My mother has been a source of immense strength and guidance throughout my life. She was my inspiration to get into the food scene, and is also the biggest support in making and taking forward Butter and Cream as a successful venture, through Gods grace. We work together to complete every order  so it is 100% teamwork, Aqeela said.

Our recipes are also constantly tested and adjusted, and we are determined to deliver fresh products of the best quality all the time, she added.

Butter and Cream has a delivery option and customers can pick up their orders as well. Orders can be placed through Instagram (butterandcreamlk) or phone -077 8845 980. Aqeela says plans for a store are in the pipeline.

Buzz Bakes

Buzz Bakes was launched by former banker and mother of three Azhara Kamil. Azharas Buzz Bakes has a range of goodies including gooey brownies, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, chocolate eclairs, milk toffee, marshmallows, love cake and of course desserts like Baked Alaska, biscuit pudding, pavlova, cheesecake jars and Nutella mousse and brownie jars. She also sells DIY cookie packs  where kids get the opportunity to decorate cookies themselves.

My children have been my inspiration to start this. They often told me I should start a baking business, as people would definitely buy my yummy food. I had loads of support from my husband, family and friends who encouraged me as they too liked my food, Azhara told the Sunday Times Magazine.

My greatest critics are my kids. My mother has been my backbone when it comes to cooking and I still hear wonderful stories about what a wonderful cook my grandmother was, she added.

Buzz Bakes has delivery and pick up options, and customers place their orders via phone or WhatsApp (077 238 7988), Facebook (Buzz Bakes) and Instagram (buzz_bakes). Even though Azhara only operates online at the moment, she hopes to expand her business in future, by opening a physical store.

Chocobeezzz

Chocobeezzz is a home business and dessert shop based in Watarapola Road, Mount Lavinia. They make and sell desserts and baked goodies like cake jars, chocolate mousse in jars, chocolate biscuit pudding, doughnuts, brownies, cupcakes and different varieties of cakes.

Chocobeezzzs dessert specialities include Nutella cake jars, chocolate cake jars, chocolate mousse topped with Ferrero Rocher and triple chocolate mousse made with white, milk and dark chocolate.

They also cater for events like weddings and birthday celebrations, with themed doughnuts, cakepops, cakesicles, cupcakes, cakes and dessert jars, and have a menu for savouries as well, with short eats like rolls, mini pizzas, patties and sausage pastries. Chocobeezzz can be found on Instagram (chocobeezzz) and orders can be placed through direct messages or through phone call on 076 6643 124 or 076 665 3124.
Perfumed Horoscope: March 15 - March 21

Fragrant Horoscope





Over the past few months I discovered that setting one's significant personal intentions is much stronger when done with a group. The New Moon is the perfect time to do this (March 13.) You still have a window of opportunity for 2 to 3 days to see what kind of intentional goals you want to set over the next two weeks. We will offer some suggestions here, with a particularly poetic and idealistic new moon: (a Sun - Moon - Venus - Neptune party.) Observe and allow your sensitivity to beauty to flourish for maximum benefits to grow. This week we travel to Finland to recommend the fresh creation Scent of Finland and Nakuna Helsinki.











Aries

You have probably noticed how quick you are to respond to people, especially to those who trigger you. You are halfway into this pattern, where you must realize whether its doing you good, or wasting your energy. Short outbursts or venting over the past 10 days should slowly be phased out. This mindset indicates that you are vocal and assertive about issues that matter. There are completely non-intrusive ways to make this work for you, and it will help you establish yourself in any desirable social setting. By Nakuna Helsinki try Avanto.





Taurus

You may find yourself these days fighting for what is yours on a material level. There is nothing wrong or selfish or materialistic about that. You are just in safety mode, and you would hate to lose or give away anything that serves and supports you. From this mindset, you should continue to present to your boss what really matters to you. It will crystallize out of your somewhat possessive relationship to the material world. The final result will not be about anything material," but rather about climbing the hill (without becoming the fool on the hill) and understanding what really matters for the rest of your life. By Nakuna Helsinki try Musta.

Gemini You have probably observed already how you get quickly triggered these days, and how you almost flare up like a little volcano. Ideally this will not impede your motivation, but solidify your unique drive. Dont worry about overly asserting yourself verbally, because ultimately its your actions that will speak for themselves during these two weeks. Make sure to always have a guru or a wise talking partner. The last thing that you need are head-ons that may lead you to a physical accident. Watch your head! By Scent of Finland Vire.

Cancer

You have probably noticed some strange disruptions, inconsistencies, and events over the past week and a half. You might be wondering already what needs to change in order for you to feel more secure and grounded. If you truly feel unsettled, the intention for this new moon should involve fortifying the relationship with your partner. It will be okay to go deeper into issues that may be uncomfortable, like finance, or sexual, or inheritance - related. Time to clear space and take it to a new level. By Nakuna Helsinki try Mittumaari.

Leo



If you happen to have some electrifying discussions with your friends (friendships you may be questioning a bit,) that is perfectly normal. Your patience has limits, and your values may actually become firmer after you clear your social surroundings. In your shoes, I would set an intention of working toward establishing a great deal of trust with your partner. This is a tall order, but take small steps at first. It will help you tremendously to stay organized well into the summer time, which typically is not as structured. By Nakuna Helsinki try If you happen to have some electrifying discussions with your friends (friendships you may be questioning a bit,) that is perfectly normal. Your patience has limits, and your values may actually become firmer after you clear your social surroundings. In your shoes, I would set an intention of working toward establishing a great deal of trust with your partner. This is a tall order, but take small steps at first. It will help you tremendously to stay organized well into the summer time, which typically is not as structured. By Nakuna Helsinki try Ralli



Virgo Suddenly and out of the blue you have become very ambitious, and you may wonder where exactly to start. It's not out of the ordinary to feel this way, it is your natural instinct to reach (at this time) for some kind of a peak which can serve you - perhaps even for the remainder of your life. With a new moon, it would be great if you could choose and focus on words and actions leading you to a more satisfying professional situation. Dont worry about leaving out any close friends or family. At this point, you need a system in place which will fully support your aspirations. Once its all set, 10 days from now, you can rededicate yourself to your family and friends. By Nakuna Helsinki try Iho.



Libra

These days, you might be itching to travel more than ever. Why not? You do have the courage to travel when everybody thinks that is not possible. The little intention that I would like to suggest this week is not to just travel physically, but to embrace something that might be new knowledge or a new perspective on how to access the riches of that wonderful love that lives in your heart. Do not be surprised if, in your quest for knowledge, you fall in love by the end of next week. Enjoy the growth of self-awareness via your love this week. By Nakuna Helsinki try Avanto.

Scorpio Do you feel the inclination towards some risky moves - one more time, and with fresh wings? You would think that you are 100% at home with risks, but this time its even more intense, especially mentally and intellectually. Its a New Moon (setting intentions time,) and I would like to invite you to really invest in your new home and not for a second think that its money not well invested. Strive only for the best ingredients in your home. I heard of an actress who put a $100 million crystal coating as a psychic protection on her $200 million house somewhere in Montana or Colorado. That should not be a problem for you as well, if you think about it. By Scent of Finland Vire.





Sagittarius You are probably observing strange dynamics in your personal relationships, where you dare to turn stones that maybe should not be turned. It may not be easy to discern how far you should go. But as the week progresses, you should be more comfortable about sharing things that you feel will impact your future and your comfort levels. Remember to always give yourself time. As your mind has actually expanded now, the thought process itself has become slower. Your thoughts may temporarily weigh heavier. Try to tell a joke for a change, and see how hard it can be to come out of you. By Scent of Finland Korpi.

Capricorn Your job situation has become a battleground of sorts and its probably not a laughing matter to you. You should clearly establish an attempt to clean yourself up and look for a new job, or to revamp your old one. Put in writing what needs to happen at your place of employment in order for you to stay there. Share it with your boss and your coworkers. A week from now, a miracle will happen: Suddenly, we will be celebrating a new managing genius. This week will poke you to reconsider and rebuild your value system, which is still in a new space; its early evolving stages. By Scent of Finland Kaltio.

Aquarius

You may have observed that certain individuals, for whatever reason, are falling in love with you. You are not sure how to deal with this for now. In your shoes, I would regard it strictly as a very positive influence, which is not here to challenge your ego or bring you out of your shell. It is here to make you comfortable expressing your emotions, especially the positive ones. Its okay to turn off your brain here, and if you really desire romance or even children, request it on this new moon, and see what happens a month from now. But you don't have to be be careful what you wish for. By Nakuna Helsinki try Ralli.

At 10.15 on the night of June 9, 1979, flames engulfed the ghost train at Luna Park. Six children and one adult were killed.

Nearly 30 years later in 2007, award-winning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont revealed claims that Australias most notorious crime figure Abe Saffron was behind the deadly fire at the popular fun park on the shores of Sydney Harbour.

Luna Park ghost train fire, 1979. Credit:Dallas Smith / Fairfax Media

Over three stories, her investigation spoke exclusively with Saffrons niece as well as families of the victims for their reaction to the claims.

She also obtained files gathered by a Sydney artist Martin Sharp, who had collected an extensive collection of documents.
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Farmers will receive 1,600 training sessions from now until 2025 on how to protect their crops and minimize the damage caused by rats.

They will also receive traps and rat poison.

Can Tho has more than 80,000 hectares of rice fields, over 20,000 orchards and nearly 15,000 hectares of vegetables. For several years now, farmers have been complaining about rats infesting their rice fields and damaging other crops.

The Mekong Delta is Vietnam's agriculture and aquaculture hub, accounting for 17.7 percent of the countrys GDP, 54 percent of rice production, 60 percent of fruits and 70 percent of seafood, according to official figures.
On March 8, U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) Martin Kelly visited a Mines Advisory Group (MAG) demining site to observe the painstaking measures undertaken to clear explosive hazards in the area and speak with a team of female deminers. The project, which is part of the more than one billion Sri Lankan Rupees ($5.5 million) the United States is providing this fiscal year for clearance activities, promotes the safety and security of local residents.

Clearing these deadly devices takes skill, patience, and bravery, said DCM Kelly. The women deminers defy stereotypes of appropriate gender roles while at the same time performing a courageous service in the rebuilding of their communities. We're grateful for their contributions to helping Sri Lanka become mine-free. DCM Kelly met with representatives of local and international clearance partners, including the Delvon Association for Social Harmony (DASH), Skavita Humanitarian Assistance and Relief Project (SHARP), HALO Trust, and MAG, who carry out demining operations with the support of U.S. funding. He also had a positive and productive meeting with the National Mine Action Center at the Regional Mine Action Office in Kilinochchi.

Since 1995, the United States has been the largest donor to humanitarian demining in Sri Lanka, providing over $78 million for operations and equipment. U.S. support has helped advance clearance efforts in the nine districts affected by landmine contamination and helped efforts that enabled Batticaloa District to be declared mine-impact free in 2017. U.S. funding has also supported mine detection training for and has provided demining equipment to the Sri Lanka Army.
A powerful late winter snowstorm intensified over the central Rocky Mountains on Sunday with heavy snow and wind leading to airport and road closures, power outages and avalanche warnings in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska.

The National Weather Service in Wyoming called it a historic and crippling winter storm that would cause extremely dangerous to impossible travel conditions through at least early Monday.

Major roads southeast of a line that crosses diagonally from the southwest corner of Wyoming to its northeast corner were closed Sunday, including roads in and out of Cheyenne and Casper.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation suspended plowing operations in the Casper area Sunday due to heavy snow and a lack of visibility, the agency said.

We had several plows drive off the roadway due to limited to zero visibility, the agency said on its Facebook page.

Farther south, a record of over 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow had fallen just outside Cheyenne by noon Sunday, the weather service reported. A SNOTEL site at Windy Peak in the Laramie Range reported 52 inches (1.3 meters) of snow in a 24-hour period ending Sunday morning, the weather service said.

A person who answered the phone at the Love's Travel Stop in Cheyenne, but declined to give his name, said 98 trucks were stranded there. They were taking fuel out a can at a time to fill up generators on the trucks to keep their refrigerators or freezers running, he said.

Interstate 25 was closed north from Fort Collins, Colorado, to its end at Buffalo, Wyoming while Interstate 80 was closed across southern Wyoming and into the Nebraska panhandle, where 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow were reported just south of Gering, Nebraska.

Nebraskas transportation department asked people across the state to stay home to avoid strong winds and rain on the eastern side of the state and blizzard conditions in the west, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Traffic from Interstate 80 was routed into nearby cities and towns.

Story continues

Denver Public Schools are taking a snow day on Monday, as will schools in Cheyenne and Casper in Wyoming. Some government offices in those areas also will be closed Monday.

At Denver International Airport, the runways were closed just before noon Sunday due to blowing snow and poor visibilities. Many flights have already been canceled so the runway closures have minimal impacts, airport officials said in social media posts. More than 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow had fallen at the airport by 11 a.m. Sunday, the weather service said.

The Northern Colorado Regional Airport that serves the Fort Collins and Loveland areas was closed Sunday morning after receiving a foot (30 centimeters) of snow, according to the airports social media accounts.

An avalanche warning was in effect Sunday for the Rocky Mountains west of Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs where intense snowfall will cause large and destructive avalanches, Colorado Avalanche Center said. The center warned that avalanches could happen in unusual locations and recommended against traveling in the backcountry.

An avalanche blocked Colorado Highway 14 in north-central Colorado on Sunday, the Department of Transportation said.

Nearly 32,000 Xcel Energy customers were without power Sunday in north-central Colorado, while smaller outages were reported in the same area by the Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association

Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming has reported several outages. At one point overnight, service was interrupted to nearly 2,600 customers in Casper and Glenrock and 2,800 customers in Lander. Just under 1,000 people were without power in the Casper area on Sunday.

The power company expects more service interruptions as the storm continues.

"Heavy snow and drifting conditions from wind is expected to make travel and repair work increasingly difficult today," Curt Mansfield, vice president of operations for Rocky Mountain Power said in a statement Sunday.

___

This story has been changed to correct that the spelling of the company name is Xcel Energy, not Excel Energy.
The Birmingham City Council President William Parker says the council will vote on April 6 to potentially extend the citys mask mandate.

Gov. Kay Iveys statewide mandate will end April 9. After that point, local governments, school boards and businesses must decide for themselves whether to require face coverings.

Medical experts, including at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, say that while vaccinations are ongoing and the pandemic is easing, overall case counts remain high and it is too soon to relax restrictions.

In an interview with WBRC, Parker said he feels very confident that Birmingham will retain its ordinance, likely through a vote on April 6. An agenda for that council meeting is not yet available.

There will be a mask ordinance past April 9, he said.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts delivers the annual State of the State Address to lawmakers in Lincoln, Neb., Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. AP Photo/Nati Harnik

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said legalizing medical marijuana would lead to kids dying.

Ricketts was citing a study that connected more frequent marijuana use among kids who die by suicide and states that already have legalized marijuana.

His remarks come as Nebraska's state legislature weighs a bill that would legalize medical marijuana.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The governor of Nebraska pushed back on the state's consideration of legalizing medical marijuana, claiming it would lead to the death of their kids.

"This is a dangerous drug that will impact our kids," Gov. Pete Ricketts said during a news briefing Wednesday. "If you legalize marijuana, you're gonna kill your kids. That's what the data shows from around the country."

Asked to elaborate on the data by USA TODAY, a spokesperson for Ricketts pointed to two studies that concluded teens who died by suicide in multiple states that had legalized marijuana used it more frequently.

His remarks come as Nebraska's state legislature weighs a bill that would make legal medical marijuana that's recommended by a practicing physician. The idea is that physicians would have control over their patients' marijuana consumption, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

Though Ricketts' linked his claim to recreational marijuana, the bill being weighed would allow residents to use and consume medical marijuana in the form of pills or oils. Smoking marijuana would not be legalized upon this bill's passing.

Marijuana is federally designated as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it has "no currently accepted medical use." However, "THC itself has proven medical benefits in particular formulations," according to the NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse. In terms of recreational usage, experts and agencies like the Centers for Disease Control say a "fatal overdose is unlikely."

Ricketts' office did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

Story continues

"Big pot, big marijuana is a big industry," he continued. "This a big industry that is trying not to be regulated, to go around the regulatory process. And that's going to put people at risk: when you go around regulations that are designed for the health and safety of our society."

Advocates in favor of the bill's passing include its sponsor, Lincoln, Nebraska, Sen. Anna Wishart, who on Wednesday delivered an impassioned argument in support, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

"This bill is not going to fail because of a lack of compromise," Wishart said before the state's judiciary committee. "If this bill fails to pass, it is because of political pressure from a few who wield their power to stamp out the will of the people. The people will not be silenced."

If the bill doesn't pass, Wishart, a Democrat, said she expects activists to propose a ballot initiative that allows Nebraskans to vote. This, in turn, would give physicians less control over marijuana consumption and make it more difficult to regulate.

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President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, takes part in a deliberation with lawmakers from Qinghai province, at the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing, March 7, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tashi Dorje, a national legislator from Qinghai province, was excited when talking about his meeting with President Xi Jinping during the just-concluded two sessions in Beijing.

When Xi took part in discussions with the province's deputies to the 13th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, on March 7, Tashi Dorje told Xi about the development of his hometown in the Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture, which was hit by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake about 11 years ago. The disaster flattened a town and claimed more than 2,600 lives.

"I have been paying attention to Yushu's post-quake recovery all these years," Xi said. He recalled his visit to Yushu after the earthquake in June 2010, when he was vice-president. "I flew directly to Yushu. I went to a village more than 4,000 meters above sea level. The damage there was serious."

Tashi Dorje told Xi that great changes have taken place in his hometown. After the earthquake, the people of Yushu quickly rebuilt their homes, and all the rural people in the prefecture have been lifted out of poverty. "Now the streets of Yushu are cleaner, the houses are better and the milk tea is sweeter."

Xi asked in detail about people's livelihoods in the prefecture, and said he is confident Yushu will develop even better amid the nation's efforts to strive for high-quality growth.

Every year when China holds the annual sessions of the NPC and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body, Xi always joins other legislators and political advisers in discussing issues of national importance, such as poverty alleviation, environmental protection, reform and opening-up, and technological innovation.

And during this year's two sessions, he talked more about "people's well-being" and "high-quality development", and urged officials to stick to the people-centered philosophy and enable the results of high-quality growth to meet people's aspirations for a better life.

He told the legislators from Qinghai province that high-quality development remains the theme for China's social and economic growth in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period and beyond, and it matters to the overall situation of the country's socialist modernization drive.

He further explained that pursuing the high-quality development path calls for upholding the people-centered development philosophy and sticking to innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared growth. It is not only related to economics, but covers all aspects of socioeconomic development.

Liu Shijin, deputy director of the Economic Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, said that with the growing prosperity in recent years, people have more diversified requirements for living a better life.

China's pursuit of high-quality development aims to further improve people's living conditions not only in the economic and cultural aspects, but also in terms of their living environment, Liu said.

When Xi met legislators from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, environmental conservation was among the main topics of discussion.

He has always stressed a "holistic approach" to conserving mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes and grasslands to achieve sustainable growth. This time, he added deserts to the list of priorities.

Top-level design and comprehensive measures are needed to protect the ecosystems in mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts, Xi said.

Zhou Yizhe, an NPC deputy from Inner Mongolia who works at a tree farm, told Xi that he used to be a logger, but now works as a forest ranger. The tree farm where he works has completely abandoned timber felling, and has shifted its focus to environmental protection.

Zhou said that more wild animals are coming to the tree farm now, and research has indicated that the ecosystem in the forests and wetlands has greatly improved.

"Your identity shift from a logger to a forest ranger epitomizes our country's transformation in industrial structures," Xi said after hearing Zhou's story.

Highlighting the concept of "green GDP", Xi said that maintaining a good environment is of enormous value. He called on Inner Mongolia to continue to fight pollution and improve the environment in both urban and rural areas.

As the COVID-19 pandemic still rages globally and China is also facing the risk of the resurgence of the virus, Xi stressed giving priority to safeguarding people's health when he joined discussions with national political advisers from the education, medical and health sectors in a joint group meeting on March 6.

Since the outbreak started, Xi has required "putting people first" and "putting people's lives foremost" in the fight against the virus. As China has made strategic achievements in epidemic control, he urged efforts to accelerate the implementation of the Healthy China Initiative, with an emphasis on major diseases and problems that matter to people's health.

People's health is the foundation of a civilization's progress and an important indicator of a nation's prosperity, he said.

During discussions with legislators and political advisers, Xi underlined the need to make consistent efforts to solve the problems that matter to people's livelihoods, including employment, education, social security, healthcare and housing, and improve the accessibility of public services.

Efforts should also be made to advance coordinated development between urban and rural areas and fully carry out the rural vitalization strategy, in order to improve the living conditions of urban and rural residents, he said.

Ma Shanxiang, a community worker in Jiangbei district of Chongqing, said he was impressed by Xi's dedication to people's welfare. He knows very well what people are concerned about and what they need, Ma said.

Xi attaches a great deal of importance to employment, which is the top concern for people in order to ensure stable livelihoods, said Liu Wenxin, chairman of Wenxin Xinyang Tea Company Ltd in Xinyang, Henan province.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, his company will continue to help rural development and create more jobs, Liu said.
Press Release

March 14, 2021 Bong Go lauds issuance of EO liberalizing access to satellite services to improve Filipinos' access to internet connectivity; also pushes for passage of e-governance bill President Rodrigo Duterte signed last Wednesday, March 10, Executive Order No. 127, liberalizing access to satellite services, which seeks to expand the provision of internet services through the use of satellite technologies in order to provide Filipinos with improved access to internet connectivity. Senator Christopher "Bong" Go welcomed the issuance of said Executive Order which he said will open more opportunities for telecommunication companies to provide better internet services and access nationwide. "Kailangan natin ng reliable at mabilis na internet kung gusto nating mabigyan ng mas magandang serbisyo at oportunidad ang ating mga estudyante, negosyante, manggagawa at iba pang sektor ng lipunan na mas mabilis makabangon mula sa epekto ng COVID-19," he said. The President and Senator Go has earlier urged telecom companies to improve their services to help Filipinos cope with the challenges of the new normal. The EO specifically allows telecom companies, internet service providers (ISPs) and value-added service (VAS) providers "direct access" to both domestic and international satellite systems in addition to traditional cable-based networks. This new policy is part of the national government's ongoing effort to join the ranks of developed economies by taking advantage of the internet's "transformative impact on e-government and the delivery of basic services, the elimination of red tape, freedom of information, disaster preparedness, public safety, readiness for climate change, education for all, and inclusive growth", among others. "Para matulungan ang mga Pilipino na mag-adapt sa panahon ng new normal, we need to re-imagine the role of the internet and communications technology. Ang buong mundo ay nag-evolve dahil sa COVID-19. Gawin natin ang lahat ng ating makakaya para walang Pilipinong maiiwan sa new normal at tungo sa full recovery," said Go. EO 127 also grants broadcast service providers direct access to satellite systems subject to the rules, regulations and authorizations of the National Telecommunications Commission. To implement these changes, the new EO amends EO No. 467 (s. 1998) which outlines the policy guidelines and regulations concerning the operation and use of international satellite telecommunications facilities and services in the country. It mandates the NTC to update all necessary regulations and expedite administrative processes that enable ISPs and VAS providers to directly access, use, own and operate facilities for internet access services using satellite technologies. The Department of Information and Communications Technology, of which the NTC is an attached agency, is directed to issue any and all rules and regulations deemed necessary for implementing the new national policy. "Pinadali na rin ng gobyerno ang mga proseso at requirements upang matulungan ang mga service providers na mas maisaayos ang serbisyo nila," Go emphasized. Go also pointed out that the use of satellite technologies will provide government and society at large an important alternative communication channel, especially during times of emergencies when traditional communication infrastructures are damaged or destroyed. He also noted that they may be used to provide reliable and secure government communication services in underserved and far-flung areas that lack communication infrastructures as well as in support of government operations, such as national security and emergency response missions. "The government needs to adopt more efficient, responsive and modern ways of transacting with our citizens. Dahil sa COVID-19, kinailangan na mag-evolve ng mga transaksyon na normally ay face-to-face. This will effectively make the government more in tune with the changing times," explained Go. In July 2020, the Senator filed Senate Bill No. 1738, also known as the E-Governance Act, which seeks to make the delivery of government services and information more quick, efficient and cost-effective through the use of new and emerging information and communication technologies. The proposed bill will establish the Integrated Government Network, a digital and electronic platform that will act as the primary means for sharing and communicating data, information, and resources across all of the government. The network will serve as the government's primary and focal information management tool and communications network. Go's proposed measure will also create various digital portals for the delivery of public services, an internal records management information system, and an information database. By digitalizing government processes, such as citizen services and business transactions, Go said that individuals and businesses will cope better with the physical and mobility limitations that have been put in place to slow the spread of diseases, such as COVID-19. "It will also ensure that business processes and transactions in the country remain seamless and fully operational despite the challenges presented by outbreaks and pandemics," he continued. "Ito 'yung gusto nating mangyari---ang mabawasan 'yung red tape at mapabilis ang proseso dahil nahihirapan na ang ating mga kababayan, lalong-lalo na po panahon ng pandemya," said Go. "However, in addition to reducing red tape, I am confident e-governance will also help eliminate corruption, enhance transparency, and encourage citizen feedback and participation in governance in the long-term," he concluded.
The Founder of Galaxy Foundation Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mr Davies Hagan, has presented GH3,000 to help 20-year-old Yakubu Kantab in Obuasi to undergo a tumour surgery.



Yakubu dropped out of school in class three due to stigmatisation after suffering from bone tumour for 11 years.



He became a laughing stock among friends and the community due to his disfigured physique, forcing him to stay away from school.



Help

Touched by the predicament of the young man, Mr Hagans foundation, which seeks to bring hope to the vulnerable with medical conditions in rural areas in the country, came to his aid.



The NGO also seeks to provide free plastic reconstructive and general surgeries to the needy and help correct anomalies and deformities such as cleft lip and palate, past burn contractures, keloids, fused fingers and toes, goitre and other diseases.



Mr Hagan, winner of the 2019 MTN Heroes of Change and winner of the Humanitarian Awards Ghana, 2020, said he would continue to do more for humanity.



Mr Hagan, who also works with AngloGold Ashanti (AGA), said over the years, his salary had become his main source of funding for such projects.



The target is to assist 100 patients suffering from various illnesses.



Appreciation

Mr Hagan expressed appreciation to the government, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the Managing Director of AGA, Mr Eric Asubonteng, for bringing the Obuasi mine back to life.



Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021

He called for deliberate policies to help sustain the mine.





Source: Graphiconline.com









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Update from the Senior Executive Team - 14 March 2021

SET and SRC meets.

Representatives from the Senior Executive Team met with a delegation from the Students Representative Council (SRC) on Friday evening to discuss a number of further demands put forward by the SRC and other student groups in the higher education sector.

As we understand, some of the major demands are as follows:

Wits (and other universities) should postpone the commencement of the academic year to 30 March 2021.

Wits (and other universities) should postpone the commencement of the academic year to 30 March 2021. All students must be allowed to register, irrespective of the quantum of debt owing to the University.

All students must be allowed to register, irrespective of the quantum of debt owing to the University. All students must be allowed to graduate, irrespective of the quantum of debt owing to the University.

All students must be allowed to graduate, irrespective of the quantum of debt owing to the University. There should be no fee increases for 2021.

There should be no fee increases for 2021. All students who receive residence offers must be allowed to occupy residences with immediate effect.

All students who receive residence offers must be allowed to occupy residences with immediate effect. Universities must pressurise government for a debt bailout for all institutions.

Universities must pressurise government for a debt bailout for all institutions. All international students from the SADC and broader Diaspora regions must be allowed to register without having to effect payment of 75% of the tuition fee upfront.

All international students from the SADC and broader Diaspora regions must be allowed to register without having to effect payment of 75% of the tuition fee upfront. All suspension orders must be uplifted with immediate effect.

Students request for assistance

The SET remains committed to assisting academically-qualifying students who have applied for the 2021 academic year to register, whilst remaining financially sustainable. Of the 1 200 applications for assistance from the Wits Hardship Fund, about 700 have already been assisted. We are working through the applications on a case by case basis and commit to responding to the remaining 500 applications before Friday, 19 March 2021.

Engagement with the SRC

Following deliberations with the SRC on Friday evening, the Senior Executive Team met today, Sunday, 14 March 2021 to discuss the demands listed above (and a range of other demands). The SET will consult with members of Council and other stakeholders, before engaging with the SRC on Monday afternoon.

Sectoral engagement

A Universities South Africa (USAf) meeting will be held early tomorrow morning with the 26 vice-chancellors of public universities at which some of these issues will be discussed. We will communicate the outcomes of this meeting to our various constituencies thereafter.

Wits operations tomorrow

The academic programme will continue online tomorrow, as determined by faculties, and Wits remains fully operational. Senior executive members, in consultation with managers, will determine the on-campus staffing requirements in order to ensure the continuity of University activities.

Appeal for calm

We encourage all parties to remain calm, to exercise maximum restraint, and to attempt to resolve issues through dialogue and engagement. We remain committed to engaging with student leaders to try to resolve these matters at the institutional, sectoral and national levels.

We will keep you updated as any major developments occur.

Thank you

SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden wants to see some of the programs created to help jobless Americans during the pandemic made permanent, and wants to see national standards put in place that set a minimum threshold for unemployment benefits and a nationwide technology platform to pay them out.

Senators are going to have a problem going back to yesteryear, the Oregon Democrat said in a call with reporters Friday.

Last March, Congress extended the duration of jobless benefits that usually expire after as few as 26 weeks. It also made millions of self-employed workers eligible for benefits through a new program, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). And it added weekly bonus payments to make the benefits more generous.

Congress has extended those programs twice  in December, and again with a new relief bill President Joe Biden signed Thursday. Currently, though, many of those benefits expire after Labor Day.

Wyden and other Democrats sought a longer extension and a bigger weekly bonus, but with a narrow margin in the Senate were unable to secure unanimous support from within their party. That could make further extensions past the current September cutoff more difficult.

Instead, Wyden has proposed making some changes permanent, including the PUA program for contractors and gig workers. He also wants legislation that would automatically increase jobless benefits in times of economic distress.

Support is growing for the idea of triggers, where you tie the benefits to conditions on the ground, Wyden said.

Wyden made similar proposals last year but they gained little traction when Republicans controlled the Senate. Now that Democrats control the chamber, Wyden is chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee and may be in a position to muscle forward his ideas.

Regular jobless benefits are financed by a payroll tax paid by employers. Contractors dont pay into that system and so usually arent eligible for payments. Congress addressed that gaping hole in the safety net with the PUA program it adopted a year ago, digging into the federal treasury.

On Friday, Wyden wouldnt directly say how he envisions funding the program if it becomes permanent.

The federal government gives states enormous latitude in how they administer unemployment benefits programs and what they pay. Wyden wants to set a minimum threshold for what states pay.

Additionally, he wants a national technological framework to help states administer their jobless programs. Many states struggled with outmoded computer systems during the pandemic, which slowed down benefits payments for weeks or months.

Perhaps no state faltered more than Oregon, which was among the slowest in the nation to pay benefits last year. Oregon relies on obsolete computers from the 1990s and has repeatedly postponed updating its system because of chronic dysfunction in top ranks of the Oregon Employment Department.

Oregon is at last working to upgrade the ancient technology at the employment department and expects to spend well over $100 million on a new system it hopes to have in place sometime in 2025.

On Friday, Wyden indicated he sees his proposed federal technology as a supplement to what Oregon and other states are doing, rather than an outright replacement for state-by-state benefits programs.

But he said its not acceptable to have individual states like Oregon failing to distribute workers money.

Thousands of Oregonians felt like they were going through red-tape torture, Wyden said. We are going to get that changed.

-- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699
An Accra Circuit Court will on March 25, start the trial of Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, aka, Bulldog, who allegedly threatened President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a video recording.



Hanson, an Artiste Manager, is alleged to have said on a United Television (UTV) programme that "The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will not finish his four-year term if he failed to pay customers of Menzgold.



Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu, retook the plea of Hanson and re-read the facts of the case after amending the charge sheet and the facts.



Hanson has denied the charge of "Offensive conduct to breaches of the peace.



The Court presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah, admitted Hanson to his former bail of GHC 70,000.



Meanwhile, the accused person has been served with disclosures and all the documents prosecution intend to rely on.



This was after a case management conference had been conducted with the accused and the prosecution agreeing on timelines on which the case would be conducted or heard.



The new facts as presented by the prosecution were that the complainants in the case are citizens and regular viewers of UTV programme dubbed "United Showbiz, hosted by Nana Ama Agyemang Mcbrown, which is live every Saturday between the hours of 9:00pm and 11:00pm.



The prosecution said on January 9, this year, the programme was aired on UTV as usual and the accused was one of the panelists who appeared on the show.



Chief Inspector Apiorsornu said during the programme, the issue of Menzgold was raised and Hanson quickly responded that "The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo will not finish his four-year tenure if he failed to pay Menzgold customers."



The Prosecutor said on January 11, this year, the Police intercepted the said video recording on the facebook page of UTV, which attracted many comments from viewers who watched and heard the accused making those unguided comments.



The prosecution said on January 12, this year, Hanson was handed over to the Police by the National Intelligence Bureau for investigations.



In the course of the investigations, Prosecution said the Police requested for the original video recording from UTV and it was played to the accused and he admitted having made those comments.



The Prosecutor said the original video, which was in Twi and English language was forwarded to the Ghana Institute of Languages for transcription and same was transcribed into English language.

Source: GNA









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Prime Minister on Sunday appealed people to share their views, ideas and interesting topics from across India for this year's third 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme scheduled for March 28.

March 28th episode with the 75th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' that would begin at 11 a.m. This programme is held on every last Sunday of the month since the Modi government came to power in 2014.

"28th March...this year's third #MannKiBaat and yet another opportunity to highlight interesting topics, and inspiring life journey from across India. Post your views on 'MyGov' or the NaMo App, or record your message," Modi tweeted.

The government, in a message through 'My Gov' website, said your insights may be shared by the Prime Minister with the entire nation.

The phone lines are open from March 5 for sharing of ideas and the last date for closure of these lines is March 25.

"Prime Minister looks forward to sharing his thoughts on themes and issues that matter to you. He invites you to share your ideas on topics he would address on the 75th episode of the 'Mann Ki Baat'," said the government.

"Send us your suggestions on the themes or issues you want the Prime Minister to speak about in the upcoming "Mann Ki Baat" episode. Share your views in this open forum or alternatively you can also dial the toll-free number 1800-11-7800 and record your message for Modiji in either Hindi or English. Some of the recorded messages may become part of the broadcast."

You can also give a missed call on 1922 and follow the link received in SMS to directly give your suggestions to the Prime Minister, it said.

--IANS

rak/khz/rt

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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The Metropolitan Police has opened a preliminary investigation into Asma al-Assad, the wife of the Syrian president, over allegations of incitement and encouragement to commit acts of terrorism.

London-based Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers submitted a filing with the war crimes unit of the Mets counterterrorism command, which is now assessing the details of the referral to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to warrant further investigation.

The dual British-Syrian national was born and raised in London and worked in investment banking before marrying Mr Assad shortly after he became president.

Lawyers say she could face the possibility of prosecution and loss of her British citizenship, pending the outcome of the preliminary scoping exercise.

Guernica 37s submission of evidence  first reported by The Sunday Times  comes just before the date on which the Syrian civil war began 10 years ago.

Ms Assad, 45, has stood by her husband since Arab Spring protests against the familys oppressive rule broke out in 2011.

Hundreds of thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced by the conflict.

In a statement, the law firm accused the Syrian government of a systematic approach to the torture and murder of civilians, of using chemical and prohibited weapons, indiscriminate targeting of civilians, the arbitrary arrest, torture and murder of several thousand civilian detainees and of using a propaganda campaign to encourage and incite crimes committed against the civilian population, among a number of charges.

Guernica 37 alleged that one of those influential persons who is alleged to have encouraged or incited acts of terrorism is the first lady of Syria.

The practice added: It would not be appropriate to comment on the specific allegations or the evidence that supports those allegations. However, as the subject is a British national it is important that she faces prosecution if the evidence supports the allegation and not merely stripped of her citizenship.

This is an important process, and it is only right that justice is served before an English court.

A Met Police statement given to The Independent said: We can confirm that the Mets war crimes unit, part of the counterterrorism command, received a referral on 31 July 2020 relating to the ongoing Syrian conflict. The referral is in the process of being assessed by officers from the war crimes unit.

The Independent contacted an associate of the Syrian government for comment.

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

Ms Assad grewn up in Acton as Asma Akhras, the daughter of a cardiologist, and completed a degree in computer science at King's College London.

She met her husband, who is a qualified eye surgeon, when he studied in London for about 18 months, and the couple have three children.

Mr Assad, helped by Russias military and Iranian militias, now controls much of Syria.

 Video plea to Asma al-Assad

Turkey continues to control swathes of territory in the northwest, while the US has a presence in the northeast.

Now that the fighting has subsided  though the US and Israel continue to launch airstrikes  people are gradually trickling back to parts of the country that have been ravaged by war.

However, more than half of Syrias pre-war population are still either internally displaced inside Syria or are refugees in other countries, according to new figures released by the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Syria faces fresh problems today, including the spread of Covid and a devastated economy.
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It's a grim, grey afternoon in lockdown, but Moe Dunford is making the best of it. He's just back from a bracing dip in the sea.

Swimming, he says, helps to clear his head during the long days of isolation and boredom. He's even invested in a surfboard - though he insists he's terrible at it.

"I saw some oul' lads coming out of the sea last year and they were like young fellas. It's like tricking the brain into being active. It really does me good."

Like thousands of Irish people, the 33-year-old Dunford moved home - to Dungarvan - as the Covid-19 restrictions made normal work and travel impossible. A local guard recently asked him if he'd ever think of doing something else besides acting, but after years of tenaciously building up his career and becoming known as one of Ireland's brightest talents - with acclaimed roles in Game of Thrones, Michael Inside and Patrick's Day - the Waterford man actually welcomed the enforced break.

Winding down for a while was "no bad thing", he says. Lockdown has also meant that he's had more time to spend with his 11-year-old son, Charlie. "It's been a profound time in terms of having picnics with my son and his mam, getting on and knowing that we have a child and, come what may, he's happy and she is happy."

After years away from Dungarvan - he has a place in Dublin - and work-related jet-setting, the stint at home has also brought back memories of his early life. As a child Maurice 'Moe' Dunford moved from Waterford to Cork, where his father had run a pub before making a career change to become a counsellor. Moe remembers his parents being easygoing in raising him.

"These days parents seem to be in a rush, but when I was a kid with my friends there would be sleepovers and people would stay for the night or the whole weekend. I was fairly strait-laced as a kid. There was a best pal of mine, James, he took me mitching one day and said 'let's take off and rob a boat on the quay'. Now of course we didn't rob a boat, but just the idea of escaping and doing something different - that was what got me."

The desire to become an actor was a gradual thing, he says, spurred by the influence of a teacher in secondary school, Anthony Kelly.

"He introduced us to film and to movies I hadn't seen before. He really supported me when I wanted to do acting. I always remember that, because you can be surrounded by practical thinking and it can be a bit much."

With his parents' blessing he enrolled in the Gaiety School of Acting. "When people said it was a strange thing to want to do, it made me want to try it. It was amazing, it was a different buzz and energy to what I was used to. My parents were supportive from day one."

The early years of his career were tough, he says, with bits and pieces of TV roles. This period also coincided with big changes in his personal life, however, as he became a father in his early 20s, and faced into the precariousness of acting.

"When you're just out of college and you're a week from your showcase and you realise you've no money and you're thinking 'what's it all about, can I do this?'. That was a little bit scary, a little bit ropey."

He is no longer together with Charlie's mother but they remain good friends, and he says "fatherhood is the best thing that has happened to me".

In what he calls his "lightbulb" moment, he decided to write a letter to writer/ director Terry McMahon, who ended up offering Dunford the role of a schizophrenic young man in the drama Patrick's Day. His performance was acclaimed and won him a rising star award at the Berlin Film Festival.

"As soon as I read the script I knew this was the sort of thing I wanted to do", Dunford recalls. "The subject matter -the Irish psyche and the more vulnerable people here - it really spoke to me."

Over the following years his work was fairly constant. He had a four-year stint on the series Vikings, which won him many fans internationally and an Ifta for Best Actor - but on the big screen he would excel at what he calls "outsiders, who slipped through the cracks".

Next Frank Berry cast him in Michael Inside, a hard-hitting drama about a young man trying to survive in an Irish prison. It was followed by Rosie, in which he and Sarah Greene played homeless parents.

"The subject matter is important to me, but it was by chance that filmmakers were writing about themes that were current in Ireland. Each of those films resonated with me in different ways."

In the gap between lockdowns last year he was able to get to Bulgaria, where he completed shooting on a sequel to the 1970s horror classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which will also star Irish acting legend Olwen Fouere. The film is currently in post-production and will be released later this year.

"My brother introduced me to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, we watched it about 10 years ago. This one is a direct sequel to the first one and follows along 40 years later. The film shows the passing of time and the ageing of Leatherface. I play a cowboy with a gun - all I ever wanted since I was a kid was to play an American in a franchise."

He's been in Belfast filming another project, which will likely come out later this year, and he says he has relished getting back to work.

He's also looking forward to life getting back to normal as restrictions ease, but, in the meantime he's focused on what Patrick Kavanagh might call 'wallowing in the habitual'.

"I just hope that I've learned a new appreciation of life. Everyone's saying they can't wait for it to be over, but for me it's about trying to make the most out of it now, tough as that is.

"My folks are 70 this year and I'd love to treat them, if that's possible this year - but, either way, I'm just damn lucky I'm with them."

'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' will be released in cinemas later this year
New Delhi: Actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar was named by BJP's in their first list of candidates for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections.

The actor-politician, who quit Congress party last year will contest from Chennai's Thousand Lights constituency against DMK's Dr Ezhilan.

Taking to Twitter, she expressed her gartitude to the party chief stating that she will work hard and win.

"A huge thank you to my BJP President JP Nadda ji for giving me this opportunity. Will not let you down sir," she tweeted.

Sundar, in her resignation letter to interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi wrote that she felt "pushed and suppressed" by people who had no connection with ground reality.

This is the first time Khushbu Sundar is contesting an election.

Other names in the list include, former IPS officer Annamalai who will contest from Aravakuruchi constituency, Tamil Nadu BJP chief L Murugram will contest from Tharapuram and H Raja from Karaikudi. Vanathi Srinivasan will take on Kamal Haasan in Coimbatore South.

While addressing the press conference BJP national general secretary, Arun Singh said, "In Tamil Nadu, BJP is contesting as NDA partner and we will be contesting in 20 assembly constituencies spread across all regions of the state. State president L Murugan will contest from Dharapuram. Senior leader H Raja will contest from Karaikudi.

Voting for 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will be held on April 6 and the counting will take place on May 2.
Despite the upcoming influx of "free money" courtesy of Prez Biden, we aren't noticing a lot of happy people in Kansas City. In fact, once again, local political hostilities intensify as warmer weather approaches.



Just as many TKC readers predicted, arguments against the top cop have been exacerbated following recent protest over police brutality . . .



Fox4: Local civic groups continue calls for KCPD chiefs' resignation after officer indicted

Last night a low-grade charge against KCPD only served to exacerbate criticism among local leaders.

Follow-up evidence . . .



KCUR: Kansas City Police Officer Charged With Minor Assault During Protests

Across the nation there's renewed outcry against deadly police action . . .



NPR: A Year After Breonna Taylor's Killing, Family Says There's 'No Accountability'

This week Americans were reminded that deadly disputes can not only set the nation on fire but also push municipalities closer to bankruptcy . . . A not-so-fun fact, insurance companies have also discovered that underwriting "political violence" is a growing segment of their biz.



CBS: Minneapolis approves "historic" $27 million settlement with George Floyd's family

Last week bold protest brought rifles to the home of a local elected official and set the stage for increasingly heightened tensions among the activist class who seem ready to retake local streets . . .



WDAF: Protestors march in support of Donnie Sanders, gather outside prosecutors home

And so we ask . . .

WE NOTICE MANY LOCALS WORKING TO JOIN OR DISPUTE THE NEXT KANSAS CITY "MOSTLY PEACEFUL" DEMONSTRATION AGAINST POLICE . . . BUT IS THERE ANY INDEPENDENT VOICE WORKING TO ALLEVIATE HOSTILITIES BEFORE THE NEXT DEADLY ALTERCATION SPARKS A RIOT?!?



The punchline here is that both police and activists claim that's exactly what they're doing.

To be fair, tensions between community & authorities are a constant. Right now in Greece, the cradle of Western Civilization, they're rioting after video clips emerged depicting a police officer beating man with an iron baton for breaking Covid restrictions.

Nevertheless, as the rule of Prez Biden aggravates political divisions across the nation, it's clear the stage is once again set for continued clashes against law enforcement and our local political leadership isn't doing much of anything to address the worsening situation.

Developing . . .


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A 43-year-old housewife, Bisola Awodele, has poured hot water on her husband whom she accused of drunkenness and not responsible for the family welfare.

The mother of five, who is now in police custody at Sango Ota, on interrogation, confirmed her action, according to the police, explaining that her husband is fond of getting home drunk everyday. She said she had cautioned him several times but he failed to change.

The Ogun State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who made this known on Sunday , said the suspect was arrested on March 8, adding that the hot water had caused the victim a grievous harm.

The suspect was arrested following a report by the husband, one Peter Phillips, who ran to Sango Ota Area Command with a first degree burns all over his body and reported that his wife, a mother of five, accused him of getting drunk always as a result of which she picked a pot containing already boiled water, and poured it on his body, Mr Oyeyemi said.

Upon the report, the Area Commander ACP Muhideen Obe quickly directed his JWC section to effect the arrest of the murderous woman. The team swiftly moved to the scene where the suspect was promptly apprehended.

On interrogation, the suspect explained to the police how her husband is fond of coming home drunk always without contributing anything to the welfare of her and the children.

She stated further that on that fateful day, the husband came home drunk as usual, and while she was complaining about the husband act of drunkenness, the man started insulting her and her parents which infuriated her, consequence of which she poured the hot water on his body, he added.

The police spokesperson said preliminary investigation also revealed that the suspect gave birth to a baby about eight months ago, but killed and secretly buried the baby out of frustration.

The police investigating team had since followed her to the secret grave of the dead baby, where the corpse was exhumed, the police added.

Mr Oyeyemi said the husband had been taken to the General Hospital, Ota in Ado-Odo/Ota local government area of the state, where he is currently recuperating.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution.
On March 5, a month after my first dose, I received my second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a Publix in Johns Creek. It was no walk in the park, but I am grateful I received it. Here is my experience.
These are anti-tank weapons.

The Armed Forces of Belarus have received the first batch of 9M120 Ataka guided missiles as part of military and technical cooperation with Russia.

This is reported by the Ukrainian Military Portal with reference to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus.

Read alsoUkrainian Army gets five upgraded T-72 tanks (Photos, video)

The 9M120 missiles with a tandem-charge warhead can be used from ground and air carriers. They are designed to defeat all types of armored vehicles, in particular those with composite armor and explosive reactive armor.

The Belarusian army plans to completely upgrade its arsenal with this type of weapon.

Also, the missile with a high-explosive warhead (index 9M120F) is available. It is designed to destroy firing positions and defensive facilities, as well as lightly armored vehicles and manpower.

In August 2020, Moscow and Minsk agreed on shipments of several types of military equipment to Belarus.

A number of mutually beneficial contracts were signed for the supply, repair and maintenance of military hardware.

The main ones were a contract for the supply of two BTR-82A armored personnel carrier sets manufactured by JSC Arzamas Machine Building Plant, as well as a contract for the supply of the first batch of four Mi-35M helicopters.

They also signed a plan of interaction with Russia's JSC Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defense Corporation for 2021-2025 on the supply of advanced air defense systems until 2025.

Other related news reports

Reporting by UNIAN
Published:

8 March 2021





Professor Dr Rafael Leal-Arcas, Jean Monnet Chair in EU International Economic Law at Queen Mary University of London, publishes his research titled Climate Change Mitigation Law and Policy in the BRICS, in Leonie Reins and Jonathan Verschuuren (eds.), Research Handbook on Climate Change Mitigation Law, 2nd edition, Edward Elgar Publishing 2021

Abstract

This chapter examines the climate change mitigation law and policy of five major developing countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (i.e., the BRICS). It will first analyze the case of Brazil, then India, China, Russia, and lastly South Africa. The chapter explores the main causes of Brazils contribution to global climate change (namely deforestation, cattle ranching, agricultural expansion, and energy production). It then offers mitigation strategies for the case of India and makes the case for investing in cities, solar energy, hydropower, and electric vehicles. The chapter then explores Chinas position in the mitigation of climate change by analyzing key policies such as carbon pricing, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and fossil fuels. It then turns to Russia to examine its domestic policies to reduce carbon emissions. Lastly, it examines South Africas climate change mitigation regime.
Press Release

March 14, 2021 Villanueva urges PSA: Issue clear policy to gov't agencies on lifetime validity of birth certificates Senator Joel Villanueva called on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to clear the air with all government agencies on the lifetime validity of birth certificates, and deal away with the unnecessary need of securing the document issued within the past six months. Villanueva said the concern weighed heavily on Filipinos, particularly jobseekers as it placed an inconvenient and burdensome expense which could be easily dealt away with if government agencies requiring it recognize the lifetime validity of the document. "Napakalinaw po na pang-habangbuhay ang validity ng birth certificate. Hindi po ito de lata na may 'best before' na marka o expiration. Para pong pinagkakakitaan natin ang ating kababayan tuwing nagsusumite sila ng birth certificate para sa iba't ibang requirement ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno," Villanueva said in a statement. At the hearing of the Senate civil service committee on Thursday, Villanueva quizzed PSA officials on the agency's efforts to raise awareness of other government entities about the lifetime validity of birth certificates. Replying to the lawmaker's query, PSA deputy national statistician Leo Malagar said the agency changes every six months the security paper where birth certificates are printed on, but that does not mean issued documents expire. "Kailangan po ng mas malinaw at mas maayos na polisiya ang ating mga ahensya pag dating sa validity ng birth certificate, kasi po aanhin ng ating mga kababayan ang kanilang birth certificate kung hindi naman tinatanggap ng ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan?" Villanueva pointed out. "PSA has to actively coordinate with government agencies to correct this misconception and confusion. PSA is in a position to do something about this," he added. "This issue only shows that we really need to pass this measure," Villanueva said of Senate Bill No. 1281, which he earlier filed and was tackled in the committee hearing. The bill seeks to prohibit requiring applicants to government services to "submit birth records printed on the most recent version of the security paper used by PSA, or those certified by the PSA within the past six (6) months. For this purpose, the birth certificate issued or certified by PSA shall not expire and shall be considered valid at any time." "We are born only once and the circumstances and details of our birth do not change," Villanueva said.
Gardai have issued advice on how to avoid online shopping fraud after Irish consumers lost 22 million in credit and debit card fraud last year.

Online Shopping fraud is where the buyer doesnt receive the goods after making payments, receives fake/counterfeit goods or goods not as described.

The seller can also be conned, having sent their goods and do not receive payment.

This has become more prevalent during the Covid 19 pandemic as more and more people are shopping online.

Up to 10 million online transactions were carried out over the Christmas shopping period alone, with an overall 50% increase in reported crimes in 2019/2020.

Online Shopping fraud is where the buyer doesnt receive the goods after making payments, receives fake/counterfeit or not as described goods



This has become more prevalent during the Covid 19 pandemic as more people are shopping online



Detective Inspector Mel Smyth explains pic.twitter.com/Nd9AKtjUxm  Garda Info (@gardainfo) March 11, 2021

The Advice from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) is:

Online shopping

 Use secure websites. Make sure the website you are on is real  not cloned or fake. Make sure there is an "https" at the beginning of the web address and a padlock symbol displayed beside the URL before the purchase is made - this indicates a secure connection.

 Look for the trust seals  Trust seals are commonly placed on homepages, login pages, and checkout pages. Theyre immediately recognizable and they remind visitors that they are secure on this page.

 Know the websites policy on refunds and know your consumer rights. They are protected if proper site used

 Where selling platforms offer an official, safe way of paying, use this rather than sending money directly to a third party  otherwise use an online payment option such as PayPal, which helps to protect you.

 Check their payment methods  should be credit cards. Never transfer money direct or pay cash

 If a website is asking you to send money to a random PayPal address, wire it by Western Union, pay in iTunes gift cards or only deals in cryptocurrency, that should send up a red flag. The majority of the time, those methods are done to avoid scrutiny and ensure that a transaction cant be reversed.

 Always keep a record of your purchase, print or save a copy of your order. Ensure you read the terms and conditions associated with any purchase.

 Be careful about cut-price offers - if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

 Do not under any circumstances use public Wi-Fi when making payments - switch to 3G/4G on your phone if necessary.

Auction sites

 Be wary where there is a sense of urgency i.e. need to agree now, last chance, only one left, etc.

 Be extremely careful when buying things from people with little or no selling history.

 Dont enter into off site communication for a lower cash price.

 Never purchase through social media or where the offer came to you via social media

 Independently visit the website of the online sales company as opposed to clicking on social media or pop-up adverts.

 Be wary of offers from strangers  why are they offering you this once in a lifetime chance?

 Check for poor English and spelling/grammar mistakes.

 If you bid for an item unsuccessfully, dont be tempted to trade off-site if another seller approaches you with a similar item.

 Be careful when using direct banking transactions to pay for goods. Make sure transactions are secure.

 Dont send confidential personal or financial information by email.

 Check the IBAN of the bank the seller wants you to send money to - good indicator if the bank you are paying into is in a different country to where the proposed location of the seller/goods are. IBAN numbers can be checked on all search engines, this is as link to one such site https://www.iban.com/iban-checker. It will tell you the country and address of the bank.

 If the seller is unknown to you, do some research - call them, authenticate their phone number and business, check if they have a physical address.
1. Roads. The citys roads are a mess. Significant resources are needed to fix them.

2. Public safety. The crime rate is too high. Police pay and resources come first.

3. More city programs. The city must invest more in city programs and services.

4. Comprehensive plan. The city needs to focus on rebuilding and rebranding.

5. Cut city spending. City officials must get serious about trimming the budget.

Vote

View Results
Gardai are coordinating a national response to reports of illegal adoptions and forged birth registrations amid calls for an inquiry into the practices.

The force is considering the most "appropriate" action to take in cases where there is evidence that crimes have been committed but too much time has elapsed to allow a proper investigation, two senior sources said.

A trawl of historic complaints about illegal adoptions across all garda divisions and a review of the files is likely to be a first step.

The National Protective Services Bureau, whose remit includes child protection, is co-ordinating the gardai's response.

It is estimated that dozens of complaints of illegal adoption may have been reported to garda stations across the country in recent years.

However, the last prosecution for the crime appears to date back to the 1960s, when the owner of a private nursing home, Mary Keating, a nurse, was prosecuted for false birth registrations.

The long-suspected practice of illegal adoptions was confirmed two years ago when a review identified evidence of 126 cases of false birth records at St Patrick's Guild, an adoption society run by the Religious Sisters of Charity.

The Minister for Children, Roderic O'Gorman, published a review of illegal adoptions across 30 agencies last week.

It was unable to 'find clear evidence' of incorrect birth registrations, but found many 'suspicious' records.

The Special Rapporteur for Child Protection, Conor O'Mahony, who has been asked to report back to the Minister for Children on the "next steps", described illegal adoptions as "criminal offences", and said "doing nothing" is not an option.

It is not known how many complaints of illegal adoption and falsified birth records have been reported in recent years.

Anthony Weldon, the liquidator appointed to wind up St Patrick's Guild, has reported "serious concerns" about illegal adoption to Pearse Street garda station in Dublin.

In the High Court last week, a solicitor acting for 10 people who are suing St Patrick's Guild applied to oppose the liquidation as it would remove the organisation from the proceedings.

Neil Cosgrave said his clients were "seeking to finally establish the true facts surrounding their births". The proceedings involved "repeated and systematic felonies principally of kidnapping, forgery, utterance of false instruments (to wit false Birth Certificates) and conspiracy for wrongful concealment".

The Garda National Protective Services Bureau reviewed a sample of illegal adoption practices at the request of the Department of Children two years ago. A file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, but the outcome was never publicly disclosed. A source said those implicated had died and it was found that the crime of falsifying official documents is statute-barred so the cases could not be prosecuted.

The Mother and Baby Homes Commission criticised An Garda Siochana's investigation of illegal adoption in the early 1960s.

Mary Keating, a nurse who owned St Rita's Private Nursing Home and was implicated in many adoptions, pleaded guilty to falsifying birth records in 1965.

Gardai discovered evidence that suggested 43 babies were illegally adopted, according to the commission's report.

It said: "Of these 43 births, 33 were registered by Nurse Keating. The Registrar General noted that, 'It seems evident that in these 43 cases the names of the parents were changed when the birth was being registered.'"

Nurse Keating was prosecuted in relation to falsifying birth registrations in the case of only one child.

"The Commission has not seen any evidence that further enquiries were made into the 43 registrations that the GRO clearly considered to be incorrect/illegal," the report said.

The report criticised the investigation, saying the actions of State authorities "fell far short of what should have been expected".

Mary Keating continued to operate her nursing home and to organise adoptions, as evidenced by a mother who sent a handwritten letter to the Sunday Independent early last week to tell her story of giving birth there in 1969 (see right).

The 1952 Adoption Act banned overseas adoptions of babies, introduced tighter regulation including a ban on adoptions of babies under six months. Records at St Patrick's Guild revealed children were adopted at birth and their adoptive parents registered as their biological ones.
The investigation into the prevalence of illegally-converted ambulances in South Africa is progressing, with the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) stating it will not tolerate any of its members engaging in this sort of activity.

NAAMSA was speaking to Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport regarding the progress made in cracking down on the illegal conversion of panel vans into ambulances and taxis.

Illegally-converted panel vans (most commonly Toyota vehicles) that are sold as taxis and ambulances have been described as deathtraps and coffins on wheels due to their relatively flimsy construction.

The scale of these illegal conversions was first revealed in a Public Protectors Report published in 2019, with a great deal of the evidence being supplied by former banker and whistleblower Hennie De Beer.

Evidence in the Public Protectors report showed that Toyota South Africa become aware that it was selling panel vans to taxi dealers to be illegally converted in 2005.

It told its dealers that the process was illegal and the converted taxi designs were not homologated, making them potentially unsafe.

Despite this, Toyota SA continued to sell panel vans to buyers who converted them to passenger-carrying vehicles.

NAAMSA speaks out

NAAMSA said that it has worked with its members, which include Toyota and other major vehicle manufacturers in South Africa, to ensure they understand the remedial action advised in the Public Protectors Report.

Weve shared the public protectors report with all of our brands, not just Toyota, NAAMSA told Parliament.

They have all had an opportunity to look at the report and understand what their obligations are with regards to the remedial actions set out by the public protector.

NAAMSA assured parliament that its members do not sell illegally converted vehicles and it is unaware of any of its members manufacturers, importers, and builders doing illegal conversions.

However, it also stressed the importance of clamping down on any illegal conversions, as parties that engage in this are not paying the correct tax nor following the law.

Unintended consequences

As a consequence of the Public Protectors Report into illegal panel van conversions, as well as the numerous reports of horrific accidents involving illegally-converted ambulances and taxis, the Western Cape has stopped issuing permits for all vehicle conversions.

NAAMSA said this was an issue, as some of its members that were not implicated in the illegal conversion of panel vans were also suffering.

As a consequence of the decisions taken by the public protector, there are unintended consequences we are beginning to see in the market, NAAMSA said.

For example, in the Western Cape, the provincial department of transport has decided not to issue permits for all the conversions of all vehicles in that province, irrespective of which brands.

This means new taxis that have been legally converted are not able to register in the Western Cape, it added.

It said that companies it represents, including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and BMW, were not given an opportunity to present their case to the public protector, and argued that they should have an opportunity to do so.

We believe they should have an opportunity to present their case and show they are not illegally converting panel vans, NAAMSA said.

For more about the dangers of illegally-converted panel vans and the prevalence of this practice, read MyBroadbands 2020 investigation into the matter.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The Indian Health Service, which leads the COVID-19 vaccination program on the Navajo Nation among other tribal governments, received $6.1 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Jillian Curtis, director of the IHS Finance and Accounting Office, said the agency will consult with the tribes to determine how the money should be distributed.

We have heard time and again from tribal leaders and urban Indian health organization leaders that they want to make sure the funds are allocated expeditiously, Curtis told reporters on Thursday. They want to use previously identified funding formulas  and existing funding mechanisms.

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................................................................

President Joe Biden signed the pandemic relief legislation on Thursday.

IHS received $2 billion from the relief package to address lost revenue, $1.5 billion for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, $600 million for vaccine activities, and $240 million for public health workforce.

Other appropriations include $600 million for facility support, $10 million for potable water delivery programs across Indian Country, $600 million for direct health care services and $420 million for mental health services and substance abuse prevention and treatment.

Dr. Loretta Christensen, chief medical officer for the Navajo Area IHS, said 70% of eligible residents on the reservation have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Were currently vaccinating all ages (over 16), with focused pods for any remaining elders, medically-complex patients, or essential employees, Christensen said.

Nearly 30,000 Navajo Nation residents had tested positive for the virus as of Thursday, with 16,212 people reported as recovered.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists several long-term symptoms of COVID-19 patients, including fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain, headaches and difficulty concentrating.

Were ramping up our post-COVID program to address all of our people who were positive for COVID, Christensen said. We want to address any long-term COVID syndrome problems, and well be heavily focused on that in the upcoming weeks.

The American Rescue Plan legislation also directs $20 billion to tribal governments to address the pandemic.

Other appropriations for Indigenous communities include $1.2 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Developments tribal and Native Hawaiian programs, $1 billion for tribal child care programs, $870 million for the Bureau of Indian Education and $20 million for Native language preservation.
Lucknow, March 14 : To mark the centenary of the Gandhi Ashram in the country, Gandhians and socialists from Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district will take out an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat Yatra' on March 19.

The first Khadi Ashram was set up in Varanasi in November 1920 which later became a movement in itself with hundreds of khadi ashrams coming up in different parts of the country, providing a platform to the cottage industry products, mainly the khadi garments.

J.B. Kriplani, inspired by the Mahatma Gandhi's appeal to make the nation and the rural India 'Aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant) by spinning cotton through the 'charkha' (spinning wheel), had resigned from the Banaras Hindu University's history department to set up the Khadi Ashram.

Rajnath Sharma, Chairman of the Gandhi Jayanti Samaroh Trust and convener of the Shree Gandhi Ashram Shatabdi Samiti, said that the year-long 'yatra', after passing through main centres of freedom struggle, including Barabanki, Kakori, Rampur, Meerut, Champaran, Sabarmati and Wardha, would culminate in Delhi with a conference on the relevance of Khadi in modern era and its significance in the freedom struggle and the national unity.

Sharma said that he has invited leaders of almost all political parties, including the BJP, Congress and Samajwadi Party, to join the Khadi movement and revive it for making the country self-reliant.

He said that he has also written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Governor Anandiben Patel and National President of the Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav for their support to the 'yatra'.

Sharma said that during the freedom struggle Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri had supported the Khadi movement.

Later, founder of the SP Mulayam Singh Yadav and Congress leader N D Tiwari also extended full support to the Khadi industry, laying stress on the need for promoting the khadi products in rural areas of the country.

A septuagenarian, Rajnath Sharma, has been organising annual conferences for over three decades to press for the formation of a confederation of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh for better coordination among the three nations, emphasized that the Khadi movement is now better equipped for making the rural India self-reliant.
A CHILD was knocked down by a car in a Limerick suburb this Sunday afternoon.

The incident is understood to have occurred at around 3pm in Anglers Walk, Rhebogue.

A garda spokesperson said: "Gardai and emergency services attended the scene of a road traffic collision where a child was knocked down at Anglers Walk in Limerick this afternoon."

The spokesperson said the child, who the Leader understands to be a girl under the age of 5, was rushed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick as a precaution.

"Injuries are not believed to be life-threatening," confirmed the garda spokesperson.
Television

The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards: Trevor Noah hosts the awards show, which is scheduled to be broadcast from the Los Angeles Staples Center, with a limited audience on hand. (5 p.m. PT Sunday, CBS)

Americas Most Wanted: Elizabeth Vargas hosts a revamped take on the series in which viewers are asked to help locate dangerous fugitives. (9 p.m. Monday, Fox)

Mayans M.C.: The drama returns for a third season. (10 p.m. Tuesday, FX)

Overserved With Lisa Vanderpump: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills veterans new show involves celebrity guests invited to her home for food, beverages and more. (9 p.m. Thursday, E!)

Streaming

Bloodlands: James Nesbitt stars in a thriller about a detective who takes on a case that may be connected to his own wifes disappearance 20 years earlier. (Available to stream beginning Monday, Acorn TV)

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal: Matthew Modine stars in this documentary -- with re-enactments -- about the scam to gain elite school admission for the offspring of rich and famous parents. (Available to stream beginning Wednesday, Netflix)

Zack Snyders Justice League: After fans clamored to see director Zack Snyders version of Justice League -- originally released in 2017 in a version assembled after Snyder had to leave the production  an announcement came that Snyders cut would stream on HBO Max. So here it comes (after a brief, accidental leak), with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and more. (Available to stream beginning Thursday, HBO Max)

Already streaming

Kid 90: As a young performer in the 90s, Soleil Moon Frye, who first found fame as the child star of Punky Brewster, turned her video camera on her life and friends in Hollywood and New York City. Fellow former child stars who share comments include David Arquette, Stephen Dorff, Balthazar Getty, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Brian Austin Green, Tori Leonard, Heather McComb and more. (Available to stream beginning Friday, Hulu)

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Back in 2019, Shaheer Sheikh opened up about the scariest moment of his life. In an interview, the actor spoke about his favourite movie, the coolest thing he has ever done and more trivia. When asked about the scariest thing he ever attempted, Shaheer revealed a moment in his life when he was about to drown.

Shaheer Sheikh opens up about the scariest moment of his life

Narrating the story, Shaheer Sheikh shared the details of a snorkelling trip. He told India Forums that while trying to act cool he took his life vest off and swam alone in the sea. After a period of time, the actor realised that his boat was miles away and it made him feel very scared.

Shaheer also opened up about the coolest moment of his life. He spoke about his solo trip to Gili Trawangan, which is an island in Indonesia. He said that he enjoyed staying all alone on the island. When asked about an award he would like to receive, Shaheer answered that his fans' support, appreciation and love is the ultimate award for him. In another question, when he was asked about his ultimate inspiration, Shaheer named his father.

Upcoming Shaheer Sheikh's shows in 2021

Recently, Shaheer Sheikh was approached by Ekta Kapoor for a show on ZeeTV. Reportedly, the plot may revolve around a doctor and a simple village girl. Eisha Singh of Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani fame was also approached to play the lead role in the show. The actors are yet to confirm their roles. The series will show the two characters falling in love with each other.

A few days ago, Shaheer took to his Instagram handle to share that he was headed for an audition after a long time. However, he did not disclose any information about the audition or the project.

Previously, Shaheer Sheikh was seen in Alt Balaji's Paurashpur as Veer Singh along with Milind Soman, Poulomi Das, Annu Kapoor and others. Shaheer has played many historical characters including Arjun in Mahabharat, Nanasaheb in Jhansi Ki Rani and Saleem in Dastaan-E-Mohabbat. He was also played the role of Abir Rajvansh in Disney+ Hotstar's Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke opposite Rhea Sharma.

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
Guest columnist Dr. Aparna Bole, MD, FAAP, is medical director of community integration at UH Rainbow Babies & Childrens Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She is a founding advisory council member of the Ohio Clinicians for Climate Action. For this essay, Bole collaborated with Ariunaa Bayanjargal, MD/PhD student at The Ohio State University specializing in childhood cancer research and Dr. William Hardie, a pediatric pulmonologist in Cincinnati.

Ohio medical professionals such as myself have a responsibility to care for our patients immediate health concerns. We know that the welfare of our patients depends on having access not only to excellent health care, but also to healthy food, water and air.

For this to happen, our elected officials need to accelerate our states transition to a renewable-energy economy.

Ohio is among the top 10 energy consumers in the United States. Currently, the majority of our power supply comes from more than 20 coal and natural gas power plants. Due to these power plants, high-emission industries and our transportation infrastructure, Ohio ranks sixth in carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S.

Air pollution related to fossil fuel combustion -- including sulfur dioxide, surface ozone and fine particulate matter -- causes a host of health harms to Ohioans, especially to our children.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of Americas 2019 report on the Top 100 Asthma Capitals ranked Akron, Cleveland, Dayton, Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati among the most challenging places to live for people with asthma.

Over 250,000 of Ohios children have asthma, and African-American and Hispanic children are disproportionately impacted.

Air pollution both causes and exacerbates asthma, and also contributes to poor birth outcomes such as premature birth and low birth weight, both of which are risk factors for infant mortality, a public health crisis in our state.

Moreover, a study conducted by Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center found that children exposed to traffic-related air pollution showed reductions in brain size and cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid cushioning the brain), leading to various developmental and physical delays.

Even prenatal exposure to air pollution affects kids learning, cognition, attention and sleep. These are a few of many examples. The list of studies highlighting the harmful health effects of our current energy sector is growing each day.

Even though the health harms of fossil-fuel burning has been documented extensively, too little has been done at the state level to advance clean, renewable energy and sustainable, equitable transportation.

One of the most recent examples is the passing of House Bill 6, which rolled back renewable-energy standards and energy-efficiency programs, while subsidizing two coal-fired power plants.

Fortunately, many Ohio cities -- like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and others -- have stepped up to help fill the void of state leadership and have used aggregation to commit to 100 percent renewable energy.

These communities are serving as an example of what can be done to commit to improving air quality and ensuring a healthy environment for our citizens; it is time for the State of Ohio to follow their lead.

The good news is, when compared with the rest of the country, Ohio is at the top of the list in potential health and economic benefits we realize from clean-energy investment. We urge our elected state leaders to accelerate bold, decisive, equitable actions toward a clean-energy economy to protect the health of all Ohioans.

As health professionals living and working in Ohio, we ask the state legislature and governor to immediately reinstate Ohios renewable-energy standards and energy-efficiency programs, to invest in public transportation and improve electric vehicle infrastructure, and to set concrete goals to transition fossil fuel-based power plants to renewable energy by 2050.

The health of Ohios families -- especially our children -- depends on it.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting todays topics are also welcome.
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Mr Tzaikos has launched an email campaign calling on headmaster Dean DellOro, who has been at the helm since 2017, to take action on consent education and rape culture at the school. Loading Mr Tzaikos said he and other Hale graduates were due to meet with the headmaster via Zoom next week to discuss their demands in an effort to stamp out toxic masculinity, rape culture and slut-shaming. We need to stop waiting around for women to fix this problem, its a male issue, its about men having a horrible, misogynistic culture and raping women and creating this culture in which that is OK, he said. Ive been drawn to this sense of responsibility by these allegations and also this conversation about men in powerful positions taking advantage of women. Im not going to wait, and us men should not wait for permission before we hold ourselves accountable and our institutions accountable.

Mr Tzaikos campaign claims the recent allegations surrounding Mr Porter, which the Attorney General vehemently denied at a press conference early in March, added to instances of alleged assault committed by men in positions of power across Australia. He said revelations about scores of sexual assaults by students in Sydneys private schools further highlighted elite secondary schools were central to the issue and from my experiences, boys at Hale School have contributed to this. Chanel Contos. Credit:Liliana Zaharia The campaign backs a petition launched in February by former Sydney schoolgirl Chanel Contos, 23, calling for Australian schools to teach students about sexual consent at an earlier age. The petition has received more than 33,000 signatures. Thousands of women responded with disturbing stories, many detailing sexual assaults, including several students from WA schools.

A former student at one of Perths prestigious all-girls schools wrote she believed she was drugged and raped by a friend from an all-boys school while at a party in 2011. I remember waking up, essentially unconscious with him on top of me, the testimony read. I woke up, because my mum had come to pick me up after I hadnt answered my phone. She took me home, pulling me out of the room. The next morning asking what had happened  I had to ask her what the boy had looked like. I had no recollection. I couldnt recount if wed had sex, except for the fact I was experiencing pain. She took me to a womens health clinic to talk to a psych and get examined. It was confirmed I had been penetrated. Another graduate from another elite all-girls school in WA recalled a similar situation in which she was at a party as a 19-year-old and was raped by a friends older brother.

I got really drunk and went to go and sleep in one of the spare rooms and he followed me in there, she wrote. Loading I remember sitting on the bed and he kissed me and said see, its not that f---ing hard is it? I remember seeing a bowl of about 20 condoms on the bedside table. He then left the room and I fell asleep. When I woke up he was on top of me penetrating me ... in the morning the bowl of condoms was empty and I was in agony. For one WA girls school graduate, the biggest failing in terms of sexual education was around what to do if something ever happened to her.

I was never taught that the shame and stigma around the assault would encourage me to stay quiet by choice. I didnt speak up about it until years later at university, and I regret that to this day, she wrote. Mr Tzaikos has called for reforms to sex education, a zero-tolerance policy to jokes that set the foundation for rape culture, and for the school to collaborate with sex education organisations. The call to action is for men to share stories with each other and share stories with their institutions, whether its the ones they went to high school at or whether its the ones theyre in now, of how this toxic culture reproduces itself, he said. A Hale spokeswoman said Mr DellOro had constructive conversations with three graduates who contacted him via email. Mr DellOro provided a statement which said the school taught students about respectful relationships and sexual consent as part of its health education curriculum in which the developing respectful relationships programmes with two girls schools were run.
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The stirring of the Rajapaksa heartland in protest and lessons well learnt View(s):

Get out Russia, get out China said the placards of Civil Disobedience activists in Myanmar as they continued to defy the crackdown by the junta. A deadly death count with more than fifty men, women and children mowed down by security forces and counting, has not deterred Myanmars professionals from joining the protest movement; our aim is to halt the very day to day running of the bureaucracy, without us, the military can do little said a medical health professional who was one of the first to get onto the streets.

Blunderbuss approach to foreign relations

Perhaps we may die, the country may die but to live like this, under the heel of a military jackboot is no living at all he said. Public servants, engineers, teachers and academics echo that sentiment. Amidst the perception that Russia and China are blocking effective international action against the junta, apart from unilateral sanctions by some states and (typically?) ineffectual pleadings by the United Nations, angry sentiments run high. Elsewhere in the land, a Catholic nun knelt down in front of armed army officers pleading with them not to kill children. Regardless, shots rang out and people died.

Meanwhile random arrests of journalists, lawyers and public servants, some of them ruthlessly kicked and beaten while kneeling on the ground, have captured global attention. Myanmars story is yet being written, in blood as it seems. Its human losses may well be frightful. Yet, notwithstanding the escalating violence, there is no doubt that the resolute strength of the resistance has given its swaggering generals pause for thought. Iconic civil disobedience images and the passionate defiance of citizens despite shoot to kill orders issued to the army have evoked the sympathy of the world.

These are not people who take affronts to that passion lightly. Witness the unseemly row that Sri Lanka got itself into after asinine mandarins in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Myanmars purported foreign minister, a military man, to attend an Asian meeting of ministers later this month. One might very well soon see, get out, Sri Lanka as well on the banners of Myanmars protesters. Indeed, there seems to be no end to one grievous faux pas after another which this Government commits on the international stage with all the happy sangfroid of a child amusing herself on the banks of a river teeming with crocodiles, quite oblivious to the dangers thereof.

An extraordinarily important point

Sri Lankas citizens are meanwhile left speechless and tongue-tied as this blunderbuss approach to foreign relations continues. It is simply no defence to this asinine act to say that the invite did not impute recognition of the junta-led regime. The larger point is moreover that the exemplary courage of Myanmars citizens in standing up to the junta pose warnings for would-be military rulers. These include, I may say with emphasis, rulers in civilian guise but with a military hand. Myanmars turmoil is not solely due to a simplistic assessment that its citizens had tasted democratic freedoms during the past few years and are now resisting those freedoms being taken away by brute force.

An extraordinarily important point emerges from these struggles; once human beings realise that there is nothing left to loose, there is no limit to which they will not go to in protest. This lesson, the Narendra Modi Government is also learning quite evidently from the months long protests of Indian farmers blocking agricultural laws that they say, will benefit corporates and leave them destitute. Protesting farmers are now planning to build brick houses on the Delhi highway to sustain their struggles in the months ahead.

Indeed, Sri Lankas farmers are following the lead of their Indian counterparts, in the Rajapaksa heartland of Hambantota no less as they protest against the failure of the Government to gazette a Wildlife Management Reserve in Hambantota. For close to two months, farmer groups in Hambantota, Ampara and Sooriyawewa with farmers from other areas joining in, have been calling for the gazetting of the reserve so that elephant corrridors may be preserved to prevent wild elephants coming to their villages, destroying cultivation and killing humans.

Cautionary signals for the Government

They argue that this is being delayed to allow lands in the allocated reserve to be cleared and parceled out to favoured businessmen having links to ruling party politicians. These protests have been going on for years as villagers face maurading elephants who have lost their habitats as a result of unplanned development. But the collapse of Sri Lankas economy in the wake of the global pandemic has invested these struggles with a new urgency and palpable desperation. We have nothing to lose, we have no produce to sell, our homes are destroyed, said a farmer to a television reporter, they give us some small amount of money to live and reduce us to beggars while the rich in Colombo get richer, he said.

For a Government and a Presidency which came into power on the backs of the Sinhalese-Buddhist majority, these are cautionary signals. As one may recall, it was the singular gap between Colombos profiteering super-rich and the hoi polloi in the rest of Sri Lanka that crucified the yahapalanaya regime. White collar criminals continued to run amok with public funds deposited in the Central Bank and Ministers of the day brushed off potential political consequences of the scandalous loss to the coffers saying that villagers will not know the Central Bank bond scam from James Bond. An airy explanation was offered that only a small conflict of interest issue was involved on the part of the then Governor now hiding in plain sight overseas.

Other Ministers prescribed fuel formulas that became the laughing stock of the citizenry. Now, at the level of comparable idiocies, we have the sugar tax scam with the Secretary to the Treasury effecting wonders in logic if not commonsense by arguing that the sixteen billion loss to the revenue as a result of reducing the commodity levy on sugar (which did not benefit the public but only corrupt businessmen) did not result in the public loss of money but was only a policy. Then again, we have the Minister of Trade snapping at a journalist when asked about the intolerable cost of living and unwise economic policies, asking him not to question him on a contract.

Rumbling public discontent getting louder

True enough, the family business of the Rajapaksa led Government knows to a well grooved turn on how to massage the electorate on the majoritarian ideology. As articulated by the President this week, this is not a family that breaks easily. But as its own constituency, which the Hambantota farmers exemplify, fall on exceedingly desperate times, majoritarian fairy tales may not suffice as people sink into starvation and see the country being sold down the river, so to speak. And all this in the face of a looming economic crisis which many would say, has already arrived.

That was a lesson learnt once during the Mahinda Rajapaksa Presidency, despite the tremendous personal popularity of that President and absent the current pandemic woes. His Government was ejected from power precisely due to this. Certainly the myth that only Sri Lankas minorities voted against the President in that electoral rejection in 2015 is nonsensical. Sizeable portions of the majority electorate also turned its back on the Rajapaksa collectivity. The return to the Medamulana fold in the form of a two-thirds majority in 2019/2020 came only as a visceral and infuriated reaction to mis-governance by the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition.

Rumbling public discontent from its once uncritical bastions should give this Government pause. Myanmars point must be reiterated; desperate human beings have no limit to their defiance.
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Wildlife officials in Missouri said a man fishing for catfish in the Osage River was surprised to reel in a massive black carp instead.

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The Missouri Department of Conservation said Jesse Hughes, of Bonnots Mill, Osage County, was fishing for catfish with friends when he caught something big.

"We hooked into it and knew it was something big, but I originally thought it was a catfish," Hughes said. "It was the first I'd heard of a black carp. I didn't know anything about it, so this has been quite the learning experience."

Hughes' black carp weighed in at a staggering 112 pounds.

The Missouri Department of Conservation lists black carp as a prohibited species, as the fish are not native to the state and pose a danger to the local population of mollusks, including some critically endangered species.

The department asks anyone who catches a black carp in the state's rivers to alert authorities. The fish have been found in Missouri before, and in 1994, about 30 black carp entered the Osage River after escaping from a fish farm during a high-water event.

"If anglers happen to catch black carp, or any invasive fish, while fishing in Missouri waters, it's imperative to contact their local conservation agent," MDC Fisheries Programs Specialist Andrew Branson said.

"That way, our fisheries staff can be notified and monitor the spread of these destructive species."
The bipartisan Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House of Representatives has urged the government of Belarus to immediately release jailed blogger and RFE/RL consultant Ihar Losik and other "political prisoners."

"We are deeply troubled by the Belarusian government's decision to file new charges against Ihar, after having kept him behind bars and away from his young family for the past nine months," the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission co-chairs, Representatives James McGovern (Democrat) and Christopher Smith (Republican), wrote in a March 13 statement.

"We condemn the brutal crackdowns and sham charges leveled at the press in Belarus for reporting on the repressive actions of the government of [Alyaksandr Lukashenka]," the statement continued. "Ihar and other political prisoners must be released immediately."

The day before, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees RFE/RL and other U.S international broadcasters, called the "false charges" against Losik "unacceptable."

"Belarusian authorities should drop all charges against Ihar and immediately release him," acting USAGM Chief Executive Officer Kelu Chao said in a statement.

Losik was detained in June 2020 and accused of using his Telegram channel to "prepare to disrupt public order" and "preparation for participation in riots" ahead of a presidential vote in August that the opposition has said was rigged for Lukashenka.

Months of unprecedented protests have ensued and been met by thousands of arrests, brutal treatment of detainees, and a ruthless crackdown on media and journalists.

Losik's wife, Darya, said on March 11, citing a lawyer, that her husband had slit his wrists in front of an investigator and lawyer and restarted a hunger strike after learning of the new charges this week.

She said the precise wording of the new charges was unknown and demanded that Lukashenka explain why her husband had been in prison for nine months.

Losik, a 28-year-old consultant for RFE/RL on new-media technologies and a father of a 2-year-old daughter, ended a six-week hunger strike less than two months ago.

RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said after learning of the new charges that "All of us at RFE/RL are deeply distressed by today's new charges against Ihar, and his deteriorating health situation."

Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country's legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent.

He added: "Journalism is not a crime and Ihar has been unjustly detained for far too long. Ihar and his family should not be tortured in this way."

Losik was slapped with charges in December 2020 that could result in an eight-year prison term.

In protest, Losik, who has been recognized as a political prisoner by rights activists, launched his initial hunger strike.

After ending that action in late January, a handwritten letter from Losik appeared in mid-February following news of a two-year jail sentence given to two journalists from Belsat, a Polish-funded news organization.

"I have no illusions. I think it'll be about five more years, and by that time I will have died. I no longer have any desire to do anything," Losik wrote. "So much has already been done, and all for naught: Nothing influences anybody. I'll say it honestly: I doubt anything will change."

Western governments have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the August 9 vote, and imposed sanctions on him and his allies, citing election rigging and the police crackdown.

Lukashenka has refused to step down and says he will not negotiate with the opposition.
(BJP) Kerala chief K Surendran on Saturday said the party will fight on 115 seats and its allies will contest the remaining 25 seats in the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.

"BJP will fight on 115 seats and our partners will contest on the rest of the 25 seats in Kerala. We submitted our proposal and expect the list to come out tomorrow morning. We have recommended the candidature of E Sreedharan," Surendran told reporters here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders are taking part in the party's Central Election Committee meeting at the party headquarters to finalise candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Besides the Prime Minister, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP chief JP Nadda are present at BJP headquarters along with top leaders from the respective states.

According to sources, the BJP is likely to finalise its list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Assam.

The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly in 14 districts will be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of votes will be held on May 2.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Police officers scuffle with people gathering at a band-stand where a planned vigil in honour of alleged murder victim Sarah Everard was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, on Clapham Common, south London on March 13, 2021. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

London Police Face Backlash After Clash With Mourners, Protestors at Vigil for Sarah Everard

London police are facing backlash after clashing on Saturday with mourners and protesters at a vigil held for Sarah Everard, while enforcing CCP virus restrictions.

Everard, 33, disappeared on March 3 near Clapham Common, London, while walking home at around 9 p.m. Her body was found a week later in a woodland outside of London.

A police officer, 48-year-old Wayne Couzens, was charged with the kidnap and murder of Everard, sparking anger toward police and fears over womens safety.

Sarah Everard, wearing the coat she wore on the night she went missing. (Met Police)

Police told organisers of events to honour Everard that public gatherings would be in breach of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus restrictions and could lead to fines up to 10,000 ($14,000), a warning the police had issues many times before to other planned protests.

Organisers of the event Reclaim These Streets said they had cancelled a vigil on Clapham Common and other events around the country, after a judge in the high court refused to overrule the Metropolitan Police.

But hundreds of people went to Clapham Common on Saturday to leave flowers and drawings at a memorial for Everard. Police later said in a statement that these had been done in a safe and lawful way.

Well-wishers gather beside floral tributes to honour alleged murder victim Sarah Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common in south London, UK, on March 14, 2021. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images)

As more people arrived during the evening, with some chanting sisters united will never be defeated, police stormed in and tried to disperse the crowds gathered around a bandstand. Video footage showed scuffles and some women forced to the floor.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the scenes from Clapham Common were unacceptable.

The police have a responsibility to enforce COVID laws but from images Ive seen its clear the response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate, Khan said on Twitter. Im in contact with the Commissioner & urgently seeking an explanation.

Police detain a woman as people gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand following the alleged kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, despite a ban on gatherings due to the CCP virus restrictions, in London, on March 13, 2021.

(Hannah McKay/Reuters)

Home Secretary Priti Patel said some of the footage circulating online from the vigil in Clapham is upsetting.

I have asked the Metropolitan Police for a full report on what happened, she said on Twitter.

The Met later put out a statement saying it made four arrests during the protests, and that its officers were in a difficult position as more people gathered after 6 p.m.

At this point, officers on the ground were faced with a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting COVID-19, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said.

Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time, she added.

Police officers form a cordon as a crowd turn on their phone torches at a band-stand where a planned vigil in honour of alleged murder victim Sarah Everard was cancelled due to CCP virus restrictions, on Clapham Common, south London on March 13, 2021. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Ball said the officers had repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave, but regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items.

She said that the Met reviews every single event, including this one.

England has been under its third national lockdown since Jan. 6 in an effort to curb the spread of the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19. People are only allowed to meet with one person from another household.

Although a socially-distanced protest is technically allowed if the organiser carries out a risk assessment that satisfies relevant regulations and takes all reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission, hundreds of protesters have been arrested in London during various national and regional lockdowns, typically anti-lockdown protesters.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Spell-binding duo Vincenzo Cassano (Song Joong Ki) and Hong Cha Young (Jeon Yeo Bin) just filled our Saturday night with delight as they ended up triumphant in court in the latest "Vincenzo" episode with their gimmick. New cards were played, making the characters unveil their true colors.

Warning: There will be huge spoilers below!





"Vincenzo" Episode 7: Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young's Court Victory

Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young's synergy just got more interesting than what we expected it to be, and it's too perfect not to see.

In "Vincenzo" episode 7, we were floored upon learning why Vincenzo ended up as a surprise witness at the current case against the Babel Group. Showing his overflowing confidence while entering the courtroom, Vincenzo did it like he was walking on a fashion runway.

The flashbacks in-between showed how Hong Cha Young and Vincenzo plotted their scheme. Knowing how their opponents will react to their creative and original tactic, the duo proved that working together makes them undefeated.

Aside from the fact that Vincenzo became a witness and an assailant, having intentionally assaulted the Babel Chemicals employees, another surprise witness joined them in court!

Professor Kim Yeo Won, doctor and wife of Director Gil Joong Moon, decided to reveal her spouse's medical malpractices. Her other half apparently gave victims false information about the cause of their sickness. It was also revealed that he was having an affair, and the scene escalated into a scuffle in court between the soon-to-be divorced couple.

Evrything that transpired in the court was mind-blowing and Vincenzo, while at the gallery, gave the commotion a standing ovation as if he was watching an opera. From pieces of evidence to Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young's show in court, Babel Group hugely lost against the duo.

Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young's Chemistry Just Keeps Getting Better and Better

After they wrapped up their case, Hong Cha Young gifted Vincenzo a suit. The two are now starting to openly show their appreciation towards each other as they are more caring and thoughtful, albeit inadvertently. Hong Cha Young also handed another small thank you gift to her partner.

Meanwhile, Babel group's chairman Jang Joon Woo (2PM's Taecyeon) is monumentally disappointed towards his team, and showed them how crazy, villainous he can be. He is frustrated at their huge loss, and he can't hide the fact that Vincenzo creatively defeated them in court not once but twice.

The young chairman, unwilling to accept they failed, decided to continue plotting the fall of Hong Cha Young and Vincenzo.

Vincenzo's Secret Uncovered

Inside the Jipuragi law firm, angry Vincenzo speaks in Italian after knowing that the residents decided not to leave Geumja Plaza. A minute later, the same police officers from the previous episodes entered the office and arrested the Hong Cha Young for her involvement in illegal activities. The lady attorney was incarcerated.

This time, Vincenzo thought that getting Hong Cha Young out of jail would be complicated. But she has her trust in Vincenzo, knowing that he's the only one who can release her. She confidently told him to handle her situation like a Mafia member, which made Vincenzo caught out of guard as he didn't know how she discovered such an important detail.

Hong Cha Young then stated all the things he had done before, from setting Babel Group's warehouse in flames, to firing guns, and by being able to have access to confidential information. She, indeed, is smart enough to know a normal lawyer can't do those.

As Vincenzo heard it from Hong Cha Young, he promised to handle her case smoothly so he can get her out within 48 hours. And because of too much happiness, Hong Cha Young hugged Vincenzo, which made him flustered for a minute.

Now that Hong Cha Young already knows a truth about Vincenzo's identity, the two will most probably find better ways to disrupt their enemies.

"Vincenzo" Episode 7 is indeed a satisfying chapter you shouldn't miss! Watch out for more explosive scenes in the next episode. Also, brace yourself because you are about to witness the sweet, growing relationship between our chaotic duo!

"Vincenzo" Episode 8 airs on March 14, Sunday, at 8:00 p.m. on tvN (KST) and 10:00 p.m. on Netflix (KST). Be sure not to miss it!

Have you watched "Vincenzo" Episode 7? What's your most favorite scene? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins
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24 people ready to set off to Canada by boat nabbed by navy By Padma Kumari Kankanamge View(s): View(s):

The Kalpitiya peninsula which has become notorious for illicit smuggling of drugs, conch shells, star tortoises and turmeric has recently become a hub for human trafficking too.

This is in spite of security being tightened in the lagoon area.

On Thursday, the Sri Lanka navy nabbed 24 people who were preparing to travel illegally to Canada by boats. The group that included a woman with an infant and two girls under the ages of 9 were from Jaffna, Trincomalee and Batticaloa.

The navy had detected the group while they were camping in the Kurakkanhena lagoon area. The group when questioned had said that a broker from Jaffna had promised that he would somehow take them to Canada by small boats. The broker had taken Rs 300,000 to 500,000 from each passenger, the navy said.

Kalpitiya Police said one passenger, identified as Ambu is a former LTTE member now residing in Kalpitiya.

Police said that state intelligence had recorded statements from him while the CID will also conduct a probe.

Kalpitiya OIC M. Mawsahan said the rest of the group will be produced in the Puttalam Magistrate Courts and charged for breaching the Immigration and Emigration laws.
They came to heated blows on last Wednesday's episode of Married At First Sight.

And from photos taken on Saturday, months after filming, it appears there may still be a case of bad blood between Bryce Ruthven and Sam Carraro.

The reality stars appeared tense as they exchanged words at a Melbourne nightclub, as former Married At First Sight star Steve Burley cautiously looked on.

Still bad blood? Married At First Sight rivals Bryce Ruthven (right) and Sam Carraro (left) looked very tense during an exchange at a Melbourne nightclub on Saturday... after THAT dinner party altercation. Pictured centre is former MAFS star Steve Burley

Bryce, 31, and Sam, 32, cut casual figures as they mingled with Steve, fellow MAFS star James Susler, and MAFS 2017 contestant Jesse Konstantinoff.

With a drink in hand, Sam had what appeared to be a tense confrontation with Bryce, who made an animated facial expression.

While it's not known what words were exchanged, Bryce and Sam could have patched up their differences.

What's going on here? Sam, 32, with a drink in hand, appeared to have a few words with Bryce, 31, as Steve cautiously looked on. Bryce responded to Sam's comments with an animated expression

Up close: While it's not known what words were exchanged, Bryce and Sam could have patched up their differences

The Channel Nine stars were also pictured that same night smiling as they posed for photos with their mutual pals.

During last Wednesday's episode, an enraged Bryce threw a glass of water at Sam after he questioned his relationship with Melissa Rawson.

'Every time I walk out of my room, I see Melissa crying... I don't know if you've poked her in the eyes with your big nose or not,' Sam told Bryce.

Imparting reality TV advice? During the night, Bryce happily posed for photos with Steve, 53, who dressed smartly for the occasion

Bryce inched closer to Sam before calling him a 'compulsive liar'.

Sam continued to throw insults at the radio presenter, before Bryce got up and decided to end the argument by throwing water at him.

Earlier in the episode, they clashed again when Bryce told Sam it could take 'f**king hours' for him to address the problems he has with him.

Say cheese: Hinting that their feud is now over, Bryce and Sam posed for photos with Steve, fellow MAFS star James Susler (far left), as well as MAFS 2017 contestant Jesse Konstantinoff (second right)

Drama! During last Wednesday's episode, an enraged Bryce threw a glass of water at Sam after he questioned his relationship with Melissa Rawson (right)

Vocal: 'Every time I walk out of my room, I see Melissa crying... I don't know if you've poked her in the eyes with your big nose or not,' Sam told Bryce

Sam explained that he thought Bryce was 'out of line' when he called him out during the show's previous commitment ceremony.

Bryce said he disliked Sam for 'disrespecting' his bride, Pilates instructor Coco Stedman.

During the heated argument, Bryce asked Coco how she felt about Sam's actions, to which Rebecca Zemek told him to 'fight his own fight'.

'Do you need the whole of Australia to hold your hand, Gonzo?' Sam then asked, referring to the Muppets character with the big beak.

Insults: Sam continued to throw insults at the radio presenter, before Bryce got up and decided to end the argument by throwing water at him
Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2021 ) :The Biden administration ordered the government's disaster emergency agency Saturday to help with a surge in migrant children crossing the southern border that has overwhelmed processing facilities.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called upon the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support an effort to temporarily house thousands of children who crossed the US-Mexico border alone amid criticisms that authorities were holding them for long periods in overcrowded facilities.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) department is currently holding about 8,800 migrant children and the US Customs and Border Protection has hundreds more in their charge, with more arriving every day.

In February alone CBP detained 9,457 unaccompanied migrant children at the southern border.

Facilities are overcrowded and authorities are doubly challenged by restrictions related to Covid-19.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that FEMA would be part of a 90-day effort to ensure the children are safely sheltered and transferred to people who will take care of them, usually relatives already living in the United States.

"The federal government is responding to the arrival of record numbers of individuals, including unaccompanied children, at the southwest border," the department said.

"Since April 2020, the number of encounters at the border has been rising due to ongoing violence, natural disasters, food insecurity, and poverty in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America." The nearly two-month-old government of President Joe Biden faces growing pressure from migrants, apparently encouraged to try to enter the United States by his rejection of previous president Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" policy toward undocumented immigrants.

While migrant adults and families continue to be sent back to Mexico when they are caught, unaccompanied children are being processed and get help resettling with US relatives.

"Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to HHS as quickly as possible, consistent with legal requirements and in the best interest of the children," Mayorkas said in a statement.
The Covid-19 pandemic and its impact are a stark reminder of the urgency needed to step up action towards gender equality and women empowerment, writes Emmanuel Hategeka, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the United Arab Emirates.

Despite the fact that they have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19, women have once again demonstrated their courage, strength and resilience in the pandemic preparedness and response everywhere.

This year, it is against the backdrop of a devastating health and economic crisis, resulting from the global Covid-19 pandemic that we mark the International Womens Day (IWD).

And like many other issues, women have been affected the most. A 2020 UN Women report -From Insights to Action: Gender Equality in the wake of Covid-19, estimates that the pandemic will push an additional 96 million people into extreme poverty by 2021, 47 million of whom are women and girls.

When I reflect on the role that women play from being pillars of family, to nation and peace building, the only question I ask myself is: We have inherited a gender-imbalanced society but what are we doing to bridge the gap?

Tremendous effort and reforms have been deployed to change the status-quo inherited in the last two decades, including in Rwanda and the UAE and today we celebrate women in leadership positions across national, regional and global institutions.

In the most recent past, the world applauded the election of Nigerian Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, the election of Rwandan Economist Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa as the vice-chairperson of the African Union Commission, the election of Hon. Louise Mushikiwabo as the fourth and current Secretary General of organization Internationale de la Francophonie and many more before.

One can draw parallels with the equally laudable successful Hope Probe Mission to Mars, a vision of the UAE leadership come true and the magnificent groundbreaking World Expo2020 officially starting in October of 2021 in Dubai both historic in the sense of the word with women leaders at the helm.

These women trail blazers continue to be the shining light that young ladies follow and emulate along their path. Undoubtedly, women ascension to decision-making positions works to reaffirm their potentials, the world trust in them and acts as a good opportunity to drive and support the gender equality agenda across nations.

Reflecting on the much-needed political will, Rwanda and the UAE share a common vision with regard to women empowerment. High levels of women participation in the UAE Cabinet, distribution of positions in government institutions by gender with women making up 66 per cent of the public sector workforce in UAE, as according to the UAE Gender Balance Council recent data, the country is arguably leading the region in gender parity.

After the devastating effects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which destroyed the socioeconomic fabric of Rwanda, the government placed gender equality and women empowerment at the forefront as full recovery could only be possible with women and men equally contributing to the countrys vision for development. Rwandan women have taken advantage of these opportunities and made major strides in realizing their dreams while changing the world around them. Deliberate gender equality policies by Rwandas Government have paid off.

Rwanda is now a global leader in women participation in legislative decision-making positions with 61.3% female members of Parliament and also ranked 9th globally in closing gender gaps according to the Global Gender Gap Report, 2020. In addition, 52% of the Cabinet members are women, among the Judges and clerks, women stand at 49.7% while in the local government leadership, women occupy 45.2 % as Members of District Councils.

Given the countrys recent history, Rwanda understands best the cost of insecurity and the responsibility to protect. In the UN peacekeeping missions, Rwanda has the second highest number of women peacekeepers who contribute to peace and relief around the world. Wars and disasters everywhere affect women and children disproportionately, it is always important to have a womans voice and helping hand next to a woman victim in time of need.

In the education sector, gender parity has been stable with girls enrollment standing at 49.5% against 50.5% of male at primary level while the enrolment of girls in secondary education increased to reach 53.3% against 46.7% of boys enrollment, according to 2019 Education Statistics of the Ministry of Education.

Economically women and girls have same access rights to land ownership and inheritance as their brothers do in Rwanda. Suffice to say, Rwandas progress in women empowerment is a result of a solid foundation laid by the highest political will, deliberate legal and policy frameworks among other mechanisms.

As we mark the International Womens Day of 2021, a lot remains to be done to achieve gender equality, let us all together strive for a world where equality and equity prevail.

Rwanda is open

Rwanda received the WTTC Safe Travels stamp after announcing the return of commercial flights to Rwanda starting August 1, 2020. The country was named one of the latest destinations to receive the Worlds first ever safety and hygiene stamp launched by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Women play a leading role in Rwandas tourism Industry. With regular direct flights between Kigali and Dubai #VisitRwanda with @flyRwandair-- Tradearabia News Service
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the National Press Club in Washington on Jan. 12, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Pompeo: Rejoining Iran Deal Would Make America, Middle East Less Secure

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned the Biden administration on March 14 against rejoining the nuclear deal with Iran, calling it a crappy deal that would harm the security of the United States and the Middle East.

The Iranians understand strength. They understand power. They understand resolve. We demonstrated that. And when we did, the Iranians backed down, Pompeo told radio talk show host John Catsimatidis during an interview on WABC 770.

The Trump administration, according to Pompeo, had made progress by withdrawing from the Obama-era nuclear deal and pressuring Tehran with punishing economic sanctions, although there was still a way to go before forcing the regime into fully giving up its nuclear weapons project.

We didnt get all the way to where we wouldve hoped we could get, in respect to getting Iran to stand down and enter an agreement that wouldve actually avoided them having a nuclear weapon, but we made an awful lot of progress.

The Biden administration, however, doesnt seem to be able to make a deal that would prevent Iran from advancing its nuclear ambitions, according to Pompeo.

If this administration unwinds that and goes back to the crappy deal that we had with Iran when President Obama was in office, America will be less secure, Pompeo said. Israel will be less secure. The Middle East will be less secure. And the entire region will be less stable.

Pompeos comments follow the Biden administration offering some specifics of its plan to engage with Iran. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was confirmed as Pompeos successor in January, said last week that Washington wont roll back sanctions imposed on Tehran before complying with the terms agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal.

During a hearing before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Blinken was pressed by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) on whether the Biden administration would lift the sanctions in order to bring Iran back to the negotiation table.

Weve been clear that the best, most sustainable way [to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons] is through tough-minded diplomacy. Weve made clear that were prepared to engage in that diplomacy, Blinken told the committee. I think the ball is in their court to see if theyre serious about engaging or not.

We have fundamental problems with Irans actions across a whole series of things, whether it is support for terrorism, whether it is a ballistic missile program, he said. An Iran with a nuclear weapon or with the threshold capacity to have one is an Iran that is likely to act with even greater impunity when it comes to those things.
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Joey Bunch: "The first gentleman, Marlon Reis, not-yet-40 and spry as an athlete, found his way to the front of the essential worker line for a COVID-19 vaccination this month ... I havent heard anybody yet tell me this was a good idea. They also dont want to anger the governor by calling him out publicly, which is why I get the phone calls urging me to do it."
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Laketran will provide free transportation between Cleveland State Universitys Wolstein Center mass COVID-19 vaccination site and Laketrans new Frank J. Polivka Transit Center at Lakeland Community College, starting Wednesday. That is the first day vaccinations will be administered at the Wolstein Center.

The vaccination shuttle will run Monday-Friday between 8:15 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Laketran announced Friday. The last shuttle departure to Cleveland is 4:15 p.m.

Reservations to travel from Lakeland to downtown are required to maintain social distancing on the shuttle, and must be made at least one day in advance. Call 440-354-6100.

The Wolstein Center location in downtown Cleveland, will be able to give up to 6,000 vaccinations per day, seven days a week, for eight weeks. Eligible Ohioans can go to the states new COVID-19 vaccine website to register for the shots at the Wolstein Center and other locations at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov, or by phone at 1-833-427-5634.

Thursday was the first day that the new state portal was open for making vaccination appointments at Wolstein and other providers.

For at least an hour on Friday afternoon, the state portal was not offering the Wolstein Center option as a possible site for vaccine appointments. Because there arent currently appointments within the online portal, the venue does not appear, an Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman said. However, as more appointments are added, at the direction of (the Federal Emergency Management Agency), it will again be listed.

FEMA is among several agencies helping to organize the Wolstein vaccination site.

ODH said that only a portion of the first few days of appointments were released for online booking yesterday. We are currently working closely with our partners at FEMA to strategically release thousands of appointments in the near future. Once we get direction from FEMA, additional appointments will be released, ODH said.

The COVID-19 vaccine eligibility dropped on Thursday to those to 50 and older, people with Type 2 diabetes and end-stage renal disease.

The Laketran shuttle service will be offered throughout the eight-week mass vaccination program at the Wolstein Center. The free rides are sponsored by the ODOT Rides for Community Immunity program and FEMA.

Laketran Local Routes 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, and 9 can get riders to the Laketran Transit Center at Lakeland Community College, located at 7601 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland. Shuttle service will depart from the Lakeland transit center every 30 minutes from 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. There is free parking at the Transit Center.

In Cleveland, the shuttle will layover at RTAs Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center that is located next to the vaccination site.

A detailed vaccination shuttle schedule is available at Laketrans website.

Your coronavirus vaccine questions answered

Should cancer patients get the coronavirus vaccine?

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Can I still get my second dose of coronavirus vaccine if I develop COVID-19 symptoms after the first?

Should you get the second vaccine if you contract COVID-19 after your first coronavirus vaccine dose?

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If the coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, how will you know if youre in the other 5%?

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A lawyer for British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said that her trial on charges of "propaganda against the system" was held in Tehran.

Lawyer Hojjat Kermani told an Iranian website that the March 14 trial "was held in a calm atmosphere with the presence of my client."

"The legal defense was made," he added. "I am very hopeful that she will be acquitted."

He said he expected the verdict within the next week.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described the new trial as "unacceptable."

"She has been put through a cruel and disgraceful ordeal by the calculating behavior of the Iranian government," Raab said in a statement. "This must end."

Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, who has campaigned to secure his wife's release, said in a statement that "at present, Nazanin's future remains uncertain, and her detention effectively open ended."

"The charges are not particularly relevant since the point of reviving this case again last week was simply to hold Nazanin for leverage as negotiations with the U.K. have intensified," Ratcliffe said.

Antonio Zappulla, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, said in a statement that the second trial was a deliberate move to prolong her ordeal and her suffering.

"It is incomprehensible that she faces further trauma as punishment for crimes that she did not commit," he said.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested in Tehran in April 2016. She was later sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of plotting to overthrow Iran's clerical government.

She served most of her sentence in Tehran's Evin prison, but was released to house arrest in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 7, Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 42, was released from house arrest at the end of her term but was immediately summoned to court again to face the new charge.

She has been barred from leaving the country.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe has denied all the accusations against her.

Iran has arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals in recent years on espionage charges that they and their governments say are groundless.

Critics say Iran uses arbitrary detentions as a form of hostage diplomacy to extract concessions from Western governments, which Tehran denies.

On March 10, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Zaghari-Ratcliffe's "continued confinement remains completely unacceptable" and called for her immediate release.

With reporting by Reuters

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hit out at the Scottish National Party, saying: 'The SNP want to divide us, to turn Scotland against itself, at this of all times,' during an address to the Scottish Conservatives Conference.

Video Transcript

PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON: The SNP can see, after the impact of Coronavirus, that people would want time to renew their lives and to rebuild relationships that have become stretched. They know that workers are concerned, primarily, about their jobs and businesses, are primarily concerned about their future. How can the SNP say that a referendum is the priority to them? It's the last thing they need right now. It's clear, though, that the SNP are just not listening. They're intent on pushing for a referendum regardless of the cost to Scotland and the whole of the UK.

So that means it falls to the Scottish conservatives to make them listen, to shift the focus in Scotland, from division and debate, and onto recovery and rebuilding. My friends, you're the only party that can stop an SNP majority, and their drive towards a second independence referendum.
I couldnt be there to protect them: Pastor grieves loss of 2 daughters, 3 grandkids killed in crash

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A Florida pastor grieving the loss of his two daughters and three grandchildren who were killed in a fatal crash said he has yet to share the tragic news with his wife, a stage-4 cancer survivor, who's in the hospital.

Just imagining that final impact and what my kids were going through and what my grandchildren were saying and I couldnt be there to protect them, Pastor Anthony Oliver of Taft Missionary Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida, told Fox 35 News. Because anytime anything happens, theyre always calling for me, Papa, Papa. And I could imagine them calling my name. Thats what hurts. That I wasnt there.

The accident involved two vehicles  a Hyundai carrying six people and a Suburban  occurred at the intersection of Clarcona Ocoee Road and Gaymar Drive in Orlando late Thursday evening, killing a 5-month-old baby boy and 5- and 4-year-old girls, as well as two women aged 30 and 25.

Last night was the last time my grandbabies talked to me and told me, Pop Pop, I love you. I wont hear that no more, the pastor said, according to Click Orlando. Any parent would rather their kids bury them than them burying their kids and now Ive got to bury five, Oliver said. Love on them while theyre here, because when theyre gone thats it.

We had a Hyundai passenger vehicle with six occupants inside that was traveling westbound on Clarcona Ocoee Road. The driver attempted to make a left turn on Gaymar Drive. As she made the left turn, an eastbound Suburban collided with the side of the Hyundai, said Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson Lt. Kim Montes. Inside the Hyundai, we had three children pronounced deceased on scene and [two adult women].

Both drivers, a 51-year-old Orlando woman and a 28-year-old Apopka man, survived.

According to the FHP, some of the victims had apparently not been wearing seatbelts. Both vehicles overturned, and five people in the Hyundai were ejected.

Such a horrific crash that happened on Clarcona-Ocoee Road Thursday night. Five people were killed, including three young children. I cant imagine the pain this family is going through, Mark Lehman, a reporter for News 6, wrote on Twitter.

We appreciate all who have reached out with such love and selflessness during this very difficult time, the church wrote on its Facebook page.

The church earlier announced: Taft Missionary family and friends, please keep our humble leader Pastor Anthony Oliver and family in prayer. Our family has suffered a great loss as Pastor's 2 Daughters and 3 grandchildren were taken from this earth in a tragic car accident Thursday evening. Although we grieve we also love ... In Jesus' name!
Over 2,000 flights scheduled to land and depart Denver International Airport this weekend and Monday have been canceled due to the winter storm that will persist across the metro through Monday morning, according to FlightAware.com
As state lawmakers in Austin wrap up the latest legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday threatened to withhold their pay by vetoing a line item in the states budget because a Democratic walkout killed his priority elections bill. No pay for those who abandon their responsibilities, Abbott tweeted. Should the governor veto Legislature funding?

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Trinamool Congress Party on Sunday cancelled the election manifesto's release which was scheduled for today. The next date will be announced later.

Earlier, the manifesto was scheduled to be released on March 11. However, the release of the manifesto was cancelled following an alleged attack on TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister

Banerjee will conduct a roadshow, days after sustaining injuries during election campaigning, on a wheelchair from Gandhi Murti to Hazra here today, Trinamool Congress (TMC) party sources said. She will address a public rally at Hazra this afternoon.

It will be her first public appearance after she was allegedly attacked by some people in Nandigram earlier this week.

On March 10, the Chief Minister, who was on a two-day visit to Nandigram from where she filed her nomination, alleged that she was pushed by a few unidentified people during her election campaigning. Later, she was brought to Kolkata's SSKM Hospital by road from Nandigram.

Banerjee sustained "severe bone injuries" on her left foot and ankle as well as bruises and injuries on her shoulder, forearm and neck, according to the report of her initial medical examination.

The Chief Minister was discharged from the hospital on March 12.

West Bengal is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and the BJP in the fray.

Elections to 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW DELHI: Music enthusiasts are all geared up to witness the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards and find out which of their favourite artists take home awards. The Grammy Awards are one of the most popular and coveted music awards in the world and both artists and fans look forward to the grand event. For the 2021 event, the award function will be held on March 14 at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, United States.

However, this year the show will not have a live audience. Instead, the ceremony will be streamed live for audiences, adhering to the social distancing rules due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event will be hosted by satirical news show host and comedian, Trevor Noah.

Where to watch it?

Indian audiences can watch the show on March 15, 2021, at 5.30 am IST. It can be viewed on Grammys LIVE feed via Facebook or on their official website.

What are the categories for nominations?

There is a long list of categories in order to include diverse types of music from all around the world. The categories include General Field, Alternative, Jazz, Pop, Dance/ Electronic Music, New Age, Latin, Contemporary Instrumental Music, Rock, R&B, Rap, Country, Gospel/ Contemporary Christian Music, American Roots Music, Reggae, Global Music, Spoken Word, Comedy, Musical Theater, Music For Visual Media, Composing/ Arranging, Package, Notes, Historical, Production, Non-Classical, Production, Immersive Audio, Production Classical, Classical and Music Video/Film.

Who are the nominees this year?

The Grammy Awards 2021 will look at the best recordings and compositions by artists from September 1, 2019, to August 31, 2020. While there are numerous nominees, some of the popular ones include Beyonce, DaBaby, Billie Ellish, Dua Lipa, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Jhene Aiko, BTS, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Phoebe Bridgers, Harry Styles and Haim.

Who will be performing?

Yes, the Grammys will be virtually held this year, but the award show is still going to be as entertaining as its known to be, with incredible performances by popular artists. As per the line-up mentioned on their official website, the 63rd Grammy Awards will witness Bad Bunny, Black Pumas, Cardi B, BTS, Brandi Carlile, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Mickey Guyton, Haim, Brittany Howard, Miranda Lambert, Lil Baby, Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, John Mayer, Megan Thee Stallion, Maren Morris, Post Malone, Roddy Ricch, Harry Styles, and Taylor Swift performing on stage.

On the other hand, The Weeknd and Zayn Malik have decided to snub the award show as they feel the award show is 'corrupt' and has a 'lack of transparency of the nomination process'.
Unless we assess what happened in 2018, we will not find a way out of the current situationeven if this government resigns. Political scientist Stepan Danielyan wrote this on Facebook in connection with the present-day situation in Armenia.

"What is happening in many countries of the world has happened at us [Armenia], and it is a managed process. The stability of any society is based on the middle class and conservative values. You break those values, as a result you disintegrate the middle class, you create a chaos of values, and relying on a crowd guided by the lowest instincts, and the given society is subjected to the imposed power. Starting from 2018, all the fulcrums of our society have been subjected to point shots.

Point by point, all the ideasArtsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)], the [Armenian] Genocide, the [Armenian] church, the familyof the conservative layer were put under an attack.

This does not mean that our church, the middle class, the previous government were impeccable phenomena; on the contrary, they also have their big fault in what happened, but they should not have been broken, but transformed," Danielyan added in particular.
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Washington, March 14 : Air travel in the US has reached its highest level in nearly a year since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to transport authorities.

On Friday, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers screened 1.3 million people at airport security checkpoints, the highest figure since March 15, 2020, The Hill news website quoted TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein as saying on Saturday evening.

In the wake of the pandemic-related travel restrictions, the country's airline industry has been hit particularly hard and sought to assure travellers that flying is safe.

"We remain confident that this layered approach significantly reduces risk and are encouraged that science continues to confirm there is a very low risk of virus transmission onboard aircraft," a spokesperson for Airlines for America, which advocates for major US airlines, told The Hill.

The development comes amidst ongoing vaccinations against the virus across the country, as well as a decline in the number of new cases and hospitalisations.

The US on Friday passed 100 million vaccine doses administered, and President Joe Biden is ordering states to allow all adults to be eligible for a shot by May 1.

Max Verstappen was the fastest man on track for two out of three days in Bahrain. After the speed that the Dutchman showed on Friday, that might not be surprising, but it is not that obvious. The conditions on Friday were very different from those on Sunday.

Storm has died down, but now Verstappen blows away the competition

During the first day of the winter test there was a lot of wind and even a sandstorm blew over the track in the afternoon. On Sunday the conditions were almost perfect. The weather was perfect and there was almost no wind. The current F1 cars are quite sensitive to that. Verstappen explained more about it in Red Bull Racing's press release after the last session

Read more Video | Hamilton spins on final test day in Bahrain

"It was another good day and we got through the whole program. Conditions were a bit different to day one so we had to adjust the car a bit as we went along but from our side it was very smooth, as it has been throughout the whole test.

Read more No car has as much grip at the rear as the Red Bull

"I think we can say it has been a good weekend but of course that doesn't give you any guarantees and all teams are doing different programs at testing."
This is more students than we expected, but we are ready to meet them and we have no concerns in regards to that many students coming, Olson said, explaining that schools will ensure that students are seated no closer than three feet from each other, which is a new guideline from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the State Board of Education.
New Delhi, March 14 : The Central government aims to sell its residual stake in four airports as part of the Rs 2.5 lakh crore asset monetisation pipeline.

The sale of Airport Authority of India's remaining stake in the four airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, as well as identification of 13 more airports for privatisation, has been planned for the next fiscal.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation will take approvals for divestment of equity stake of the AAI in the joint ventures running Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.

For the 13 AAI airports identified for privatisation, the possibility of bundling of profitable and non-profitable airports will be looked at to make more attractive packages.

In the first round of airports' privatisation under the Narendra Modi government, the Adani Group bagged contracts for six airports - Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati - last year.

Adani Enterprises in January had signed the concession agreement with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for operating and developing the Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports.

In a regulatory filing, the company said that the concession period is 50 years from the commercial operation date.

"Adani Jaipur International Airport Ltd, Adani Guwahati International Airport and Adani Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the company have signed the concession agreement on January 19, 2021 with Airports Authority of India for the operations, management and development of Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports respectively," it said.
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New Delhi, March 14 : Delhi-based project, Antariksh have released the music video of their recently released single, 'Quest' on Friday. Varun Rajput, the brain behind the progressive rock project, feels that the song, which saw him collaborate with the former Megadeth guitarist Mary Friedman, needed an animated video, which can be interpreted in many ways.

"I'm really excited about how the visuals and story almost perfectly compliment the song and just can't wait for people across the world to see it and interpret the story in their own unique ways," Rajput tells IANS.

He also talks about the "humbling experiencea he had while working with Friedman for the song.

"The collaboration with Marty Friedman happened in a surreal and almost a bizarre way when I met him at the Delhi airport and somehow gathered the courage to ask him if heaAd be up for playing a guest solo on one of our songs," he says.

"Working and interacting with him was a really humbling and enriching experience for he's such a modest and affable person," adds Rajput.

For Marty, this was his third collaboration with an Indian act, and it is clear why he loves collaborating with musicians from India, especially when he talks about his love for music by Pandit Ravi Shankar.

"As a kid, I learned a lot of melody sense and rhythmic things from sitar music. I learned only the surface, nothing deep and I certainly did not master anything I learned, but it taught me how to find things I like and steal just those things. I did that with music from many other cultures. Playing in a real Indian project, the goal for me was just to get through it without anyone saying, This guy is a fake! He is making a fool out of himself trying to play along with real Indians," he tells us.

"Something about Varun gave me the idea that he was the real deal and once I heard the song, I was in. The song was really well thought out and I could feel that Varun and his band put a lot of energy and care into the detail," he adds.
Anti-coup demonstrators pushed on with protests Sunday as Myanmar neared its seventh week under military rule, as a group of MPs in hiding urge them to move with "invincibility" to overcome the nation's "darkest moment".

The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power in a February 1 putsch, triggering a mass uprising that has seen hundreds of thousands protest daily for a return to democracy.

The junta has repeatedly justified its power grab by alleging widespread electoral fraud in November's elections, which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party had swept in a landslide.

In response, a group of elected MPs, many of whom are in hiding, had formed a shadow "parliament" called the Committee for Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) -- the Burmese word for the country's governing bloc -- to denounce the military regime.

The junta's security forces have staged near-daily crackdowns against demonstrators calling for a return to democracy, deploying tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds to quell anti-coup protests which have seen more than 70 killed.

Despite the growing death toll, protesters have continued taking to the streets -- Sunday saw sit-ins in commercial hub Yangon, marches through the coastal city of Dawei, and civil servants hoisting Suu Kyi's poster defiantly at a gather in the central city of Monywa.

"May the fallen heroes who have given their lives in this spring revolution rest in peace!" changed protesters wearing hard hats in Yangon's Thaketa township -- which has seen bouts of violence this week between security forces and residents.

Their daytime gatherings come a day after the acting vice president of the CRPH called for the people to continue protesting against the military's "unjust dictatorship".

"This is the darkest moment of the nation and the light before the dawn is close," said Mahn Win Khaing Than in a recorded video posted on the CRPH's Facebook page Saturday night.

Story continues

"This is also a moment testing our citizens to see how far we can resist these darkest times," said the politician, a high-ranking NLD politician who served as speaker of the house during Suu Kyi's previous administration.

Along with other top Suu Kyi allies, he had been placed under house arrest during the February 1 power grab, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group.

His address Saturday would be his first appearance in his capacity as CRPH's acting vice president, and he echoed the anti-coup movement's calls for a "federal democracy" -- which would allow ethnic minority groups to have a role in Myanmar's governance.

"This uprising is also the chance for all of us to struggle together hand-in-hand to establish a federal democracy union which we -- all ethnic brothers and sisters who have been suffering various kinds of oppression from military dictatorship -- have long desired," he said.

"The federal democracy union... is waiting for us in the near future if we move forward unitedly with invincibility," Mahn Win Khaing Than said.

"We must win the uprising."

The committee has issued several statements since its formation, but the protest movement on the ground appears largely leaderless -- with daily rallies organised by local activists.

The junta -- self-anointed as the State Administration Council -- had said the CRPH's formation is akin to "high treason", which carries a maximum sentence of 22 years in jail.

bur-dhc/rma
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Isolated thunderstorms this morning. Skies will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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(Newser)  In a statement of frustration over the continued closure of cinemas and theaters in France, an actress stripped naked on the stage during the Cesar Awards held Friday in Paris. Corinne Masiero, the star of French detective series Capitaine Marleau, came onstage wearing a donkey suit and tampon earrings, the AP reports. She was slated to present the best costume award. Is this too trash, she asked the sparse and distanced audience at the awards ceremony that is, per CNN, the French equivalent of the Oscars. She removed the donkey costume, revealing what looked like a blood-stained dress. I have a last one, she said, taking off the dress and showing messages written on her body: No culture, no future was written on her front and Give us art back, Jean on her backa reference to Prime Minister Jean Castex.

story continues below

Cinemas and theaters in France have been shuttered since Oct. 30, according to reports. Other speakers at the Cesar Awards used the stage to criticize the restrictions. They cooped up our youngsters, closed our cinemas and theatres, and banned concerts so that they could open churches, because were a secular country, so that old people could go to church, said comedian and host Marina Fois, according to the Guardian. Elsewhere in France, demonstrators this month have occupied several theaters to demand the reopening of cultural places. On Thursday, the French government acknowledged that the cultural industry has been hard hit by the pandemic and pledged $24 million to support the sector, per CNN. (Read more France stories.)
Ahmedabad:

The police on Monday detained Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel and his close aide Dinesh Bambhania in an assault case registered against them in Patan town of North Gujarat.

A person named, Narendra Patel had filed a complaint against Hardik, Bambhania and four others at Patan B Division police station on Saturday.

On the basis of the complaint, the police had registered a case against them under IPC sections 395 (dacoity), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt).

Hardik Patel was detained from Anand district today by the police and he will be handed over the Patan police, who will then formally arrest him in a case registered on Saturday against six people, including him, police sources said.

Bambhania was detained from Rajkot by the crime branch of that city.

We detained Dinesh Bambhania from the Gita Mandir area of the city in connection with the case registered in Patan. We will hand him over to the Patan police, Rajkot city crime branch Police Inspector H M Gadhvi said.

In the complaint, Narendra, a former activist of Hardik-led Patidar Anamant Andolan Samiti (PAAS), had alleged that the quota stir spearhead and others roughed him up at Navjivan Hotel in Patan when he had gone to meet them on Saturday.

Hardik had held a public meeting in Patan on that day and as per Narendras complaint, he had gone to meet the PASS leader before the rally.

During the rally, Hardik had indirectly urged the Patidar community to give a chance to the Congress in the upcoming state assembly elections. The Patidar community has been a loyal vote bank for the BJP in Gujarat.

However, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel slammed Hardik over his appeal and dubbed him as an agent of the Congress.

These people (BJP) used us too much. It happened so because, I assume, we did not have any option. You may still think that we do not have any option as we still do not want to go with the Congress because they did nothing for us, Hardik had said.

At the same time, I believe that we should also do something which makes the Congress trust us...I want you to give me a promise to uproot this rule of fear and hooliganism, he had said.

Talking to reporters in Patan today, the deputy CM said, Hardik has now shown his true colours. I think he should join the Congress now. We have been saying for a long that he was a Congress agent. We now stand vindicated as Hardik himself spoke in support of the Congress. We are happy that the truth has finally come out.

Assembly polls are slated in Gujarat later this years.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Boris Johnson is expected to have his own first dose of coronavirus vaccine this week.

The Prime Minister is 56, meaning he is at the age when those still awaiting a jab can book an appointment themselves rather than waiting for an invitation.

Government sources say Mr Johnson will have his jab this week, while an increase in vaccine supplies will boost the number of second doses  although reports that all adults could be vaccinated by June were played down.

Downing Street had spent the last week being coy about when the PM would get his first inoculation, with his official spokesman refusing to confirm a date, saying he would receive it when it was his turn.

It came as labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer revealed he had had his first dose. After his treatment at the Francis Crick institute in Kings Cross, North London, he said: 'It has been such a difficult year and the vaccination programme is the light at the end of the tunnel.

'The vaccine is safe, effective and I urge everyone in our community to take it when it's their turn.'

So far, more than 23.68million vaccine doses have been administered in the UK with 1.45million people fully vaccinated.

And it has helped set the Covid case and death rates plummeting.

The Prime Minister is 56, meaning he is at the age when those still awaiting a jab can book an appointment themselves rather than waiting for an invitation

No10's scientific advisory panel SAGE estimates the reproduction rate  the average number of people infected by each person with coronavirus  is between 0.6 and 0.8 across the UK and England, meaning the outbreak is still shrinking.

This was also the level given for England, and the regions the East of England, London, Midlands, North West and South East.

It was slightly higher in the North East and Yorkshire, where it is likely between 0.7 and 0.9, and slightly lower in the South West where it was between 0.5 and 0.8.

No regions had an R rate over 1, suggesting the second wave is still shrinking in all areas.

Office for National Statistics experts claimed yesterday that the total number of people infected with Covid in England fell by a fifth to just over 200,000 last week  the equivalent of one in 270 people.

And data from a major symptom-tracking app today claimed 4,200 people are becoming ill with the disease every day  down by a third in a week.

Professor Tim Spector, a King's College London epidemiologist behind the study, said he believes the 'darkest days are behind us.'
At least eight persons were injured on Sunday when a "pressure cooker bomb" exploded at a crowded government office in Siraha district's Lahan in south-eastern Nepal, according to media reports.

The pressure cooker bomb exploded on the first floor of the Land Revenue Office at 12.40 pm, Assistant Chief District Officer Krishna Kumar Niraula was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post newspaper.

Eight employees - five men and three women - of the land revenue department were injured in the blast, the paper said.

"Three of the critically injured are undergoing treatment at Saptarishi Hospital, Lahan while the others are admitted at Lahan Hospital," said DSP Tapan Dahal.

Meanwhile, police said that they have recovered pamphlets published by the Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (Revolutionary), an armed outfit led by Jaya Krishna Goit, from the blast site, My Republica newspaper reported.

According to police, several pieces of pamphlets were found from the blast site but it is hard to read what is written on them.

"We can, however, see the signature of Jaya Krishna Goit," a police officer said.

Police has been investigating the case.

The Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha is a group agitating for greater political and economic rights for the people of the Terai plains bordering India. PTI ZH ZH

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
(@FahadShabbir)

Four people died and two more were badly injured on Saturday when a military plane crashed and caught fire while trying to land in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty, the latest accident to hit the country's aviation industry

Almaty, Kazakhstan, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Mar, 2021 ) :Four people died and two more were badly injured on Saturday when a military plane crashed and caught fire while trying to land in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty, the latest accident to hit the country's aviation industry.

City authorities said the survivors were in intensive care and their condition was "extremely" serious.

The An-26 craft was travelling to Almaty from the capital Nur-Sultan, the emergencies ministry said, noting that the airport had lost contact with the aircraft at 1722 local time (1122 GMT).

"According to preliminary data, four people died, and two injured were sent to the nearest hospital," the ministry said in a statement.

The plane, which belonged to Kazakhstan's national security committee, caught fire after it crashed at Almaty Airport.

An AFP correspondent saw the plane overturned, with the cockpit separated from the main body of the aircraft and the tail upside down from a fence around 300 metres (1,000 feet) away.

There were rows of fire engines, police vehicles and ambulances at the crash site.

Videos shot from a road near the airport by eyewitnesses earlier in the day and published by local media showed thick smoke billowing in the distance after the crash.

Almaty Airport said in a statement that "the plane crashed at the end of the runway" without offering an explanation for the accident.

- President sends condolences - Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to the two survivors.

"On my orders, work has begun to clarify the causes of the plane crash," Tokayev said on Twitter.

"Such incidents should not be repeated." In December 2019, a dozen of around a hundred passengers died following a crash landing near Almaty Airport, with most passengers surviving unscathed.

The Bek Air carrier that operated the aircraft has not flown since and had its licence revoked last year.

The crash was also the latest in a string of air disasters involving An-26 planes.

In September 2020, an An-26 crashed in Ukraine, killing 26, mostly students from Kharkiv National Air Force University, and leaving only one survivor.

A month before that crash, four South Sudanese passengers and three Russian crew members died when an An-26 belonging to a local operator crashed near South Sudan's capital Juba, with one person surviving the accident.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  The creator of a popular website for tracking COVID-19 in Alabama is pondering what will become of his creation once the health care crisis eases.

David Marconnet tells WBHM that he sees two options for his Bama Tracker site, which presents publicly available data about the virus in easily accessible, understandable charts and graphs.

Marconnet says Bama Tracker could remain online as an archive for researchers or anyone who wants to look through pandemic data.

Or it could adapt to track other data that Alabamians find interesting.

State lawmakers honored the Huntsville software developer for his work on the website last month.
The conversation was tense.

New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli began the March 31 conference call with hundreds of long-term care facility operators explaining they were expected to allow nursing home patients recovering from COVID-19 to return from the hospital.

But while she made it clear that they would be required to assign separate staff and separate them from other residents  or to let the state know right away if that was not possible  the exasperation on the other end of the phone was palpable.

Patients will die, an unidentified administrator declared, according to a recording of the outspoken meeting obtained by NJ Advance Media. You understand that by asking us to take COVID patients, by demanding we take COVID patients, that patients will die in nursing homes that wouldnt have otherwise died had we screened them out.

Nearly 12 months later, questions continue to swirl around the decision to send patients back into nursing homes, both in New Jersey and in New York, two states with the highest number of nursing home deaths nationwide. The directive remains a lightning rod for criticism, amid a belief that lives were lost because of it, even though each state provided alternative housing for nursing homes unable to sequester residents.

The answers to the questions arent easy, either.

New Jersey seems to have handled the situation better  and Gov. Phil Murphy has thus far avoided the growing criticism currently imperiling Gov. Andrew Cuomos office that has already drawn in his states attorney general. But the directive remains controversial, and, both governors say widely misunderstood.

For Murphy, Republican lawmakers at a hearing on March 5 charged that it seeded nursing homes with a highly contagious virus that has so far killed more than 8,000 people in long-term care in New Jersey. Families and advocates contend that residents should not have been sent back under any conditions.

Cuomo of New York faces a far more harsh reckoning, in a state where more than 15,000 nursing home residents died from the coronavirus. He has been under fire as well over a similar directive that was much less clear about how homes should isolate residents, although the state did set up dedicated COVID nursing home facilities. At the same time, disclosures that Cuomo  already entangled in an alleged sexual harassment scandal  also deliberately misstated the number of deaths in nursing homes have sparked a reported investigation by the FBI and U.S. Attorney and calls for his resignation.

To be sure, no nursing home in the country was immune from the ravages of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. According to The Covid Tracking Project, 34% of all deaths in what is now a year-long outbreak occurred in long-term care settings, or 174,474 people.

Blame for what happened both here and in New York has been wide-ranging.

For both Murphy and Cuomo, though, the directives in each state allowing residents who had COVID to return to nursing homes has been Exhibit A for those seeking to assign blame, and remains a raw wound that will not heal.

In their hearing a week ago, New Jersey Republican lawmakers charged that the directive allowed the virus to spread unabated. Apparently nobody gives a damn about this loss of life, said Sen. Declan OScanlon, R-Monmouth. That is shameful.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, seen in the February 2019 file photo, has taken heat over his handling of the pandemic in his state's nursing homes.Hans Pennink | AP Photo

In New York, meanwhile, a scathing report last month by Attorney General Letitia James on the handling of the pandemic in that states nursing homes also came down hard on Cuomos health department for such readmission orders.

The directives in the two states was aimed at freeing up hospital beds that were expected to be overwhelmed by an onslaught of COVID patients.

But what is often not mentioned in criticism of the directive is the role of nursing home operators.

When a for-profit nursing home has an empty bed, it has a financial motivation to increase its census by admitting residents in order to obtain the daily rate of reimbursement offered by the residents payor Medicaid, Medicare, other federal health insurance, or private insurance, noted New Yorks attorney general in her report.

James said her preliminary investigation indicated that nursing homes in New York took a variety of approaches to decisions to admit residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as they were experiencing staffing shortages due to staff illness from, or otherwise inability to work due to, COVID-19.

Under a March 25 advisory, the New York Department of Health stated that no resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to a nursing home solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. Nursing homes were prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.

The March 25th Department of Health guidance was consistent with and followed federal guidance issued by the CDC (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), and was not a directive to accept COVID patients  a point the Attorney Generals office finds the nursing homes understood, said Gary Holmes, a New York State Department of Health spokesman.

Still, more than 9,000 New York nursing home residents hospitalized for COVID-19 were sent back to their nursing homes while still recovering from the disease, The Associated Press reported.

However in one facility, according to James, a nursing home admitted five hospital patients on March 26, noting that the owners wanted to admit more. The administrator alleged that there were arguments with the owners over how many residents they could safely care for. Her report continued, According to the administrator, every new admission from the hospital was a patient who was COVID positive.

"It was crystal clear," said Gov. Phil Murphy of the rules governing the readmission of COVID-positive residents to the nursing homes where they lived.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

New Jersey issued similar guidelines on readmission and health officials have repeatedly said that specific exceptions and conditions involving non-critically ill patients were clearly spelled out.

It was crystal clear, the governor said on Monday. If you were going to readmit a formerly COVID-positive resident, they had to be separated by floor, by wing, by building. The staff could not co-mingle.

Murphy stressed that returning long-term care residents were not just going to a nursing home. They were returning to the places they had lived before they became sick with COVID.

This is not like theyre going to some abstract location, he said. This is their home.

But to be readmitted, he continued, you had to meet certain strict black-and-white standards to make sure theyre separated. Different wings, different hospitals, floors, different buildings; that staff is separated.

If nursing homes could not do that, Murphy said, the state would do that for them.

Despite those caveats, James McCracken, president and CEO of LeadingAge New Jersey, the statewide association of not-for-profit senior care organizations, said the policies on COVID-positive nursing home patients returning from hospital stays were not always clear to some administrators.

Regrettably, many long-term care providers interpreted the Department of Health memo to read that they were required to take hospital admissions, he said. At the time there was a lot of talk about the shortage of hospital capacity.

Both states contracted with a number of nursing home operators to create special COVID-dedicated facilities or wings to isolate those patients who could not be accommodated where they had been living.

Persichilli, in speaking with nursing home administrators on the March 31 conference call, cited the rules for cohorting, or separating returning residents and staff members who cared for them.

A number of nursing home officials, however, still took issue with the commissioner.

You have asked us to separate safely and create our own wing and take in COVID-19s from the hospital, said one on the call, weeks before the true implications of what would soon happen in the states nursing homes as the pandemic spread unabated, killing thousands of vulnerable residents.

The problem, of course, is there is no separating safely, the nursing home administrator told Persichilli. Its almost certain that even though you have staff only on that unit, something will migrate.

"We are suggesting you must create a separate wing," Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli told nursing home administrators.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med

One of the other health department officials on the call acknowledged the difficulties, but assured the nursing home administrators that if they were following the guidance for infection control and other measures, they would not be penalized.

Persichilli herself noted specifically the ability to isolate and separate residents, as well as the capability to cohort your employees or healthcare workers who are taking care of residents.

We are suggesting you must create a separate wing or floor to accept patients coming or returning from the hospital, Persichilli told nursing home administrators. And that you should create a separate wing or unit and care for those suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

The New Jersey Department of Health quickly received calls the following day from 99 long-term care facility operators saying they did not have the room or staffing to cohort properly, according to department spokeswoman Donna Leusner.

Within a week, 200 facilities notified us that they could not accept new admissions, she said.

COUNTING THE DEAD

Critics say in addition to the questions over the re-admission to nursing homes of COVID-positive residents, or failure to test others returning from to long-term care facilities where they resided, both states had issues of transparency regarding information being provided to the public.

In New Jersey, state officials initially declined to share the mounting tally of COVID-19 cases and deaths by facility, despite pleas from families who said nursing homes were keeping them in the dark about the extent of the outbreak.

That abruptly changed on April 20, following a directive from the Trump administration that said all states must publicly report the data by facility.

The federal timing of the edict coincided with the grim discovery on Easter Sunday weekend of 17 bodies inside a makeshift morgue at the Andover Subacute facility in Sussex county, the largest nursing home in the state.

A resident leaves the facility and placed in an ambulance at the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center, where police said 17 bodies were stored in a makeshift morgue in April. Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

New Jersey began listing on the state health department website every nursing home and assisted living facilitys record of infections and deaths among employees and residents  regardless of where they ultimately died.

While state health officials decided to take down the total number of deaths at each nursing home on their data dashboard in mid-July, total nursing home deaths continued to be reported in New Jersey statewide.

It was a different story in New York.

The states attorney general in her report revealed that the Cuomo administration undercounted COVID-related nursing home deaths by the thousands, and also found a lack of compliance with infection control protocols and scarce personal protective equipment.

The undercount was due to a decision not to include nursing home residents who died in the hospital. The reason, said officials, what to avoid a double count of those deaths in the statewide total. But the result was it made it appear that New Yorks total nursing home deaths were lower than they actually were, suggesting the crisis was not as bad as elsewhere.

LITIGATION AND INVESTIGATIONS

Despite sharing many of the same criticisms, New York and New Jersey still had profoundly different responses to dealing with the nursing home crisis, according to Richard Mollot, executive director of the Long-Term Care Community Coalition in New York.

Most critically, New Jersey took meaningful steps to implement the major recommendations from that assessment, which will improve care in both the short and long term, he said.

Mollot noted that the legislature that was passed and signed into law included important bills to ensure a meaningful direct care spending ratio, safe staffing levels, and a livable wage for care staff.

To a significant extent, the devastation that nursing home residents and families experienced was avoidable and the result of long-standing failures to hold nursing homes accountable for meeting minimum standards, he said. But only New Jersey has taken the action needed to turn the system around.

Meanwhile, in addition to the federal investigations reported in New York, a criminal investigation of the nursing home industry in New Jersey continues by the Attorney Generals office.

Investigators here have declined to comment on the specifics of what they are examining, but emails obtained by NJ Advance Media through public records requests show that there have been subpoenas for records ranging from facility inspections and infection control measures to data on reportable events, such as accidents and allegations of abuse and neglect, cost reports and Medicare billing.

And civil lawsuits are coming, including litigation over placement of residents in such specialized COVID-dedicated facilities over the care they received there.

I am looking at bedsores, broken bones, and medication errors that occurred, said elder care attorney Deborah R. Gough of Hackensack who represents families in both New York and New Jersey.

She expects the facilities themselves will argue they were understaffed, were responding to COVID, and should be granted immunity from litigation. Last year, New Jersey granted broad immunity from civil lawsuits during a public health emergency to those acting in good faith, stemming from services in support of the states COVID-19 response efforts. While not stopping all lawsuits, the action raised the bar in what might be considered negligence.

I think promising the state you can handle these patients, accepting FEMA money as well as Medicare and Medicaid money, and then not adequately staffing or caring for the residents, is particularly egregious, said Gough.

____

Local journalism needs your support. Subscribe at nj.com/supporter.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL.
Tenn. pastor dies from COVID-19 day after wife of over 66 years passes

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The family of a Tennessee pastor who died of COVID-19 complications within 24 hours of his wife dying says their love story will live on through the lives the couple touched through their ministry.

[After mom], my dad passed away the next day. We just knew that only God could orchestrate something like that, where we didn't have to tell him about her and didn't have to tell her about him, Lotneice S. Hinton recalled while speaking to Fox 17 last week.

She referred to her late father, 87-year-old James Scott, who pastored New Holy Temple Cathedral Church of God in Christ in Chattanooga for 61 years, and her mother, 83-year-old Virginia Scott. They were married for over 66 years.

Virginia Scott passed away on Jan. 17 after recovering from the coronavirus, while James died from COVID-19 complications on Jan. 18.

Granddaughter Jada Smith recalled that they took care of each other even when they were sick.

Last month, Church of God in Christ Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake called the couple great pioneers in ministry for our great church.

Serving as the president of the Tennessee Eastern Second Jurisdiction was an assignment that brought Bishop Scott great joy, faithfully serving with integrity over 25 years, Blake stated. As a passionate soul winner, Bishop Scott led young and old to Christ with great joy.

When they got married in 1954, Virginia Scott was 17 and her husband was 21.

The family says their love story has not ended since it will live on through family members and the people they both touched.

Smith added that her grandparents mission was to help families indiscriminately all over Chattanooga.

James was born in Pickens County, Mississippi, in 1933. He was the sixth of 10 children and was saved at a very early age, reads his obituary published in The Chattanoogan.

He lost his father when he was 14. Shortly after, he was called into the ministry.

A born leader, his life was exemplary for others even in his youth, it was stated. As a young adult, he remained at home with his mother and younger siblings in an effort to assist her with the family farm, the obituary explained. This decision did not allow him to go to college, but he was able to train the younger siblings to safely operate the necessary farm equipment. He would work his mothers land and then work his land.

According to the obituary, Scott was a gifted leader who knew how to reach and serve everyone no matter how old they were.

He was a great teacher for young men, often telling them how to be effective husbands and fathers, the article states. He used his gifts to shepherd Gods people and his talent and vision to edify the church. He has been credited with the construction and renovation of countless churches throughout the eastern part of Tennessee where he has left his footprints.

As for Virginia Scott, she was born as the second of 10 children. She was also saved early in her life.

Even from her youth, she was a witness for her family, friends and classmates, The Chattanoogan reports. She often told of being teased for being saved, but later those that teased her would watch her and later accept Christ. Being the eldest daughter, she was often needed to help take care of her younger siblings. She often talked about helping her mom and the nurse midwife with the delivery of her younger siblings."

In 1956, the couple moved to Chattanooga and joined the Holy Temple Church of God in Christ. James Scott was named to the position of pastor in 1957.

Hinton said that her parents loved the church and their church family.

With them being there so long, it was part of their family," Hinton explained.

The Scotts have four children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 23:04:09|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Central Military Commission has released a set of revised regulations regarding the work of the Communist Party of China disciplinary inspection commissions in the armed forces, which will take effect on April 1.

The implementation of the regulations will be of great significance to the reform of the military discipline inspection and supervision system, and the efforts to improve Party conduct, build Party integrity, and combat corruption within the armed forces, a statement on the issue of the regulations said Sunday.

The document gives priority to the Party's political building, while focusing on strengthening self-supervision of discipline inspection commissions to ensure their power is exercised in accordance with Party regulations and the law, the statement added. Enditem
Amaravati, March 14 : Six farm labourers were killed and seven injured in a road accident in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district on Sunday, police said.

An auto-rickshaw carrying the labourers was hit by an unknown vehicle near the Gollapalli village of Nuzvid Mandal, Krishna district.

The four-wheeler, which rammed into the auto, escaped from the scene. Police said they were trying to trace the vehicle.

Six labourers died on the spot while seven others were injured. The injured were admitted to hospitals at Vijayawada and Nuzvid.

Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy have expressed shock and profound grief at the death of six labourers in the road accident.

The chief minister announced Rs 5 lakh as ex-gratia each to the families of the deceased. He directed the officials to provide best treatment to the injured.

According to a statement from Raj Bhawan, the Governor was informed by the district officials that the farm workers belonging to Lion Thanda in Nuzvid mandal were proceeding in an autorickshaw towards Bapulapadu Mandal when an unknown vehicle dashed against their vehicle. The officials informed that the injured persons have been shifted to hospital and are being provided necessary medical care.

Harichandan offered his heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved families and wished for speedy recovery of the injured persons.
The husband of the British-Iranian dual national facing new charges a week after finishing a five-year sentence said Sunday that his wife was a "political bargaining chip" who would be convicted again.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared before a Tehran court Sunday to face new charges of "propaganda against the system", just days after having her tag removed after serving a five-year sentence.

Husband Richard Ratcliffe told AFP that he expected her to receive "the maximum sentence" when the ruling is handed down in seven working days.

"I've never seen an acquittal from a revolutionary court," he said.

But he hoped that the time she has already served would be taken into account, and that any remaining time could be served under house arrest at her parent's house in Tehran rather than in prison.

"We could get a one-year sentence or two-year sentence or whatever," he explained, adding that he believed the term depended largely on negotiations between the British and Iranian governments.

"If she got put back in prison, regardless of the time, that's a really bad sign," he said.

"If they do anything that leads that way, then clearly the negotiations have fallen down."

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained while on holiday in 2016 and convicted of plotting to overthrow the regime in Tehran.

They both strenuously deny the charges, with Ratcliffe saying his wife "is a political bargaining chip".

Although now free of her tag, she has been unable to return to Britain as new charges loomed.

"Nazanin is in some ways is facing the prospect of some significant bad news, going back to prison....

"It's one suitcase in each hand. That sort of structural uncertainty... is a key part of the abuse. You remain their toy," he said.

- Mother's Day call -

Ratcliffe spoke to his wife after her court appearance, saying it had "been a turmoil, but probably better than we were fearing.

Story continues

"She was she was really stressed beforehand. Right now, it's just, 'I don't have to see those interrogators again'," he said.

"It is certain interrogators, who are the guys you see in court every time and... the fear comes back whenever you see them."

He urged the British government to do more to help his wife, saying they were "patently" not doing enough at the moment.

"It's still at the level of talk rather than action," he said.

"The government didn't accompany Nazanin to the court, and the embassy didn't go. They're keeping their heads below the parapet at some level.

"If you want to protect someone, you do need to stand next to them in a very visible way."

He believes his wife will not taste freedom until Britain settles a disputed historic debt with Tehran.

"I think that has been clear from 2016," he said.

Ratcliffe hoped the couple's six-year-old daughter Gabriella would be able to mark Mother's Day, which was celebrated on Sunday in Britain, with a phone call.

"We'll try and call her and have... as much as a normal intimate kind of shared moment later on.

"We promised mummy was coming home at a certain point. And then she didn't, and that broken promise aspect she understands very clearly.

"Certainly, she's quite she's quite cuddly in a slightly sad way today," said Ratcliffe.

"What is hard for us at the moment still, is it's not clear how much longer this is going to go on for.., your life is not your own. It's a very hard place to live," he added.

jwp/har
Most media coverage of the flaws in Louisianas unemployment benefits system start with an individual, sometimes in tears but always angry, telling of six- or seven-hour waits on the phone and no check.

Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Dejoie gets blamed if one unqualified worker gets paid and skewered if the required eligibility scrutiny delays benefits.

While she conceded Thursday, Were making folks jump through more hoops, Dejoie is following the dictates of lawmakers who continue to borrow money to keep afloat the trust fund that pays for it all.

Its not just Louisiana. Every state has its own labyrinthine rules.

Unemployment insurance was developed in 1935, at the height of the Great Depression, to give laid off workers enough money to put food on the table and keep a roof overhead. Basically, businesses are required to contribute a portion of their employees wages into a fund that is used to help those workers when they are laid off through no fault of their own.

Unemployment Trust and Federal Loans Congressional Research Unemployment Trust and Federal Loans analysis by Congressional Research

States were allowed to do what they wanted provided they follow some fairly lax federal standards that were put in place years ago when America was a much different place.

Over the years as the competition to attract businesses intensified, states went lower on all taxes, including minimizing the contribution to UI funds, which in turn required states to come up with hurdles that limit which unemployed workers get paid, and how much.

Back when about 2,250 Louisiana residents were filing unemployment benefits, as was they were in March 2019, the states clunky system worked fine. But this time last year, 72,620 Louisiana residents filed claims for the week ending March 21. Unemployment rates peaked at 15% of the states roughly 2 million workers.

The states healthy unemployment fund, which had been about $1 billion, is now empty, prompting the state to borrow from the feds.

+5 $300 weekly benefits are extended, but jobless Louisianans can't get around this red tape Hundreds of thousands of Louisiana workers will continue to receive a $300-a-week boost in unemployment benefits from the feds after a massive

The way its supposed to work is that taxes on businesses go up and payments to workers go down until the fund stabilizes. Not wanting to hurt both businesses and workers in a struggling pandemic economy, legislators suspended that law. The Revenue Estimating Conference could trigger higher taxes and lower benefits if they officially recognized the amount in the fund. They havent.

The talk among legislators and Gov. John Bel Edwards administration is that part of the money for local governments from the $1.9 trillion stimulus money approved Thursday will be used to replenish the states unemployment trust fund and pay back the roughly $140 million borrowed to pay claims.

Grateful though he is, Louis Reine, president of the state AFL-CIO, says the additional federal bucks that have come in over the year to increase unemployment benefits and expand who can receive the checks has also covered up the flaws in the system. Not only did it cover it up, but it exacerbated it, he said.

Thinking back to the last time an economic crisis depleted the UI fund, Reine added: We knew back in the 80s when we had a problem that we thought was dramatic. We patched it (with federal dollars) and we never really fixed it.

Louisiana Senators Bill Cassidy, John Kennedy, vote against $1.9T coronavirus relief bill Louisiana Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy voted against the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that the U.S. Senate passed Saturday.

Many believe that the federal largesse will allow Louisiana to once again duck significant changes.

If they can first fix the delivery system and raise the benefit levels, only then should they bail out the trust fund, said Jan Moller, director of the Louisiana Budget Project, a Baton Rouge-based group that advocates for low- and middle-income families.

Step Up Louisiana, a New Orleans-based group representing low-income people, recommended Tuesday legislators increase the states maximum $247 per week benefit  the second lowest in the nation  by at least $100 to put Louisiana in line with regional averages. The Texas maximum is $535. Arkansas pays $451 per week. The group also suggests expanding the rules to allow the unemployed to take part-time jobs without losing benefits and to make eligible gig workers and low-paid educational contract employees.

Step Up report Step Up report on Louisiana Unemployment Insurance, March 9, 2021

But lawmakers last year defeated legislation that would have done just that. The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry backs changes to make the system more efficient but opposes legislation that would expand UC coverage, according to the influential groups website.

And thats why some argue the only real fix will come from Washington.

I dont believe its fair to expect the folks in Louisiana to able to fight their way through a statehouse that is so unresponsive to workers needs and get the solutions you need. We have to have federal leadership to fix this problem, said Rachel Deutsch, a supervising attorney with the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank that analyzes the economic impact of economic policies on working people.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with the three other leaders from the Quad member countries  Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan, from the White House in Washington, D.C., Friday. AFP-Yonhap



Joint statement suggests Biden uninterested in Singapore agreement



By Yi Whan-woo



The leaders of the United States, Japan, Australia and India have vowed to focus on denuclearization of North Korea in a joint statement after their first summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or "Quad," held online, Friday.



The pledge narrows down the focus of denuclearization from the entire Korean Peninsula as stipulated in an agreement reached between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their 2018 summit in Singapore, to just the North.



The North is mentioned once in the five-point statement, which reads, "We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, and also confirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the issue of Japanese abductees."



Noting the security coalition of the four nations, regarded as anti-China alliance, is led by the U.S., analysts said Sunday the joint statement hints that U.S. President Joe Biden is not heavily interested in implementing the Singapore summit agreement.



This also suggests a potential rift between the U.S. and South Korea over North Korea policy.



The Moon Jae-in administration wants to create a favorable environment for the North to bring it back on table for nuclear negotiations and to formally end the Korean War.









But the North can refuse to talk if the U.S. insists on the denuclearization of North Korea solely, rather than the whole peninsula, because it leaves room for the U.S. to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in the South as feared by the Kim regime.





Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, second from right, speaks during the virtual summit of the leaders of the Quad from his official residence in Tokyo, Friday. AP-Yonhap
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Damo Uncle wanted to be a BBC journalist. The middle-aged Chinese blogger said he would follow the principle of results before evidence, keep his camera on a suspicious angle, focus on the disorder of traffic jams and piles of rubbish and, when required, confront security guards to provoke a response.

Damos parody job application videos have been viewed more than 20 million times across blogging platform Sina Weibo and Chinas domestic version of TikTok, Douyin. In isolation they could be taken as a tongue-in-cheek take down of journalistic tropes, but they are part of a much larger and increasingly powerful ecosystem of Chinese government propaganda that demonises foreign reporting as biased, racist and stereotyped.

CGTN has been banned in the UK by the television regulator. Credit:Getty

Occasionally badged under the #Mediaunlocked hashtag, China has unleashed a torrent of videos, photos and articles accusing foreign journalists of fabricating grey skies, media companies of being proxies for foreign intelligence services, and manufacturing suppression in Xinjiang, where up to 1 million Uighurs have been detained.

Theres clear temporal and narrative alignment across diplomatic and state media messaging as well as among pro-CCP [Chinese Communist Party] influencers and patriotic Twitter accounts, said Australian Strategic Policy Institute researchers Albert Zhang and Jacob Wallis, who have reported a sharp rise in Chinese online attacks on the BBC since the start of this year.
Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday in Brisbane to remember the life of former Papua New Guinea prime minister Sir Michael Somare.

The father of the nation was the first prime minister after independence from Australia in 1975 and the longest-serving as well, having been in office for 17 years over three separate terms.

Sir Michael Somare in 2011. Credit:Nic Walker

Sir Michael died on February 26 from pancreatic cancer in Port Moresby at the age of 84, with a memorial held in Brisbanes St Stephens Cathedral on Sunday.

David Tekwie gave the eulogy, detailing Sir Michaels numerous milestones, including his positions as prime minister, minister of foreign affairs, leader of the Opposition, and governor of East Sepik province.

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The construction of a China-funded school has been fully completed in Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator, the country's ministry of education and science said Saturday.

"A school built in the Songinokhairkhan district of the capital city with the help of the Chinese government has been fully constructed and put into operation. This means that the learning environment for about 2,000 children is improving," the ministry said in a statement.

Three schools and a kindergarten built with China's assistance were commissioned in the country last year, and three more China-funded schools will be put into operation within this year, according to the ministry.
Zoe Kravitz is taking on an iconic role with her next big movie.

The model/actress takes on Selina Kyle, as she plays the feline-esque antihero Catwoman in Matt Reeves' The Batman.

She celebrated her final day of playing the once-in-a-lifetime character Saturday on her Instagram Story, as she wrapped on The Batman with Robert Pattinson in the UK.

Nine lives: Zoe Kravitz celebrated her final day of playing Catwoman, Saturday on her Instagram Story, as she wrapped on The Batman with Robert Pattinson in the UK (pictured in October, 2020)

That's a wrap! The 32-year-old reposted Reeves' photo of the movie's clapperboard, writing: 'And that's a wrap for the bat'

The 32-year-old reposted Reeves' photo of the movie's clapperboard, writing: 'And that's a wrap for the bat.'

She stars alongside Pattinson as the caped crusade alter ego of Bruce Wayne, with Paul Dano as the Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

Reeves' installment in the franchise tells the story of the superhero's early days as a detective and vigilante.

The first trailer for the film dropped back in August, offering a first glimpse at several characters, including Kravitz's Catwoman.

Star-studded cast: She stars alongside Pattinson as the caped crusade alter ego of Bruce Wayne, with Paul Dano as the Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth

Femme fatale: The first trailer for the film dropped back in August, offering a first glimpse at several characters, including Kravitz's Catwoman

She could be seen living up to her cat burglar reputation, before engaging in some combat with the Dark Knight.

Production began last January on the comic book film, before the pandemic forced them to shut down in March.

Filming resumed back in September, before production was halted for two weeks, after star Robert Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19.

Leading lady: Kravitz has recently been cast in Steven Soderbergh's HBO Max film KIMI

Techno thriller: She plays an agoraphobic tech worker who discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime (pictured in February, 2020)

The Batman is scheduled for a March 4, 2022 premiere, after the date was pushed back amid the pandemic.

Kravitz has recently been cast in Steven Soderbergh's HBO Max film KIMI, in which she plays an agoraphobic tech worker who discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime.

It comes after she filed for divorce from husband Karl Glusman, 33, back in December, after they tied the knot in June of 2019.
Just as many Uzbek farmers began sowing the seeds for this season's crops, President Shavkat Mirziyoev called on them to give some of their agricultural land to young people without jobs.

"Every farmer should allocate two hectares of land [that will] be given to four young people, [each of them getting] half a hectare," Mirziyoev said at a cabinet meeting in Tashkent on January 27. "They will grow whatever crop they like on that land."

The president ordered that one hectare from every 10 hectares of farmland should be given to young people.

Six weeks since the announcement, many farmers told RFE/RL they were unhappy watching their income diminish. But in an authoritarian country where the president enjoys enormous power, farmers have no choice but to comply.

"Representatives from local governments and prosecutor's offices gathered us together and said there were 300 young unemployed people in our district that should be given land," a farmer from the eastern Namangon Province's Uichi district told RFE/RL. "We had to agree, what else can we do? This is a government order and we have to agree or we could lose all of our land," he said, on condition of anonymity.

RFE/RL's Uzbek Service received similar complaints from many other farmers from across Central Asia's most populous country.

"We still have to pay taxes for that part of the land that was taken from us," said a farmer from the Qushrabot district of Samarkand Province. "Those who received our land [for free] don't have to pay for anything."

Uzbek officials have insisted they are not forcing anyone to give up their land.

Helping Your Neighbor

An official from the Agriculture Department in Namangan Province told RFE/RL the project was being implemented carefully, taking into consideration the situation on the ground. "The land is being allocated depending on the capacity of each farming enterprise and each district," the official said. He pointed out that many people had welcomed the project, which he said provided young people with an opportunity to earn their own money.

In the eastern Andijon Province, one farmer says he supports the idea of helping others, although he admits "it does hurts" his own income. "It's impossible not to give a part of your land to your neighbors when you see they're struggling without work," said Elyorbek Hakimov, the head of the Sobitkhon-Ota farming enterprise in Andijon's Ulughnor district.

Hakimov said his farming enterprise had allocated farmland to four young people who were unemployed. He said they'd already grown corn and potatoes and he believes that if the new farmers work hard, "they can harvest two crops in one season."

"Our young people can't go anywhere to find jobs now," Hakimov said. "But [if they get land] at home they will make at least some money by growing crops."

Jobs are hard to come by in Uzbekistan, where many households in the country of some 35 million depend on worker remittances sent from Russia, Kazakhstan, and other countries. According to government statistics, unemployment in Uzbekistan in 2020 was about 13 percent, although the real figures could be higher than the official statement.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, experts estimated that about 6 million Uzbeks worked abroad, many of them engaged in seasonal jobs such as construction work and farming. Since last year, millions of Uzbek migrant workers have been unable to travel abroad as the pandemic led to border closures and travel restrictions.

'Give Them Incentives'

Mirziyoev has said that about 14,000 young people applied to receive agricultural land last year.

Meanwhile, some of those who received free farmland told RFE/RL that in a few cases the authorities took the land back just days later without providing any reason.

For example, in Samarkand's Qushrabot region, officials canceled the allocation of some 22 hectares of land a week after the documents had been signed.

RFE/RL spoke to one young person in Qushrabot who was given about 40 acres of land before it was taken back by the local government. He said several unemployed youth were given agricultural land under the president's plan. But the decision was reversed by district officials who gave no reason.

Uzbekistan analyst Saparboy Jubaev says the government must use its own resources to create jobs for young people in rural areas. "Such projects shouldn't be implemented at the expense of farmers," said Jubaev, a former official in the Uzbek Finance Ministry.

"For example, in Kazakhstan, the government provides incentives for young people willing to move to remote, rural areas in the country's north," said Jubaev, who works at the Eurasian National University in Almaty, Kazakhstan. "The government offers them land parcels, livestock, machinery, and financial aid."

In a separate action, Mirziyoev has also urged private entrepreneurs to give jobs to younger people. That project, too, has been unpopular with many businessmen, who complain they are on the verge of bankruptcy after many months of quarantines and restrictions due to the pandemic.

Analysts note that Mirziyoev's predeccessor, autocratic leader Islam Karimov, tried at various times during his turbulent rule to carry out agrarian reform, the last time in 2008.

Those plans -- which included land seizures -- also angered many farmers and were largely viewed as unsuccessful.

Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by Khurmat Babajanov of RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
Industry figures show that last year, over 30% of Britains electricity was generated by gas-fired power plants, while the offshore industry met about 45% of its overall energy needs in 2019. Photo: Getty

UK ministers are considering banning new oil exploration licences in the North Sea in a move away from fossil fuel, as the UK prepares to host the COP26  the UN Climate Summit  in November.

According to the Telegraph, options on the table include ending permits by 2040 and an immediate temporary pause in licensing. It is also possible that there will be no changes to the licensing regime.

The move could impact the industry, jobs and the Scottish economy. Approximately, 39% of the 270,000 jobs in the oil sector are in Scotland, the newspaper said.

Some production from the region also make up the global benchmark for the Brent (BZ=F) pricing.

Britain became the first G7 country last year, to set in law a net zero emissions target by 2050, so it is legally bound to deliver on that and has been looking to renewables to provide alternative sources of energy.

In December last year, during the United Nations Climate summit, the UK submitted a new national climate plan  or nationally determined contribution (NDC)  which confirms its pledge to cut greenhouse gas pollution by at least 68% by 2030 from 1990 levels.

Industry figures show that last year, over 30% of Britains electricity was generated by gas-fired power plants, while the offshore industry met about 45% of its overall energy needs in 2019. D

Data also revealed that flaring in the UK North Sea declined by 22% in 2020 from the previous year as production facilities cut the overall volume to 33 billion cubic feet (bcf).

The reduction which is roughly equivalent to the gas demand of 200,000 UK homes  is the lowest level of flaring on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) on Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) records.

A BEIS spokesperson said: Our review into the future of the oil and gas licensing regime seeks to ensure it remains compatible with our target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This commitment also forms part of the Energy White Paper published in December.

We will agree a transformational North Sea Transition Deal with industry in the coming months to create jobs, retain skills and deliver new business and trade opportunities to support the sectors transition to a lower carbon future.

Story continues

READ MORE: Plans for UK's first new deep coal mine in limbo amid government U-turn

It comes after Denmarks government announced in December last year that it will end all new oil and gas exploration and extraction in the North Sea by 2050.

The Nordic country also agreed to cancel its latest licensing round, which allows companies to search for and produce oil and gas. The move meant that eight planned licensing rounds and future tenders were cancelled.

Oil and gas production in Denmark has become an issue of political debate, after it agreed in 2019 on one of the worlds most ambitious climate targets of reducing emissions by 70% by 2030 and being climate neutral in 2050.

Denmark is the EUs biggest producer of oil and gas, which excludes Norway and the UK  which are both bigger producers. The country is estimated to produce 83,000 barrels of crude oil and another 21,000 barrels of oil equivalent in 2020.

WATCH: UK and Europe drive towards net-zero emissions

It comes as controversial plans to build the UK's first new deep coal mine in decades will be subject to a public inquiry after climate change advisers said the project would increase global emissions.

It was given the green light in March by Cumbria County Council, which has been assessing the project since 2017, but councillors have since decided to review the application.

The government decided to intervene in the planned project, near Whitehaven in Cumbria in a U-turn, after initially deciding to leave it in the hands of local officials.

A letter, signed on behalf of the secretary for housing, communities and local government Robert Jenrick, said that the decision to "call in" the application for the mine had been taken in light of new information and called for an inquiry.

The Secretary of State has decided to call this application in because of the further developments since his original decision, the letter said. The Climate Change Committees recommendations for the 6th Carbon Budget have been published since he was advised on this decision.

The mine privately owned by West Cumbria Mining, will extract coking coal which is used for steel production rather than power generation. Over 80% of this coal would be exported to Europe and scientists have estimated that the mine would produce 8.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
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A Nebraska police officer is in stable condition after a shoplifting suspect shot him in the face and head on Friday at a JC Penney department store inside an Omaha mall.

Kenya Lamont Jenkins Jr., 21, was arrested after a high-speed chase and charged with attempted murder and the use of a weapon to commit a felony after he allegedly shot Officer Jeffrey Wittstruck four times when he was caught shoplifting at the Westroads Mall in Omaha.

Wittstruck had been dispatched to the JC Penney at 3.27pm after Jenkins was detained by store security after he was allegedly caught stuffing a package of T-shirts into his backpack, cops said in a news release.

Kenya Lamont Jenkins Jr., 21, seen in security image from the Westroads Mall in Omaha was arrested after a high-speed chase and charged with attempted murder and the use of a weapon to commit a felony

Jenkins, right, allegedly shot Officer Jeffrey Wittstruck, left, four times when he was caught stuffing a package of T-shirts into his backpack at the Westroads Mall in Omaha

Police have released a screenshot of body camera footage that appears to show Jenkins holding the handgun

Jenkins allegedly disobeyed orders to take his hands out of his sweatshirt pockets while being detained

A still from security footage released by cops allegedly shows Jenkins fleeing the scene in a white BMW

When police arrived, Jenkins  who had allegedly given store security a fake name -- was sitting in a chair in the security office and was not cooperative with police.

Wittstruck ordered him to take off his backpack and Jenkins stood up and stuffed his right hand in his sweatshirt pocket.

The cop, who has been with the Omaha Police Department since September 2016, then ordered Jenkins to show his hands 'multiple times' but he refused, officials said.

Wittstruck told Jenkins he was under arrest and tried to put him into handcuffs, but was shoved by the suspect, starting a brief struggle.

The cop drew his taser and used it on Jenkins but it was ineffective, officials said.

Jenkins allegedly pulled a gun out of his sweatshirt pocket and shot Wittstruck four times  hitting him in the face and the top of his head. Wittstruck's gun had not been removed from its holster and was not fired.

The suspect then ran out of the security office and fled in a white BMW when Wittstruck fell to the ground, police said.

Nebraska State Troopers found the car near a Pump and Pantry gas station and tried to perform a traffic stop but Jenkins led them on a high-speed chase reaching speeds over 140 mph.

Troopers successfully deployed stop sticks, deflating Jenkins' tires on I-80 and arrested him.

Chief Todd Schmaderer addresses the media outside of the JC Penney where one of his officers was shot four times in the face and head

The suspect fled the mall in a white BMW when Wittstruck fell to the ground, cops said

Cops found a Taurus .380 subcompact, semi-automatic pistol in his possession, they said.

Footage taken by WOWT shows the suspect's car sitting on train tracks off the highway and a photo obtained by the outlet appears to show Jenkins with his hands up wearing an orange shirt while troopers make their arrest.

Back at the mall, Officer Joseph Kunza arrived and helped JC Penney's employees provid aid to the injured officer until he was transported by Omaha Fire Department medics to the Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition.

Wittstruck is now in stable condition and recovering from his injuries, officials said. KETV reported that he will need surgery.

When Jenkins got to police headquarters he began to complain of a minor leg injury and was tended to by medics, cops said.

A GoFundMe has since been started to help Officer Wittstruck's family.

Omaha police and the Nebraska State Patrol respond to the scene where a shoplifting suspect allegedly shot an officer in the face

The Westroads Mall, pictured, was also the scene of a mass shooting in December 2007 during which Robert Hawkins, 19, shot and killed eight people

'We are incredibly blessed by such an amazing and supportive community! Thank you all for blessing us during this challenging time. Jeff is in good spirits as he rests and heals up in the hospital. We are grateful to God for watching over him. Thank you again,' his wife Kelsey Wittstruck wrote in an update to the fundraiser.

Trevor Benson, who organized the fund on behalf of Kelsey Wittstruck, wrote: 'He is a loving husband and a father of three beautiful children. The officer is a devoted Christian with a love of his career, family, and God.'

The shooting was caught on Wittstruck's body cam and cops released screenshots of Jenkins allegedly holding the handgun.

Security cameras from inside the mall caught Jenkins allegedly leaving with his backpack while wearing a blue hoodie and leaving in the white BMW.

Jenkins has a previous history of resisting arrests and escape, cops said.

'Our prayers are with Officer Wittstruck and his family for a full recovery. On behalf of all Omaha Police Officers, thank you for the showing of support and concern,' Chief Todd Schmaderer said.

'Omaha Police Officers answer 911 calls over and over again throughout the day to keep Omaha safe. It is important to remember the dangers officers put themselves in on each and every call; calls that must be answered because someone was in need.'

WOWT noted that the Westroads Mall was the scene of a mass shooting in December 2007 during which Robert Hawkins, 19, shot and killed eight people and wounded four others in the mall's Von Maur department store before shooting himself dead.
People wait at an observation area after their vaccination at a coronavirus disease vaccination centre in Singapore on 8 March, 2021. (PHOTO: Reuters)

SINGAPORE  There is no need to mandate double-masking in Singapore and what is more important in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is the proper use of face masks, local experts said.

Their comments come on the back of a report released last month by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that double-masking can significantly improve protection against the coronavirus, as does tying knots on the ear loops of surgical masks. The CDC in the same month updated its mask-wearing guidelines to reflect the findings.

In laboratory-based experiments conducted in January, CDC researchers found that by layering a tight-fitting cloth mask over a medical procedural mask, such as the ubiquitous blue surgical mask, 85.4 per cent of cough particles can be blocked from escaping an unmasked person.

Comparatively, a single medical mask or cloth mask blocked only 56.1 per cent and 51.4 per cent, respectively. When both parties  a "simulated" source and receiver  were double-masked, it reduced the cumulative exposure of the latter by 96.4 per cent.

The US CDC lab compared how effective different mask techniques are in blocking small viral particles  an unknotted and untucked surgical mask, a cloth mask over a surgical mask, and a knotted and tucked surgical mask. (PHOTOS: US CDC)

However, Japanese supercomputer simulations in March contradicted these findings , with results indicating that double-masking brought limited benefit in blocking the spread of COVID-19, compared with a single properly fitted mask.

Dr Paul Tambyah, senior consultant at Singapore's National University Hospital and president-elect of the International Society of Infectious Diseases, pointed out that the data from the CDC applied to experimental settings, with no strong evidence that it is relevant to actual clinical conditions in the real world.

In fact, without double-masking, the incidence of COVID-19 has dropped significantly worldwide, said the infectious diseases expert.

While findings of the CDCs study are highly useful and informative, Dr Kristen Coleman, senior research fellow at Duke-NUS Medical School Emerging Infectious Diseases programme, stressed that current measures in Singapore, such as legislating single-mask wearing, provide adequate protection to the population here.

Story continues

Since 14 April last year, it was mandatory for people in Singapore aged six and above to wear a mask when they step out of their residences, with some exceptions. For instance, those engaging in exercise such as running or jogging can take them off, but they must put them back on after completing the activity.

Under the Ministry of Health guidelines, the general public is advised to wear a mask that closely and completely covers the nose and mouth.

Those who do not comply face a $300 fine for first-time offenders. Repeat offenders will face higher fines or prosecution in court for egregious cases .

However, if the COVID-19 situation in Singapore were to worsen with a spike in cases, authorities may have to consider making double-masking mandatory, according to Dr Coleman.

Given the promising results of the study, double-masking  if feasible  or the use of tighter fitting masks should be encouraged, especially for those working in high-risk settings, she added.

Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, noted that while double-masking can be effective, the bigger issue is getting the general public to mask up properly  be it wearing a single mask or two.

Using two masks is akin to wearing two seat belts. Yes, it does help in some situations but getting belted up is the more important measure, said Dr Leong, adding that he does not expect authorities here to mandate double-masking.

If there are compliance issues with wearing a single mask, wouldn't there be double the compliance issue with two masks?

Rather, Dr Leong stressed, the general public must focus on getting the basics right by using a certified mask, and wearing it consistently and properly.

Wearing a proper mask correctly saves lives. That is the bottom line, he said.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

Other Singapore stories:

MCCY investigating unauthorised versions of Count on Me, Singapore

COMMENT: FAS has its work cut out to woo sceptical public and make football project a success

Vaccination drive brought forward for Singapore seniors, extended to teachers, essential workers


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Today

Isolated thunderstorms this morning. Skies will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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By Aziz El Yaakoubi

DUBAI (Reuters) - Oman blocked U.S. audio app Clubhouse on Sunday because it did not have the right permit, authorities said, but some activists described the move as a further erosion of freedom of expression in the Gulf state.

The government did not respond immediately to a request for comment, but the telecoms regulator told WAF news website that the application was blocked due to a "lack of proper authorisation".

"Similar communication applications must obtain a permit from the authority," the Omani Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said.

Oman_blocks_Clubhouse was trending on social media in Oman on Sunday. Many Omanis shared screenshots of the app showing "error message".

"The government of Oman takes the authoritarian government of China as a role model and bans ... Clubhouse which has been used by Omanis as a space to express their opinions freely without government censorship," the Omani Association For Human Rights said in a statement.

Access to Clubhouse was blocked in China last month.

Launched in early 2020, the San Francisco-based app saw global user numbers soar after Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev held a surprise discussion on the platform.

The app has been popular in Arab countries where media is directly controlled by governments and commentators run the risk of being imprisoned for critical opinions.

Clubhouse has faced criticism elsewhere over reports of misogyny, anti-Semitism and COVID-19 misinformation on the platform despite rules against racism, hate speech, abuse and false information.

The app has said it is investing in tools to detect and prevent abuse as well as features for users, who can set rules for their rooms, to moderate conversations.

"I hope that the suspension of the Clubhouse app in Oman is a result of technical issues and not a formal ban," tweeted Omani writer Zakaria al-Muharrmi.

"Preventing people from speaking and listening to others does not protect societies, but rather increases tensions and pushes them into the abyss of chaos and confrontation."

(Editing by Nick Macfie)
Despite the service shifting more resources toward the ARRW program last year, the missile failed its first flight test a few...
Professor Karina Butler said NIAC were conscious that "very high risk" groups were due to receive the vaccine this week.

THE decision to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine leaves Ireland in a crisis situation, according to Professor Karina Butler, Chair of National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC).

Prof Butler said the last 12 to 18 hours have really been a difficult time as the NIAC recommended the deferral of the use of the vaccine following reports of four very rare, but very serious clotting events in younger people in Norway this week.

She said these clotting events were not the usual clots in the leg or the lung but much more serious clots such as in the brain and in vessels where you wouldnt expect to see it.

Read More

She confirmed the EMA has begun a rapid review of the situation to understand whether the issues were coincidental or if it was possible there is a causal relationship, that the vaccine may in some way have triggered the clots.

We dont know the answer to this yet, Prof Butler told Brendan OConnor, on RTE Radio this morning.

Because we want to be sure that what were recommending is safe, and that we can maintain confidence in the vaccination programme, we felt that we had to pause. Just pause, until we get the additional information, that gives us the reassurance that this is fine, and weve done this out of an abundance of caution.

These reports are serious but they may be totally coincidental, but they were happening in younger age groups, she said.

Prof Butler said NIAC were conscious people targeted for administration of the AstraZeneca jab this week were people in very high risk groups that may have other underlying conditions.

She confirmed these cases were different to more scattered and rare reports of clotting from earlier in the week and said when the EMA and AstraZeneca looked at those cases, the incidence was no greater than what you would expect in the population, so all of that was very reassuring.

The majority of the other clots were a clot in the leg or the lung where you might expect it.

"There were some of these very serious ones but they seemed very scattered and rare and there were other things that may have explained it as well. Then this group on top of that, seeming to cluster together, and we dont know that there isnt another reason for it.

Originally it was thought maybe, but this isnt a batch-related issue, that wouldnt explain this. This is across batches, Prof Butler said.

She said the move to suspend the vaccines use temporarily in Ireland should increase public confidence in the vaccination programme.

What you want is for us to deliver safe progress. We are taking every measure to ensure that is what were doing. In fact, confidence would be lost if it was felt there were safety signals that we were ignoring. I would hope that we will be able to communicate to people that what were doing is so that you can be confident in your vaccination programme.

Hopefully, if we are able to resume, that you would have even greater confidence that this has been looked at absolutely rigorously and there was no need to worry.

I think people would want us to do this. Were not stopping, just pausing, until we get the information to see. All the preliminary evidence was reassuring but this is a new development.

The NIAC will publish information about whether people who have taken the vaccine should take a daily aspirin to prevent clotting, but Prof Butler said ordinarily, this would be a safe thing to do.

We will seek advice from the experts on this, Prof Butler said.

Professor Sam McConkey, speaking on the same programme, said the decision seemed to be borne out of an abundance of caution.

Id be wondering if this is four instances of the same rare problem or is it four different things, he said.

Prof McConkey said getting regular exercise is a good way of preventing clots, for people who may have taken the vaccine and are worried about this latest development.

At 14, I had a regular route for a rival newspaper, but there was always something special about the times I subbed for a buddy who was a carrier for The San Francisco Chronicle.

I couldnt resist scanning through The Chronicle before folding and bagging papers for delivery. It was simply more interesting with its dash of stylish writing, stable of must-read columnists and swatches of wit and wackiness. It had Caen, Hoppe, Delaplane, McCabe. The Sporting Green. Question Man. Little Man. The Pink.

The route itself could be an adventure, with a frenzied terrier that never failed to dart out on cue, barking all the way, with its spinning legs exceeding the RPMs on my bicycle pedals. I never found out whether its interest was a pant leg, a free copy or just a bit of morning cardio. He always gave up after a block.

Thirty-one years ago, I gained the privilege of serving Chronicle readers in another capacity: as a writer and editor. By that point in my career I had worked a decade beyond the reach of the Voice of the West: Washington, Philadelphia, Denver. Yet there was never any doubt where I most wanted to land.

In 1996, I was promoted to editorial page editor, a great job at any newspaper and a godsend in San Francisco, especially with what was to come in the next quarter century. At the time, I had not worked a day on an editorial page, and wondered if I would have enough opinions to fill 365 days a year. I was fortunate to have longtime Editor Bill German as my boss with marching orders to trust my instincts, to take a stand, to make a difference.

Theres one thing I never want to see in an editorial ... and thats the phrase, On the other hand, was his sole admonition.

The past 25 years could not have been more fascinating in the Bay Area. Savviest of the leaders from the cage match of San Francisco politics kept emerging and rising to power in the state and the nation. John Burton, to state Senate president pro tem. Nancy Pelosi, to speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Gavin Newsom, from mayor to lieutenant governor to governor. And, of course, Kamala Harris, from district attorney to state attorney general to U.S. senator to vice president of the United States.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle 2018

The regions economic and cultural shifts were no less profound. Silicon Valley boomed, then came the dot-com bust, then tech bounced back larger than ever as the innovation economy found a new footing in San Francisco for better and for worse. Recognition of same-sex marriage went from a thrilling act of rebellion at City Hall in February 2004 to the law of the land after a 2015 Supreme Court ruling.

No opinion writer could ever hope for more consequential material than three of the four impeachments in American history, the only gubernatorial recall in California history, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack that shook this nations aura of invincibility, two foreign wars or the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Its been such a privilege to work with all my colleagues at The Chronicle, past and present, the opinion staffers who made me look good so many times and the folks throughout 901 Mission St.  or, more recently, on Zoom!  whose work inspired me and made me proud to be associated with this organization. I wont name names here, because any list would be either too space intensive or incomplete.

I must put in a word of praise for the Hearst Corp., which purchased The Chronicle from the de Young family in late 2000. Plenty has been written by academics deploring corporate ownership of media, and there are abundant examples where the result has been a diminution of the resources for the newsroom and commitment to the community. Not here. Its no secret that the privately owned Hearst Corp. endured significant losses in the post-merger years to sustain quality journalism. Its patience appears to be paying off: The Chronicle, on the brink of sale or closure in 2008, is financially stable and journalistically ambitious.

I am forever grateful for the confidence Hearst entrusted in me  an editor it inherited  through the merger with the afternoon Examiner. I have since worked for five publishers of varying personalities and political perspectives, but all with a common belief in the value of an independent and meaningful editorial page.

Much has changed since I embarked on those predawn deliveries. Dogs now have to harass cars, not kids on bikes, if they dare to interrupt the free flow of information. More Chronicle readers are waking up to news on their laptops or smart phones than from the printed page at the breakfast table  and expect, and get, breaking updates throughout the day. Yet one thing never changes: Its all about the content that readers want and need.

Im appreciative of all your feedback over the years, letting me know when I have achieved or missed the high standards you rightly expect of The Chronicle. You are the franchise.

Im leaving The Chronicle this week, having accepted a voluntary buyout, knowing that its in good hands with a legion of talented journalists whose work is certain to intrigue and amaze me on a regular basis.

Its been quite a ride, and that terrier was not the last to bark at me along the way. On the other hand, if no one ever objects, youre not really taking a stand. Imagine that: a job where I got to meet interesting people, spend my days researching and refining my opinions and then sharing them with a highly informed readership.

This sure has beat working for a living.

John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron
Sen. Dianne Feinstein cant hide anymore. She is about to feel the heat for not opposing the filibuster  and much of the pressure will come from fellow California Democrats.

Feinstein has largely dodged criticism while progressives focused on Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, the Democrats who have most openly opposed getting rid of the rule that allows a minority of 40 senators in the 100-member chamber to block a vote on any bill.

But that silence toward Feinstein, rooted in deference to the 87-year-old former San Francisco mayors long, pioneering career, is about to end.

The heat is growing because several Democratic priorities are heading to the Senate  including gun control, police accountability and a sprawling bill called HR1, aimed partly at keeping Republicans in many states from making it harder for people to vote. Those bills will go nowhere in the Senate as long as Republicans can jam them by invoking the filibuster  but to do away with it, Democrats will need every one of their 50 senators onboard.

Part of the reason Feinstein hasnt felt the pressure is that people arent sure where she stands. Not even Fred Wertheimer, founder and president of Democracy 21, one of Washingtons top government watchdog groups, can say.

I dont know what her position is, Wertheimer told me.

Join the club. Neither does Feinstein.

The senator understands this is a very important issue and continues to review it, but doesnt have a statement at this time, Feinstein spokesperson Tom Mentzer told me.

Aram Fischer, a leader in Californias Indivisible community of left-leaning activists, replied: Its definitely time to take a position.

Its something Feinsteins California colleague, Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla, has done: Hes already made it clear he would do away with the filibuster for strong contenders such as bills on climate change, health care and voting rights.

For months, Indivisible activists have been meeting privately with Feinsteins staffers to try to get her state a willingness to restrict or dump the filibuster. No luck. So they are going to take their campaign public.

In the next few days, they will unleash letters, emails, phone calls and social media posts urging her to oppose the filibuster so that HR1 can pass. Among the bills provisions: Requiring states to set up automatic voter registration systems, allowing early voting and mail voting, and mandating that political district boundaries be drawn by independent commissions rather than state legislatures.

Its an urgent priority for Democrats because Republicans in many states have embarked on a campaign to restrict who can vote and when. The nonpartisan Brennan Center counts more than 250 such bills in 43 states so far this year, the vast majority proposed by a GOP aggrieved over former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Some of the bills are squarely aimed at suppressing the votes of people of color. The House in Georgia, a state that was key to Joe Bidens victory and Democrats gaining control of Congress, has passed a bill that, among other things, would limit voting on Sundays, when many Black churches hold get-out-the-vote drives.

The proposed changes to Georgia voting laws are nothing more than a version of Jim Crow in a suit and tie, Stacey Abrams, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate turned voting rights activist, told Mother Jones magazine.

Feinstein could do something to stop that, activists say.

On Monday, Indivisible will send a letter to Feinstein signed by leaders in the organizations chapters from Plumas County to San Diego, representing 75,000 to 100,000 very energized activists.

They realize that Feinstein has long sought compromise with Republicans. But thats not realistic when no Republicans will do the same, they argue. And far from being a hallowed Senate tradition, activists note, the filibuster was most famously used by Southern racists for years to block civil rights legislation.

So they are trying to convince an institutionalist who was first elected to the Senate in 1992 by appealing to her sense of history.

Why would Sen. Feinstein want to stake her legacy on an arcane rule with racist origins that further depletes Californias power in the Senate? Fischer told me.

Joining Indivisible is the 1.4 million-member liberal activist group Courage California, whose online petition drive demands that Feinstein ditch the filibuster so the Senate can pass HR1. She will also start feeling pressure from MoveOn, the 10 million-member liberal organization, which is planning a campaign to target senators who oppose reforming the filibuster.

If they succeed, Feinstein may look like an outsider in her own party. In addition to Padilla, former President Barack Obama and some centrist senators, including Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, have called for ending the filibuster. It is going to be harder for Feinstein to hide her non-position behind Manchin and Sinema.

Activists say she has few reasons not to act. Unlike Manchin  who represents a red, Trump-loving state, or Sinema, who is from a swing state, Feinstein has little to fear in deep blue California. Plus, its not clear she will run for re-election in 2024, when she will be 91, although she hasnt ruled it out.

Activists know that Feinstein has never been in a weaker position. Last month, a Berkeley IGS Poll found that 45% of the states registered voters disapproved of her job performance, while just 35% approved and 20% had no opinion. It was her lowest approval mark ever.

Shes not as powerful as she once was, said Jessica Taylor, a Senate analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

But she is still influential, noted Alec Bash of Action SF, whose members plan to join the lobbying effort.

If she were to come out and oppose it, Bash said, then maybe Manchin and Sinema would, too.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
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All 77 BJP MLAs in Bengal to have central security cover

Bengal Polls: BJP releases candidate list; Babul Supriyo, TMC turncoat Rajib Banerjee in fray

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 14: BJP on Sunday announced names of 27 candidates for the third phase of election and 38 candidates for the fourth phase, for the poll-bound West Bengal.

"We are announcing the names of 27 candidates for the third phase and 38 candidates for the fourth phase of polls in West Bengal. Economist Ashok Lahiri will contest from Alipurduar, and Rabindranath Bhattacharya from Singur," said BJP National General Secretary Arun Singh.

The BJP has fielded former chief economic adviser to the government Ashok Lahiri from the Alipurduar seat, Union Minister Babul Supriyo from Tollygunge, and Swapan Dasgupta from the Tarakeshwar Assembly segment.

Actor-turned-politician and sitting MP Locket Chatterjee has been fielded from Chunchura and another MP Nishit Parmanik from Dinhata.

Outgoing MLA of Singur and veteran leader Rabindranath Bhattacharya, who had crossed over from the Trinamool Congress after it denied him ticket, has been fielded from the same seat by the BJP.

Besides Chatterjee, the party has given ticket to several Bengali film personalities, including Tanushree Chakraborty from Shyampur, Payal Sarkar from Behala Purba and actor Yash Dasgupta from Chanditala in Kolkata.

West Bengal assembly polls 2021: TMC postpones manifesto release for third time

In allocating tickets in West Bengal, the BJP has expanded its candidature beyond film personalities by nominating former Chief Economic Advisor Ashok Lahiri from Alipurduar.

Lahiri has also served as chairman of the Kolkata-based Bandhan Bank and was member of the Finance Commission from 2017 to 2020.

By fielding coloumnist Dasgupta and the economist Lahiri, the BJP has sought to impress the ''Bhadralok'' sensibilities in the eastern state, political observers said, noting the Bengali intelligentsia had generally refrained from the backing the saffron party in 2019 Lok Sabha polls despite a large consolidation of Hindu votes around it.
Tony Dobrowolski's main focus is on business reporting. He came to The Eagle in 1992 after previously working for newspapers in Connecticut and Montreal. He can be reached at tdobrowolski@berkshireeagle.com or 413-2810-2755.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday held a meeting with Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and asked for the supply of more COVID-19 vaccines and help in other health-related issues of the state.

"We need 81 lakh first dose of the vaccine and we have received 18,84,000 against it, so far. The Union Health Minister has promised to provide the remaining shots very soon. Vaccination drive is being conducted in full swing," Chouhan said while speaking to ANI.

The Chief Minister also requested the Union Minister for help in the infrastructural development of the newly-established medical colleges in the state and also for the hospitals dedicated to the treatment of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy victims.

Expressing concern over the rising trend of COVID-19 positive cases, he appealed to the public for strict adherence to COVID-19 norms.

"The surge in the number of cases is a serious concern. I don't want to create a situation of panic but people should continue taking preventive measures. Otherwise, we'll be compelled to impose night curfew at places witnessing an increase in COVID-19 positive cases," Chouhan told ANI.

"We must bear in mind that the virus is still here in our midst. We can not afford to flout the protective measures against the infection. I request to the public to observe strict compliance to mask-wearing, social distancing, and hand-washing norms," he added.

Addressing the question about the crop damage due to recent rains, the CM said, "We are surveying the situation and estimating the damages done by recent rains and hail. Officials are doing the survey from the ground. Farmers need not worry as our government is with them.

(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.)
Amazon isnt the only company trying out this type of hawking on an American audience. Instagram allows some influencers to sell products on livestreams through Instagram Shopping. Facebook made similar moves for small businesses this year. TikTok livestreamed a shopping event with Wal-Mart. And both Estee Lauder Companies and LOreal Group have hosted streams for some of their beauty brands.

Everybody is thinking about this, said Mark Yuan, a co-founder of And Luxe, a livestream e-commerce consultancy company in New York. But they are rushing to it because of the pandemic. Before they had a choice. Now they have no choice.

Mr. Yuan and Zoe Zhang started And Luxe to help bring Western brands to China but have recently seen an increase in inquiries from Western companies trying to get into e-commerce livestreaming. So far, Mr. Yuan said, no American company had quite mastered it. According to him, success entails more than just adding a video to the typical e-commerce experience. Instead whats needed is a mix of content that isnt tied to shopping but can attract new viewers, limited-time deals and even products exclusive to that livestream. That goes for all of the major tech companies trying to expand an audience.

If they want to become an e-commerce livestream marketplace, Mr. Yuan said, they will have to change a lot.

Although e-commerce livestreams are still a niche enterprise in the United States, they are big business in China, where they drive about 9 percent, or $63 billion, of the countrys online market. Kim Kardashian West went on a popular Chinese influencers stream and sold out her perfume stock within minutes after 13 million people tuned in. At least one Chinese college offers e-commerce livestreaming as a degree. Chinese retailers have also innovated during the pandemic lockdowns, with more streams focused on one-on-one consultations and store walk-throughs.

But the pandemic seems to be enticing more people to test out Amazon Live while they are stuck at home and looking for new ways to connect. Felicia Jones, an influencer in North Carolina focused on beauty and home decor, said Amazon reached out last year to ask her to join the Live program. She was getting out of the shower one day in November and planned to use a bunch of hair products she had gotten off Amazon when she decided to try out a stream for the first time. Figuring out the app took a few minutes, and she found herself talking to an audience that eventually reached 1,500 people. Now she tries to stream on Amazon regularly.

If I dont stream every day, Im thinking about streaming every day, Ms. Jones said.

According to the analytics Amazon sends her, Ms. Jones said, her livestream usually gets anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 viewers, although concurrent viewers can top out in the hundreds. Its successful enough that she has reached A-list, an internal status that gets her benefits like better video placement and more priority when it comes to support issues.
The former financial controller of an electronics business in Sydneys north has admitted to stealing more than $1.6 million over an 11-year period, using an elaborate scheme which involved manipulating its payroll system to give himself extra money.

Anoush Bornoush, 52, from Gordon, worked for Powerbox Australia  a family-owned business which designs and manufactures power supplies and batteries  from 2001 to 2019, starting as a finance manager before being promoted to financial controller in 2012.

A former financial controller of an electronic business in Sydney has admitted to stealing more than $1.6 million from the organisation. Credit:Rhett Wyman

In 2019, after an electrical storm caused flooding to the business, Bornoush organised an insurance claim. As part of this, he presented several invoices to one of the business owners, Helen Rutty, late that year and said he needed her signature urgently.

A few days later, an accountant who worked with Bornoush noticed two of the invoices, totalling $10,250, were paid to a business that had not provided any services to Powerbox for seven years. Bornoushs bank account was listed on the invoice.
George North says Wales will stick to what we know this week when they plan their final assault on the Guinness Six Nations title and Grand Slam.

North and company face France in Paris next Saturday after putting themselves within touching distance of landing European rugbys two biggest prizes.

And it is familiar territory for many of the squad as Wales target a sixth Six Nations crown and fifth clean sweep.

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Wales have already won more Six Nations Grand Slams than any other country, but a first under head coach Wayne Pivac is now the aim.

A 48-7 demolition of Italy  it equalled Wales biggest win in Rome  saw them match their Six Nations-best of 17 tries in one campaign set during the 2005 and 2016 tournaments.

They also know what it takes to triumph at Stade de France, having beaten Les Bleus there in three of the last four Six Nations meetings.

And North, who drew level with Shane Williams Wales record mark of 22 Six Nations touchdowns at Stadio Olimpico, believes it is a case of making it business as usual during preparations for Paris.

George North scores one of Wales seven tries against Italy (Marco Iacobucci/PA)

I dont think anything needs to change, said Wales centre North, a Grand Slam winner in 2012 and 2019.

I think our preparation from a squad and coaching perspective, and the whole package, has been excellent.

Plenty of us have been involved in Grand Slam weeks and big Test match weeks, and if you start trying to change it now, you are in panic stations.

For us, I think we stick to what we know, we train at the intensity we do and weve got to be super-positive this week.

We are at the pointy end of the stick now. This is what all the work comes down to, and this is why we play this game.

Wales could still clinch the title with a losing bonus point next weekend, such has been their dominance of this seasons competition.

But a Grand Slam would complete an impressive turnaround by Pivacs squad, given that last year  his first at the helm after succeeding Warren Gatland  produced just three victories, against Italy twice and Georgia, from 10 starts.

Story continues

I think certainly after the autumn (Autumn Nations Cup) series there wasnt much hype about us, which is always good because we like to be underdogs, North added.

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I think the hard work the boys put in over the autumn series and the early part of the Six Nations is really coming true now.

It (Grand Slam) would be a decent one to add on to the story of 2021 after last year, for sure.

It has been a crazy year for everyone involved, from the autumn series to the performance (against Italy), and what we are playing for next Saturday.

Frances narrow defeat against England at Twickenham ended their own Grand Slam hopes, but North expects a fierce examination from Les Bleus.

France defence coach Shaun Edwards (Adam Davy/PA)

We know we have to be ready, he said. We know how potent France are.

We know what they are like physically, and we know a lot about their defence from a certain man (former Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards).

Physicality-wise and defensively they have come on leaps and bounds, and the way they attack is really potent. We know in every aspect of our game weve got to make a step up.
New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah Will visit the poll-bound states of Assam and West Bengal on Sunday (March 14). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also address three public meetings in the poll-bound state of Assam.

In Assam, Amit Shah will address public meetings at Margarita at 12:30 pm and at Nazira at 2 pm, after which he will then leave for West Bengal. A BJP press release said Shah will hold a roadshow in Kharagpur at 5:15 pm.

Hon'ble HM Shri @AmitShah Ji is scheduled to visit Assam tomorrow. With his visit, the @BJP4Assam election campaigning is expected to charge up drastically. He is also scheduled to address two public meetings. pic.twitter.com/x5l0X39rmt  Office of Jay Panda (@mp_office) March 13, 2021

According to the official Twitter handle of Rajnath Singh, the Defence Minister will address a rally in Biswanath at 12:25 pm, then address a public meeting in Gohpur at 01:40 pm following a public meeting in Deragaon at 3:05 pm in Assam today.

Singh, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda are among 40 star campaigners of the BJP for Assam Assembly elections.

Polling for the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on March 27, April 1 and April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

BJP has announced the first list of 71 candidates for Phase-I and Phase-II Assam Assembly Elections 2021. Of the 71 candidates, the party has given tickets to 11 new candidates.

It has also fielded candidates on seats that were earlier held by its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and former partner Bodoland Peoples Front (BDF).

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 19:09:02|Editor: huaxia

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LAGOS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday issued a stern warning to "terrorists and bandits" targeting schools, saying the country will not allow the destruction of the school system.

The president gave the warning in a statement released by his spokesperson Garba Shehu in Abuja, reacting to the gunmen attack on the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in the Afaka area of the northwest state of Kaduna on Thursday night.

The president commended the efforts of the Kaduna state government and the early response of the military which led to the rescue of 180 persons, including 172 students and eight staff members.

He urged that the others declared missing be found and returned safely to their families.

The president also commended efforts and contributions of local intelligence in significantly thwarting the kidnappers, saying a country that has an efficient local intelligence network is a safer country.

"Our military may be efficient and well-armed, but it needs good efforts for the nation's defense and the local population must rise to this challenge of the moment," he said.

A series of gunmen attacks has recently happened in the northern part of the most populous African country, including attacks on schools and kidnapping of students. Enditem
An Executive Member of the Tema East Constituency branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Stephen Ashitey Adjei, has responded to reports that former President John Dramani Mahama will contest for the 2024 Presidential ticket of the party.



In a statement copied to the media, Mr. Ashitey Adjei, who is popularly called Moshake, said the former Presidents outlook is unfair to the NDC.



NDC is effectively becoming like the private playground for one person which is very unfair because the party is a congress and therefore is the convergence point for many great talents who equally are entitled to the opportunity to use it as stepping stone to the leadership of our country, Moshake wrote.



A man with a reputation for plain-talking, Moshake urged the former President to, realize that he is becoming a Mugabe Flagbearer of the NDC with his recycled leadership of the party for the past decade.



Vibes from Mr. Mahamas camp that he will run again have started featuring in newspaper articles and other news media. If the former President runs for the 2024 flagbearership of the NDC, it will be his third time after losing the Presidency to Akufo-Addo in 2016.



It will also be his fourth flagbearership of the NDC, overall.



A one-man flagbearer mark-time is not what the NDC was envisioned to be, my advice to my former President is that this chapter of his life has closed and he should be willing to let go. After all, it is God who gives and also takes. Former President Mahama will not lose anything if he bows out now and leave the scene for others to inherit the baton of leadership of our great party, Moshake wrote.



He pointed out that, as a former President, he will continue to receive his salary until he dies; he has already had his eight years at the Presidency, having been like former President Mills who similarly was Vice President and later, President. Nobody can mock President Mahama as a one-term President because he is not; he is also a former Vice President, and so why the insistence on becoming President again?



According to the popular NDC man, the 2020 defeat at the hands of President Akufo-Addo is not something that Mr. Mahama should cry over because not even President Rawlings would have found it easy to swim against the winsome tide of Free SHS.



He added that this is why some of us had advised and campaigned for the former President to forget about 2020 and allow someone else to assume the mantle so that if even that new Flagbearer had not been successful, the 2020 campaigns would have marketed him and now we would be readying to take over government again in 2024, but nobody listened; in fact, some of us were targeted for speaking the bitter truth.



Now as things stand, if even we present former President Mahama and he wins in 2024, he will only have one more term and then what; start marketing his successor? Somebody should please tell the former President that the time has come for him to make way and allow someone else to assume the mantle. It is time for Mr. John Mahama to become the wise elder who sits back and gives advice, Moshake wrote.









He added that if the former President insists and, goes on to become a Mugabe Flagbearer for NDC in 2024, it will be a clear sign that he never really has the NDC at heart. It will be a reminder of all the unfair things that the NDC has suffered in his hands; like when his family announced he would not run again after the 2016 election, only for him to turn round and saddle the NDC with himself, leading to a very acrimonious presidential primary that led to a fractured campaign team front for the 2020 elections.



Moshake also listed the neglect of the party members during his Presidency and the poor management of the Founder, Jerry Rawlings as some of the sins of John Mahama.



How do you tell citizens you are governing that you have become a dead goat; how do you withdraw allowances of teachers and nursing trainees, how do you so mismanage Martin Amidu that he becomes a very powerful tool and an asset to our opponents the NPP? We suffered all of these and many more under you!



However I am willing to forgive all that and put the past behind me if Mr. Mahama will resist the temptation to become the NDCs Mugabe Flagbearer, and I believe many others in the party will be willing to forgive as well, Moshake wrote.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that federal officials told him that some migrants at the border will be sent to a holding facility in Midland.

Abbott, appearing on Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, said Texas officials were surprised to learn around 9:30 Saturday night that migrants will be sent to Midland. There were no other details about how many migrants will be sent to Midland or where they will be held.
Can Tho, a city in the Mekong Delta, which is Vietnams largest rice-growing region, is planning on spending nearly VND30 billion (US$1.3 million) to exterminate its mouse population in five years to protect local crops.

The plan, signed into effect by Can Tho deputy chairman Nguyen Ngoc He, seeks to actively control the citys mouse population in a timely, methodological, and continuous manner, thereby ensuring its rice and fruit production is unharmed.

More than VND22.5 billion ($975,000) will be set aside from the citys budget during the plans five-year effective period of 2021-25.

The remaining costs of its implementation will be paid for by local farmers.

Aside from mouse control and wipeout, the plan also seeks to educate locals on the pests harmful effects for better understanding and management.

During the five years, 1,500 day-long knowledge transfer workshops will be held for rice farmers in Can Tho, with 85 similar workshops planned for fruit growers.

As many as 112,500 mouse traps will be provided to farmers for a total of 225,142 hectares of crop land at risk of mouse infestation, equivalent to about 22,500 free traps supplied yearly.

A total of 5,625 kilograms of biological pesticides will also be provided as part of the plan.

Trap crops  plants that attract pests away from the main crop to prevent decimation without using pesticides  will also be grown for better mouse control.

Annual meetings will be organized to review the plans implementation and sketch out specific goals for the next year.

The estimated costs cover spending on printing posters and leaflets and publishing media articles for communication purposes as well.

The Mekong Delta, comprising 12 provinces and a centrally-administered city, is Vietnams largest rice-growing region.

The delta contributed more than half of the Southeast Asian countrys domestic rice production and over 90 percent of its rice exports, according to a 2017 report.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
A new batch of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, comprised of 224,640 doses, will arrive on Monday in Romania, the National Committee to Coordinate Activities regarding COVID-19 Vaccination (CNCAV).

The vaccines will be delivered by air, to the airports in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara, the quoted source mentions.

Transport to the holding centers will be ensured by the producing company, the vaccines being transported in optimum safety conditions, in special containers.

According to CNCAV, the vaccination process continues in the centers in Bucharest and around the country, the doses being distributed as follows:

* National Center for Storage Bucharest - 63,180 doses;

* Regional Storage Center Brasov - 26,910 doses;

* Regional Storage Center Cluj - 29,250 doses;

* Regional Storage Center Constanta - 25,740 doses;

* Regional Storage Center Craiova - 24,570 doses;

* Regional Storage Center Iasi - 29,250 doses;

* Regional Storage Center Timisoara - 25,740 doses

The vaccination centers will use both doses received by Romania in the current batch, as well as in previous batches, on the basis of requests sent by the National Center and the regional storage centers, through the county public health directorates and the public health directorate of the City of Bucharest, the quoted source also shows.

The allotment of vaccine doses is done according to the delivery calendar made available by the producing company, by which, weekly, Romania receives the batches of vaccine necessary to immunize the population.
About 1,200 South Pacific fruit pickers are expected to arrive in South Australia to help fill critical shortages of seasonal agriculture workers.

This comes as the SA government's attempts to encourage unemployed locals to take up fruit picking jobs failed to attract sufficient workers.

A regional Covid-19 quarantine facility has been set up to house the foreign workers in the Riverland at Paringa, about 270km east of Adelaide.

Pacific Island fruit pickers are being flown in to South Australia in time for the citrus fruit harvest

The workers will be transported directly from the Adelaide airport to Paringa where they will complete 14 days of quarantine before being eligible to work.

Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development David Basham said the state government had made significant efforts to employ unemployed locals.

'Unfortunately not enough people have rallied to the call and foreign workers are now a critical need,' he said on Sunday.

'With citrus season fast approaching it is critical we deliver a safe solution to fill our seasonal worker shortages to ensure our state's crops are harvested.'

About 200 workers are expected to arrive in the coming days, with 1,000 more set to fly in over the next few months.

With no international travel or backpackers there has been a critical shortage of fruit pickers

'I know the stress that industry has been facing as the citrus harvest draws closer,' Mr Basham said.

He said protecting the wider community from any risk was the primary focus of the facility.

A new cohort of fruit pickers is set to arrive each fortnight over the next three months under the Commonwealth Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme.

East Timorese people boarding a plane to work in Australia in December 2020

The $7 million program is jointly funded by the Marshall Liberal Government and industry.

More than 2,600 Pacific Island workers have come into Australia since the outbreak of Covid-19.

Other states to have had Pacific Islander workers include: Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmania.

None have tested positive for coronavirus.

SA's primary industries are worth $14.1 billion a year to the state economy.
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Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-13 04:14:26|Editor: huaxia

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People enjoy their weekend in Parco della Caffarella in Rome, Italy, on March 13, 2021. Italy approved a fresh round of tight anti-COVID-19 restrictions nationwide on Friday, as the virus variants circulating in the country were boosting infections. The new measures will be implemented between March 15 and April 6, including Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (April 4-5), which represent a traditional holiday for Italians in spring. According to the Health Ministry's latest data, some 26,062 new cases were registered on a daily basis. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

ROME, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Italy approved a fresh round of tight anti-COVID-19 restrictions nationwide on Friday, as the virus variants circulating in the country were boosting infections.

The new measures will be implemented between March 15 and April 6, including Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (April 4-5), which represent a traditional holiday for Italians in spring.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi's cabinet passed the decree in late morning, after discussing it on Thursday night with the scientific-technical committee (CTS) counseling Italian authorities during the pandemic emergency.

The provision will bring Italy back into a sort of lockdown-light, with restrictions very similar to those imposed over the Christmas-New Year period, which had allowed keeping the pandemic curve under control in January.

The three-tiered system, which divides the country into yellow, orange, and red zones -- for lower, medium, and high level of contagion risk, respectively -- was confirmed.

The new decree provided the whole country will turn "red" during the Easter weekend (April 3-5), thus embracing the maximum level of restrictions on business and social life.

In these days, people will be required to remain at home as much as possible, but for one single visit allowed to another private home a day by maximum two adults plus under-14 children. Bars, restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons and any other leisure facility will remain closed.

Ahead of Easter, and starting on Monday, the regions currently in the yellow zone will be moved up into the orange zone, regardless of their local pandemic condition.

In addition, the decree provided that any area in the country registering more than 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants within 7 days on average would be automatically declared a red zone between March 15 and April 6.

An ongoing ban on inter-regional travels due to expire on March 27 was extended, adding to the night curfew in place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The reopening of theaters and cinemas, scheduled on March 27, was postponed.

As of Friday, Italy has registered more than 3.1 million COVID-19 cases, including 509,317 active infections and some 101,564 fatalities, according to the Health Ministry's latest data.

Up to Friday, over 6.3 million people in Italy have been administered the authorized coronavirus vaccines, including President Sergio Mattarella, who received the first shot on Tuesday.

Seen as the most powerful weapon against the pandemic, vaccination campaigns with authorized anti-COVID-19 vaccines are now ongoing in many countries around the world.

Meanwhile, 263 candidate vaccines are being developed worldwide -- 81 of them in clinical trials -- including in Germany, Italy, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to the World Health Organization.
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When the Prime Minister turned his back on a female journalist at a press conference in Sydney earlier this month, abruptly ending the conference and delivering the parting shot: I am the Prime Minister, I had a flashback.

He said the same to me, once, when I challenged him. I. Am. The. Prime. Minister. It was just days after the coup when he took over the leadership from Malcolm Turnbull. Did he think I missed the news cycle? Condescension dripped from every word he uttered during the phone call with me  a woman who was speaking her mind about a decision she felt was the right way, not his way.

Julia Banks in Parliament: too often when powerful men are challenged by women they will either walk away or overtly show theyre not listening. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

To speak or not to speak. That question has entered the racing minds of millions of women who have experienced or witnessed sexism, bullying, harassment and abuse  particularly in workplaces across Australia. Should I say something? Should I speak up?

Today I am speaking up at the March 4 Justice in Melbourne, for the millions of women who couldnt speak or cant speak, for the women who have been silenced for too long.
HQ-505, the only ship that was not sunk in the battle, was commanded by the captain to crash onto Co Lin Reef after it was shot to fire by the enemy ship, becoming a sovereignty landmark of Vietnam. Co Lin Reef has been protected from the enemys attack. HQ-505 was praised by the State as Hero of the People's Armed Forces for the glorious victory. (Photo: File/VNA)
Texas shelter housing migrants sees spike in COVID-19 infections

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Migrant families coming across the border into Texas amid a new illegal immigration wave are testing positive for COVID-19 at a much higher rate  up to 10 times higher in some quarters  than the positive test rate among the U.S. population.

The Washington Times reports that its survey of jurisdictions that are doing the testing has found that Brownsville, Texas, has reported a 12% positive rate for the novel coronavirus among incoming migrant families. And a homeless shelter in Harlingen has seen a 25% positive rate among the migrants it has helped.

The current positivity test rate for the U.S. public is at 3.5%, per Johns Hopkins Universitys tracker.

The Washington Times quotes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as saying the families they've processed are between 5% and 10% positive for COVID-19, and they can only process 100 people a day among the 500 to 800 people who are coming across the border daily.

Pastor Bill Reagan, who runs the shelter in Harlingen, called Loaves and Fishes, said they're doing their best to help the massive influx of migrants. It would be best if Customs and Border Protection decides to release certain individuals into the United States that they thoroughly quarantine ... for the 14 days and test them and only release those that test negative, he said. But I also understand theyre overwhelmed.

The pastor said that among two groups that arrived at the shelter on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19, the first group had a COVID-19 positivity rate of 25%, while the second group was never tested before they were transported to the shelter.

Reagan believes many are not being tested despite having been in close contact with those who have tested positive, yet they are being released.

I think this is probably true for all the places people have been released from Border Patrol custody. All of them have been in close quarters for a long period of time. They all come together on the bus, theyve all been detained together, and I would suppose on their trip from Central America they have been mixing with all kinds of people, he told The Washington Times.

Say they come to us on a particular day  they may just have been exposed that day or a day earlier and not test positive because of that, he added.

The number of those whove been released without any testing is in thousands, Sheriff A.J. Louderback in Jackson County, Texas, told The Washington Times.

More than 100,000 people, including nearly 9,500 unaccompanied minors, crossed the southern border illegally in February, according to The Epoch Times.

As President Joe Biden vowed during the 2020 campaign to reverse many of former President Trumps policies, the Trump administration sought to ensure that migrant asylum-seekers would remain in Mexico while their cases were processed in the U.S.

However, The Washington Post recently reported that the Biden administration was planning to convert immigrant family detention centers in South Texas into rapid-processing hubs to screen migrant adults and children and release them within 72 hours.

The Biden administration has dismissed calls to describe the influx of migrants at the southern border as a "crisis," with White House Press Secretary Jen Paski rejecting the term "border crisis" outright.

"I dont think we need to sit here and put new labels on what weve already conveyed is challenging," Psaki said Tuesday at a press briefing.

Customs and Border Protection released figures this week showing that 100,441 people were apprehended in February while crossing the border illegally.

During the White House press briefing on Wednesday, Bidens Southern Border Coordinator Roberta Jacobson, a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, acknowledged that illegal border crossings have spiked under this administration.

"We've seen surges before," Jacobson said. "Surges tend to respond to hope, and there was significant hope for a more humane policy after four years of pent-up demand.

"So I don't know whether I would call that a coincidence, but I certainly think that the idea that a more humane policy would be in place may have driven people to make that decision," Jacobson added. "But perhaps, more importantly, it definitely drove smugglers to express disinformation  to spread disinformation about what was now possible."

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who recently criticized the Biden administration over its stand on illegal immigration, told CNN on Thursday, There are three messages  One message from the White House  dont come now, come later. Message number two from the family members and neighbors  Hey, Pedro, ya pasamos. Were able to come. Come over right now.

Cuellar continued, Message number three is from the criminal organizations  Hey, I can get you across. Pay me a little bit of money. And they are going to listen to message number two and three. Quite honestly, that is whats happening until we have a solid message that we can send down to Central America.

A large number of migrants are listening to smugglers or family members messages, he added.

Speaking to The Houston Chronicle recently, Cuellar also warned that we are weeks, maybe even days away from a crisis on the southern border.

Inaction is simply not an option, Cuellar said. Our country is currently unprepared to handle a surge in migrants in the middle of the pandemic.

This week, John Modlin, interim chief in charge of the Border Patrols Tucson sector in Arizona, also warned that illegal immigration was likely to overtake the past three years combined. So right now, were about a hundred percent over where we were this time this last fiscal year, independent journalist Sharyl Attkisson quoted him as saying, according to The Epoch Times.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the states Department of Public Safety announced last week that they will deploy the Texas National Guard to the Mexico border as part of Operation Lone Star to prevent Mexican cartels and traffickers from smuggling people and drugs into the state.

Describing the situation as a border crisis, the Republican governor made the announcement on Twitter. He said the operation involves the deployment of the Texas National Guard as well as air, ground, Marine and tactical border security assets to deny Mexican Cartels & smugglers the ability to move drugs & people into Texas.
Lucknow, March 14 : India's bowlers need to prepare better before a series, said captain Mithali Raj after their seven-wicket defeat to South Africa women on Sunday. The visitors took a 3-1 lead with the win, thus confirming a series win for themselves.

All of South Africa's top order batters scored half centuries on Sunday as they chased down a target of 267 with eight balls to spare.

"Even if we had scored more than 266, it wouldn't have been enough, the way the South Africans batted. Our bowling department need to work on preparation before a series. We lacked that," said Mithali in the post-match presentation ceremony.

"We are not a bad fielding side but there are things we can improve on. We missed Jhulan's (Goswami) experience but it was an opportunity for the other bowlers to step up and take responsibility. Our spin department is experienced. I expect them to come back stronger," she further said.

Laura Wolvaardt, who was standing in as South Africa's captain in place of Sune Luus, hailed the effort from the team. "This was a massive team effort. I'm fresh to the job and I used the senior players for advice and help. The plan was to be as attacking with the ball upfront as we could be. We have a world-class attack. One in the top four has to bat through for us. It's something we haven't done in the past," said Wolvaardt.
Tom Tugendhat has blasted Britain's new foreign policy which will treat China as a 'competitor' while Russia will be seen as a 'hostile state'.

The Conservative MP, who is a member of the China Research Group, warned that President Xi Jinping is a bigger threat to the national interests than Vladimir Putin.

His comments come ahead of Tuesday's landmark policy review which will outline plans to increase spending on cyberwarfare in a Commons statement by Boris Johnson.

The 100-page review, titled Global Britain in a Competitive Age, brands Russia the 'biggest state-based threat' that the UK faces but China will be treated differently as a commercial 'competitor',

Mr Tugendhat told the MailOnline: 'I'm not sure St George described his dragon as a competitor.

Tom Tugendhat has blasted Britain's new foreign policy which will treat China as a 'competitor' while Russia will be seen as a 'hostile state'

'Russia's power has been eroded by theft and internal brutality over decades, China's has only grown.

'Even Brussels describes Beijing as a systemic rival, recognising that China's rulers threaten our interests and allies.

'Competition is based on fair dealing; that's not what we're seeing today.'

His comments echo the former CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre, Ciaran Martin, who said the new policy was 'confusing'.

Ciaran Martin (pictured) the former CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre has branded Britain's new China policy 'confusing'

Mr Martin, the previous head of cyber security at GCHQ, told Times Radio: 'I think it is a hard problem, there have been some confusing signals. But I think that that's because it is a difficult challenge.

'I think now we are realising that China is a huge competitor against the western model, the first we've had since the end of the the Cold War, but at the same time on things like climate change, some sort of relationship is needed with China.

'But there's going to be an awful lot of difficult choices, you know, what sort of relationships do we have with China and universities? What sort of economic links and so forth?

'But I think that we will be more cautious on technological dependence on China in the future.'

Boris Johnson last night announced he would equip Britain to meet increasingly complex security challenges by building a 'cyber corridor' in the North of England.

The previous head of cyber security at GCHQ, warned the government must be 'cautious' on depending on President Xi Jinping for technology

Britain will view Russia as a 'hostile state' but treat China largely as a commercial 'competitor', a review of UK foreign policy will announce on Tuesday

The review says Russia is the 'biggest state-based threat' that the UK faces as a result of its aggressive foreign policy and the state's use of chemical weapons on UK soil as part of a murder plot, reports The Times.

Yulia Skripal and her double agent father Sergei Skripal, 68, were poisoned with novichok on March 4 2019 after two Russian agents smeared the deadly nerve agent on the door handle of Mr Skripal's home.

General Sir Patrick Sanders  who oversees cyber, Special Forces and intelligence as head of Strategic Command  said yesterday that the UK needed to focus more on algorithms and cyberwarfare rather than the size of the military and conventional weaponry, with artificial intelligence becoming the nation's modern deterrence.

The Scripals were poisoned after two Russian agents smeared the deadly nerve agent on the door handle of Mr Skripal's home. Pictured: Russian agents Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov in Salisbury

The review will aim to persuade the UK's former EU partners that Britain seeks to remain a vital piece in tackling European security in Nato.

A senior Whitehall source told the newspaper: 'The principal threat to the UK is from Russia. That's in there. It doesn't talk about China in those terms.

'China is a competitor that tries to steal intellectual property and is a threat to economic security but that's not the same as what happened in Salisbury.'

Boris Johnson condemned Vladimir Putin over the 'brazen' Salisbury attack as the leaders held face-to-face talks in January.

Johnson warned the Russian president there is no prospect of normal relations between the countries until Moscow stops 'undermining the safety of our citizens and collective security'.

Yulia Skripal (left) and her double agent father Sergei Skripal, 68, (right) were poisoned with novichok on March 4 2019

The bruising encounter between the pair, the first since Mr Johnson took over in Downing Street, came as they attended a summit in Berlin.

A No10 spokeswoman said: 'The Prime Minister met President Putin in the margins of the Berlin Conference on Libya.

'He was clear there had been no change in the UK's position on Salisbury, which was a reckless use of chemical weapons and a brazen attempt to murder innocent people on UK soil. He said that such an attack must not be repeated.'

The UK and its allies blamed Russia for the use of Novichok nerve agent against former agent the Skripals.

Another source said: 'Russia is a hostile state, China is a global challenge. With China the approach is: compete where necessary, co-operate where possible, counteract when necessary.'

The Prime Minister has been keen to direct new Government investment  including flagship infrastructure projects and Whitehall departments  outside London, as part of his 'levelling up' agenda.

The Prime Minister has been keen to direct new Government investment  including flagship infrastructure projects and Whitehall departments  outside London, as part of his 'levelling up' agenda

The headquarters of the National Cyber Force (NCF)  created last year to conduct targeted online operations against terrorists, hostile states and criminal gangs  will be situated in the North of England as part of the 'cyber corridor'.

Manchester has the fastest-growing digital sector in Europe, with 15 per cent of its population employed in the technology sector.

The NCF will build on the work of GCHQ, which already has an office in the city, by merging intelligence and defence specialists under a single, unified command.

Its experts will specialise in areas such as the interruption of hacking attempts by foreign powers, preventing terrorists from communicating with their contacts and protecting military aircraft from targeted weapons systems.

Mr Johnson said: 'Cyber power is revolutionising the way we live our lives and fight our wars, just as air power did 100 years ago.

'We need to build up our cyber capability so we can grasp the opportunities it presents, while ensuring those who seek to use its powers to attack us and our way of life are thwarted at every turn.'
Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank have shared a second glimpse of their one-month-old son August lying among a field of daffodils.

Taking to Instagram, the royal, 30, celebrated her first Mother's Day by posting an adorable snap of her son August, who was born on February 9.

Although his head is turned away from the camera, the young royal can be seen donning a patterned babygrow adorned with whales, a knitted white cardigan, matching hat and fluffy rabbit slippers.

Princess Eugenie also paid tribute to her mother Sarah Ferguson, 61, in a throwback snap where Fergie can be seen holding her as a baby back in 1990.

Alongside the touching tributes, the Queen's granddaughter penned: 'I'm so excited to be August's mum and as you can see I'm enjoying my first Mothers Day.'

'I'm also celebrating my beautiful Mumma with this picture of us from March 1990. Youve taught me so much. Happy Mothers Day to all.'

Princess Eugenie, 30, has shared a snap of her one-month-old son August to mark her first Mother's Day as a new mum (pictured)

Alongside the image, the royal said she was 'so excited' to be August's mum and was enjoying her first Mother's Day

Royal fans were quick to comment on the adorable snap, while Eugenie's brother-in-law Edo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Beatrice's husband, 'liked' the post.

'Happy Mother's Day to you beautiful photos,' wrote one, while a second penned: 'Happy mother's day, dearest.'

A third added: 'Happy 1st Mother's Day Princess Eugenie. Many blessings to you and your little one.'

The daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson welcomed her first child, who is 11th in line to the throne, with Jack on February 9 at London's Portland Hospital. The couple were pictured leaving the hospital three days later on February 12.

Last month, the new mother revealed the name and shared her first family picture with her son - the Queen's ninth great grandchild - which is thought to have been taken in the grounds of Frogmore Cottage, where the couple are currently living.

Posting a series of photographs on Instagram, the Queen's granddaughter wrote: 'Thank you for so many wonderful messages. Our hearts are full of love for this little human, words can't express. We are excited to be able to share these photos with you.'

Eugenie also paid tribute with a picture of her mother Sarah Ferguson holding her in 1990, the year of her birth

Princess Eugenie recently said she wants her baby son August (pictured together with husband Jack Brooksbank) to grow up in a world where he knows he can 'make a big difference'

Eugenie revealed last month that her son's name is a touching tribute to Queen Victoria's Husband Prince Albert, whose birth name was Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel, and Prince Philip, who is currently in hospital

Eugenie went on to reveal the name was a touching tribute to Queen Victoria's Husband Prince Albert, whose birth name was Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel, and Prince Philip, who is currently in hospital, writing: 'On his grandfather's birthday weekend, thinking of my grandfather, we are introducing our little boy.

He is named after his great grandfather and both of his 5x great grandfathers.'

Throughout the day, the Royal Family have been celebrating Mother's Day on social media, with Kensington Palace leading the touching tributes.

Prince William and Kate Middleton shared home-made cards from Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis which were addressed to their 'Granny Diana.'

The cards were shared by the Kensington Palace official Instagram account, with a sweet message encouraging those struggling with bereavement.

Noting this Mother's Day was 'different,' the Palace revealed Prince William, 38, and Kate Middleton's children write letters to their paternal grandmother each year on Mother's Day.

The cards made by the Cambridge children were adorned with flowers, hearts and rabbits. Pictured, card by Prince Louis

The cards were shared by the Kensington Palace official Instagram account (pictured, George's card)

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis made home-made cards addressed to their 'Granny Diana' to mark Mother's Day. Pictured, Princess Charlotte's card

Prince William with Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Harry on the day he joined Eton in September 1995

Prince George, seven, and Princess Charlotte, five, wrote letter themselves, while Prince Louis, who turns three in April, signed his name

The cards made by the Cambridge children were adorned with flowers, hearts and rabbits - with Princess Charlotte writing: 'Papa is missing you.'

Prince George, seven, and Princess Charlotte, five, wrote the letter themselves, while Prince Louis, who turns three in April, signed his name.

In a second post, the Duke of Cambridge shared a photograph of a very colourful cake made by his children for their mother, Kate Middleton, and a snap of Carole Middleton holding a young Kate's hand.

The caption read: 'Celebrating two other special mothers today. Made by George, Charlotte and Louis.'
Administration of the Astrazeneca vaccine has been temporarily suspended by the HSE on advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) this morning.

This comes following NIAC receiving new information from the Norwegian Medicines Agency yesterday of four reports of serious blood clotting events in adults after vaccination with Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

In a statement from Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn, he confirms the decision was taken in light of this new evidence and following discussions with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).

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The temporary deferral of the administration of the vaccine is effective immediately.

More than 117,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered in Ireland to date.

"The decision to temporarily suspend use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was based on new information from Norway that emerged late last night," Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said.

"This is a precautionary step. The National Immunisation Advisory Comm meets again this morning and well provide an update after that."

The decision to temporarily suspend use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was based on new information from Norway that emerged late last night. This is a precautionary step. The National Immunisation Advisory Comm meets again this morning and weall provide an update after that  Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) March 14, 2021

Dr Glynn said this "action is based on a small number of reports of thromboembolic (clotting) events in people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has reviewed the available evidence and has stated that the benefits of this vaccine outweigh any potential risk and can continue to be used. The EMA is carrying out further detailed assessments.

"The UK regulatory body, MRHA, has reviewed data following use of 11 million doses of this vaccine in the UK and also recommended no change to its use in the vaccination programme.

"No change to NIACs recommendation on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine is currently warranted. NIAC will continue to keep the situation under review."

It has not been concluded that there is any link between the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases. However, acting on the precautionary principal, and pending receipt of further information, the NIAC has recommended the temporary deferral of the Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca vaccination programme in Ireland, Dr Glynn said.

NIAC is due to meet again this morning and a further statement will follow, Dr Glynn said.

In a statement, an AstraZeneca spokesperson said: An analysis of our safety data that covers reported cases from more than 17 million doses of vaccine administered has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia with Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

"In fact, the reported numbers of these types of events for Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca are not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population.

In clinical trials, no trends or patterns were observed with regard to pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, or events possibly related to thrombocytopenia.

A careful review of all available safety data including these events is ongoing and AstraZeneca is committed to sharing information without delay. We also note that the European Medicine Agency (EMA) has asked for an assessment of events related to thrombocytopenia from other Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers (per communication 11 March).

Other countries which have temporarily suspended the vaccine include Denmark, Iceland and Norway.

Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine are being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, Norwegian health authorities said on Saturday.

We do not know if the cases are linked to the vaccine, Sigurd Hortemo, a senior doctor at the Norwegian Medicines Agency told a news conference held jointly with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

All three individuals were under the age of 50.

They have very unusual symptoms: bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, Steinar Madsen, Medical Director at the Norwegian Medicines Agency told broadcaster NRK.

A number of other countries, including Italy, have temporarily stopped using two different batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine, after reports in Italy of a serious adverse event linked to one batch, and a death and illness in Austria related to another batch.

In a Thailand health ministry news conference, Prasit Watanapa, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, confirmed the rollout would be delayed in the country.

In a statement following its meeting this morning the National Immunisation Advisory Commitee (NIAC) said that after a new safety alert from the Norwegian Medicines Agency received late on 13 March 2021, NIAC met with the HPRA and HSE representatives to consider this new information

A full committee meeting was held this morning.

It said the alert followed four new reports of serious, rare thromboembolic (clotting) events, including some complicated by thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) in adults under 65 years of age after vaccination with Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

To date, no reports of similar events have been received by the HPRA. Over 117,000 doses of Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca have been given in Ireland.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has been investigating a number of reports of clotting events following vaccination with Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. Further information is expected from the EMA in the next few days, which will include a review of the additional events.

The possible relationship between these events and the Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is uncertain and is being investigated. It is very important that all potential rare events are rigorously and swiftly investigated so we can support public confidence.

In light of this new information and pending receipt of further information from the EMA, on a precautionary principle it is recommended to temporarily defer administration of Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca as of today, Sunday 14 March 2021.

It said: in the rare event that someone who has received the Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca feels increasingly unwell more than three days after vaccination, and/or who notices larger or smaller blue spots in the skin (purpuric, non-blanching rash, skin haemorrhages) they should consult their doctor or out-of-hours medical service.

These rare events that have been reported have usually occurred within 14 days of the Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

Chair of NIAC, Prof Karina Butler said: This is a precautionary move. We will continue to monitor the situation and if we can be satisfied that these events are coincidental and not caused by this vaccine we will reassess the situation. The HPRA will keep NIAC fully informed as the EMA investigation progresses and we will keep you updated.

This vaccine is proven to be very effective against severe COVID-19 disease, which is associated with a risk of clotting events. We have taken this step out of an abundance of caution.

In a fresh statement this afternoon the medicines watchdog, the Health Products Regulatory Authority, said it has received "a small number of reports associated with blood clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"However, it has not received any reports of the nature of those described by the Norwegian Medicines Agency. We will continue to monitor national reports very closely and continue to encourage the reporting of any suspected side effect following vaccination with a Covid-19 vaccine."

It said it is in continuous dialogue with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and national medicines regulators across Europe in respect of the ongoing European review. The EMA, through its safety committee, PRAC, initiated an urgent review of all blood clotting events occurring with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine [11 March] to determine if there is a possible safety risk. As a member of PRAC, the HPRA is involved in the review of all cases of thromboembolic events, and other conditions related to blood clots, reported post-vaccination with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine.

The NIAC made its recommendation following notification from the HPRA on Saturday, 13 March 2021, of a new safety alert regarding the vaccine.

"This alert originated from the Norwegian Medicines Agency, following four new reports of serious, rare blood clotting events, including some complicated by very low levels of platelets in the blood in younger adults after vaccination.

It said there is currently no indication that vaccination was the cause of these events, and there may be alternative explanations for their occurrence that are unrelated to the vaccine.

Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland

"However, the safety of the public is of the utmost importance, and it is essential that reports of potential safety concerns, even if very rare, are rigorously and swiftly investigated so that the public can be reassured and if required, appropriate action can be taken.

The preliminary assessment of similar events published by the EMA on 11 March found the number of blood clotting events in vaccinated people was no higher than the number seen in the general population. As of 10 March, 30 cases of blood clotting events were reported in the EMAs database of side effects following vaccination of close to 5 million people in the European Economic Area. A thorough analysis of all relevant reports will be performed, including those newly notified from Norway.

As for all vaccines, it is possible to experience side effects and the majority of these are known to be mild to moderate. Anyone who may have a concern regarding their health following vaccination should consult their doctor or out-of-hours medical service. Additional advice for those who have been vaccinated has also been issued by the NIAC.

The HPRA said it will continue to participate in the EMA review and engage with NIAC and the Department of Health on this matter.
MIDDLETOWN  A New Britain family that lost all their possessions in a devastating apartment fire in late January found themselves fleeing from a second blaze three weeks ago at a city condominium where they were staying with relatives.

Nicole Sibley, her husband, Aref Alwashah, and 10-year-old son Zane Alwashah are now living out of a hotel on the Berlin Turnpike.

Sibley, who moved into her sisters home on Hamlin Court, awoke at 1 a.m. Feb. 25 to see smoky fog downstairs. Her 21-year-old nephew and son were sleeping at the time. I thought it was just my eyes, Sibley said. She walked a couple of steps down and saw dark smoke, so she yelled to her nephew, who called 911. All three made it to safety, she said.

I honestly dont know what made me wake up, Sibley said. Thank God I did.

Sibley remembered the cat and rabbit were inside and rushed back in. She found the cat under the dresser, but the rabbit was so hard to see, she couldnt find it. Thats when Sibleys nephew started calling for her. He told her to follow his voice out of the burning home, she said.

The late February blaze at the Hamlin Court apartments was a result of a pot that had been left on the stove, according to Middletown Fire Chief Robert Kronenberger. The cause was ruled accidental by the fire marshal. Zanes cat was saved but his rabbit, Caramel, died.

She ran in to try to get the animals. Shes really fortunate that she didnt get stuck in there, Animal Control Officer Gail Petras said. The rabbit was litter box-trained and roamed freely in their New Britain home, she said, the pet was difficult to find.

She couldnt even find the stairs at that point to follow out. She had to follow the sound of her nephews yelling to her. The smoke was so thick she couldnt see, and she almost fell down the stairs to get out with the cat in her arms, Petras said.

Police Community Relations Officer Jay Bodell said, This one they narrowly escaped.

Thats what got me, Bodell said. Most people dont experience that once in their life. This family experienced it twice in a month.

The family had lost most of their possessions in the first fire, which started in another unit. That three-family house, now condemned, suffered substantial damage from water and smoke, so the family had to gather whatever they could in their laundry baskets and leave.

Petras had met Sibley after the first fire, when the mother reached out the next day looking for help with the pet rabbit since they were temporarily moving in with Sibleys sister.

She was having a really hard time articulating it to me because she was incredibly emotional, Petras said after the Hamlin Court fire. She said, I cant believe this is happening again.

Thats when Petras decided to raise money to ease the familys financial hardships by collecting donations at the Police Department.

Things had been tough for a while, said Sibley, who cares for her mother full time, and her husband helps support his family.

I couldnt help feel for them, knowing they had lost most of their stuff in a fire already, Petras said. They didnt know where they were going to go, what they were going to do. Just thinking about that, and thinking that if I had been in that situation, I couldnt imagine dealing with something like this.

Police officers had experienced a difficult week, with several tragedies they had to deal with, and another involving animals, Petras said.

I wanted to see if we could do something positive. Weve got to help these people and theres got to be a way we can do something to make us all feel a little better and help them, Petras said. They were in so much need.

Bodell said, We can all relate to being in a tough spot this last year with the pandemic.

Whatever we can get, whatever somebody can spare. It hits people in the gut  its a gut punch, Bodell said. The 10-year-old boy lost everything: every toy, his bunny, PlayStation 4, all his games.

The effort was shared on the Middletown Police Department Connecticut Facebook page. In just a few days, through public donations, the drive raised $400 in cash, pet food and supplies, and $450 in various gift cards, according to Bodell. Mother and son came by the station Friday and were stunned by what they saw.

Petras said, Zane was so happy.

He immediately started to cry when he saw the PlayStation, Petras said. That made my week.

Zane was so surprised by what he saw, he was overwhelmed, Bodell said. All of us cried, Bodell said.

If you saw his face, It was priceless, Sibley said.

Bodell often holds fundraisers for Special Olympics Connecticut, and, most recently, for a crisis therapy dog to help crime victims, especially children. When the canine, which will arrive after Bodell attends a 14-day training session in April, will also be used to comfort officers who may be experiencing the traumatic effects of several tragedies that took place within a few weeks time, he said early this month.

I cant thank people enough, Sibley said. That put a smile on [Zanes] face.

Losing certain things  to him, its not as easy as it is for adults, Sibley said. Its a little harder for him to comprehend.

Sibley and her husband have looked at a couple of places to live so far, are looking for a two-bedroom apartment to rent in the New Britain, Berlin or Middletown area.

Im hoping someone who is a Realtor sees it and steps up and finds an apartment they can afford, so things can get back to normal, Bodell said.

Caramel will soon be buried, and Sibley hopes that brings Zane some comfort, she said. Plans are to buy another rabbit, but not until we have more stability, and get back on track, the mom said.

Donations, of cash and gift cards that will be used to purchase food, clothing, personal items, toys and other items, can be dropped off in a secure bin in the police station lobby at 222 Main St. For information, visit middletownct.gov or call 860-638-4000.
OREGON, USA  Some doctors say vaccine hesitancy could be a barrier for communities to return to "normal" life after the COVID-19 pandemic, so one group is spearheading an independent social media campaign to fight misinformation.

The campaign is called #ThisIsOurShot.

Doctors and medical professionals around the country have used the hashtag to post pictures of themselves getting vaccinated.

Dr. Robyn Liu works in Portland and received her COVID vaccine in December 2020. She joined the social media movement, knowing not everyone is comfortable with getting the shot.

"There's no getting back to that kind of a [normal] life unless the vaccinations are as widespread as possible," Liu said.

Another doctor in southern California, Dr. Alex McDonald, helped launch the campaign.

"I'll be honest, I was vaccine-hesitant at first," McDonald said.

He knew if it took him time to research the COVID vaccine and become comfortable, others probably would need help, too.

#ThisIsOurShot aims to take a personal approach, allowing people with concerns to reach out with questions.

"It's a grassroots effort of health care heroes essentially," McDonald said. "Amplify the voices of trusted messengers in the social media space."

With a lot of vaccine misinformation on social media, McDonald said doctors are emphasizing vaccine efficacy and safety.

"No safety steps were skipped in the development of this vaccine," he said. "This is our shot...This is not about you, this is not about me, this is about all of us collectively doing our own small part to get to a COVID-free world."

Liu agreed, saying the goal is less about taking on anti-vax attitudes, but rather reaching people who may be undecided.

"Get as many of those people into the fold as we can," Liu said.

"We're not here to tell people what to do, we're here to address their questions, address their concerns, and really lead by example," McDonald added.

Doctors from many backgrounds have joined the campaign, representing different ages, genders and marginalized groups. Pregnant mothers are on board, too.

"When you really see someone who looks like you, who is in your same situation getting the shot, that helps you feel a lot more confident," Liu explained.
Former Trump CCP Virus Coordinator Birx Takes Job With Texas Air Purifier Maker

Dr. Deborah Birx, a key member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force during the Trump administration, has taken a job with a Texas-based manufacturer of air purifiers that says its machines can clean the CCP virus from the air in minutes and from surfaces within hours.

Dallas-based ActivePure announced that Birx is joining the company as chief scientific and medical adviser.

Birx joined the White House in 2020 as part of then-President Donald Trumps response to the pandemic of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a former mentor to Birx, picked up a position in the Biden administration. Birx left the public sector last week.

The Biden administration wanted a clean slate, she told Reuters in an interview. I understand that completely.

Birx said she regularly asks herself what could have been done differently last year.

When you have the 100,000 people we lost over the summer, and the 300,000 people we lost over the fall-winter surge, you have to ask yourself and have to know that it didnt go as well as it should have, she said. All of us are responsible for that.

Birx said she was still processing regrets and steps she could have taken to be more effective.

Im trying to rank order them, she said. We have to be willing to step back and really analyze where we could have been and why we werent more effective.

In addition to her role at ActivePure, Birx has also joined the George W. Bush Institute as a global health fellow and the biopharmaceutical company Innoviva as a board member, she said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Manchester Center, VT (05254)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers this afternoon. High 74F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

FILE PHOTO: Norwegian investor Andresen, the head of the Council on Ethics for the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, poses for a picture at the Councils office in Oslo

By Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's $1.3 trillion wealth fund will probe whether companies it is invested in may be using the labour of ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims linked to China's internment camps in farwestern Xinjiang, the head of the fund's ethics watchdog said.

China's foreign ministry, in a statement to Reuters, said "so-called 'detention camps'" do not exist in Xinjiang.

The world's largest sovereign wealth fund, which has massive market influence because it owns 1.5% of the world's listed shares across 9,100 companies, operates under ethical guidelines set by parliament.

Johan H. Andresen, chair of the fund's Council on Ethics, said the fund had begun identifying companies that it said used workers that had been held in internment camps in Xinjiang.

"We are concerned that some of our companies in the fund may make use of this labour. This is possibly a widespread practice," he said in an interview ahead of the publication of the council's annual report on Wednesday.

"If we were to make a recommendation it would be in the first half of this year," he added. Recommendations are sent to the board of the central bank, which ultimately makes decisions.

The United States has accused China of genocide and crimes against humanity in its treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

China has said the complexes it set up in the region, where U.N. experts and rights groups say more than one million people have been detained in recent years, provide vocational training to help stamp out Islamist extremism and separatism.

Allegations of forced labour and human rights violations in these Xinjiang centres are "groundless rumour and slander", the foreign ministry said.

China has previously said all the people who attended the camps have "graduated" and gone home. Access to the complexes is restricted and it is not possible to independently verify whether all the camps have closed.

Story continues

Norway's central bank typically follows the council's recommendations to censure companies but sometimes, rather than immediately excluding them, it puts them on a watchlist to give them a set period of time to come up with a plan to change their behaviour, or face exclusion.

The bank can also ask the fund's management to engage directly with the company on the issue of concern and can also decide to divest from a company if it believes the fund's ownership stake poses too much of an ethical risk.

Companies to be excluded are not named until the fund has sold the shares, to avoid the stock falling in value beforehand. The main aim is to remove the ethical risk.

ETHICAL GUIDELINES

The Norwegian fund is forbidden by parliament from investing in companies that produce nuclear weapons, landmines, or tobacco, or which violate human rights, among other criteria.

Several textile companies have been excluded from the fund, most recently India's Page Industries, which produces swimwear for the Speedo brand. Page denies wrongdoing.

The council is now turning its attention to companies that produce footwear, "a natural extension" of its work in the textile industry, Andresen said, given that the production processes are similar.

"We are still at an early stage," he said.

Forced labour, or modern slavery, is also becoming a growing issue that will dominate the council's work in the years ahead, he said. The council will this year commission a report from a non-governmental organisation to map out the extent of forced labour worldwide.

The fund has already excluded companies, including security firm G4S, on those grounds. G4S said at the time it had engaged with the council and was making good progress on recruitment and welfare standards.

Overall some 70 companies have been excluded by the fund, on various grounds, on recommendations from the Council on Ethics. Another 73 companies have been excluded directly by the central bank based on their dependence on coal.

Asked if China would contact the Norwegian authorities about the work of the fund's ethics watchdog on Xinjiang, the foreign ministry said it hoped the relevant Norwegian institutions will "respect the facts" and refrain from "contributing to the wrong practice of politicising economic trade and cooperation".

(Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Alison Williams and Nick Macfie)
Letters to the Editor View(s):

It wont be long before paradise isle turns into a desert under this Govt.

I was bewildered to hear from the JVPs youth wing that more than 10,000 acres of forest had already been destroyed since the present Government took office. The JVPS national youth wing organizer Eranga Gunasekera revealed this bitter fact at a press conference held at the party headquarters recently.

He further said this Government is cutting a large number of trees, some more than 75  100 years old on the pretext of developing the country. The Dahaiyagala forest in Thammanvila village was being cleared on January 30. When the youth wing team visited this area, the villagers had told them this jungle has been cleared to help a businessman who is building a resort in the jungle.

Further, they related that two acres in the Aanvilundawa wetland site had been bulldozed, 10 acres in Vanathavilluwa forest had been cleared, a businessman crony of the Govt. had been given 1500 acres of land to grow aloe vera from the Wilpattu jungle, 5423 acres in the Galawalaya jungle belonging to the Veddahs had been cleared and many more acres of forest land have been given to wealthy businessmen who were in the Presidents Viyath Maga programme. It is amazing that within 1  years of the Governments tenure such a massive amount of forest has been destroyed.

We wonder what would happen to our country by the end of the present Governments term. Would our country be a desert by then?

Z.A.M. Shukoor Aranayaka

Channel practice: How it all began and evolved

After reading Professor Rohan Siriwardenes candid and soul-searching letter regarding channel practice and patients in the Sunday Times Plus of March 7, I decided to write this small piece on the evolution of channel practice.

In the 1950s, there were two tiers of medical practitioners, the general practitioners, and the specialists (consultants). The latter group were in government service, apart from a few exceptions.

The strong bulwark of GPs were usually consulted first by the patient, and if there was a problem, they were referred to the consultant, (the names that come to mind of the GPs in Colombo are Drs Frank Gunasekera, Muthumany, A.D.P.A Wijegoonewardene, Raffael, Hugh Jayasekera.) In some instances, the GP would sometimes call the consultant to see one of his patients after admission or at the patients home.

The consultant would see not more than10 to 15 patients in the comfort of his own home during the lunch break, or after five. His fee was the equivalent of one Guinea, 21 Rupees! The two main private hospitals were Central and Durdans, the latter was an old-fashioned villa type building. There were a few smaller hospitals too, of which the only one in existence today is Rutnams private hospital.

This system continued, until 1974 when Government doctors were banned from doing private practice. This led to the resignation\retirement of several of the popular specialists who continued to practise in the private sector.

Around two to three years later, consultants working in government hospitals were once more permitted to do private practice, but it had to be channelled through a private hospital, presumably to ensure correct tax returns! Then in the 1990s channelling in the lunch break was banned.

Another development was a substantial pay rise for consultants, in1987 or 1988; we got the magnificent sum of Rs.14,000 per month! The Government could not afford to distribute this type of largesse to other grades of medical officers, so to placate them they were permitted to practise after working hours. This led to a proliferation of GPs of dubious quality. This situation was somewhat rectified by the PGIM instituting a degree in Family Medicine some years later.

However, now the referral system is practically non-existent, and channelling has developed into a hydra-headed monster!

Dr. Premini Amerasinghe Via email

More needs to be done to educate people about mental health

It was reported last week that an innocent nine-year-old girl was caned and killed by a witch healer. This unfortunate child had been suffering from some mental disturbances and the mother had sought a very primitive type of therapy instead of taking her for proper treatment.

This is not the first time such physical harassments have happened in our country. It is not uncommon to see similar incidents in the form of beating, burning and mental harassment. It is very sad to hear this while there are facilities to treat mental illnesses free of charge in government hospitals.

There are many people doing similar types of primitive therapy in the country. Some even advertise in newspapers and social media. Ideally, such practices should be prohibited, but it may not be practically possible due to some social factors.

Nevertheless, there should be a strict monitoring system for these types of treatment and therapy places.. The mental state and character of these therapists/ healers should also be assessed. There should be processes of monitoring by the Health Ministry or other government institute. Monitoring of financial gains is also necessary.

Scientific thinking and a basic knowledge about mental health issues should be included in our school curriculum. The media also has a big role in educating people about mental health based on modern science.

Dr. D.P.D. Wijesinghe

Consultant Psychiatrist Via email
One person died and two policemen were injured when the youth of Akango clashed with workers of Adamus Mine over a black-out in Akango, following damage to an electric pole at one of their mining pits at Salman in the Ellembelle District.



A vehicle belonging to Adamus Mine was vandalized by the irate youth.



The Esiama Divisional Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP) Godact Dodzi Hlordzi told the GNA that on Thursday, March 11, an excavator working on one of Adamus' pits at Salman damaged an electric pole which left the Akango community in darkness.



He said after assessing the situation, the management of Adamus informed the Chief and Assembly Member of the town that the officials from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) could only fix the problem the next day.



Not satisfied with the explanation, the youth of Akango chased the workers of Adamus out and unleashed severe lashes on them.



ACP Hlordzi said the police at the site, who tried to control the mob, were also beaten.



He said an attempt to seize the rifle belonging to the police resulted in the death of one of the group members.



The Divisional Commander described the situation as very hectic as the police finally left the scene around 0200 hours.



He said the Police were working to retrieve the missing rifle.

Source: GNA









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SCHENECTADY  People miss cops walking the beat.

Thats one of the takeaways that emerged from public feedback generated during Schenectadys police reform process.

Now as the city nears adoption of a final reform package, residents are grappling with what a new community policing model would look like.

Neighborhood leaders and activists say in order for the effort to be credible, they must spearhead the effort to shape how a more engaged police presence would manifest itself in their neighborhoods. Success of the effort will be contingent on enlisting trusted messengers, stakeholders say.

Its important that these voices are authentic, said William Rivas, who volunteered to organize a series of community discussions with Jamel Muhammad.

Both are engaged in community outreach efforts designed to interrupt street-level gang violence.

Members of the steering committee guiding the reform process discussed concepts for a potential framework last week, including a task force contained within the departments list of proposed changes.

No consensus was reached, and city Police Chief Eric Clifford said he wanted to shepherd the legislation through City Council before committing to any type of infrastructure.

A vote on a final package of reforms is scheduled for March 22.

Anything that the community wants in the form of community policing, we will certainly listen to it, Clifford said.

New York is requiring all police departments to have reform plans filed by April 1 to be eligible for future state funding.

For months, a steering committee of two-dozen clergy and neighborhood leaders have been guiding the citys effort, which is led by Clifford and Mayor Gary McCarthy.

The package introduced earlier this month contains roughly two-dozen recommendations, including the creation of new mental health and community policing units.

City police acknowledge their two existing community police liaisons are not enough and support reforms that would develop a model where community police officers would be tasked with patrolling specific zones.

Detectives would also be tasked with maintaining community intelligence and solving persistent neighborhood problems.

The units would also prioritize assisting victims of hate crimes and assist with cultural awareness to better connect with Spanish-speaking and hearing-impaired populations, as well as members of the Guyanese and Caribbean community, according to the report outlining the reforms.

Panelists weighed the concepts following a public hearing in which respondents broadly said they needed more time to weigh in on the draft plan, which was released just days beforehand.

Black Lives Matter activists have excoriated the process as performative, contending reforms didnt go far enough, and that the process should be led by people who live in overpoliced neighborhoods  not city officials.

These reforms dont speak for us or the community at large, said Mikayla Foster, an activist with All of Us who sits on the steering committee.

Schenectady NAACP appeared with All of Us at a joint press conference last week to highlight the plan's perceived flaws, but stopped short of explicitly rejecting the months-long process which began last summer.

I dont think were rejecting it, said Schenectady NAACP President the Rev. Nicolle Harris. I think were saying there needs to be more.

City police contend the process has been inclusive, with reforms based on feedback generated from panel discussions involving nearly 200 panel members and nearly 700 survey responses.

Members of the steering committee acknowledged the volley of criticism and said better communication is needed not only to ensure sustained outreach and transparency, but also to outline the process and clearly communicate why some reforms demanded by activists have not been met.

We need to be clear why we are or why were not doing things, said Imam Genghis Khan. It wasnt surprising to hear the feedback we got and the tone of it.

All of Us issued 13 demands last July.

City police have met several of them. While not used, the city will formally ban hogties and have pledged to chip away at others, including bolstering the collection of use of force data and requiring personnel to undergo anti-racism training.

Some demands are already addressed in existing policy. While All of Us wants officers who disable body cameras and make racist posts on social media to be automatically fired, city police said alleged violators must first go through the formal disciplinary process before a punishment is levied.

Others are beyond the departments ability to change unilaterally, including redistributing assets seized in drug raids back into the community.

Of the 13 demands, city police have flat-out rejected only four of them: Abolishing no-knock warrants, ending ticket-writing incentives like speed traps, banning shooting at moving vehicles and defunding operations and redistributing resources to community-based restorative groups.

Clifford warned many of the reforms have a price tag, and officials need to weigh how some will be paid for, including a potential police substation.

As we add more stuff to [patrol officers] plate, somethings got to drop off and somethings got to give, Clifford said.

Khan acknowledged the process has been rocky at times and said he hoped progress wouldnt be derailed over the often-emotional debate.

At the end of the day, we have to understand all the different voices and speak up on voices that affect us in different ways, he said.

City Councils Public Safety Committee is scheduled to pick up the discussion on Monday.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
3/12 NEW JAPAN CUP RESULTS FROM AICHI, JAPAN

By James Kurokawa on 2021-03-13 19:54:00

3/13/21 Results for New Japan Cup 2021 From Aichi, Japan:



YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Gabriel Kidd, Yota Tsuji and David Finlay. YOSHI-HASHI gets the win by submission with the Butterfly Lock on Kidd.



Jeff Cobb, Great O-Khan and Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi and DOUKI. O-Khan has a new look with his unbraided hair. This was a good match. ZSJ and Ospreay gave us a preview of their Round 2 match, which should be awesome. DOUKI attempted a Daybreaker on O-Khan who caught him and powered him up into an Eliminator. Wow! O-Khan pins DOUKI.



Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. is also interesting that both are heels. That should add an interesting twist to this match. When O-Khan was doing his usual post-match proclamations after a United Empire victory, ZSJ tried to sneak attack Ospreay. Ospreay tried to hit a plancha to the floor on ZSJ. ZSJ quickly tied up Ospreay in an arm submission. Ospreay was screaming for help. Cobb and O-Khan came running for the save. Suzuki-Gun escaped with ZSJ and Taichi laughing at the damage done. Ospreay was screaming for an ice pack, which was amusing.



BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito, and SANADA vs. SHO, Kazuchika Okada and Yuji Nagata. SANADA gets the submission win over SHO with Skull End.



Bad Luck Fale, EVIL with Dick Togo, and Jay White with Gedo vs. Toa Henare, Juice Robinson and Hiroshi Tanahashi. Jay White hits a sleeper suplex on Henare, which allows EVIL to hit Everything is Evil. EVIL pins Henare. Henare looked upset after the loss as he walked back to the locker room.



New Japan Cup 2021 Round 2 Match: KENTA vs. Minoru Suzuki.

After coming to the ring, KENTA opened a newspaper and lay on the mat reading. While Suzukis entrance music played, KENTA layed in the ring reading his newspaper. The King was not amused by KENTAs act of disrespect. The referee told KENTA to get up. KENTA got up, still reading the paper. Suzuki snatched it out of his hand and was ready to fight. KENTA retreated from the ring to stall for time. The referee gave the newspaper to Yota Tsuji who was working ringside and he put the newspaper nicely next to the timekeeper. KENTA, still stalling, walked around the ring and grabbed the paper to start reading again. Suzuki grabbed the paper, layed the paper flat in the ring and sat down. He baited KENTA to get in the ring. KENTA went to get his paper and Suzuki attacked with a fury.



Suzuki threw KENTA into guardrails. KENTA hit Suzuki with a chair. KENTA started kicking Suzukis chest in. KENTA baited Suzuki to elbow him. Suzuki missed and KENTA tied him up with a leg submission. Suzuki reversed out, but KENTA caved in his chest with kicks. Suzuki absorbed blows and got angry and, with an evil look in his eye, threw a wicked elbow, which knocked KENTA senseless.



This is the match I expected from both men. Good stuff!



Suzuki tried to cave in KENTAs chest and knock him out with elbows. KENTA counted with a DDT, a delayed dropkick in the corner then a double stomp from the top rope. KENTA called for Go To Sleep. Suzuki reversed out and went for a Gotch Piledriver. KENTA rolled out and went for Game Over, but he could not lock it in cleanly on Suzuki. Suzuki crawls to the ropes for a break. KENTA hits a Psycho Knee for a two count. KENTA goes for another GTS but Suzuki locks him in a Single leg Boston Crab.



Both men are winded and they face off in the middle of the ring. Both men slap each other multiple times. Sickening sounds. Suzuki smiles as he is getting hit. KENTA smiles as he gets smacked in the head. Suzuki gets wobbly by two round house back slaps and KENTA goes for GTS again. Suzuki slips down and locks in a sleeper hold. Suzuki hits about ten more slaps in the face of KENTA. Suzuki locks in another sleeper. KENTA, with a burst of energy, powers Suzuki up and hits Go To Sleep. KENTA pins Suzuki.



The Japanese announcers called the match classic.



This was a great match. No high spots needed. Just two great strikers showing how tough they are.



Suzuki almost took out a young lion who was trying to help him to the locker room.



KENTA held his head and his ears as he left the ring.



Note: This is the point I made about EVIL during the last event. EVIL had a bye in the first round of the New Japan Cup, but yet could not win without interference, which makes EVIL look weak. KENTA was by himself, took a vicious beating by Suzuki, and still won the match. EVIL is facing Toru Yano in the Semi-Final Round on March 16. KENTA will face the winner of Takagi and Goto also on March 16. Potentially, EVIL could face KENTA in the tournament, but that is not the issue. Last year, EVIL won the New Japan Cup 2020, by himself. This year, he is crushing his way to the top with the help of Bullet Club. KENTAs path in the tournament has been harder but he is successful by doing it on his own. EVIL does not need outside interference. KENTA got the job done by himself and EVIL could do it as well.



New Japan Cup 2021 Round 2 Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Hirooki Goto



Both wrestlers are strikers and the started the match as such. The match spilled to the floor early on where Takagi took advantage by throwing Goto into guardrails.



Great match. Both men hit their signature moves and kept kicking out. This was a match of endurance.



Takagi hit Last of the Dragon for the pin.



Whenever Goto and Takagi meet, it is always a great match.



I would suggest watching the KENTA/Suzuki match and the Takagi/Goto match.



Stay tuned for the following New Japan Cup matches tomorrow:



Yuji Nagata vs. SANADA

Zack Sabre Jr. vs Will Ospreay



Thanks for reading.

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The Walking Dead Find Me was written by Nicole Mirante-Matthews and was directed by David Boyd. This Daryl-centric (Norman Reedus) episode filled in the time that Daryl spent away from the main group searching for Rick after Rick blew up the bridge. In the present, we see a rift form between Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl. Of course, knowing that a Daryl/Carol spinoff is coming really lessens the tension here  and we know that at least the two of them arent going to die. The episode is a showcase for why these two are getting that spinoff as both deliver fantastic performances. That said, I did feel like the episode dragged somewhat and it felt a bit like filler. Of course, its also a brilliant concept for filming during Covid, allowing them to have very few people on set or in close proximity scenes.

Im not going to lie. I really, really hate the stupid voiceover previously on theyve added at the beginning of the episodes. Please stop. The episode opens with Dog joining Daryl to go hunting  and then Carol shows up too. She finds Daryls Rick-map on the ground and picks it up, saying nothing about it. She wants to come hunting with him, but Daryl tries to dissuade her. She wants to hunt and he needs a good spotter. Daryl gets the bike going, and Carol jumps on the back, sticking the map back into his backpack as she does. He protests that he didnt say she could come and she just smiles  and they both take off. I found it funny that hes complaining about her talking  Daryl is our silent hero after all  yet hes been talking a lot more this season (10C) it seems.





The two find a dead deer and Carol suggests the big valley to look for more deer while Daryl suggests the river. Daryl has already cautioned her to stick close. Theres clearly some subtext and uneasiness between the two of them. Daryl seems suspicious of why she wants to come with him, and shes uneasy about him wanting to go to the river.

By the time they get to the river, Daryl admits that they should have gone the other way. Carol suggests fishing, and Daryl is sceptical, but she spears a fish on her first try. The two clean fish while Dog watches. Carol accuses Daryl of silently criticizing her filleting technique and offers to let him do both. He suggests that they need to find somewhere to stay for the night. Carol asks if he thinks their luck has finally run out. She says that theyve lost Alexandria, and Daryl points out that they havent  and she adds yet. She tells him that it feels different, like everything thats good in the world isnt on their side anymore. Daryl matter-of-factly says they just rebuild again  and Carol adds until it happens again. Shes not wrong  the show does seem to be getting a bit redundant Carol points out that theyve had a good long run  better than most  but its going to catch up with them eventually. I also liked how this could also apply to the run of the show. Daryl insists that hes not going to let it catch them.

Dog suddenly takes off and the two follow him to a cabin. It seems ridiculous that Daryl comes out of the woods surprised to find himself at Leahs (Lynn Collins) old cabin. I mean, seriously, he would have known the woods around there like the back of his hand considering how much time we see that he spent there! We get our first glimpse of Leah with Dog as Daryl remembers her on the front step.

Daryl and Carol head into the deserted cabin, and Daryl even smiles slightly as he looks around. Dog is clearly happy to be home. Theres a terrific shot as Daryl looks out the window and we see just the reflection of a wooden cross in the window.





A shot of the river, shrouded in mist, takes us back in time to five years ago  and Daryl with his vest before it lost the one wing. Hes sitting by the river with his camp behind him, clearly mourning Ricks loss. On another day, puppy-Dog comes running out of the woods to meet him  and then disappearing. We see him hang up his pristine map and start marking his searching.

On another day, Carol comes to see him. The two talk across the river. She gives him the news somewhat reluctantly. She tells him things are just different  it sounds a lot like what shes just said in the present. She tells him that its now harder to talk and harder to trade  the growing distance between the communities that we already knew about. This is now just after Maggie went with Georgie. Carol explains that Maggie is on her own journey now  like Daryl. Daryl tells her that he has to do this. Daryl asks how Michonne and the kids are and he tells Carol to give her more time. Carol points out that its been two years and wants to know how long hes planning to stay out there. He tells her as long as it takes. She insists that she understands. Shed be there with him except for Ezekiel and Henry He understands. Things are different. She leaves him with a bag of supplies and tells him to be careful.





Daryl goes off to check another spot upriver. He finds an overturned boat with a body under it  but of course, it isnt Rick. The storm thats been brewing bursts. We see a disheartened Daryl in his totally inadequate shelter, getting soaked  and then his map is mostly destroyed by water. He begins screaming only to be almost hit by lightening.





Another year passes and Daryl is walking through the woods when Dog comes upon him again. We know its the same spot because we see the same three spikes in a tree. He rushes into the cabin  which doesnt appear to have the screened in porch yet  and shoots a walker only to have Leah come rushing out pointing a gun at him wanting to know who the hell he is. He tells her hes leaving  and she tells him hes not. I loved how he treated her like a dog, looking down and not making eye contact to avoid antagonizing her.





Back in the present, Dog leads Carol to the hole in the floor where Leah kept he most precious things. She finds the note that Daryl had left for Leah, and McBrides face clearly shows that Daryl has told her something of Leah. Daryl tells her it was a long time ago  but we know it is at most 4 years ago Daryl insists that he already told her everything but Carol disagrees. He asks what she wants to know, and she tells him whatever he wants to tell her. Carol knows not to press Daryl.

In the past Leah drags the dead walker out of the cabin while Daryl is tied to a chair. He sees a picture of her with a child. He tries to get loose and she tells him its a bad idea. He asks if shes going to kill him and she asks if she should. I didnt hear any answer  but the sound on AMC was terrible again. She determines that he doesnt want to die. He insists that she doesnt know anything about him. She asks again who he is and what hes doing on her land. He tells her that his name is Daryl, and he came with Dog because he wanted to help. She points out shes the one with the gun  she doesnt need any help. Shes hardened and competent and shes lost a child and cut herself off from everyone else. Carol 2.0 anyone? She cuts him loose and tells him to leave. She refuses to tell him her name

We see the aftermath of Daryl acquiring that scar on his face  without seeing the actual incident. Time has passed, but it seems Dog is making regular visits to Daryls camp. Daryl takes him home and now the cabin does have the screened in porch. Leah isnt unhappy to see Daryl  did I mention that Collins is really terrific in this episode? So difficult to come in and do a one-off character like this and still provide a really 3-dimensional character.

Leah thanks Daryl for bringing Dog back and remarks that he likes him. Daryl says hes just a dog. He dont know nothing as if everyone doesnt love Daryl! Shes still withholding her name but tells him Dogs. She notices the wound on his face and hilariously tells him its not for everyone  living out in the wild! Daryl. Whos one step from being feral! However, shes also pretty astute here. Daryl, at heart, craves companionship, and hes only out there trying to avoid any more attachments like Rick. Daryl does agree that the dead, all of it, will catch up to all of them eventually. She tells him only if you let it. She, of course, is doing exactly what Daryl is doing.

The next time jump is eight months. Daryl stupidly ends up getting overrun by a small herd of walkers. Leah is suddenly there and leads him to the shelter of a hollow tree  Carl and Enid anyone? There is clearly sexual tension between them and Daryl gets out of the tree as quickly as possible. He tells her to stay away from his camp  he clearly doesnt want to get attached. She looks a bit hurt and tells him her name is Leah as she turns and leaves.

Daryl comes back to the cabin and throws a dead fish at the door  it would seem to be an apology. Leah doesnt open the door, but we see a fish hook hanging from the screened porch as Daryl walks away. Daryl is warming himself by the fire at his camp when Leah throws the fish into his back, telling him that she can catch her own damn fish! Loved these scenes.

Daryl asks why shes always throwing things at him when he was just trying to be nice. She says she just wants to be left alone. Daryl tells her he wont bother her again, and she says she wont come around again  its hilariously like two kids. He tells her he gets it  being alone out there. She notices him warming his hands over the fire and asks if its frost-nip. He says its no big deal, hes had it before. She tells him it is until you lose fingers or a hand She invites him back to the cabin.

He wakes up in the night when she knocks over the picture and breaks the glass. She tells Daryl that today is the kids birthday. She tells him she didnt have a family growing up  not the good kind. She tells him that she found family in her squad, fighting together  so clearly in the army. They vowed to stay together when the world went to hell. Its an exact parallel of Daryls story. She tells them they gave her hope and she tried to pass that on to her son, Matthew. She tells Daryl that she didnt give birth to him  he was her sisters  not really her sister and she lost her when he was born. Again, sounds like Judith, right?

Leah goes to the window  and of course, the cross is Matthews grave. Her group had been attacked by walkers  maybe the Whisperers? She was separated and ran with Matthew. They ended up at the cabin and hed been bitten. Theres a terrific shot in this scene of Daryl watching her as she tells him all this and the back of her head is reflected in a mirror beside him. She said goodbye to Matthew the same day Dog was born. She never says what happened to the mother or the other puppies She tells him shes been alone out there ever since  and hadnt seen another soul until him.





Leah recognizes herself in Daryl just as he knows she mirrors him (see what I did there with that mirror reflection in the shot  or rather what Boyd was doing directing.). She asks who he lost, and he tells her his brother: Rick. He tells her that it was an accident and that they never found the body. Leah asks if he thinks hes still out there. He tells her that hes not going to stop until he finds out. She says, Always the hero, huh? And of course, Daryl just looks down, but we all say YES!





In another parallel, Leah and Daryl go fishing  and she spears one first try just like Carol. The two continue to bond, watching the solar eclipse together and finally consummating the relationship  at Leahs clear invitation. Ten months later, the two are having breakfast. Daryl asks Leah to talk to him. She doesnt want him to go. Hes clearly told her everything. She asks him where he belongs  looking for Rick, with the family he left behind because it was too hard to face them, or with her? Daryl answers honestly that he doesnt know. But she insists he does and that he needs to choose.

Back at Daryls camp, Carol drops by. Hes studying the map  it has a lot of xs now. She sees hes packing and is hopeful hes coming back, but he tells her hes just moving  because theres too many dead there now. Shes brought him a new scarf and says her reason or coming is to bring a friend a gift but really shes come to say that things are really tough at the Kingdom and it might be a while before he sees her again. He tells her that she doesnt need permission to move on with her life  and she clearly wants him to move on with his  which appears to be what hes planning to do. She tells him that she wants him to find some peace. She doesnt want to lose him out there because he doesnt know when to stop. He tells her that shes not going to lose him. Hes just got stuff to do. After all this time, its hard to think what Daryl even thinks he could find at this point.

As Daryl walks through the woods, he suddenly seems to come to a decision  or something alerts him that something is wrong  its hard to tell which. However, when he goes back to the cabin, its a mess. No Leah is there, just Dog. He leaves a map with a note in the floor  the one Carol finds in the present. I belong with you. Find me. Daryl then goes looking for her, telling Dog theyd find her. Daryl has no idea what happened.

In the present, Carol asks if someone took her  or maybe she left. Daryl immediately says no  and she tell him that its not an accusation. Carol tells him to stop believing that every time he loses someone its because of him, because he did something wrong. Daryl insists that he made a mistake and this is because of him. She tells him Leah, Rick, and Connie arent on him. Daryl immediately tells her Connie is on her because Carol never knows when to stop.

Carol says that shes sorry about Connie, but is she really? She goes on to say that shes not sorry for taking out the horde and making them pay for Henry. Really, no one is safe from Carols vengeance. Daryl tells her that thats all that matters  that Carol is right. Carols eyes fill with tears as Daryl brutally confronts her with the truth. Carol tells him to say what he really wants to say. He tells her that she shouldnt have come with him: she wanted to run, so she ran. He accuses her of not being able to deal with the guilt over what the Skins did to Alexandria and making it his problem. Carol angrily tells him that his only problem is that he has to save everyone. She doesnt need a savior; she just needs a friend.

Daryl tells her that friends dont have the same conversation over and over again! Carol demonstrates how little shes been listening  and how self-Unaware she is! She says this is all new to her! She tells him that he should have just let her get back on the boat. Daryl tells her that he stopped her from running and he shouldnt have. He tells her that he knows where hes supposed to be  but if she wants to run, she should run. Carol tells him their lucks run out. She leaves him on the porch, saying its going to be dark soon and she has things to do.

I found this to be a rather slow episode  and Im as tired as Daryl of him having this conversation with Carol again and again. However, the final scene between McBride and Reedus is outstanding. Collins was an excellent guest star  and maybe we will see her again. There were some lovely shots in the episode, so kudos to Boyd. This definitely felt like filler, but in a show with potentially so many extras, this also felt like a good way to give us some content and still be able to keep everyone on set safe from Covid. What did you think of the episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!




Lawyers in NSW should have a mandatory duty to report suspected misbehaviour by their colleagues, including sexual harassment, sexual misconduct and bullying, a top barrister says, and the names of confirmed perpetrators should be published.

Sydney silk Arthur Moses, SC, told a barristers conference in Sydney on Saturday that NSW should support a recommendation of the Victorian royal commission into barrister-turned-police-informer Nicola Gobbo that new laws be passed to require lawyers to report the suspected misconduct of other lawyers.

Sydney barrister Arthur Moses, SC, says lawyers should be under a legal duty to report colleagues for suspected misconduct. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Mandatory reporting of misconduct would deter misconduct by lawyers and strengthen public confidence in the legal profession which is sometimes viewed as a club, Mr Moses said.

Too often, rumours and innuendo circulate within the profession and indeed amongst the judiciary about misconduct by their colleagues.
Police arrested 10 in the Chaibasa region for their involvement in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Toklo area of the state on March 4, wherein three jawans of state police lost their lives.

Police in a statement on Saturday said that arrested have disclosed that they did a prior recce of security forces' movement.

"A total of 10 held for their involvement in IED blast on March 4, under Toklo police station area which took lives of three jawans of police (jaguar unit). All are active members of the Naxal outfit and experts in IED and claymore blast. They have disclosed they did recce the movement of security forces in the area," said the police statement.

Police said the arrested Naxals planted the IED on the forces' movement route and waited.

"One of them climbed the tree to pass signals for the execution. After the blast, they escaped taking the advantage of jungles," police added.

Police also informed that right after the blast teams comprising CRPF, district police and technical teams were formed to search and arrest them.

"The team succeeded in nabbing one Ramrai Hansda, who later disclosed the whole planning and whereabouts of others involved in the blast," they 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.)
(Alliance News) - The UK should be a global leader in reopening international travel due to its "great progress" in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, according to the boss of British Airways.

Chief Executive Sean Doyle urged the government to "set an example" and "be ambitious" in developing systems which enable people to travel overseas.

This includes the use of digital technology to verify the vaccination and test status of passengers, he explained.

Doyle said the UK can be "very proud" of the creation of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the relatively high number of people who have already received a Covid-19 jab compared with other countries.

"We're making great progress in Britain in dealing with the pandemic," he told reporters.

"It's fair to say that Britain has developed a really strong leadership position in coming out the other end of the pandemic.

"What we want to make sure is that we also take that leadership position into restoring travel and restoring the economy."

He added: "We can be ambitious, and we can pursue this opportunity in a way that others could follow."

British Airways, part of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, is trialling the use of a "mobile travel health passport", produced by VeriFLY, to enable passengers travelling from London to the US to prove they meet US entry requirements before they board a flight.

Doyle, who replaced Alex Cruz as the carrier's boss in October 2020, warned that the UK will find it "very hard" to reopen for business and investment if travel remains heavily restricted.

It is "pretty obvious that governments and countries want to accept British travellers again", Doyle said, citing recent announcements from France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus about easing border restrictions.

But "rapid action" and "global coordination" is required, according to Doyle.

"We do need to work across multiple governments and jurisdictions, and I think we have a great opportunity to drive that leadership position.

"For us, it's quite simple. I think people who've been vaccinated should be able to travel without restriction, and those who have not been vaccinated should be able to travel with a negative test result.

"It's worth reflecting on the fact that testing availability and testing solutions are in a far better place than they were a year ago, and they're much more affordable."

British Airways' owner IAG suffered a pre-tax loss of EUR7.8 billion in 2020 as demand for travel collapsed due to the virus crisis.

Doyle admitted it has been "a pretty brutal and tough 12 months".

But he said British Airways has seen a "surge" in bookings for flights from May 17, which is the earliest date that foreign leisure travel could be permitted for people living in England.

He added: "The summer holiday is something that people are holding out hope for."

The UK government's Global Travel Taskforce will provide a report to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on April 12 setting out recommendations for how and when overseas trips could resume.

By Neil Lancefield, PA Transport Correspondent

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Ambani bomb threat case: NIA arrests Sachin Vaze

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 14: Sachin Vaze, an assistant police inspector has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency.

"Sachin Vaze arrested in NIA In Case RC no. 01/2021/NIA/MUM under section 286, 465, 473, 506(2), 120 B of IPC, and 4(a)(b)(I) Explosive Substances Act 1908," an NIA statement read.

Vaze had denied that he was using the Scorpio which was in possession of Mansukh Hiran, a senior Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS) official said on Thursday.

The ATS, which is probing Hiran's mysterious death, recorded Vaze's statement earlier this week, he said.

Ambani bomb scare probe: Mobile seized after Delhi Police approaches Tihar authorities

Hiran's wife had claimed that her husband had given the SUV to Vaze in November, which the Mumbai crime branch officer returned in the first week of February.

On February 25, the SUV was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in south Mumbai with explosives and a threat letter inside. Hiran had claimed that it had been stolen a week earlier, but the case got murky when he was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

Vaze, accused by Hiran's wife of involvement in her husband's suspicious death, was shunted out of the Mumbai crime branch on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the investigators have yet to trace the Innova car in which the man who parked the Scorpio near Ambani's house is seen leaving the spot in CCTV footage, another official said.

Vaze was on Friday transferred from the crime intelligence unit to the special branch. Teams of the ATS and NIA, which has taken over the probe have almost identified Hiran's last location from where he disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

The agencies found a face mask and several handkerchiefs on Hiren's face when his body was pulled out of creek in Thane.
She was described as a megastar who lit up the world. If The Mail on Sunday harboured racist attitudes towards Meghan Markle, we had a peculiar way of expressing it.

Headline after headline in this newspaper before and after her fairytale wedding to Prince Harry reflected how the nation had become entranced by this dazzling figure who brought an exciting new dynamism to the Royal Family.

Reporting on the big day itself in 2018, The Mail on Sunday published 47 pages of glorious reports on how we hoped the clearly besotted couple would be, to quote our headline, Harry Ever After.

Wonder down under: We said Meghan won the hearts of everyone she met in Sydney in 2018

Cover star: Our celebratory 16-page souvenir of her 2018 tour, while pregnant with Archie

Fashion icon: Columnists wowed by Meghan at Wimbledon in 2019, and on her wedding day

We later revealed how the Duchess was behind a touching moment between Prince Charles and Harry, having a mega-watt warming effect on them.

Yet any organisation would be naive to think that the Duchess had not experienced racism and other forms of abuse  and indeed this newspaper led the way in exposing those who attacked her.

Amid increasing Palace concern about the online abuse, we ran a series of exposes against those we uncompromisingly described as cruel trolls who spew bile in late 2018 and early 2019.

These included a 23-year-old American legal assistant who called Meghan a b***h, and those who posted racist slurs on Kensington Palaces Instagram, including the chilling use of knife emojis.

And we condemned the shocking and disgusting slurs made by Jo Marney, the then girlfriend of former Ukip leader Henry Bolton.

A winner: More praise at Wimbledon in 2018 - 'Hollywood flare, English elegance... Kate and Meghan ace doubles!'
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 19:17:34|Editor: huaxia

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Soldiers of the Yemeni government sit on an armored vehicle as they launch an offensive against the Houthi rebels in Abs district, Hajjah province, Yemen on March 12, 2021. The Yemeni army backed by the Saudi-led coalition forces has begun a large-scale offensive in the frontline of Abs district, southwest of the northern Hajjah province, against the Houthi rebels. (Photo by Mohammed al-Wafi/Xinhua)

HAJJAH, Yemen, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni army backed by the Saudi-led coalition forces has begun a large-scale offensive in the frontline of Abs district, southwest of the northern Hajjah province, against the Houthi rebels.

The offensive comes after years of a political and military stalemate during the six years of deadly civil war.

As the tanks were moving and firing, the army soldiers were advancing along an asphalt road towards the southern tip of Abs.

Houthi fighters responded with heavy gunfire and artillery shelling from sandy hills and green farms, showing fierce resistance.

Abs is a few miles away north of the strategic Red Sea province of Hodeidah, which is also under Houthi control.

The civil war erupted in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, displaced nearly 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

Losing Abs would be a major blow to the Houthi rebels.

"The enemy (Houthi) was preparing to attack the army's positions in the area, but the soldiers were on the lookout," Taha al-Omari, commander of the 105th Brigade of the Fifth Military Region, told Xinhua in the southern frontline of Abs.

"Today, the Fifth Military Region, with its all units, carried out a large offensive, recapturing more than 10 villages in Abs ... and cutting off roads and backup lines of the enemy between this southern frontline and the northern and western frontlines of Abs, as well as cutting off the road linking Mustaba district with Bani Hassan area in Abs to isolate the enemy," he said.

The villagers have fled the area following military tensions weeks ago to the internally displaced camps in several other areas under government control.

The offensive in the northwestern Hajjah province coincided with another army's large offensive in the central-western province of Taiz, as the army advanced there too, retaking large areas from the Houthis, according to local media reports.

The move came after the Houthi group last month announced a wide offensive to seize control of the central oil-rich province of Marib, the last northern stronghold of the government.

The United Nations has called on the Houthi group to stop its offensive on Marib as the province hosts more than 2 million internally displaced people.

Dozens of fighters from both sides have been killed since then, according to local media.

The U.S. special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking met with the delegation of the Houthi group in Muscat last month, presenting them with a comprehensive plan for a nationwide cease-fire and an end to the Yemeni civil war.

However, the Houthis has rejected the proposal in a statement, calling it "an empty one that represented the Saudi vision." Enditem
Revelers flock to the beach to celebrate spring break, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Maria Alejandra Cardona

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber on Saturday said that Florida has a problem.

Too many people are visiting for spring break, he said.

In March 2020, the state hosted droves of partying young people before the US saw a major outbreak.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

History may soon repeat itself in Florida, where some beaches are already packed with spring breakers, according to CNN.

"We're seeing too much spring break activity," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told CNN on Saturday. "We've got a problem with too many people coming here. We've got a problem with too many people coming here to let loose."

"We are concerned," he said. "It's very challenging."

Air travel has risen to its highest level in nearly a year, according to The Transportation Security Administration. On Saturday, a spokesperson for the agency said that TSA had screened about 1.4 million people at airport security checkpoints on Friday, the highest number of passengers since March 15, 2020, when about 1.5 million people were screened, Insider reported.

This rise in travel coinciding with the beginning of spring breaks and generally warmer weather, making Florida a popular destination for people who could potentially spread COVID-19.

"We've come a long way as a community in slowing the spread of the virus," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said on Twitter. "As you enjoy our city and our wonderful weather this weekend, continue your pandemic precautions."

In September, Florida lifted all COVID-19 restrictions on all businesses in the state, allowing local governments to enforce stricter protocols however they chose.

Ron DeSantis, Florida's governor, recently said that more lockdowns or travel restrictions "ain't happening in Florida," WPTV NewsChannel 5 reported.

The governor has been critical of President Joe Biden's calls for continued precautions and has generally adopted a more laissez-faire approach to public health restrictions.

Story continues

Last year, Florida made headlines for the droves of young people that partied there with abandon, then returned to their homes throughout the US and abroad, an analysis by Tectonix GEO X-Mode Social found, based on anonymized cell phone data.

It can't really be known how widely the spring break parties spread the coronavirus, but by the end of March 2020, Florida cases had more than tripled, from 1,700 on March 1 to 5,473 by March 30. Cases as far away as California and Massachusetts have been linked to a single event, the "Winter Party Festival," in Miami Beach, The New York Times reported.

DeSantis didn't order people to stay home until April 1, but little testing was available at the time. The Winter Party Festival ended the day before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the Times reported.

Florida coronavirus cases peaked in January 2021 at about 19,500 new cases per day. Today they've leveled off to roughly 5,244 daily cases, according to a Times tracker. Nearly 4 million people have been vaccinated, about 18% of the state's population.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Guwahati, Mar 14 (UNI) Home minister Amit Shah today urged the people of Assam to give BJP government another five years to solve the issue of infiltration.

Addressing an election rally in Tinuskia in Assam, Mr Shah said, Can Badruddin Ajmal stop infiltration? Will Assam thrive under him? I promise to the people of Assam that infiltration will become a thing of past if we win again."

Attacking Congress Mr Shah said, Can Rahul [Gandhi], who has taken Badruddin Ajmal's support, protect Assam from infiltration? Can Assam be safe with Badruddin? Give us another five years, infiltration will be a thing of the past in the state.

The home minister also asked the people to choose between the BJP and the Congress governments.

In some days, it will be decided who will run Assam for the next five years. On one hand, there's PM Modi, Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sawma's leadership and on the other hand, Rahul Gandhi and Badruddin Ajmal's leadership. Tell us who can develop Assam? Shah said.

Continuing his attack, Mr Shah accused that the Congress sees votes in infiltrators in Assam, while the BJP doesnt indulge in vote-bank politics.

In Kerala, they have partnered with Muslim League that divided nation, in Bengal it's Furfura Sharif and here it is Badruddin Ajmal. This party can stoop to any low to win, he added.

Three-phased elections have been scheduled for 126 legislative constituencies in Assam on March 27, April 1 and April 6, as announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The incumbent BJP and its allies won 86 seats in the last assembly elections in 2016.

It may be mentioned here that India has reported maximum number of infiltration from Bangladesh in the last two years, with border guarding agencies apprehending 1045 people.



This was informed by Mr Shahs deputy Nityanand Rai in the Lok Sabha on February 8.



Moreover, sealing the India-Bangladesh border to end the five-decade-long issue of illegal migration was one of the major promises made in the BJPs Vision Document released before the 2016 Assembly elections in Assam.

UNI ABI AND
New Delhi: In a bid to inculcate patriotism in students, the Delhi government has decided to start daily sessions to discuss the subject in schools.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday (March 14) said that there will be hour-long discussions on patriotism every day in Delhi schools, in order to make students "kattar deshbhakts" (staunch patriots).

"Patriotism is not taught in our schools. We have decided to discuss patriotism every day for an hour in schools, to make students 'kattar deshbhakts'," Kejriwal was quoted as saying by ANI.

"We will also take the teachings of Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar to every household," he added.

Kejriwal reiterated his recent decision to send the elderly to Ayodhya for free once the temple is ready.

"Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be ready in a year or two. Delhi government has decided to take senior citizens to Ayodhya for Ram Lalla's darshan with travel, accommodation, and food expenses to be borne by us," Kejriwal said.

Earlier this week, speaking during the budget session, Kejriwal drew a parallel between the national capital and Ayodhya, saying that he is following the principles of Lord Ram in governing Delhi.

"We have been following 10 principles, inspired by the concept of 'Ram Rajya', to serve people in Delhi," he said.

He listed the ten principles as providing food, education, medical care, electricity, water supply, employment, housing, women security and honouring the elderly.

"No one should sleep on an empty stomach in Delhi. Every child, irrespective of the social status, should get quality education," Kejriwal said.

He further said that everyone, be it rich or poor, should get the best possible medical treatment.

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Nandigram Incident: EC suspends cop in charge of Mamata Banerjee's security for failing duty

India

oi-Deepika S

Kolkata, Mar 14: The Election Commission on Sunday suspended the police officer in charge of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's security when she was injured during a visit to the state's Nandigram.

The Election Commission also appointed former DGP Intelligence Punjab, Anil Kumar Sharma as Special Police Observer for West Bengal Assembly elections; AK Sharma to be second Special Police Observer, in addition to Vivek Dube.

"After going through the reports the commission decided that Vivek Sahay IPS, Director Security shall be removed from the post of the Director Security and be placed under suspension immediately. The charges must be framed against him within a week for grossly failing in discharge of his primary duty as Director Security to protect the Z+ protectee," it said.

The chief secretary, in consultation with the director-general of police, is authorised to decide on the new Director Security immediately, the EC said.

"Smita Pandey be posted immediately as DM and DEO, Purba Medinipur in place of Vibhu Goel who shall be transferred to a non-election post. Pravin Prakash, SP Purba Medinipur shall also be placed under suspension immediately and charges shall be framed against him for major failure of bandobast," the statement said.

Sunil Kumar Yadav was made the new SP of Purba Medinipur.

"Chief Secretary shall ensure that the investigation of Nandigram Case is completed and consequential action is taken as per law in next 15 days. Report in this regard shall be sent to the Commission by 31st march 2021," the EC said.

Earlier, the poll body concluded that the incident in Nandigram which caused injuries to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was an accident and not a planned attack.

Bengal Polls: BJP releases candidate list; Babul Supriyo, TMC turncoat Rajib Banerjee in fray

The Commission concluded that Banerjee sustained injuries due to a lapse on the part of her security in charge. The EC will issue directions in this regard, sources aware of the development told news agency PTI.

They said Banerjee was not using a bullet proof or an armoured vehicle despite being a star campaigner and it was a lapse on part of those responsible for her security, the EC believes.

While she was using an ordinary vehicle, her director of security, Vivek Sahay, was in a bulletproof car when the incident took place, the sources noted, citing the report of special poll observers Ajay Nayak and Vivek Dube.The report also said Banerjee was injured due to the suddenness of the incident.

"The incident was not a planned attack but an accident. It had taken place suddenly," the source said, quoting the report.
Over 4,500 students sit for CA Sri Lankas Corporate and Strategic Level exams locally and overseas View(s):

Over 4,500 students of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) sat for the Corporate and Strategic Level exams recently which was conducted in four main cities in the country as well as overseas.

The Corporate and Strategic Level exams which were conducted as a physical exam in February and March 2021 concluded successfully in Colombo, Kandy, Galle and Jaffna with over 4,400 students sitting for the exams, with Colombo being identified as the exam centre with the highest number of candidates recording over 3,600 students.

Meanwhile, CA Sri Lanka also conducted the Corporate and Strategic Level online exams for the benefit of CA Students who are currently working in Maldives, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai). The highest number of exam candidates overseas was recorded from Maldives, followed by Qatar.

For the benefit of the overseas students who were sitting for the online exam, CA Sri Lanka conducted mock exams to gear students for the online exam so that they would have a clear understanding on how to answer papers digitally.

The Corporate and Strategic Level exams were conducted as a special exam for the benefit of CA students who were unable to sit for the Corporate and Strategic Level online exams held in December 2020. The Institute followed all COVID-19 regulations during the physical exams conducted in Colombo, Kandy, Galle and Jaffna.

Marking an important milestone in its 60-year long progressive history, CA Sri Lanka conducted several online exams last year as an alternative to the conventional physical exams, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the exams conducted online last year was the Corporate & Strategic Level exam in December with a total of 1983 candidates. The Institute also conducted the Business Communication 1 mock exam for 850 students online. Further, due to travel restrictions on account of the global pandemic, CA Sri Lanka conducted the case study exam online as an alternative to the physical exam for the benefit of CA students residing in Qatar, UAE, Maldives, Bahrain, Kuwait and India as they were unable to travel to Sri Lanka due to the non-availability of flights and other restrictions.
Authorities say a third teenager was wounded by gunfire in a Westwego shooting that left a 17-year-old boy dead Friday evening.

A family member brought the boy, who is believed to be about 15 years old, to West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero late Friday night to be treated for a gunshot wound, according to Lt. Eric Orlando, spokesman for the Westwego Police Department.

Detectives who met with the teen determined that he was shot about 6:30 p.m. in the 100 block of Louisiana Street along with two other boys, ages 17 and 16, Orlando said.

The 17-year-old boy was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities. The 16-year-old was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition. He remained hospitalized as of Sunday afternoon, Orlando said.

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The third teen was not at the shooting scene when officers responded to reports of gunfire on Louisiana Street. Investigators were unaware of him until he arrived at the hospital.

Man found dead with gunshot wound in car that crashed in Harvey Sunday morning: JPSO Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man found shot inside a car that crashed on Manhattan B

The boy's injuries were not life-threatening, and he was in stable condition, Orlando said.

No suspects have been arrested in the case.

Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call the Westwego Police Department at 504-341-5428. The public can also call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn a reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to an indictment.
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
Learning it the hard way from last year's drought and salinity, Mekong Delta farmers have been preparing their crops for the worst.

Early March, Huynh Huu Loc, 62, comes to check the water level in canals around his familys durian farm, which stretches 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres) on the islet of Ngu Hiep in the eponymous commune of Cai Lay District, Tien Giang Province.

Under the scorching sun of southern Vietnams dry season, the canals of two meter wide each are filled with water of one meter deep, running in between lines of durian, which is often dubbed Vietnam's king of fruit for its special and possibly addictive taste.

"Since the dry season kicked in, I have hired people to dredge the canals and let water in so if any drought or salinity strikes as bad as last year, the farm could still hold up," he said.

Around the root of each tree, Loc lets wild grass grow freely and covers the roots with straw and sacks to retain moisture.

Huynh Huu Loc holds a durian tree on his farm in Tien Giang Province, March 2021. He expects to harvest the crop in April for sale. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Nam.

Loc is growing 200 durian trees aged from 13 to 15. In previous years, he usually collected 20 tons of durian fruits per crop and earned a profit of around VND40,000 per kilo on average.

That story changed last year all thanks to historic drought and salinity.

During the last dry season, which normally lasts from late November of the previous year to May the next year, the delta, home to 12 provinces and Can Tho City, was hit by the worst drought ever that caused historic levels of salinity in its rivers as water flowed inland from the sea.

The rainy season arrived late in 2019 and was shorter than usual, resulting in 8 percent less rainfall than normal at 1,240 millimeters, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A series of upstream dams in China is seen as preventing the natural flow of water, while the sea level rise and gradual subsidence of southern Vietnam are also blamed for salt intrusion in the delta.

By mid-March last year seawater had intruded 50-110 kilometers into major rivers and all branches of the Mekong, two to eight kilometers more than in 2016 when the region had suffered the worst drought in a century.

In all, the lack of freshwater damaged 41,900 hectares of rice and 6,650 hectares of fruit orchards, while 96,000 families struggled to obtain water for their daily needs last year.

Due to the serious drought and salinity, Tien Giang Province had to spend VND37 billion ($1.6 million) buying freshwater to provide for its people aside from the sum farmers had paid to save their farms on their own.

Despite such efforts, Ngu Hiep Commune had still lost more than 400 hectares of durian trees out of a total 1,500.

Loc himself lost 40 trees while other trees that had still been alive could not produce qualified fruits. As a result, he could not sell a certain amount of durian fruits and for those that could still be sold, the prices were much lower than normal. Loc ended up suffering a loss.

After the disaster, Loc had to spend VND300 million ($13,000) on fertilizers and other chemicals to recover the trees and buy seedlings to grow new trees and replace the dead.

Next door, his neighbor has already switched to cultivating jackfruit after losing his entire 12-year-old durian farm to last years drought and salinity.

Suffering from such serious damages, Mekong Delta inhabitants have, since the beginning of this years dry season, geared up for the worst, as meteorologists forecast salt intrusion would be higher than normal this year, though not as bad as last years record levels.

The salinity level along the Tien River, a branch of the Mekong, currently measures at 0.1 grams per kilogram of water, or just 0.1 ppt compared to 7 ppt in the same period last year.

These days in Ngu Hiep Commune, six groundwater wells have been put in operation. All of them have been approved by Tien Giang authorities to run only when drought and salinity become severe. At all other times they would remain sealed to protect groundwater sources.

Around 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the commune, a dam of 65 meters wide along a canal of 19 kilometers in length has been built to reserve water. Along with this dam, Tien Giang has invested VND45 billion building seven other dams of smaller scale along canals to ensure water for 1.1 million people and 128,000 hectares of farm land.

Meanwhile, Ben Tre Province has finished dredging Kenh Lap, the largest reservoir of Mekong Delta to store fresh water.

Kenh Lap stretches nearly five kilometers in length and 40-100 meters in width, built at a cost of VND85 billion ($3.6 million). With a capacity of nearly one million cubic meters, it is designed to supply water to more than 200,000 people living in 24 communes and towns for household, industrial and irrigation purposes.

Given its scale, even the reservoir ran dry when the dry season reached its peak in southern Vietnam last year.

Nguyen Thi Lan, 43, a local in Phuoc Ngai Commune of Ba Tri District, said her family of four is using water pumped from the reservoir for their daily activities and that she has prepared eight concrete tanks storing rainwater from the earlier rainy season for cooking and drinking.

Many other people in Ba Tri District as well as Giong Trom and Thanh Phu districts have prepared plastic bags that could store 7-30 cubic meters of water each.

Nguyen Thi Thu Lai stands by a plastic bag storing water at her home in Ben Tre Province, March 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Nam.

They have either used the bags to keep water for family use in case freshwater runs dry in nearby canals or suffers salt intrusion.

"These bags are less costly than building a concrete tanks and we can fold them and put them away when we finished using them," said Nguyen Thi Thu Lai in Giong Trom.

Lais family has prepared water enough for three months, stored in both bags and concrete tanks.

As for this years dry season, Mekong Delta, the nations agriculture and aquaculture hub, should expect the worst during March 12-16 and 25-29 period, and April 14-19 and 24-28 before saltwater gradually retreats, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Last year, El Nino caused scanty rainfall in southern Vietnam while upstream Chinese dams held back water and sediments that traditionally fertilize downstream agricultural lands, experts have said.

The Mekong flows 4,880 kilometers through six countries, 2,130 kilometers in China. Of the 19 hydropower projects China plans along the river, it has completed 11.

As for this year, Nguyen Huu Thien, an independent expert on Mekong Delta ecology, said the situation will be less severe as El Nino had ended last September and the rainy season of 2020 had brought more rainfall compared to 2019.
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At least two people have been shot dead during protests in Myanmar's largest city, as security forces continue with their violent crackdown against demonstrations.

One of the victims was shot in the head, while the other was shot in the abdomen, according to local media covering the protests in Hlaing Thar Yar Township in Yangon.

Footage posted on social media showed crowds of protesters, some wearing hard hats and gas masks, running with the sounds of gunfire clear in the background. They used fire extinguishers as they ran, intended to smother tear gas and create a vapor screen against the police.

Demonstrators have been using fire extinguishers to protect themselves from police and tear gas in the protests

There were also reports that people were injured from both live rounds and rubber bullets, and that roadblocks were set alight by security forces.

It comes after the United Nations said Myanmar's military are likely to be committing crimes against humanity - adding that 70 protesters had been 'murdered' since last month's coup. Other unofficial tallies put the number of deaths since the coup at around 90.

More than 2,000 have also been detained, with allegations of torture and enforced disappearances.

The civilian leader of Myanmar's government, Mahn Win Khaing Than continues to call for 'revolution' to oust the military who took power in the coup on February 1.

Currently in hiding, the acting Vice President, who is a member of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi's political party, addressed the nation on Saturday, saying that 'the dawn is close.'

A man uses a slingshot during the security force crack down on anti-coup protesters in Mandalay

Protesters and resident (behind) make new road block after police burn their makeshift blockade near BayintNaung bridge which links to Hlaingthaya

People clash with security forces as they continue to protest against military coup and detention of elected government members in in Hlaing Thar Yar Township

A wounded person is being carried to hospital as people continue to protest against military coup and detention of elected government members

Smoke rises in the distance of Hlaing Thar Yar Township amid clashes. Security forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators

A wounded person is being carried to hospital. many hospitals continue to be occupied by security forces, they are being boycotted in favour of makeshift clinics by medical staff and protesters

Demonstrators in Yagon were not fazed by Saturday's events, and gathered past the 8pm curfew to hold a candlelit vigil.

Families are grieving. Pictured, the relatives and friends of Ko Saw Pye Naing, 21, who died in the anti-coup protests

Demonstrators have been using make shift clinics to receive treatment for their injuries during the protests

Demonstrators have had to use metal shields as barriers to protect themselves against the weapons being used by military

The anti-coup protests are continuing, despite the increasingly violent crackdowns on demonstrators

Demonstrators hold candles in vigils held after the 8pm curfew as part of the protests across the city

'In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades really desired, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together,' he said in a video posted on the shadow government's website.

'We will never give up to an unjust military, but we will carve our future together with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished.'

He ended the video, which was also shared on social media, with the three finger salute - the image that has become a symbol of resistance.

Elsewhere, security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing four in Mandalay, the country's second biggest city, two in Pyay and one in Twante, a suburb of Yangon. Details of the seven deaths on Saturday were posted on several social media accounts.

Protesters sit on a makeshift barricade to deter security forces during demonstrations against the military coup in Yangon

A woman cries next to the body of a man who was shot while dragging an injured girl to safety during a protest

A number of people were shot dead during the protests in Myanmar's largest city as security forces continue their crackdown

The United Nations has said that around 70 protesters have been 'murdered' since last month's coup.

Protesters carried signs that read 'Coups have no place in our modern world' as they marched in Mandalay on Sunday

The civilian leader of Myanmar's government has vowed to continue to support the 'revolution' to oust the military

The death toll could be higher still after claims that police seized some bodies, and that some victims suffered gunshot wounds that staff at makeshift clinics may not be able to treat.

As many hospitals continue to be occupied by security forces, they are being boycotted in favour of makeshift clinics by medical staff and protesters.

Demonstrators in Yagon were not fazed by Saturday's events, and gathered past the 8pm curfew to hold a candlelit vigil. Post curfew rallies were also held elsewhere.

Police are continuing patrol resident areas at night and carry out targeted raids. In at least two known cases, detainees have died in custody.
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AFP

The Wuhan wet market is still the most likely hypothesis for the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to members of a World Health Organization (WHO) delegation to China. The members of the delegation made the claim in a recent Chatham House briefing. The scientists said they found no evidence to support theories that the disease leaked from the three virology labs in Wuhan and they had been given access to all three, Evening Standard reported. Read more



Protesting Farmers Build Brick Houses, Shelters On Trucks With ACs At Borders To Brave Summers

Kisan Ekta/ Twitter

Houses are being constructed at places where the farmers had earlier pitched tents. For building 'pucca' houses with bricks, masons have been called all the way from Punjab. This comes as temperatures have started rising and the scorching summer approaches, the farmers are in no mood to back down. Read more

Govt Asks Northeastern States To Deport Myanmar Nationals

AFP

Myanmar's military authorities are cracking down with increasing severity on daily protests against the coup, with at least 70 people killed according to the UN's top rights expert on the country. As the cracking down continues, the Union Home Ministry on Friday cautioned four Northeastern states, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh that bordering Myanmar against influx from the neighbouring country. Read more



Jharkhand Reserves 75 Percent Jobs In Private Sector For Locals

BCCL

On Friday, the Jharkhand Cabinet approved an employment policy requiring private sector units to reserve 75 per cent of jobs (up to a salary of Rs 30,000 per month) for local people. According to reports, the move is aimed at appeasing the tribal people, which makes up a large section of the state's population. The government says that the tribal people have always neglected. Read more



Outrage Against Chinese Hotel That Offers Polar Bears As 'Neighbours'

AFP

A Chinese hotel built around a central polar bear enclosure for the non-stop viewing pleasure of its guests opened to immediate condemnation from conservationists. At Harbin Polar Land in northeastern China, the hotel bedrooms windows face onto the bears pen, with visitors told the animals are their neighbours 24 hours a day. A video shows the bears -- a threatened species -- photographed by crowds of guests under harsh warm lights, in a space consisting of fake rocks. Read more


Panaji, March 14 : The Goa Police Cyber Cell arrested an Assam-based fraudulent recruiting agent, who would lure aspiring sailors to part their money for jobs onboard shipping vessels and then cheat them.

According to a statement issued by the Cyber Cell, the accused Sumit Upadhyay, a resident of Guwahati, was arrested in a joint operation conducted by police agencies from Assam and Mumbai just when he was about to leave Mumbai by flight.

Sumit's arrest followed a complaint made to the Goa Police by a shipping company 'Ouvert Marine' whose website he had cloned to allegedly cheat job aspirants in shipping companies.

"The complaint by 'Ouvert Marine' said some unknown persons had created a fake website of the company impersonating it. They would then issue placement letters to aspiring sailors and ask them to pay fees for processing placements up to Rs 5 lakh per victim. Several complaints were received in this regard by the Director General, Shipping," the statement said.

After the Cyber Cell took down the fake website, Sumit had absconded and was on the run using "fake identities, sim cards and travelled across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Mumbai and Guwahati", the statement added.

"The accused then attempted to abscond to Mumbai where a joint team of ATS Mumbai under Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Shivdeep Lande, and led by Police Inspector Daya Naik, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sahar Airport, and Cyber Cell Goa officials apprehended him in the plane," the police statement said.
RTHK: Myanmar leader-in-hiding calls for 'revolution'

The acting leader of Myanmar's parallel civilian government, appointed by ousted lawmakers in the wake of a February 1 military coup, addressed the public for the first time on Saturday from hiding and vowed to pursue a "revolution" to overturn the junta.

Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is on the run along with most senior officials from the ruling National League for Democracy Party, addressed the public via Facebook, saying, "This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close".

Witnesses and domestic media Myanmar Now and BBC Burmese said at least 12 protesters were killed on Saturday in one of the bloodiest days since the coup in which Myanmar's army seized power and detained most of the civilian leadership including Aung San Suu Kyi.

In its evening news broadcast, junta-run media MRTV labelled the protesters as "criminals" but did not elaborate.

Mahn Win Khaing Than was appointed last week as acting vice-president by representatives of Myanmar's ousted lawmakers, the Committee for Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), which is pushing for recognition as the rightful government.

It has announced its intention to create a federal democracy and leaders have been meeting representatives of Myanmar's largest ethnic armed organisations, which already control vast swathes of territory across the country. Some have pledged their support.

"In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers, who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades, really desired, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together," Mahn Win Khaing Than said.

His address was greeted with thousands of approving comments from many who followed it on Facebook. "Keep it up Mr President! You are our hope. We are all with you," wrote one user, Ko Shan.

The junta, which could not be reached for comment on Saturday, has declared CRPH illegal and said anyone involved with it could be charged with treason, which carries the death penalty.

The CRPH has declared the junta a "terrorist organisation".

Mahn Win Khaing Than said the CRPH would "attempt to legislate the required laws so that the people have the right to defend themselves" and that public administration would be handled by an "interim people's administration team".

A civil disobedience movement that started with government employees such as doctors and teachers has expanded into a general strike that has paralysed many sectors of the economy and taken a large portion of the workings of government out of the military's hands. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 73F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

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Overcast with showers at times. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
OTTAWA - Canadas military ombudsman is calling on the federal Liberal government to make his office truly independent, saying the current structure is undercutting confidence in its ability to fight for aggrieved Canadian Armed Forces members and others.

A sign is placed on a truck windshield at a protest outside the Veterans Affairs office in Halifax on June 16, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

OTTAWA - Canadas military ombudsman is calling on the federal Liberal government to make his office truly independent, saying the current structure is undercutting confidence in its ability to fight for aggrieved Canadian Armed Forces members and others.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Greg Lick also voiced his belief that his predecessor Gary Walbourne was "unfairly treated," and defended his own appointment as ombudsman given his past ties to the head of the Department of National Defence.

Lick says he initially believed when he took over the job from Walbourne in November 2018 that he could work within the current structure, which involves the deputy minister of the Defence Department having to approve his budget and staffing.

But Lick says he has since changed his mind and now fully endorses Walbournes calls to have the ombudsmans office completely independent from the Defence Department and the defence minister by making it report to Parliament.

"Ive really come to realize that theres not really any independence, or maybe more importantly, any perceived independence when the office is in anyway connected administratively to the department that it oversees," Lick said.

"I really believe now that independence is only possible when there can be some sort of assurance that theres no administrative or political vested interests in what we do."

Licks comments come amid a sharp debate within military and political circles around the need for true independent oversight of the Armed Forces following allegations of misconduct against several top officers, including the two most recent chiefs of defence staff.

They also follow Walbournes suggestions during explosive testimony in front of the House of Commons defence committee last month that the ombudsmans office faced obstacles and unfair treatment from senior defence officials during his time on the job.

Those allegations largely surrounded how the Defence Department handled a whistleblower complaint against Walbourne and members of his staff, one of whom challenged the process in Federal Court where a judge found she was "denied procedural fairness."

Numerous documents obtained by The Canadian Press also show Walbourne and the Defence Department at odds over his requests for funding and staffing approvals, including for what is described as routine travel to meet with service members and clients.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan also cancelled all meetings with Walbourne after the ombudsman raised an allegation of sexual misconduct against then-defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance during a closed-door session on March 1, 2018.

Global News has reported the allegation relates to a lewd email that Vance purportedly sent to a much younger soldier in 2012, before he became commander of the Armed Forces. Vance has denied any wrongdoing, and the allegation has not been independently verified.

While Lick said he did not know the specifics of what happened to Walbourne, he's come to the conclusion that his predecessor was "unfairly treated" based on what he has seen himself and heard from other staff in the watchdogs office.

And while Lick said he has not faced any real impediments from the Defence Department, he nonetheless has heard questions about the offices independence from military personnel, which he worries will stop people from coming forward with complaints.

"I visit various bases, and in various audiences, I still get asked questions about: Are you really independent?" he said. "Ultimately, thats going to prevent some from coming forward, because they dont have the confidence that well deal with it objectively."

The Liberal government has said it is looking at ways to step up independent oversight of the military following allegations of misconduct against Vance and current defence chief Adm. Art McDonald, but it has yet to provide any details.

Lick was noncommittal when asked whether the ombudsmans office would be best placed to investigate such allegations, but suggested the foundation is there in terms of being able to take on such a role if given true independence.

At the same time, he echoed concerns raised by others about the lack of real and perceived independence with the Defence Departments sexual misconduct response centre and the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service.

"They will struggle with the same thing around perceived independence because they report within the military structure," Lick said of the CFNIS, which is currently investigating Vance and McDonald.

"I think they are very competent. But we want people to come forward, that's the biggest thing. And for people to come forward, they have to have complete confidence that the individuals, the organization that treats their case, will be objective and will treat them fairly. That's what we owe them."

Lick also responded to questions about his own personal independence, given that he previously worked with Defence Department deputy minister Jody Thomas at the Canadian Coast Guard for about a decade before succeeding Walbourne as military ombudsman.

Lick confirmed talking to Thomas when an official at the Defence Department reached out to him in the summer of 2018 to gauge his interest in taking over from Walbourne on an interim basis.

At the time, Lick was planning to retire after 34 years in the coast guard, and did not know what an ombudsman did.

He said he reached out to Thomas because of their past working relationship. He said he did not know who recommended him as a possible candidate for the job.

Defence Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said Thomas "played no role in the recommendation or selection of the DND/CAF ombudsman."

The Canadian Press also obtained emails and text messages between Lick and Thomas, including one in which Thomas says she "cannot afford another accusation of interference in your office."

Lick, who said he was warned before taking the job that the ombudsmans office was "toxic and needed healing" only to find a well-run operation made up of dedicated staff, maintained that his relationship with Thomas has not interfered in his work.

"Anybody who knows me, including the deputy, knows that Im nobodys pawn," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2021.
Police in Spain have seized a homemade semi-submarine capable of transporting up to two tonnes of drugs, said officials on March 12. The nine-metre (29.5ft) blue vessel, an image which has been posted by law enforcement authorities on its official website, was discovered in an industrial warehouse in the southern city of Malaga.

In the statement, Spains National Police said that the entire investigation was carried with the authorities of at least five foreign countries under the coordination of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation or Europol. The police have also detained 52 people during raids across Spain and in addition to that, a big haul of cocaine and hashish has been seized. The drugs lab has also been dismantled.

Credits: policia.es

The statement said, Agents of the National Police, in collaboration with the authorities of five foreign countries and under the coordination of EUROPOL, have intervened in the province of Malaga the first semi-submersible boat located in Spain prepared for drug trafficking. The Spanish police believe that the fibreglass and the plywood made semi-submarine was being prepared to smuggle drugs but was not put to use.

First such boat captured by the authorities

Spanish police also noted that with this investigation, the authorities intervened in the first semi-submersible boat in the country. The official statement also explained that the investigation was carried out in four phases including the very first one being in November 2020 when the agents were able to locate the homes of the main members of the organisation in the town of Tarragona, where they made multiple arrests. However, the boat that has now been captured by the Spanish police was  the first with these characteristics located in Spain and was under construction.

Authorities explain,  Its manufacture has been handmade, using a keel on which a frame structure and reinforcements with plywood and fibreglass panels have been mounted to provide the set with the necessary structural resistance. It had two engines of 200 hp each, controlled from an interior console where the steering wheel and the clutch and acceleration levers of the engines are located. Investigators estimate that it had the capacity to transport up to two tons of narcotics.

Graphic image: Representative


(CNN)  Alexandra Ford English is about to be the first female member of the Ford family elected to the board of the automaker that the men in her family have run since 1903.

Ford English is the 33-year-old daughter of William Clay Ford Jr., the company's executive chairman. Also poised to join the board is Henry Ford III, 40, son of current director Edsel Ford II, who is retiring from that position. The cousins are the first great-great-grandchildren of company founder Henry Ford to be board members.

The two family members still must be elected by shareholders, but there's little chance they won't be. The Ford family has controlled the majority of Ford stock voting shares since it went public in 1956.

A Ford family member has been chairman, CEO, or president of the company for all but nearly 20 years of its 118-year history. And there has always been at least one, and more often two Ford men serving on the board.

Women members of the Ford family have served as executives at the company, and women from outside the family have served on its board, including three currently. "I am pleased and proud that we have a new generation of Ford family leaders who believe in serving the company and ensuring it remains a successful and positive force in the world for years to come," said Bill Ford.

The move was also praised by the United Auto Workers union, which represents hourly US workers at the company. "While UAW members will always have differences at the table with management, there is certainty in knowing that there are members of the board whose corporate decisions are informed by their history not just for short-term performance, but in the interest of the company's long-term future as well," said the union.

English Ford, who joined Ford in 2017, has been involved in the company's push to move toward electric and autonomous vehicles. She is currently a director of corporate strategy at the company, responsible for enterprise, connectivity and digital network strategic plans.

Before that, she was director of market and operations for Ford's separate autonomous vehicles unit, and responsible for the successful deployment and operations of Ford's autonomous vehicle business in Miami, Florida, Austin, Texas, and Washington, DC. She also is Ford's representative on the board of electric truck maker Rivian, in which it has a stake.

Before joining Ford she worked in the merchandising divisions at Tory Burch in New York City and at Gap Inc. in San Francisco.

This story was first published on CNN.com 'After 118 years, a female member of the Ford family is set to join the automakers' board'
Srinagar, March 14 : A local youth suffered a pellet gunshot injury at an encounter site in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, where a militant was killed.

Doctors at the SMHS hospital in Srinagar city said 22-year-old Arif Ahmad was admitted to the hospital with a pellet injury in his left eye.

The family alleged that the youth had suffered the injury when the security forces used force to keep civilians away from the encounter site.

The encounter took place in the Rawalpora village of Shopian district where a local militant was killed.

The US made M-4 carbine rifle and 36 armour piercing rounds were recovered from the dead terrotist.

The encounter between the terrorists and the security forces began on Saturday evening.

When the government had advanced GHMC polls by two months from February 2021 to December 2020, there were speculations that the Warangal and Khammam polls would also be brought forward.  Representational image/DC

Hyderabad: Elections to the Warangal and Khammam municipal corporations will be delayed further, wth the exercise of delimitation of wards still going on. The term of both the corporations will end on Sunday.

The state government wants to take a call on when to hold the elections only after the Nagarjunasagar Assembly bypoll for which the Election Commission is yet to announce the schedule.

While the elections were due before March 14, the government issued orders only on February 1 for delimitation of wards. Unless the exercise is completed and final notification of wards issued by the government, the State Election Commission cannot initiate the poll process.

The Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) has 58 wards with an average population of 14,000 in each ward. There has been a demand from political parties as well as people to increase the number of wards to 66.

There is a demand to increase wards in Khammam Municipal Corporation from 50 to 60.

When the government had advanced GHMC polls by two months from February 2021 to December 2020, there were speculations that the Warangal and Khammam polls would also be brought forward. That was not to be.

With the term of the elected councils ending on Sunday, the government appointed special officers to the Warangal and Khammam corporations on Friday. The special officers will exercise powers and discharge the duties until elected members take office.
Covid-19: Fauci Says Ending Mask Mandates Is Risky Ireland joins the growing list of countries suspending the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. A new study suggests three feet of distancing is enough in schools. Follow our latest coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dropping mask mandates, even as vaccinations speed up, is risky business, Dr. Fauci warns. Crux Climbing Center in Austin, Texas, continued to ask patrons to wear masks last week despite Gov. Greg Abbott lifting the statewide mask mandate. Credit... Matthew Busch for The New York Times With millions of Americans vaccinated and states dropping mask and dining restrictions at the one-year mark of the pandemic, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci warned on Sunday against loosening restrictions prematurely, despite the recent week-over-week decreases in new coronavirus cases. Even though the decline was steep, we absolutely need to avoid the urge to say Oh, everything is going great, said Dr. Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert, on the NBC program Meet the Press. When you get a plateau at a level around 60,000 new infections per day, theres always the risk of another surge, he said. And thats the thing we really want to avoid, because we are going in the right direction. Dr. Fauci cited what is happening in Italy, where much of the country will lock down again on Monday, and other parts of Europe. They had a diminution of cases, they plateaued, and they pulled back on public health measures, he said. Restaurants and some bars reopened, he said, and the younger people particularly stopped wearing masks, and then, all of a sudden, you have a surge that went right back up. And thats where we are right now. Rescinding mask mandates in the U.S., as some states have already done, is risky business, he warned. Asked on the CNN program State of the Union about questions that remain unanswered a year into the pandemic, Dr. Fauci mentioned the effect of coronavirus variants, some of which are more contagious and have emerged in Europe, Latin America and the United States. He said the available vaccines would protect against severe disease, death and hospitalization. So, the best way that we can avoid any threat from variants is do two things, he said. Get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can, and to continue with the public health measures, until we get this broad umbrella of protection over society, that the level of infection is very low. Dr. Fauci was asked about recent public opinion polls showing growing public confidence in the vaccines. A new CBS News/YouGov poll found declining resistance to vaccination among Black and Hispanic Americans, but it identified differences along political lines, with higher rates of resistance among Republicans, especially younger ones. Over all, 55 percent of Americans in the survey said they would get vaccinated or had already been vaccinated. That included 57 percent of white Americans, 51 percent of Black Americans and 52 percent of Hispanic Americans, the poll found. By contrast, about 23 percent of Black Americans said they would not get the vaccine; as did 23 percent of white Americans and 20 percent of Hispanic Americans, the poll indicated. On the CBS program Face the Nation, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, who heads a new federal task force on health equity, called the polling results great news. You see vaccine confidence growing in all groups around the country, Dr. Nunez-Smith said. It is very promising. Even so, polarized attitudes aligned with political affiliation have stiffened: About 71 percent of Democrats said they had been vaccinated or would get shots, while only 47 percent of Republicans said the same. One-third of Republicans said they would say no to the vaccine, compared with only 10 percent of Democrats. Dr. Fauci said he was perplexed and troubled by the partisan trend. It makes absolutely no sense, he said. Weve got to dissociate political persuasion from whats common sense, no-brainer public health things. On Fox News Sunday, Dr. Fauci was asked about a public-service message on vaccination that included other former presidents but not Donald J. Trump. He was then asked whether Mr. Trump, who was quietly vaccinated in January before leaving office, should publicly endorse immunization. I think it would make all the difference in the world, Dr. Fauci said, adding: Hes a very widely popular person among Republicans. If he came out and said, go and get vaccinated, its really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country, it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him. In an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando last month, Mr. Trump did say, Everyone should go get your shot, but that message was largely overlooked by the former presidents characteristic focus on divisive political matters.

A new study suggests 3 feet, not 6 feet, is sufficient distance for school students, with mask-wearing and other safety measures kept in place. Anna Artist, 6, working on her classwork at St. Marys School, a Catholic school in Lee, Mass., last month. Credit... Ben Garver/The Berkshire Eagle, via Associated Press School shutdowns have been a divisive topic since the pandemic erupted, and a new study has ignited debate over the six-foot rule of social distancing and whether it can be relaxed in classroom settings, which would ease the way for children to return to schools. The new study, published last week in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, suggests public schools may be able to reopen safely for in-person instruction as long as children maintain three feet of distance between them, and with other mitigation measures maintained, such as wearing masks. Jill Biden and members of her husbands administration have been traveling in a concerted campaign for reopening schools safely while parents and educators have grown increasingly frustrated by the off-again, on-again policies from district to district. Asked about the new report by Jake Tapper on CNNs State of the Union program on Sunday, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert, agreed the study appeared to indicate three feet would be sufficient distance to curb transmission of the virus. No official guidance on shortening the recommended six-foot rule has yet been issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although Dr. Fauci said the agency is studying the data. What the C.D.C. wants to do is accumulate data, and when data shows ability to be three feet, they will act accordingly, Dr. Fauci said. He added that the agencys director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, was aware of the new research, and that the C.D.C. was also conducting its own studies. I dont want to get ahead of official guidelines, he said. While the C.D.C.s advice remains at six feet of social distancing between students, the World Health Organization has recommended a meter or 3.3 feet of distancing, and the study found the latter was enough to limit school-related cases. The C.D.C. recommendations call for six feet of social distancing in schools in counties with high coronavirus transmission rates. C.D.C. officials could not be reached for comment on Sunday. Some experts have said that tempering social distancing recommendations could be an important step toward getting children back into classrooms. Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, suggested on Twitter that the C.D.C. guidance may be changing, and that is good. Because 6 ft doesnt protect teachers. But it does keep kids out of school. Want to open schools safely? Masks. Ventilation. Testing. Vaccinating teachers/staff. Thats the list, Dr. Jha wrote. The new study, published on Wednesday, compared the incidence rates of virus cases among students and staff members in Massachusetts school districts that required at least six feet of separation with those that required only three feet of distance, and found no statistically significant differences in infection rates among staff members or students. The researchers, who controlled for community rates of coronavirus in their analysis, concluded that lower physical distancing policies can safely be adopted in school settings, as long as other measures like universal masking are in place. The studys authors examined the rates of infection among staff members and students at some 242 school districts in Massachusetts, with varying levels of in-person instruction from Sept. 24 to Jan. 27. Children are less likely to require hospitalization when infected with the coronavirus, and children under 10 are less likely to get infected than teenagers. But the true incidence of infections may not be known because children and adolescents are far less likely than adults to develop severe illness and are less likely to be tested.

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Fewer than half of states are giving vaccine access to U.S. Postal Service workers. Postal workers must navigate a patchwork of policies to determine whether they can get a shot. Credit... Joshua Bright for The New York Times Beleaguered in the pandemic and thrust into the spotlight by the 2020 election, the United States Postal Service now finds itself competing for its share of the vaccine. The Postal Service has endured tumultuous months amid a significant increase in online shopping, understaffing, government funding issues and an explosion of mail-in ballots during a contentious election. Thousands of postal workers have contracted the coronavirus, and more than 150 have died. Still, fewer than half of the states across the country  at least 22  have begun administering shots to Postal Service workers, at least in some counties, even as they rapidly expand access to more groups of people, according to a New York Times survey. Postal workers are among several categories of essential workers that a committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that states prioritize early. In a letter penned to the Biden administration in January, Mark Dimondstein, the president of the American Postal Workers Union, noted that numerous states have not followed this recommendation and have chosen to place postal workers further down in the order of those with early access to the vaccine. Postal workers might not have to wait too much longer to be vaccinated. On Thursday, President Biden promised to bring cohesion to the national rollout, directing states to make every adult eligible by May 1, and announcing a series of initiatives to ramp up the pace of vaccinations. Postal workers must navigate a patchwork of policies to determine whether they can get a shot. In Virginia, they can get the vaccine along with private mail carriers. And Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas announced that postal workers in his state could get the vaccine as of Monday. However, they are not yet eligible in Maine, Texas and Washington. In a live video last month, Mr. Dimondstein lamented the lack of a collective government response on behalf of the Postal Service. Its chaos, he said. Youve got to find your own way. In the past month alone, the rate of U.S. vaccinations has ramped up over 50 percent, to an average of about 2.5 million shots a day as of Saturday, up from an average of about 1.6 million shots a day on Feb. 13, according to a New York Times database. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday that about 68.9 million people had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, including about 36.9 million people who have been fully vaccinated. Cierra S. Queen , Benjamin Guggenheim and See How Vaccinations Are Going in Your County and State See where doses have gone, and who is eligible for a shot in each state.

A frat-party-fueled outbreak prompts Duke to quarantine thousands of students. Students on the Duke University campus in Durham, N.C., will have to stay in their rooms for at least a week except for essential errands. Credit... Travis Dove for The New York Times Duke University ordered thousands of students Saturday evening to quarantine for at least a week because of a coronavirus outbreak at the school. More than 180 students have tested positive in the last week, and an additional 200 people were already in isolation after contact tracing, the university order said. In a statement on Sunday, Duke said the new cases were almost all linked to unsanctioned fraternity recruitment events that took place off campus. This stay-in-place order is the direct result of individual behavior in violation of Dukes requirements for in-person activity, the statement said, adding, Those who are found responsible for organizing and hosting these events will be held accountable. Under the order, students who live on the campus in Durham, N.C., must stay in their rooms except for essential errands like picking up food; they may walk outdoors in groups of no more than three. Students living elsewhere were told not to go to campus and were strongly encouraged to limit their movements and activities off campus. All classes will be taught online. In all, the order covers 6,000 undergraduates who are in or near Durham, the university said. Graduate and professional classes will continue as planned. Students across the country have had their college experiences upended as the pandemic has dragged on for more than a year, and the virus has continued to spread on campus and in surrounding communities. Since Jan. 1, more than 120,000 cases have been linked to American colleges and universities, according to a New York Times database. When rumors circulated on Saturday that the order was coming, students rushed to stock up on food and other supplies for their rooms, the campus newspaper reported. Leah Boyd, 19, a sophomore who covered the events for the paper, said she and several friends walked around campus on Saturday to soak up our last hour or so of freedom. She said they were worried that the lockdown would be extended to last longer than a week. Another reporter for the paper, Nadia Bey, 19, said that while most students understood the need for restrictions, I think the stress is really getting to us. Students who are careful about safety rules are starting to resent those who are not, Ms. Boyd said: Theyre tired of sacrificing their social lives, getting to see their families, getting to go to in-person classes, for other people to still be acting irresponsible. An online petition calling on the university to sue the Durham Interfraternity Council for reckless endangerment gathered more than 1,000 signatures in less than 24 hours. After closing down last spring, Duke allowed freshmen and sophomores back into campus housing in the fall, and juniors and seniors in January. It garnered praise for its coronavirus testing program. But a coronavirus case sent the whole mens basketball team into quarantine, forcing the team to withdraw from its conference tournament and dooming it to miss the N.C.A.A. tournament for the first time since 1995. The thing is, as much as you test, if youre still gathering in large groups, if youre still being unsafe, if youre still not following the rest of the protocol, the amount of testing you do doesnt matter, Ms. Boyd said. Youre still going to end up in situations like this.

The New York vaccine czars calls to drum up support for Gov. Cuomo raise alarm. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, left, and Larry Schwartz at a meeting in Albany, N.Y., in 2014, when Mr. Schwartz was a top aide to Mr. Cuomo. He is now the governors vaccine czar. Credit... Mike Groll/Associated Press For most of his tenure, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has relied on a set of close advisers who act as both political enforcers and point people on government operations. He did the same at the height of the pandemic, calling on some of his most trusted emissaries to help coordinate the states coronavirus response. With Mr. Cuomo facing concurrent scandals over accusations of sexual abuse and calls for his resignation, though, that pattern is raising alarms. Larry Schwartz, a former top aide to the governor who now leads the states vaccination efforts, has also apparently been acting as a political operative, asking state Democratic leaders to support the governor while continuing to discuss the urgent business of immunization. At least two Democratic county executives said they had received such calls. One of the county executives, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said that after Mr. Schwartz had discussed the governors political situation, he then pivoted directly to a conversation about vaccine distribution. The mixing of politics and the states vaccination program threatened to further complicate Mr. Cuomos efforts to forge ahead with the day-to-day business of government despite the deep uncertainty about his future. And it threw a spotlight on a concern that local officials have voiced quietly in recent months: that the Cuomo administration saw its control over the vaccine supply as a means to reward or punish local officials. In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Schwartz said that he had never mixed vaccination policy with political considerations. All decisions regarding vaccines are done based on public health considerations, not politics, Mr. Schwartzs statement said. At no time has politics ever entered into the discussion or decision making regarding vaccines. I have never discussed vaccines in a political context, and anyone who thinks that is seriously mistaken. The governors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jesse McKinley and

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New York City marked a year since its first virus death with a virtual memorial. Mourners gathered at Canarsie Cemetery in Brooklyn last May for the funeral of Claudette Hyppolite, 73, who died with the coronavirus. Credit... Dave Sanders for The New York Times One year after its first coronavirus-related death, New York City held a virtual memorial event on Sunday honoring the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have died of the virus. The virtual ceremony, which included names and photographs of the deceased, was streamed online on the citys website and on social media platforms at 7:45 p.m. Families are being encouraged to submit photographs of their loved ones. Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 30,000 people are known to have died in New York City from the virus. We constantly talk about moving forward and our recovery, but weve got to take time to remember the people weve lost, said Mayor Bill de Blasio at a news conference Monday. The citys first confirmed death, an 82-year-old woman with emphysema, was reported on March 14, 2020. The next day, the city shut down schools, restaurants and bars. There were about 5,600 reported cases of the virus in the city at the time, but researchers have said that the virus was probably spreading earlier than residents realized. New York soon became the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. Morgues, funeral homes, crematories and cemeteries were overwhelmed with bodies. When asked if the city would create a permanent memorial to commemorate victims of virus, Mr. de Blasio said on Monday that the city would develop a plan for a place that people can gather and remember their loved ones.

Ireland suspends use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, citing blood clot reports. A dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine being administered in Dublin last month. Credit... Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters Ireland suspended use of the Covid-19 vaccine by Oxford-AstraZeneca on Sunday, citing reports of unusual blood clotting problems among people who recently received the shots in Norway. The decision followed a new advisory from Norway on Saturday that four people given the AstraZeneca vaccine had experienced blood clotting issues and all had low platelet counts. Leading public health agencies, including the World Health Organization, point out that millions of people have received the vaccine without experiencing such blood clotting issues, and that experts have not found a causative link between any of the vaccines and the conditions. Irelands health minister, Stephen Donnelly, said on Twitter that the suspension was a precautionary step. The decision to temporarily suspend use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was based on new information from Norway that emerged late last night. This is a precautionary step. The National Immunisation Advisory Comm meets again this morning and well provide an update after that  Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) March 14, 2021 Regulators like the European Medicines Agency are investigating whether there is evidence of any link. AstraZeneca defended its vaccine on Sunday, saying that the company is continually monitoring its safety. Around 17 million people in the E.U. and U.K. have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population, Ann Taylor, the companys chief medical officer, said in a statement. Prof. Karina Butler, the chairwoman of Irelands immunization advisory committee, said the panels recommendation was made while agencies were investigating. We will continue to monitor the situation, and if we can be satisfied that these events are coincidental and not caused by this vaccine, we will reassess the situation. No such cases have been reported to Irelands medicine regulators, with over 117,000 doses of the vaccine administered in the country. Of the newest reports in Norway, one patient died from an unexpected brain hemorrhage, and the three others with severe cases of blood clots or brain hemorrhages were being treated in a hospital, according to the Norwegian Medicines Agency. That agency issued an advisory for people under age 50 who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine in the past two weeks, and who feel increasingly unwell with several large blue patches on their skin more than three days after vaccination, to consult doctors or other medical advice as soon as possible. Ireland joined other European countries in halting use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the past week as a precaution because of concerns over the risk of blood clots. Thailand and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also delayed their rollouts of the vaccine in recent days. On Sunday, Italys northern region of Piedmont said it would temporarily stop administering the AstraZeneca vaccine, a day after a teacher there died after receiving the shot. The European Medicines Agency, which is investigating the relationship, said Wednesday that 30 cases of obstructive blood clots had been reported in the nearly five million people who received the shot  a rate no higher than that seen in the general population  and that the vaccines benefits outweighed the risks. AstraZeneca has said that its safety data of more than 10 million records does not show evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis. In its statement, AstraZeneca also said that as of March 8, the company was aware of 15 reports of deep-vein thrombosis and 22 of pulmonary embolism among those who had received the vaccine across the European Union and Britain. This is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed Covid vaccines, the company said.

Global Roundup Italians start a widespread lockdown. In Milan, the police imposed one-way pedestrian paths on Sunday in the Darsena and Navigli area, one of the busiest parts of the city. Credit... Alessandro Grassani for The New York Times Three-quarters of Italians entered a strict lockdown on Monday, as the government put in place restrictive measures to fight the rise in infections. A more contagious variant first identified in Britain, combined with a slow vaccine rollout, led to a 15 percent increase in cases in Italy last week, a worrisome picture for the government run by Prime Minister Mario Draghi. I am aware that todays measures will have an impact on childrens education, on the economy but also on the psychological state of us all, Mr. Draghi said on Friday. But they are necessary to avoid a worsening that will make inevitable even more stringent measures. Most regions in northern Italy, as well as Lazio and Marche in central Italy and Campania and Puglia in the south, have shut schools and barred residents from leaving their homes except for work, health or necessity. Among business activities, only supermarkets, pharmacies and a few other stores will stay open, but restaurants are closed. In the rest of the country, residents are not be allowed to leave their municipality without reason involving work, health or other necessities, but schools and many stores will stay open. We believe that only with widespread vaccinations will we be able to avoid measures like these, Mr. Draghi added. Fewer than two million people in the country have been fully vaccinated so far, partly because of late deliveries from the pharmaceutical industries, but also because of logistical problems in some regions. Italy is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world: The coronavirus has killed more than 100,000 people there, and infected 3.2 million. The entire country will be on lockdown for the Easter weekend in early April to prevent the usual large family reunions. As with restrictions in place over Christmas, people will still be allowed to leave their homes once a day. In other news from around the world: The government of Hong Kong said on Monday that vaccine eligibility would be expanded to include everyone age 30 and older regardless of occupation, as the Chinese territory tries to increase vaccine uptake. About 200,000 of Hong Kongs 7.5 million residents have received a first dose of either the BioNTech or Sinovac vaccines since the inoculation drive began late last month. But the proportion of people who show up for their appointments has fallen amid reports that six people have died after receiving the vaccine developed by Sinovac, a private Chinese company. Officials say that two of the deaths are not directly related to the vaccine and that the others are under investigation. The vaccine announcement came as Hong Kong is trying to contain a cluster of cases that began at a gym and has grown to 122 people, with more than 850 close contacts sent to government quarantine facilities and multiple residential buildings locked down overnight for mandatory testing. Also on Monday, the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong said it was closing for deep cleaning after two employees tested positive for the virus.

The Netherlands on Sunday joined other European countries in halting use of the AstraZeneca vaccine because of concerns over the risk of blood clots. Thailand and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also delayed their rollouts of the vaccine, though Thai officials said on Monday that they would use the AstraZeneca vaccine starting on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha among the first to receive it, according to Reuters. On Sunday, the Piedmont region in northern Italy said it would temporarily stop administering the AstraZeneca vaccine, a day after a teacher there died after receiving the shot.

In France, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Sunday that the country had to use all weapons available to avoid a lockdown, urging people to get vaccinated and tested for the virus. The French government has so far rejected pressure from health experts to institute a third national lockdown as infections and deaths climb, Reuters reported. Gaia Pianigiani and

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A Texas noodle shop is vandalized after its owner said on TV that lifting the states mask mandate was selfish. Mike Nguyen looked at the anti-Asian graffiti defacing his restaurant in San Antonio on Sunday morning. Friends came later in the day to help him remove it. Credit... Tyler Prince/214 Digital A noodle restaurant in San Antonio was defaced with anti-Asian graffiti over the weekend, days after its owner publicly criticized the Texas governors decision to lift a statewide mask mandate. Mike Nguyen, owner of the Noodle Tree restaurant, said an employee had texted him photographs of the vandalism on Sunday morning. The restaurants windows and outdoor furniture had been spray-painted in bright red with messages like Kung Flu, Commie and Go back 2 China. Mr. Nguyen said he believed it was done in retaliation for comments he made on CNN on Thursday questioning Gov. Greg Abbotts decision to loosen restrictions in Texas. One hundred percent, they are connected, he said. Someone is trying to intimidate me or deter me from opening today. Noodle Tree opened anyway, and was serving customers Sunday afternoon as friends of Mr. Nguyen used glass cleaner and razor blades to scrape off the offensive messages. I am not even Chinese, Mr. Nguyen, 33, said with a laugh. Im actually half Vietnamese, half French. The episode added to a pattern of anti-Asian discrimination, harassment and violence in the United States that has intensified since the pandemic began. Mr. Nguyen said he believed such behavior was even more widespread than reported. Im sure other Asian-Americans are being attacked  they are just not reporting, he said. With this stuff, Ive been through a lot worse. Mr. Nguyen said he received death threats through social media after his appearance on CNN, during which he said he thought ending the mask mandate was unnecessary, selfish and cowardly. Leaving it up to businesses to tell their customers to wear masks was bound to cause conflict, he said on Sunday. But look, he said, pointing to the friends who were helping to clean up the storefront. This is what Texans do, this is what San Antonians do. We look out for each other.

A saving grace: Stimulus payments begin to arrive in bank accounts. President Biden addressing the nation about the American Rescue Plan Act from the White House on Thursday. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Stimulus payments have started to land in Americans bank accounts, just days after President Biden signed a $1.9 trillion pandemic rescue bill into law. The Internal Revenue Service announced on Friday that people would start receiving direct deposits over the weekend as the Biden administration rushes to get money to people who have been struggling throughout the pandemic. More batches will be sent out in the next few weeks, with some payments arriving by mail as checks or debit cards. Johanna Suarez, a 21-year-old sophomore at Houston Community College, said she received her $1,400 payment on Saturday morning. She plans to use some of the money to buy books for school and pay for a dental procedure to remove her wisdom teeth. Ms. Suarez said she needed the payment because her insurance does not cover dental costs. As an adult dependent, she qualified for the stimulus payment for the first time. (The previous two rounds of stimulus payments required dependents to be younger than 17 to be eligible, leaving out many college students.) The stimulus check was a little bit of a saving grace, Ms. Suarez said. Mr. Biden signed the pandemic relief bill, which prompted the payments, on Thursday afternoon. The payments provide up to $1,400 per individual, including dependents. The amounts are reduced for individuals making more than $75,000 and for married couples who earn more than $150,000. People earning more than $80,000 or couples making more than $160,000 are not eligible for payments. David Gordon, 40, said he saw a post on Twitter about the stimulus payments and checked his bank account at about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday to find a $1,400 deposit in the account that he shares with his wife. Mr. Gordon, an assistant attorney general for the state of Texas, used some of his payment to donate $400 to a charity organization that supports cyclists. He also spent about $250 on plants at a garden nursery after a recent winter storm destroyed the ones in his yard. Although he said he was not an ardent supporter of Mr. Biden and his centrist positions, he said the payments were a good thing for the country. Lilliana Cardiel, a 48-year-old supply chain manager at the University Medical Center of El Paso, said she received her payment at about 1 a.m. early Saturday. She was surprised to get her payment so early, after the last two rounds of stimulus checks took more than a week to arrive. She put the $4,200  which she received for her daughter, grandmother and herself  toward her savings account for emergencies. Ive been saving all of my stimulus checks, Ms. Cardiel said. Its money I can count on. Recipients can check the status of their payments on the I.R.S. website starting Monday.

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Some U.S. Muslim groups try to spread the word that getting a Covid shot wont break the Ramadan fast. A prayer service at the Islamic Center in Sandy, Utah, last year. At least one American mosque is having a popup vaccination event to give members the chance to get two shots before Ramadan begins. Credit... Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune, via Associated Press With Ramadan less than a month away, some Muslim organizations in the United States have begun addressing a critical question: whether the dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast prohibits Muslims from receiving vaccine injections during daylight hours. The executive director of the Islamic Society of North America, Basharat Saleem, said that numerous scholars of Islamic law had been consulted on the matter. The answer is no, he said. It does not break the fast. The group joined with dozens of others last year in organizing a National Muslim Task Force on Covid-19, which has taken advisement from Muslim jurists. They were in general agreement, Mr. Saleem said, that getting a Covid-19 vaccine was acceptable during Ramadan or at any other time. A shot will not invalidate the fast because it has no nutritional value and it is injected into the muscle, the task force announced, a ruling that in the past has covered flu shots and other vaccinations. Whether vaccinations are permitted during Ramadan is not only a concern among Muslims, and perhaps not even the chief one; there have been questions around the world as well about the presence of forbidden ingredients, such as pork products, in the vaccines. Some have also expressed misgivings about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine similar to those of some Catholic leaders, given that cells used in its development and production had a remote connection to abortion. Muslim health care workers, even those who have been publicly urging people to get vaccinated, have acknowledged the ethical difficulties. These decisions are a matter of personal conscience, said Dr. Hasan Shanawani, the president of American Muslim Health Professionals and a practicing pulmonologist in Michigan. But the preservation of life is one of the highest principles in Islam, he said, and given the current scarcity of vaccines in many places, the ethics, to him, were straightforward. Declining a vaccine means potentially putting all of us at risk, said Dr. Shanawani, who has treated hundreds of Covid-19 patients over the past year. Take the vaccine thats available to you. God is the most forgiving. When the present emergency has passed, he added, then a person can be more discriminating about which vaccine to take. Haaris Ahmad, the president of a large and diverse mosque in the Detroit suburbs, said he had heard all of these concerns. He has assured members of the mosque that scholars are in broad agreement that a vaccination would not break the Ramadan fast, and he has also told people that if the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the only readily available option, they should take it. But he also acknowledged that people would rather not have to think about these things, especially during the holiest month of the Muslim calendar. So his mosque is hosting a vaccine clinic next Monday night, which would allow people to get in two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine just before Ramadan begins in mid-April. And while the event was initially advertised with general language about vaccines, Mr. Ahmad said, the latest flier includes more explicit guidance about what will not be on offer at the clinic: NOTE, it reads, Not J&J.

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A website is helping clinics struggling to equitably dole out extra vaccine doses before they expire. Brittany Marsh, who owns a pharmacy in Little Rock, Ark., administering a Covid-19 vaccine this month. She said the Dr. B service made it easier to distribute leftover doses. Credit... Rory Doyle for The New York Times In the hustle to score an elusive vaccine appointment, the leftover dose has become the stuff of pandemic lore. Extra shots  which must be used within hours once taken out of cold storage  have been doled out to drugstore customers buying midnight snacks, people who are friends with nurses and those who show up at closing time at certain grocery stores and pharmacies. At some larger vaccination sites, the race to use every dose sets off a flurry of end-of-the-day phone calls. In every case, if the leftover dose does not find an available arm, it must go into the trash. Now, a New York-based start-up is aiming to add some order to the hunt for leftover doses. Dr. B, as the company is known, is matching vaccine providers who find themselves with extra vaccines to people who are willing to get one at a moments notice. Since the service began last month, more than 500,000 people have submitted a host of personal information to sign up for the service, which is free to join and is also free to providers. Two vaccine sites have begun testing the program, and the company said about 200 other providers had applied to participate. Dr. B is just one attempt at coordinating the chaotic patchwork of public and private websites that allow eligible people to find vaccine appointments. And while it does not solve the broader structural issues around vaccine distribution, if it scales up the way some hope that it will, it could serve as a model for a better, more equitable way of scheduling vaccinations. Ultimately, patients need this vaccine, and theres providers who need help getting it to the people of priority, Cyrus Massoumi, a tech entrepreneur and founder of Dr. B, said in an interview. Thats my motivation. Mr. Massoumi said he was financing the project out of his own pocket and had no plans to collect revenue. The company is named after his grandfather, who was nicknamed Dr. Bubba and became a doctor during the 1918 influenza pandemic. The service suffers, however, from some of the same barriers that have marred vaccination efforts so far. Although signing up is simple, doing so requires an internet connection as well as ready access to a cellphone. Because of the last-minute nature of leftover doses, participants must have flexible schedules and access to transportation. Its still heavily internet dependent, so it will depend on who hears about it, said Arthur Caplan, a medical ethicist at New York Universitys Grossman School of Medicine. It seems hes trying to solve a problem and do some good, but Im sad that governments  counties, cities, national organizations  didnt prepare for this and then didnt react more quickly to give advice and guidance.
Today

Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. Very hot. High 106F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny skies. High around 105F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
For Subscribers Gov. Noem hires jet consultant to help South Dakota buy new aircraft

An out-of-state consultant has been hired for $195,000 by Gov. Kristi Noem's administration to help the state of South Dakota buy a new aircraft.
Mumbai, March 14 : Axis Bank will acquire 9.9 per cent stake in Fettle Tone LLP, a promoter entity of Max Bupa Health Insurance.

A special purpose vehicle set up by True North Fund VI LLP, Fettle Tone LLP is currently a promoter of Max Bupa Health Insurance Company Ltd and holds 55.6 per cent of its total share capital.

The transaction would include contribution of Rs 90.8 crore by Axis Bank Ltd, in cash, in the partnership capital of Fettle Tone LLP for acquiring 9.90 per cent of the aggregate partnership interest.

"Axis Bank Ltd has entered into definitive agreements with Fettle Tone LLP and the other partners of Fettle Tone LLP on 13th March 2021 in connection with Axis Bank Ltd's proposed acquisition of 9.90 per cent of the aggregate partnership interest of Fettle Tone LLP pursuant to a contribution by Axis Bank Ltd in Fettle Tone LLP's partnership capital," the bank said in a regulatory filing.

With this acquisition, Axis Bank aims to strengthen its position in the insurance sector, pursuant to its investment in Fettle Tone LLP, it said.

The filing said that the definitive agreements in connection with the proposed acquisition have been executed by Axis Bank on March 13, and the acquisition is proposed to be completed on or before March 17.
All love! Tayshia Adams spoke publicly about being named the new cohost of The Bachelorette alongside Kaitlyn Bristowe.

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The Bachelor Nation personality, 30, opened up about the experience via her Instagram Story on Saturday, March 13. She thanked fans for their kindness and revealed that she spoke with longtime host Chris Harrison, whom she and Bristowe, 35, are replacing.

Oh my gosh, you guys. What a wild announcement to be made within the last 24 hours, the California native began. I feel so honored to be given the opportunity. Im just so, so, so happy and Im so happy that you guys are happy.  It means so much.

ABC/Craig Sjodin

She continued: The fact that I talked to Chris the other day and he was so kind and congratulated me for being a part of the next season meant the absolute world. With that being said, yall, lets freakin go.

While Adams experience after the announcement was largely positive, Bristowe faced some backlash. The Canada native hit back at trolls after being named one of Harrisons replacements on The Bachelorette.

Love you Kaitlyn but no, just no, one Instagram user wrote. She clapped back, Do you though?

Another social media user wrote, Horrible to celebrate Chris Harrison being involved in Cancel Culture. Bachelor Nation is over. Bristowe replied, Im celebrating a friendship here to be honest.

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Plenty of fans were happy for Bristowe and Adams, though. One commented, YAS QUEENS. The ABC personality responded with a red heart emoji.

Harrison, 49, announced that he was temporarily stepping back from Bachelor Nation on February 13. His announcement came days after his controversial interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay for Extra. During the conversation, Harrison defended Bachelor season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell amid her racism scandal. Harrison has since apologized for his statements.

Us Weekly confirmed on Friday, March 12, that Harrison would not return to The Bachelorette as host in season 17. ABC released a statement addressing the decision and revealed his replacements.

Chris Harrison will not be hosting the next season of The Bachelorette. We support Chris in the work that he is committed to doing. In his absence, former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will support the new Bachelorette through next season, the statement read. As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equality and inclusion within The Bachelor franchise, we are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks. These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world.

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Adams starred in the second half of The Bachelorette season 16 after Clare Crawley chose to leave with then-fiance Dale Moss after two weeks of filming together. Bristowe appeared in season 11 of the show.
Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta has extended the nationwide 22:00-04:00 curfew by 60 days.



He has also banned all political gatherings for 30 days and put further restrictions on weddings and funerals.



It has been close to a year that Kenyans have had to stay indoors overnight, but the president said the extension was needed because of a surge in infections



In January there were less than 100 new infections a day, but in March the numbers rose to as high as 750 a day.



Mr Kenyatta has blamed a failure to observe Covid-19 restrictions behind the rise, and ordered authorities to crackdown, especially on politicians, whose recent rallies have widely been seen as super-spreader events.



The country has had a series of by-elections following the deaths of politicians, some because of Covid-19.



Opposition leader Raila Odinga has been put into quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus on Thursday.



Struggling pubs and restaurants, many barely afloat, must still close by 21:00.



President Kenyatta said these restrictions had cost the Kenyan economy more than $5.1bn (3.6bn) last year.



But he insisted this was better than possibly losing 150,000 lives over the same period as projected by scientists, if restrictions were not in place.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Signs of politicisation impeding probes into Easter Sunday attacks View(s):

The whole country is of one mind in wanting investigators to identify the mastermind(s) behind the Easter Sunday attacks and ensure that they are produced before the Courts and punished. Not only the Roman Catholic community which bore the brunt of the attacks nor the Muslim community on whom the responsibility is sought to be apportioned due to the fact that the suicide bombers were all Muslims. The inhuman attacks have to be viewed as a national issue affecting all Sri Lankans and therefore the truth has to be revealed.

But such an outcome can only be achieved if the investigations are conducted with impartiality and integrity and where the wrongdoers are punished according to law while the names of those wrongly accused are cleared. Only then will justice be done.

However the events of the last few weeks indicate there is a great danger of the course of justice being perverted by undue politicisation. The events of Easter Sunday 2019 shook the nation leaving behind a trail of pain and misery. Yet politicians and others without facilitating the unraveling of the truth continue to use the incident to target their opponents or to achieve political and other collateral objectives.

While several people have been taken into custody and yet others are being investigated, the million dollar question of who dunnit remains unanswered. Only a credible and comprehensive investigation can unearth the truth.

Yet last week the country heard two Government Ministers naming two different individuals as the masterminds behind the attack. The Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera making a statement in Parliament last Wednesday named Naufer Moulavias the mastermind behind the attacks.

A Daily Mirror online edition report on March 10, 2021 quoted the Minister as saying The intelligence services have identified Naufer Moulavi as the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday terror attack while the Ibrahim brothers and several international organisations have funded the Thawheed Jamaath to carry out the attack.

He told Parliament it was revealed that Naufer Moulavi, who was based in Qatar, had provoked Zahran and his followers to carry out the attack by brainwashing them. He did not reveal any details as to how Naufer Moulavi who was based in Qatar had provoked Zahran and his followers to carry out the attack by brainwashing them. Common sense would suggest that the mastermind behind the attacks would have had to apply a much greater deal of sophistication than brain washing to set up and detonate several bombs within the space of a few minutes at identified locations.

A few hours later Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage speaking in Parliament struck a different note to Minister Sarath Weerasekera and named Zahran as the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks ignoring the fact that a mastermind was unlikely to engineer his own death while carrying out his dastardly acts.

Another attempt to politicise the investigations is the effort to foist the blame for the Easter Sunday attacks on the Yahapalana Government. Clearly the Yahapalana Government has to take responsibility for the failure to prevent such attacks despite the availability of sufficient intelligence with regard to the impending attacks but identifying the masterminds behind the attack is a different story.

There is also the irresponsible actions of various individuals using the media to accuse various individuals of being associated with the Easter Sunday attacks without an iota of evidence merely on the basis of their political or religious prejudice.

Yet another attempt to prevent a fully-fledged investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks was the Governments plan to deny the Attorney General access to some of the volumes containing what it called sensitive information on the basis the Presidential Commission had requested such information be withheld from the Attorney General.

In a strongly worded editorial the Island newspaper of yesterday (March 13 ) condemned the Governments attempt to deprive the Attorney General of access to all documents related to the Presidential Commission of Inquirys final report on the Easter Sunday carnage.

Referring to the Governments subsequent decision to allow the Attorney General full access to the entire report, the Island Editorial comments as follows: The Government has made another dramatic volte-face; the whole PCoI report was sent to the AG yesterday. Why could it not dispatch the report and all documents related to it to the AG immediately after they were submitted to the President on February 1, 2021? Some SLPP grandees claimed the documents at issue contained classified information about national security, and the government decision against sending them to the AG was based on a PCoI recommendation; they gave a twist to the penultimate paragraph in the PCoI covering letter to the President, in the report.

The Commission has said: We draw Your Excellencys attention to the fact that the documents marked X have classified information obtained through intelligence agencies of the State. Furthermore, evidence pertaining to national security including intelligence and information was obtained through witnesses testifying in camera. We would, with due respect, recommend that these matters be considered before deciding to make them public. (Emphasis added.)

No mention is made of the AG in this paragraph. But in its Chapter 30 (Conclusions), the report (on page 421) says specifically: The CoI recommends that Your Excellency the President transmits a complete set of the Report to the Attorney General to consider institution of criminal proceedings against persons alleged to have committed the said offences. (Emphasis added.) Nobody should blame the PCoI members.

The Island Editorial goes on to ask: Now, the question is why the government tried to prevent the AG from having access to the entire PCoI report. Did it seek to conceal anything therein, as its political opponents claim? The only way it can clear doubts and suspicions in the minds of people is to make the whole report public. As for the classified information about national security the PCoI report is said to contain, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian and former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka hit a bulls eye in Parliament, the other day, while others were getting Maggies drawers. He said the Easter Sunday attacks had happened due to a massive national security failure, which everyone was aware of, and therefore the argument that information related thereto should not be made public was specious. 

The Island editorial further went on to call for the report in its entirety be made public and said The PCoI, we repeat, has not said that the documents containing what it considers sensitive information about national security should not be made public. It has only asked the President to decide whether to do so, after taking into account what it calls classified information obtained through intelligence agencies of the State. The ball is now in the Presidents court. We believe that he should seriously consider making the entire report public. Besides the AG, the lawmakers, the media, the aggrieved parties and the general public have a right to see the whole picture.

Another worrying response to the Commission report is Minister G. L. Pieris statement suggesting that the Government would selectively implement the Commissions recommendations. The SLPP Chairman last Sunday ruled out the possibility of proscribing the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) as recommended by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) that probed the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and emphasised that the particular recommendation was not acceptable to the Government and described it as a difficult recommendation but did not elaborate on the reasons for not implementing the recommendation.

He only said the proscription of the BBS would not do any good, and that implementation of the Commissions recommendations would be the prerogative of the Government.

One hopes that with the entirety of the Commissions report in the hands of the Attorney General the search for the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks will yield results.

(javidyusuf@gmail.com)
The Morrison government is working on an ambitious plan that would establish Singapore as a quarantine gateway, holiday destination and potential vaccination hub for returning Australians, international students and business travellers.

The deal would help clear the log jam of approximately 40,000 Australians stranded overseas, boost tourism to Australia from Singaporean nationals  and third countries down the track  and kick-start the multibillion-dollar market for international students at Australian universities, which has been smashed by border closures.

Aussies could soon return to Singapores iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel under an ambitious travel bubble plan being discussed.

Australians would also be allowed to travel to Singapore for work or leisure without approval from the Department of Home Affairs, provided they have had the jab.

New Zealand could also be involved in what would become a three-way travel bubble that federal government sources are hopeful will be up and running by July or August  well before a mooted broader opening of our international borders from October.
A 37-year-old hiker from the Los Angeles area has been found dead near the Mt. Waterman Trail in the Angeles National Forest after she was declared missing for nearly a week, according to authorities.

Police in Glendale announced on Saturday that the body of Narineh Avakian was found at around 1:30pm.

Avakian went missing last Sunday after embarking on a one-day hike at around noon. When she didnt return home, her family notified authorities on Monday that she was missing.

Avakian was known to take solo trips, her family told investigators. That day her loved ones did not know where she planned to go.

Investigators posted missing person notices on social media in hopes of gaining more information that could shed light as to her whereabouts.

Police in Glendale, California announced on Saturday that they had located the body of Narineh Avakian, 37

Police said that the search for Avakian was delayed on Friday after a snow storm dumped up to a foot of snow on the elevated areas of Southern California

Police said it was common for Avakian to travel alone. She did not tell her family where she was going before her hike last Sunday

Avakian's body was located near Mount Waterman Trail in the Angeles National Forest. Her car was spotted near Buckhorn Day Use Area on Thursday

On Thursday, police managed to locate her vehicle - a 2019 white Subaru Impreza Sedan. The car was parked at the Buckhorn Day Use Area along Angeles Crest Highway in Angeles National Forest.

The forest is an elevated area 6,700ft above sea level, making it popular for hikers.

Police said that the elevated regions of Southern California were recently hit with snowstorms.

After Avakians car was located, search and rescue teams from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department as well as local volunteer groups fanned out across the area on Thursday to help locate the missing hiker.

But due to heavy snowfall that dumped as much as 12 inches in the region, the search was called off at around 2:00am on Friday.

The search resumed on Friday afternoon as authorities deployed a large contingent of rescue teams.

On Thursday, police managed to locate her vehicle - a 2019 white Subaru Impreza Sedan

The car was parked at the Buckhorn Day Use Area along Angeles Crest Highway in Angeles National Forest

Avakian went for a one-day hike last Sunday at around noon. Her family reported her missing the next day after she did not return

The forest is an elevated area 6,700ft above sea level, making it popular for hikers

Avakians body was found on Saturday by LASD search and rescue personnel.

Based on preliminary investigation, it does not appear that foul play was involved with her death. An investigation into Narineh Avakians cause of death is ongoing, police said on Saturday.

According to Avakians Facebook page, she was originally from Tehran, Iran. Her past employment included stints at Marshalls and the Beverly Tower Womens Center.

Her Facebook page also indicates that she studied at Moro Beauty College in Glendale, though that school is now defunct.

Anyone with information on Avakian's death is asked to contact local law enforcement officials at call 818-548-4911 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.